And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
He missed the whole thing! It happened right around him and next to him and behind him and in front of him but he still missed the whole thing. Amazing! Maybe he was too worried about the money he thought he should have been making. Maybe he was wiped out from too many people asking too many questions. Maybe he was distracted from the fight he had with his wife earlier that night. Whatever the reason--he missed the whole thing!
The innkeeper who allowed Mary & Joseph to stay in his stable the night Jesus was born was probably within a few feet of witnessing the central event of mankind, yet he missed the whole thing! He knew they were there--he allowed them to stay there. She was a scared, teenage girl wracked with the pain of labor--probably without her mother or a midwife; he was a nervous young man, wringing helpless hands and weeping as he heard the anguished, pain-filled cries of his bride as she labored to give the savior of the world birth. How could they go unnoticed to this innkeeper?
Surely he must’ve seen the wide-eyed shepherds as they flocked to his small shed. Men cannot experience a sky full of angels and come quietly! Dirty, wonder-struck shepherds falling in reverence before a tiny, hours-old infant and His exhausted teen mother had to cause quite a commotion! Imagine the bleating sheep crowding out the animals in the stable! So much for a silent night! Did the innkeeper cover his ears and turn over in his bed and wish they’d all just hush so he could sleep? He missed the whole thing!
A sky full of angels. A star above the little stable he loaned out as a labor and delivery room. The birth of the Savior who would offer him redemption from his sins. He missed it all. Never in Scripture do we read of the innkeeper falling to his knees in worship with the Magi or running through the streets to proclaim the birth of the Messiah. We see no reference of his gazing into the night sky and shielding his eyes from the amazing brightness of the star shining over his humble home. We don’t even see where he snuck around the corner and peeked in to the gathering of worshipers to see what all the ruckus was all about. The innkeeper apparently got so distracted by other happenings in his life that he missed the event that literally split time into. He missed the whole thing. What distraction cause him to miss this once in an eternity event?
What has distracted you from the true meaning of Christmas? There is no doubt that we all get way too busy at Christmastime. There are office parties to attend, choir practices to make, school plays to watch and lots and lots of church programs to dutifully observe. Don’t let busyness of the season cause you to miss the true gift of Christmas like the innkeeper did.
No matter how beautiful the gifts are that are wrapped in brightly colored paper and ribbons and laid under your tree tonight, don’t let our celebrations distract from the knowledge that the most precious gift ever given to you was once wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. As you enjoy the beautifully decorated ornaments that are hung on your Christmas tree in your home tonight, don’t let anything cause you to forget that God’s greatest gift to you once hung on another tree and died in your place.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
On the 8th Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...The Gift of Worship
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:10-12
Do you have just a moment to spend with me today? May I have just a few minutes of your precious time? I know you’re busy! You may be reading this on a blackberry at the mall as you try to find those last minute gifts, or you may be taking a break from wrapping up those treasures for those you love. May I ask a question? What gifts do you bring this Christmas? Do you stress over what to purchase each family member and friend? We want to buy something we know they would like and hope we don’t go broke in the process! But what gift can you bring to Christ this Christmas? Let’s take our cue from the Wise Men from long ago.
What did the Magi bring with them on their journey to see the Christ Child? They had no Wal-Mart on the way to Bethlehem! No Macy’s! No Saks 5th Avenue! What royal treasure would suffice for a new king? We can all recite the gift list from all the retellings of all the Christmas stories we’ve heard all our lives: The Wise Men brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what is the significance of these gifts? What can we learn from them?
They brought Jesus the gift of gold. Gold has always been precious. It signifies the best one has to offer. What is the best you can offer Christ this year? Life takes a toll on your heart, but you can still offer Christ the gift of loving Him best, desiring Him most. Oh, that can be so hard to do when we get so caught up in the busyness of this season! But worship Christ this Christmas by giving Him the gift of loving Him best and desiring Him most.
Frankincense was considered one of the world’s most treasured commodities, and in fact, rivaled gold in it’s value. It’s resin had such a sweet, sweet fragrance. The trees which produce this resin grow in such unforgiving environments that they seem to grow out of solid rock. Perhaps this sweet fragrance represents those things in life that you love most, that you hold dearest to your heart. The family you cherish, the dreams you have. Will you worship the Christ Child with your dreams? Will you honor Him by trusting Him with your most precious dreams, even the dream you have for your family? Will you gather with family and friends and worship this Christ Child this year? What a gift to lay at the manger!
