Josiah Grauman’s Testimony
Earlier this month, I got the chance to meet a young man named Josiah Grauman. Josiah shared with me how, only eight months into his marriage, he was diagnosed with Loeys-Dietz syndrome — it’s a congenital heart defect that can cause skeletal abnormalities, bruising and physical weakness. Not only is Josiah’s heart condition challenging to live with, it’s also what doctors call “a ticking time bomb,” as his arteries are so elastic, they could burst any minute without warning. This diagnosis has meant several open-heart surgeries for Josiah. And as if though that were not enough, doctors informed Josiah and his wife that, were they to conceive, their children would have a 50% chance of being born with this genetic disorder. As you can imagine, Josiah had to think long and hard about what all this meant for him and his family. But this young man has learned to trust in the sovereignty of God. In a blog post about his thoughts on genetic disease and parenthood, Josiah said:
“To know Christ for 26 physically painful years on earth is incomparably better than to live a millennium without Him and then suffer eternally in hell. This knowledge, through the Holy Spirit, enables me to live my life here in the flesh with complete hope and joy. If a doctor pities me because he thinks my life must be terrible, I pity him. He knows not the joy I feel nor the hope that I have. I’m not mad my parents chose to have me, I’m grateful!”
My goodness, how it bolsters my heart to meet young people whose faith and character are shaped through trials! And it’s my prayer that Josiah’s life be of encouragement to you, too. So, take a minute to watch this video and get to learn more about Josiah’s testimony — and then share it with a friend who needs to be reminded that we can “Trust in the Lord will all our heart” (Proverbs 3:5).
