My Aunt told me of a vision she had over 30 years ago. She was dealing with multiple health issues, and was pregnant with her third child. Long story short, the doctor advised her to abort the baby, as it surely meant jeopardizing her own life to continue with the pregnancy.

She was given a vision that she believed came from God – a picture in her mind of hands holding a perfect newborn child over a dark lake full of aborted children. The vision confirmed her instinctive decision to continue with the pregnancy despite the danger to herself and her unborn child.

The “picture” of her described vision wouldn’t leave my mind. I didn’t think I could, or even should – try to paint it.

My husband’s niece Teri was pregnant, and on October 10, 2011 gave birth to her son Bennett, at only 23 weeks and five days of gestation. My husband and I, among hundreds of others connected on social media, began to pray for her and her family.

To the date of this writing, Baby Bennett has survived over one month of life on this earth. From the start, the wee lad had health issues, a surgery to correct a bowel rupture, and the doctors told the young parents that  it was only a matter of days for him to live. The little family celebrated each day of life and each tiny increment of improvement. 

The thought of painting my Aunt’s vision was a burden on my heart for a few weeks, and the events of Bennett’s birth and first month of life made it clear to me that I had to paint something, if only to use the time of actual painting as a time to set aside and pray for this tiny child.

The painting’s message is three-fold. First, it represents my own version of the vision that my Aunt told me about. Secondly, it shows God’s Fatherly hand protecting a single precious child in a dangerous environment. (My dear husband Darrell was the hand model). The third, and most important message of the painting is Christmas. God allowed his own precious Son to be born in a harsh and cruel world that would one day take His life.

My God is a God of miracles. I have a cousin named Christopher. Every day of Bennett’s life is a miracle. His parents’ faith and love, and the prayers of hundreds of believers has kept him alive thus far. However this story turns out, it is a shining example of God’s grace and loving hand.

* UPDATE: 2017: Bennett is a happy 6 year old boy!