Myrrh is a resin that comes from a tree, often referred to as a “weeping tree”. It is bitter in taste, yet has a sweet fragrance. It has been used in embalming and anointing of the dead, thus it represents suffering and sorrow. However, myrrh was one of the most valuable treasures of the day, so this gift was given to the baby King! If your heart hurts from sorrow or hurts you have experienced this year, you can worship through your tears and sorrow. He understands the pain of a heavy heart. Bring Him the gift of worship through tears.
When we bring the Christ Child the gift of our worship, our circumstances become smaller and smaller and God becomes bigger and bigger. As we begin to open our treasures before Him--giving Him the best we have to offer Him (represented by gold), worshipping by trusting Him with our dreams and worshipping with family and friends (represented by frankincense) and worshipping through suffering and sorrow (represented by myrrh)--He accepts our worship and will deal with us as we lay these treasures at His feet. What amazing and costly treasures!
There is a hidden gem in the passage of Scripture you may not have paid much attention to in the past. It’s the verse that says “the magi left for their own country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12) When you truly experience Christ at Christmas like the Wise Men did, when you fall down in true heart-felt worship and lay your treasures at His feet, you too, will leave a different way. You will not stay the same. When you allow yourself to become vulnerable in the presence of an Almighty God wrapped in the robe of human flesh, you will not--you cannot--stay the same. When you fall at the manger in honest worship, you will leave another way. God becomes bigger, your problems--even infertility--will become smaller.
So take a cue from the Wise Men this year. See the star of Bethlehem. Worship the newborn King. Rejoice! Exceedingly! Bring your treasures and lay them in worship at His manger and then leave another way.
No wonder they called them Wise Men!
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:10-12
Do you have just a moment to spend with me today? May I have just a few minutes of your precious time? I know you’re busy! You may be reading this on a blackberry at the mall as you try to find those last minute gifts, or you may be taking a break from wrapping up those treasures for those you love. May I ask a question? What gifts do you bring this Christmas? Do you stress over what to purchase each family member and friend? We want to buy something we know they would like and hope we don’t go broke in the process! But what gift can you bring to Christ this Christmas? Let’s take our cue from the Wise Men from long ago.
What did the Magi bring with them on their journey to see the Christ Child? They had no Wal-Mart on the way to Bethlehem! No Macy’s! No Saks 5th Avenue! What royal treasure would suffice for a new king? We can all recite the gift list from all the retellings of all the Christmas stories we’ve heard all our lives: The Wise Men brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But what is the significance of these gifts? What can we learn from them?
They brought Jesus the gift of gold. Gold has always been precious. It signifies the best one has to offer. What is the best you can offer Christ this year? Life takes a toll on your heart, but you can still offer Christ the gift of loving Him best, desiring Him most. Oh, that can be so hard to do when we get so caught up in the busyness of this season! But worship Christ this Christmas by giving Him the gift of loving Him best and desiring Him most.
Frankincense was considered one of the world’s most treasured commodities, and in fact, rivaled gold in it’s value. It’s resin had such a sweet, sweet fragrance. The trees which produce this resin grow in such unforgiving environments that they seem to grow out of solid rock. Perhaps this sweet fragrance represents those things in life that you love most, that you hold dearest to your heart. The family you cherish, the dreams you have. Will you worship the Christ Child with your dreams? Will you honor Him by trusting Him with your most precious dreams, even the dream you have for your family? Will you gather with family and friends and worship this Christ Child this year? What a gift to lay at the manger!
Myrrh is a resin that comes from a tree, often referred to as a “weeping tree”. It is bitter in taste, yet has a sweet fragrance. It has been used in embalming and anointing of the dead, thus it represents suffering and sorrow. However, myrrh was one of the most valuable treasures of the day, so this gift was given to the baby King! If your heart hurts from sorrow or hurts you have experienced this year, you can worship through your tears and sorrow. He understands the pain of a heavy heart. Bring Him the gift of worship through tears.
When we bring the Christ Child the gift of our worship, our circumstances become smaller and smaller and God becomes bigger and bigger. As we begin to open our treasures before Him--giving Him the best we have to offer Him (represented by gold), worshipping by trusting Him with our dreams and worshipping with family and friends (represented by frankincense) and worshipping through suffering and sorrow (represented by myrrh)--He accepts our worship and will deal with us as we lay these treasures at His feet. What amazing and costly treasures!
