Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Our Angel

Our sweet, beautiful Selah James went to be with Jesus this morning around one o'clock am after 10 and a half hours of fighting like a little warrior.  She passed away peacefully in her mommy's arms with the room full of our family and Pastor Laura.  We all stood around and were able to talk to her all the way to the end and give God praises for His true love for us and for her.  Selah continuously defied the odds that were against her little life and never gave up for one second.

One of our prayers leading into these last few weeks was that if it wasn't God's will to heal her completely, that we would at least get to hold her while she was alive for a few moments.  We prayed that she would not be stillborn and that she would be able to know her mommy and daddy's love for her over her short time on this Earth.  We know that the Father's love is so much stronger and bigger than we could ever fathom and so we're so glad that the Lord did not allow her to suffer for one minute and took her in the most peaceful way.  But we're also glad of the fact that we got to hold her against our skin and give her as much love as possible while she was with us.

The doctors never expected her to make it out of the operating room, but she showed all of us her incredible strength.  Over the 10 and a half hour period we experienced so many miracles.  God showed His face in every way imaginable.  We were able to hear her little whimpers and cries...things that we never knew we'd get to hear.  We were also able to read her a bedtime story just a few hours before she passed.  The room was full of tears as Brittany held her and I read "On the Night You Were Born," by Nancy Tillman.

Another blessing for us was being able to hold her in our arms, skin to skin.  She nestled against our chests and opened her eyes several times to look at us.  She has Brittany's nose and mouth and my eyes and eye brows (poor thing).  We even got to put some lip gloss on her perfect, little lips.  She looked like an angel the entire time and we know that she's in the arms of Jesus and not suffering through anything of this world anymore.

We can't thank you all enough for your support and prayers.  We truly felt the presence of God with us all day yesterday and even now.  There is an overwhelming sense of the Holy Spirit pouring its power over us and  flooding our hearts and the entire room with the love of Christ.  We never would have imagined that Selah's story would touch so many lives in such a short amount of time. Selah James Bennett will live well past her final breath on this Earth and we are so thankful for that.

Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to lift us all up in the coming days and weeks. Please remember, His ways are higher than ours and we submit to His will because He has aligned our steps and His love endures forever.  Rejoice in the Lord always!

Until next time, God bless you all.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

15 comments:

  1. I praise the Lord for the miracle of Selah even during this sad time of loss. You know I understand what you are both going through and even in the most difficult of times, the Lord is good. Selah was a true miracle with wonderful, Godly parents. I will continue to pray for you and you know I am here for you. ~Caroline Combs

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    1. As Rick and I talked about Selah and her family this morning, he reminded me of the perfection of the number 10 (the hours you had with her) by God's design found over and over again in the scriptures.

      ...ten is one of the perfect numbers, and signifies the perfection of Divine order...Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.

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  2. God Bless you both. I'm so happy that you did get to hold and love on your precious baby girl. She was so beautiful. Praise God for your faith and strength. I will continue to pray for your family and that you will receive strength and comfort knowing that she's with our Lord and Savior.

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  3. I know the feelings you are having right now. I wish I could come meet you and talk, pray, and hug you both. In July we had 14 beautiful hours with our Anneka. I know God has a plan but it still hurts. We will continue to pray for you over the next year. And I would love to talk when you want to.
    DeDe, friend of Melissa

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    1. DeDe and Jason and Brittany,
      I am a few years ahead of you in this journey. We lost our son Ben way too soon. If you need to talk, contact me on FB or send me a message. We can meet to to have coffee or I will just listen. I am thankful for those who held me up when I was weary.
      Laurie Bigelow Preston

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  4. This is an amazing story...I am so thankful for your time with her. She is so pretty, and I know she felt so much love...and feels even more now! You all are in my prayers.

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  5. I have read this blog and heard about you through a co-worker. I have a cousin with severe spina bifida and so I was interested in Selah's prognosis. You both have touched my life through your astounding profession of faith. You are a true testament to God's glory and that His grace is sufficient. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. God bless you in the coming weeks as you grieve, and may God give you peace that passeth all understanding....out of this world peace!

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  6. I don't know you and your family... But your story has touched me in ways you cannot imagine. Sending prayers.

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  7. Jason I am so sorry!!! May Gods peace and understanding pour over you and your family today and in the days to come! How strong you guys are is amazing! God has used your story to touch people!!! Selah is an angel now!!! God needed her more than we did!!! Praise him through this storm!!!!

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  8. I know your sister Christy from Meredith College and saw her post on facebook. I cannot even imagine what you are going through, but I am still in tears for you both. Please know that you are in my prayers. May God bless you and surround you with His peace during this time.

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  9. Brittany and Jason-I am a friend of Mitzi's from Southwood. Just wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers. Knowing that you have placed your trust and hope in Jesus is awesome. He never promised that life would be great, but thankfully He did promise to go with us through it. (Isaiah 43) May His grace permeate every fiber of your being and sustain you each day. Your little Selah is precious!
    Debbie Norville

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  10. I went to school with Brittany and have been reading your blog. Your unending faith & strength is clearly evident. I am so sorry for your loss but I am grateful that you were allowed a short time with your beautiful little Selah. She was, without a doubt, loved very much in her short time here and she couldn't have had better parents. My prayers will continue to be with your family throughout the coming days/weeks.

    ~An angel opened the book of life and wrote down your baby's birth. Then whispered as she closed the book, "Too beautiful for Earth".

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  11. I'm sure Selah is grateful for your participation with God in creating her. You have so much time praying for her, and now she is in heaven praying for you, patiently waiting to see you again! God Bless you.

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  12. So my beauty and heartbreak tangled together in your story. Thank you for sharing with Hope Mommies.

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