Maddie and Zak Carchedi's story
[TW: miscarriage]
Maddie and Zak Carchedi bear witness to the beauty of surrendering complete control to Jesus.
The Carchedi's had life planned out. They were excited to begin growing their family and move into a house within their desired timeframe.
But it was September when Maddie's back completely gave out the moment she went to lace up her hiking boots. A single movement resulting in a herniated disk in her lower back was certainly not part of Maddie or Zak's plan for the next 3 months.
The back pain consumed Maddie's life and left her almost unable to function - Zak had to put on her socks before work. She couldn't make it sitting through church services. She had to lie in the aisle on airplanes. And Zak felt helpless as his wife suffered without relief.
Maddie tried all kinds of treatment, but nothing helped. On top of this, they were in the middle of trying to finalize the mortgage on a house, and it was beginning to slip through their fingers.
Everything seemed like it was falling apart.
One Thursday night, Maddie broke. She had tried everything, and she was at the end of herself. Through weary tears, with Zak sleeping beside her, she laid everything down at the foot of the cross:
"I was just like, 'God, I surrender everything to you. My life is not my own. I give you the timing of you healing my back. I give you the timing of when we have a kid. I give you if we get this house, or if we don't get this house. It's totally up to you-you reign either way.'"
In that moment, Maddie felt the peace and comfort of God's presence overwhelm her. She felt the touch of His hand as He instantly took the pain in her back away. And to this day, she is pain free!
The following day, Maddie spontaneously took a pregnancy test. After all, God had healed her back, so who was to say He couldn't give them a child? To their surprise, the test was positive.
And less than a week later, they got an email that their house loan was approved after receiving no communication for months. Maddie and Zak were in awe of the kindness of God.
But this story doesn't end there. Once again, they faced the unexpected as they were told the blood in Maddie's uterus, along with its abnormal shape, made her a high-risk pregnancy. Weeks later, Maddie woke up to extreme blood loss and feared she was losing her baby.
Rushing to the hospital, Maddie pleaded with God to preserve the life of their baby. She had no other choice but to trust, so in the middle of her panic, she surrendered her child to God's plan.
And God worked miraculously again. Their emergency ultrasound showed imaging of their baby unharmed and moving. Even so, medical professionals warned them that Maddie was still at high risk of miscarrying and would bleed for the remainder of her pregnancy.
But the healing continued. Maddie's later appointment revealed that the bleeding had stopped completely, and that her once abnormally shaped uterus was miraculously back to normal, now making her a normal risk pregnancy. Medical professionals had no explanation, but Maddie and Zak testified to the healing power of Jesus.
Looking back, the Carchedi's see how God was at work when they felt like their prayers were going unanswered and their cries went unheard.
When Maddie's back pain meant she could only lie horizontally or stand, she spent hours praying for others, journaling, and just being with Jesus. It was during this time that God grew her in dependence on His timeline, not her own; ultimately bringing her to a place of beautiful surrender.
Because of what God taught Maddie and Zak in this season, they want to share these truths with their child, due August 2024, and anyone in the church who are currently walking through unexpected and unwanted suffering:
"You don't have to bear all of it on our own. You get to give Him your pain and your suffering. He truly is Jeremiah 29:11 and 1 Peter 5:7. You can cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you, and He knows the plans He has for you.
This was our prayer, and we invite you into it: 'Not our will, but yours be done, Lord.'"