There is a hidden gem in the passage of Scripture you may not have paid much attention to in the past. It’s the verse that says “the magi left for their own country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12) When you truly experience Christ at Christmas like the Wise Men did, when you fall down in true heart-felt worship and lay your treasures at His feet, you too, will leave a different way. You will not stay the same. When you allow yourself to become vulnerable in the presence of an Almighty God wrapped in the robe of human flesh, you will not--you cannot--stay the same. When you fall at the manger in honest worship, you will leave another way. God becomes bigger, your problems--even infertility--will become smaller.
So take a cue from the Wise Men this year. See the star of Bethlehem. Worship the newborn King. Rejoice! Exceedingly! Bring your treasures and lay them in worship at His manger and then leave another way.
No wonder they called them Wise Men!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
On the 7th Day of Christmas My True Love Said to Me...Do Not Be Afraid
The angel said to her, " Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”
Luke 1:30
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, " Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20
Do not be afraid. We hear it again in the Christmas story. Yesterday we heard it spoken to aged Zacharias as a promise that God had heard every single time he prayed for a baby. From the first excited prayer he must have uttered as a naive young man looking with anticipation toward his future, to the prayers he prayed through the night as he listened to his grieving wife weeping for another month lost to her menstrual cycle, God heard every single prayer. There was no room for fear.
Perhaps the most astonishing declaration for the absence of fear was also the most unbelievable. How do you tell a virgin teenager that she will not only carry a baby in her untouched womb, but that this baby will be God robed in flesh, and then tell her not to fear? How do you tell her that she will be responsible for raising the Messiah and then tell her not to worry about it? How do you expect a teenager to lay aside fear and take on a responsibility no one else in all of time and eternity has ever or will ever carry?
And poor Joseph! The young love of his life expects him to believe that she has remained faithful, yet her bulging belly screams another story! Customs of the day said he had every right to have her stoned, but his heart wouldn’t let him. Would he stay with a girl whose faithfulness he questioned, or would he face a future without her? Suddenly, Joseph’s fitful sleep was interrupted by a holy visitor with the same message given to Mary and later to Zacharias: Do not be afraid. Joseph was told he didn’t have to fear taking Mary as his wife. God’s hand was on her life, and not the hand of any man. If God had chosen Mary for this task, He had certainly chosen Joseph as well, so he didn’t have to fear his future either.
The players in the nativity faced daunting tasks and they had reason to tremble. God saw their trepidation and sent holy messengers to assure them that there was no reason for fear. In the earthly realm, there was a lot to fear, but when God is with you, fear dissipates. Mary could face a virgin pregnancy because the Lord was with her. There are times you are afraid as well. Like Mary, you may ponder things in your heart and wonder how in the world things have come about the way they have. As you consider the situations that cause you anxiety--Will this pregnancy result in a living baby, or will I lose this one too? Will the adoption fall through? Will I have a job in the coming weeks? Can our marriage survive this struggle?--remember that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ taking the robe of human flesh to be God Emmanuel, God With Us, so that we don’t have to be afraid of our future. The same God who sustained Mary through the calling He gave her walks with you and will sustain you as well.
Like Joseph, your future may not be coming together as you planned. He thought he’d marry his sweetheart and live happily ever after. Instead, he married a pregnant virgin and became stepfather to the Son of God! Don’t you imagine there were times he simply didn’t think he was up to the task? Don’t you think he was afraid he couldn’t do what God was asking him to do? Do not be afraid. If God assigns you a task, He’ll give you the capabilities to complete the task, whether the task is following God into full-time ministry on the mission field, taking a leap of faith in a new relationship, pouring your love into a foster child, or stepping way out of your comfort zone to minister to “untouchable” people when you’d much rather have a “regular” life of 2.5 kids and a white picket fence! God knew the task He assigned to Joseph and instructed him to marry Mary without fear. As you face the exciting task of trusting God and living a life of His calling, He tells you the same: Do not be afraid.
Isn’t it amazing that our indescribable, uncontainable God cares enough about our emotions to speak to us and comfort us? Do not be afraid!
If your heart carries fear or unrest in this Christmas season, it is my prayer that you will sense the presence of God Emmanuel so very near to you today, and that you will not be afraid.
