Josiah's Tribute Video

This video may be hard to watch for some of you that don't know the incredible story of my nephew Josiah Nathaniel. He spent is whole life (except for a few days) in the hospital as he was born with HLHS as well as some other rare heart defects. Although he never said a word, Josiah has left a huge impact in our lives and has left an amazing story that many other parents and families can relate with. I am still amazed at what his mommy and daddy did to take care of his fragile life along with our two awesome nieces. JM and I spent a lot of 2009 watching our nieces and spending our dates with Josiah in his hospital room. We happened to be in Charleston the day he went to be with Jesus on January 24th, 2010. It has been two years. I can't believe he would be a toddler right now. But the beauty in all of this is that Josiah's parents have amazing faith in God and that faith has carried our family through this extremely difficult, yet beautiful journey. Although we had Josiah for 8 months, his story will always be told.

Yesterday I was reading out of 1 Samuel 1 and the incredible mother that Hannah was. "I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life." - (1 Sam 1:27-28) Hannah was barren for a long time and in "deep anguish" and "crying bitterly," she made a vow with God - Lord, if you look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours his entire lifetime (1:10,11). After he was weaned, Hannah took Samuel to the Tabernacle to become a priest.

Now I am sure, by choice we would never want to give Josiah up, but we have to be faithful and trust that God still uses Josiah for His good will. Although his time here was short, we can tell the story of Josiah and the amazing work God is still doing because of his little life. We love him and miss him so much, but we have the incredible opportunity to continue to tell his story. There are so many parents and families out there questioning God through extremely difficult situations. But we know through Josiah that our HOPE is in Christ Jesus and that as children of God, we belong to an amazing Creator that promises His never failing love. That no matter how much pain and anguish we may feel, God can restore our hearts with joy that goes beyond just a feeling. It is a confident joy that only comes from knowing Jesus personally. Yes, there will always be hard days and times we question God, but only He can give us joy so that we can tell Josiah's story happily. Because if we speak out, we can reach out to others that face similar grief. So please, watch this video with joy in your heart, because we are confident that Josiah's heart is whole as he rests in the arms of Jesus!






For more about his story, please visit: www.thewilsonheart.com

We love you and miss you little buddy!