Thursday, October 15, 2009
Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 42:16: I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
Seven years ago today, I was laying in a hospital bed, getting lots of love from my family, and getting ready to go into surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy. In a matter of hours, I went from not knowing I was even pregnant, to intense pain and bleeding, rushing to the ER where I was told I was pregnant and that I would need emergency surgery...right away. My head was reeling. The pain was almost too much to take. I was tired. I was scared. I saw my husband scared for the first time in my life. This wasn't happening to me. It couldn't be. We had prayed for a baby and this is what we get?!
As I look back on these last seven years, I can tell you that I thank God for that little baby and the short life he/she had. For years I held on to that baby as "if only things could have been different". Now, I no longer live in the past but I celebrate what God has done by using that horrible night to benefit my future.
The good always outweighs the bad when it comes to God. Sure I had pain, and I was confused, and I still carry a hurt for that baby that only a mother can understand. But my husband and I grew closer together, I met the doctor that would one day deliver my triplets, our family prayed for us like they have never prayed before. God guided me down unfamiliar paths that I would not have chosen to walk down myself. He lit the right way before me and darkened the paths that I did not need to go down. I learned to lean on Him when the road grew rough and I watched in wonder as He smoothed them right before my eyes.
I shudder to think where I would have ended up had I gone through losing this baby, and the seven after it, without knowing the Lord was with me through it all. Life can painfully blind us at times, without warning or remorse. Who is going to lead you? How will you make it out? How will you get through the rough times?
God promises that He will do these things for you...He will not forsake you. He will not leave you where you are at. He can make that dark path before you illuminate like you have never seen it before! You may not know where you are headed but just take a hold of His hand and follow Him. He knows where you are going and trust me, it's a far better place than you could ever get to by yourself.
October 15th is ironically for me Pregnancy and Baby Loss Remembrance Day around the world. Check out this site and hug a friend you know is suffering today. If you have never lost a baby, hug your kids extra hard today for they are gifts from God!
To my crew of babies up in Heaven..."Momma loves you little angels and I can't wait to hug you for real one day. No matter how short your lives were, you were created for a purpose and I thank God for that!"
Friday, May 1, 2009
Romans 4:17
Romans 4:17: As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
God promised a son to Abraham and Sarah, even though they were passed the childbearing years. Can you imagine how crazy that must have sounded to them?! Sarah even laughed when she heard the angels say in a year's time, she would give birth to a son. I bet the reason God chose this time in their lives to bring Isaac forth was so that they could see with their own eyes that He could do anything. Just because they couldn't see a way for this to happen, doesn't mean God didn't already have it all figured out. He can make a way where this is no way.
Another example is me! My reproductive parts were literally dead. My fallopian tubes were either missing or damaged. There was fluid leaking into my uterus from my one fallopian tube making it impossible for me to conceive a child. Doctors said they would need to do surgery. My chances of ever carrying my own child were slim. We tried 3 times! Nothing... We could conceive the children just fine. I was able to make lots of babies but none would stick. Should we use a surrogate, adopt, give up?!
No, God told me years before I would be pregnant. I would be pregnant! Not someone else. It would happen and so in faith we tried again. And God definitely called things that were not as though they were! Not only was I able to carry one baby, I carried three babies. And God definitely gave life to the dead. I was encouraged to abort at least one of the babies because the risk of carrying triplets was great. I could deliver early, the babies might be disabled, sick, even die. But I carried them passed 34 weeks with no problems whatsoever. I gave birth to three healthy, big babies who only needed to stay in the hospital a total of 10 days. They are equal to a full term baby physically and developmentally...you would never know they were premature.
God gives life to the dead and makes things that are not as though they were. There are no limits to what He can accomplish. Have faith...even if what you are believing for is way out there! People make think you are crazy but if the Lord has spoken a word, He will make a way, in His timing, for His glory.
Abraham against all hope believed and became the father of many nations. What more is in store for you?