Luke 1:30
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, " Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 1:20
Do not be afraid. We hear it again in the Christmas story. Yesterday we heard it spoken to aged Zacharias as a promise that God had heard every single time he prayed for a baby. From the first excited prayer he must have uttered as a naive young man looking with anticipation toward his future, to the prayers he prayed through the night as he listened to his grieving wife weeping for another month lost to her menstrual cycle, God heard every single prayer. There was no room for fear.
Perhaps the most astonishing declaration for the absence of fear was also the most unbelievable. How do you tell a virgin teenager that she will not only carry a baby in her untouched womb, but that this baby will be God robed in flesh, and then tell her not to fear? How do you tell her that she will be responsible for raising the Messiah and then tell her not to worry about it? How do you expect a teenager to lay aside fear and take on a responsibility no one else in all of time and eternity has ever or will ever carry?
And poor Joseph! The young love of his life expects him to believe that she has remained faithful, yet her bulging belly screams another story! Customs of the day said he had every right to have her stoned, but his heart wouldn’t let him. Would he stay with a girl whose faithfulness he questioned, or would he face a future without her? Suddenly, Joseph’s fitful sleep was interrupted by a holy visitor with the same message given to Mary and later to Zacharias: Do not be afraid. Joseph was told he didn’t have to fear taking Mary as his wife. God’s hand was on her life, and not the hand of any man. If God had chosen Mary for this task, He had certainly chosen Joseph as well, so he didn’t have to fear his future either.
The players in the nativity faced daunting tasks and they had reason to tremble. God saw their trepidation and sent holy messengers to assure them that there was no reason for fear. In the earthly realm, there was a lot to fear, but when God is with you, fear dissipates. Mary could face a virgin pregnancy because the Lord was with her. There are times you are afraid as well. Like Mary, you may ponder things in your heart and wonder how in the world things have come about the way they have. As you consider the situations that cause you anxiety--Will this pregnancy result in a living baby, or will I lose this one too? Will the adoption fall through? Will I have a job in the coming weeks? Can our marriage survive this struggle?--remember that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ taking the robe of human flesh to be God Emmanuel, God With Us, so that we don’t have to be afraid of our future. The same God who sustained Mary through the calling He gave her walks with you and will sustain you as well.
Like Joseph, your future may not be coming together as you planned. He thought he’d marry his sweetheart and live happily ever after. Instead, he married a pregnant virgin and became stepfather to the Son of God! Don’t you imagine there were times he simply didn’t think he was up to the task? Don’t you think he was afraid he couldn’t do what God was asking him to do? Do not be afraid. If God assigns you a task, He’ll give you the capabilities to complete the task, whether the task is following God into full-time ministry on the mission field, taking a leap of faith in a new relationship, pouring your love into a foster child, or stepping way out of your comfort zone to minister to “untouchable” people when you’d much rather have a “regular” life of 2.5 kids and a white picket fence! God knew the task He assigned to Joseph and instructed him to marry Mary without fear. As you face the exciting task of trusting God and living a life of His calling, He tells you the same: Do not be afraid.
Isn’t it amazing that our indescribable, uncontainable God cares enough about our emotions to speak to us and comfort us? Do not be afraid!
If your heart carries fear or unrest in this Christmas season, it is my prayer that you will sense the presence of God Emmanuel so very near to you today, and that you will not be afraid.
Friday, December 18, 2009
On The 6th Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me--The Gift of Answered Prayer & Lack of Fear
Do Not Be Afraid--Your Prayer Has Been Heard
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
Luke 1:5-7, 11-14
Throughout the course of the next week, many people will take Bibles off the shelf and with family gathered ‘round, read the timeless Christmas story. They’ll share how a frightened virgin teenager carried the hope of the world in her womb and the love of her good man, Joseph, in her heart. Once again, they’ll hear the songs of angels and imagine the awe of the shepherd and envision the gifts of the Wise Men. (I wonder if they’ll miss the infertility story stuck right in the middle of it all?)
After the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would carry God’s Son, she journeyed to see Elizabeth, her aunt. She and her husband were described by God as righteous and blameless, yet there were no children in their home because Elizabeth was infertile. Zacharias was a priest and was busy going about the business of the Lord when an angel appeared to him. Realize that angels of Scripture are nothing like the pretty, sweet-faced cherubs we see in gift shops! Zacharias was terrified of this holy, angelic being making an appearance to him this day! Fear gripped this old man’s heart and he probably thought he would die!
