She sat quietly in the dark of night, holding her third child and studying every one of her features. Her baby girl had been born with a rare neurological disorder known as Aicardi Syndrome. Her right eye had never developed, she had congenital brain defects, and severe scoliosis left her with a crooked spine.

Even so, this child was the most beautiful miracle this mother had ever seen. Her heart almost burst with thankfulness … but God wasn’t done pouring out his mercy.

Just a few months earlier, Kayla (Zizelman) Frantz and her husband Josh found themselves sitting in a doctor’s office. Several previous ultrasounds had shown fetal abnormalities, and they’d been referred to specialists to handle the pregnancy.

“We recommend you consider a medical abortion.” The doctor’s words echoed in their minds, over and over. Kayla’s gut reaction was resolute: absolutely not … never again.

Painful memories began to resurface, as she recalled the abortion she’d had several years ago. It was a dark time in her life; she’d been utterly lost, consumed with fear and shame. It still hurt to think about the person she used to be, the person she was before Jesus changed her heart.

There were no guarantees this baby would ever breathe her first breath. Even if she lived, she would likely never live a “normal” life. Kayla did not know what the future would hold, but she knew the One who did.

“I really trusted the Lord through the entire pregnancy when the world we were finding ourselves in could only give us fear,” she said. “This child was a gift from God, and however he created her is how we would have her.”

Gabriella Grace Frantz took her first breath on March 10, 2021, and nothing has been the same ever since.

This wasn’t the first miracle God had blessed them with. In 2020, her oldest daughter, Sophia, was suddenly confined to a hospital bed for 24 days, unable to walk or function normally. She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that attacks the nerves. Doctors tried several treatments and even told Kayla that Sophia may never regain the ability to walk.

“While the doctors were doing all they could to figure it out, we were turning her room into an altar before the Lord,” said Kayla. “Bible verses were posted all over. When you walked in her room, you could feel the spirit of the Lord. We prayed and trusted God. When no one else knew, we were certain he did, and in his timing, he would move.”

As God would have it, Sophia miraculously stood up out of the hospital bed and took her first steps, for the second time. The doctors were shocked and amazed; there was no medical explanation for this, but Kayla knew who to thank without a doubt.

She was profoundly grateful for the miracles she’d already witnessed … but she knew she didn’t deserve God’s kindness, grace and mercy (as none of us do). Before Jesus saved her, she’d lived a life of promiscuity and deception. She often wondered … Could he really forgive all her sins and free her from her past?

“I remember still feeling the weight of guilt and the thoughts of my past haunting me, the choices and actions I would do anything to take back,” she recalls. “I was holding my special girl, loving her more than I ever loved anything. In her brokenness, a crooked little body, missing an eye … but she was perfect to me.”

That’s when she finally understood.

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

~ Ephesians 3:17-19

The Holy Spirit opened her eyes, and she could finally see how God saw her: broken and flawed, yes, but still his, and loved unconditionally beyond measure.

“In that moment, I was released from my past,” Kayla recalls. “I knew I was truly forgiven and everything I had gone through brought me here.”

Fast forward to today, and Gabriella is now 3 years old and attending preschool. She has also become a big sister. As she has grown, she continues to face more health challenges, but Kayla knows where her help comes from. She chooses daily to plant her feet firmly on the rock, Jesus.

“[Gabriella’s] life has been a walking testimony!” she said. “Every specific prayer has been answered – from her sitting up to crawling to hearing her sweet voice speak words. And we send all the glory right back to God.”

Kayla and her family are currently raising funds to obtain a seizure-sensing service dog for Gabriella through 4 Paws for Ability. If you would like to help, please contact Kayla at kaylajfrantz@icloud.com.