We know that Elizabeth & Zacharias’ life was one marked by prayer for a baby because of what the angel said to him that day: "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.” Can you imagine the look on this old man’s face? Not only does an angel appear to him, but the angel not only tells him not to be afraid, but also tells him he’s about to be a father? “You don’t have to be afraid, Zacharias. Your petition has been heard!” “What petition has been heard?” “Your petition to have a child has been heard!” All the prayers he had prayed all those years begging God for a baby really had been heard by God! They hadn’t bounced off the heavens and floated off into space! God heard them and the answer was given! A baby was on the way!
Perhaps the angel would say the same to you this Christmas:
You don’t have to be afraid. Your petition has been heard.
You don’t have to be afraid that God really isn’t who He said He would be. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid that God doesn’t care about your marriage. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid of the financial struggle you face. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid of the uncertainty of your future. Your petition has been heard!
You just don’t have to be afraid. Even if it seems that you have waited forever, your every petition has been heard by heaven!
Elizabeth and Zacharias were old. They had prayed many prayers for many years and probably wondered many times why God didn’t grant them children in their youth. But God had a greater plan. He knew their child had a special and magnificent call on his life. He would be the forerunner to the Messiah. God knew there was a specific time that John needed to be conceived. God heard every prayer Elizabeth prayed for a baby. And He answered in perfection. God heard every single time Zacharias cried out to Heaven for his wife to conceive. He hears you as well.
So don’t be afraid this Christmas. Don’t fear for your future. Don’t fear your family. Your petitions have been heard, so there is no need for fear.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
Luke 1:5-7, 11-14
Throughout the course of the next week, many people will take Bibles off the shelf and with family gathered ‘round, read the timeless Christmas story. They’ll share how a frightened virgin teenager carried the hope of the world in her womb and the love of her good man, Joseph, in her heart. Once again, they’ll hear the songs of angels and imagine the awe of the shepherd and envision the gifts of the Wise Men. (I wonder if they’ll miss the infertility story stuck right in the middle of it all?)
After the angel appeared to Mary and told her she would carry God’s Son, she journeyed to see Elizabeth, her aunt. She and her husband were described by God as righteous and blameless, yet there were no children in their home because Elizabeth was infertile. Zacharias was a priest and was busy going about the business of the Lord when an angel appeared to him. Realize that angels of Scripture are nothing like the pretty, sweet-faced cherubs we see in gift shops! Zacharias was terrified of this holy, angelic being making an appearance to him this day! Fear gripped this old man’s heart and he probably thought he would die!
We know that Elizabeth & Zacharias’ life was one marked by prayer for a baby because of what the angel said to him that day: "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.” Can you imagine the look on this old man’s face? Not only does an angel appear to him, but the angel not only tells him not to be afraid, but also tells him he’s about to be a father? “You don’t have to be afraid, Zacharias. Your petition has been heard!” “What petition has been heard?” “Your petition to have a child has been heard!” All the prayers he had prayed all those years begging God for a baby really had been heard by God! They hadn’t bounced off the heavens and floated off into space! God heard them and the answer was given! A baby was on the way!
Perhaps the angel would say the same to you this Christmas:
You don’t have to be afraid. Your petition has been heard.
You don’t have to be afraid that God really isn’t who He said He would be. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid that God doesn’t care about your marriage. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid of the financial struggle you face. Your petition has been heard!
You don’t have to be afraid of the uncertainty of your future. Your petition has been heard!
You just don’t have to be afraid. Even if it seems that you have waited forever, your every petition has been heard by heaven!
Elizabeth and Zacharias were old. They had prayed many prayers for many years and probably wondered many times why God didn’t grant them children in their youth. But God had a greater plan. He knew their child had a special and magnificent call on his life. He would be the forerunner to the Messiah. God knew there was a specific time that John needed to be conceived. God heard every prayer Elizabeth prayed for a baby. And He answered in perfection. God heard every single time Zacharias cried out to Heaven for his wife to conceive. He hears you as well.
So don’t be afraid this Christmas. Don’t fear for your future. Don’t fear your family. Your petitions have been heard, so there is no need for fear.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
On The 5th Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...The Gift of "Why"
I’m Dreaming of a “Why” Christmas
I recently heard my little girl sweetly singing a Christmas carol to the top of her lungs. She had her angelic face tilted just perfectly, her eyes closed, and with all the gusto her 9 year old heart could muster, she belted out “I’m dreaming of a ‘why’ Christmas!”
There are so many, many “whys” during the holidays. The strong emphasis placed on family relationships during this time of year spotlights the whys your heart carries. Why did my baby not survive yet another chose to abort? Why do we struggle financially when other families who never tithes seem to flourish? Why is my family member sick? Why did I lose my job? Why can’t I ever conquer depression once and for all? Why won’t our adoption go through? Why does God choose to grant a healthy pregnancy to someone who calls her baby an “accident” when I have done any and every thing I can do to conceive and nothing has worked? Why? Why? Why?
Are you struggling with a “Why Christmas” this year? If so, then I encourage you to consider “Why Christmas?” Why did God give us Christmas? Imagine if you will, that an amazing miracle would occur today, and your doctor would call you and say that according to your latest test results you are perfectly pregnant. All your hormone levels are exactly as they should be and the next nine months are blissfully filled with your bulging belly and growing baby. You give birth to a perfect child and all is right with the world. You cannot believe the love your heart hold for this miracle in the flesh who has your eyes and your husband’s chin.
However, in the greatest act of love imaginable, you hand this much desired baby over to someone else! The love you hold for you baby is incomprehensible, but you know the other person will perish if you do not give them your child, and you cannot bear the thought, so with more compassion that you ever dreamed possible, you give them the gift of the baby you have desired so long. This person doesn’t even know your name, doesn’t love your baby, and really doesn’t even care that this child exists! You give your child to someone else because you know they need your baby to survive, and they don’t even realize it. They look at you as if you’ve lost your mind, and they tell you they don’t want your baby and walk away.
Can you imagine loving another person so much that you’d give your baby to them? God can.
God loves you so much, He gave His Baby to you on Christmas. He gave you His Baby because He knew you needed Him to survive. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) He knew your heart would be filled with so many “whys” this Christmas and you needed God Emmanuel, God with you. That’s why God gave Christmas.
If your heart is filled with a million “whys”, and you’re dreaming of a “why Christmas”, remind yourself of why God gave us Christmas. He loves us. He gave us His Baby. God Emmanuel. God with us. God with us through the good time. God with us in the bad times. God with us at the doctor’s offices. God with us when the periods starts and the pregnancy tests are negative. God with us through the tearful nights. God with us in good times. God with us when family celebrations are too hard. He is God with us because God gave us His Son that first Christmas night. God with us to make a way for sins to be forgiven so we can be with Him for eternity.
That is why God gave us Christmas.
I recently heard my little girl sweetly singing a Christmas carol to the top of her lungs. She had her angelic face tilted just perfectly, her eyes closed, and with all the gusto her 9 year old heart could muster, she belted out “I’m dreaming of a ‘why’ Christmas!”
There are so many, many “whys” during the holidays. The strong emphasis placed on family relationships during this time of year spotlights the whys your heart carries. Why did my baby not survive yet another chose to abort? Why do we struggle financially when other families who never tithes seem to flourish? Why is my family member sick? Why did I lose my job? Why can’t I ever conquer depression once and for all? Why won’t our adoption go through? Why does God choose to grant a healthy pregnancy to someone who calls her baby an “accident” when I have done any and every thing I can do to conceive and nothing has worked? Why? Why? Why?
Are you struggling with a “Why Christmas” this year? If so, then I encourage you to consider “Why Christmas?” Why did God give us Christmas? Imagine if you will, that an amazing miracle would occur today, and your doctor would call you and say that according to your latest test results you are perfectly pregnant. All your hormone levels are exactly as they should be and the next nine months are blissfully filled with your bulging belly and growing baby. You give birth to a perfect child and all is right with the world. You cannot believe the love your heart hold for this miracle in the flesh who has your eyes and your husband’s chin.
However, in the greatest act of love imaginable, you hand this much desired baby over to someone else! The love you hold for you baby is incomprehensible, but you know the other person will perish if you do not give them your child, and you cannot bear the thought, so with more compassion that you ever dreamed possible, you give them the gift of the baby you have desired so long. This person doesn’t even know your name, doesn’t love your baby, and really doesn’t even care that this child exists! You give your child to someone else because you know they need your baby to survive, and they don’t even realize it. They look at you as if you’ve lost your mind, and they tell you they don’t want your baby and walk away.
Can you imagine loving another person so much that you’d give your baby to them? God can.
God loves you so much, He gave His Baby to you on Christmas. He gave you His Baby because He knew you needed Him to survive. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) He knew your heart would be filled with so many “whys” this Christmas and you needed God Emmanuel, God with you. That’s why God gave Christmas.
If your heart is filled with a million “whys”, and you’re dreaming of a “why Christmas”, remind yourself of why God gave us Christmas. He loves us. He gave us His Baby. God Emmanuel. God with us. God with us through the good time. God with us in the bad times. God with us at the doctor’s offices. God with us when the periods starts and the pregnancy tests are negative. God with us through the tearful nights. God with us in good times. God with us when family celebrations are too hard. He is God with us because God gave us His Son that first Christmas night. God with us to make a way for sins to be forgiven so we can be with Him for eternity.
That is why God gave us Christmas.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
On the 4th Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...The Gift of Seasons
It Came To Pass...
Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 1:1, 4
452. That’s how many times the phrase “it came to pass” shows up in the King James version of the Bible! No wonder I’ve heard so many preachers expound on these Scriptures! There are so many of them! I’ve even heard a Christian comedian build an entire set around this one popular Biblical phrase--“it came to pass”!
Do you realize there is great comfort for you in this phrase--“it came to pass”? Today, it probably seems as if your life will consist of nothing more than shopping bags and jingle bells! For the next few days you will know just which stores have the best sales and which ones will open at the indecent hours before the sun even begins to consider its ascent in the sky! The insanity of the Christmas season consumes your every waking thought and most of your paycheck and it is almost unimaginable to consider a couple of weeks from now when Christmas 2009 will be a dear memory! “It came to pass...”
A problematic time is the same way. It is a season in your life. A difficult, hurtful time will not last forever. It comes into your life, and will pass into your history. God allows it to come into your life for a purpose and eventually it will be a part of the story of your life. It will be part of what has made you into the amazing woman or man you are, but believe it or not, it will eventually be a part of your history, not a part of your everyday existence! It’s so hard to see the end of the story when you are waiting for the results of a blood test or trying your best to decide where the money will come from to pay this month’s mortgage.
Hardships always seem so much more intense at Christmastime, but if you are having a problem this Christmas and it has brought you frustration and tears, remember that it is a season in your life. Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. If God has appointed this time in your life to be a hard season for you, then realize that He also has an appointed time for joy in your life. There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
It will not always be as hard as it is today. It came to pass... It has come into your life, but it will pass. God can use the difficulty you are facing in ways you never dreamed possible to reach you and teach you and show you amazing things about Himself. But it has come to pass. This may be your time for weeping, but your time for laughing is coming. You may have had a time for mourning, but you will dance again!
It came to pass!
Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 1:1, 4
452. That’s how many times the phrase “it came to pass” shows up in the King James version of the Bible! No wonder I’ve heard so many preachers expound on these Scriptures! There are so many of them! I’ve even heard a Christian comedian build an entire set around this one popular Biblical phrase--“it came to pass”!
Do you realize there is great comfort for you in this phrase--“it came to pass”? Today, it probably seems as if your life will consist of nothing more than shopping bags and jingle bells! For the next few days you will know just which stores have the best sales and which ones will open at the indecent hours before the sun even begins to consider its ascent in the sky! The insanity of the Christmas season consumes your every waking thought and most of your paycheck and it is almost unimaginable to consider a couple of weeks from now when Christmas 2009 will be a dear memory! “It came to pass...”
A problematic time is the same way. It is a season in your life. A difficult, hurtful time will not last forever. It comes into your life, and will pass into your history. God allows it to come into your life for a purpose and eventually it will be a part of the story of your life. It will be part of what has made you into the amazing woman or man you are, but believe it or not, it will eventually be a part of your history, not a part of your everyday existence! It’s so hard to see the end of the story when you are waiting for the results of a blood test or trying your best to decide where the money will come from to pay this month’s mortgage.
Hardships always seem so much more intense at Christmastime, but if you are having a problem this Christmas and it has brought you frustration and tears, remember that it is a season in your life. Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. If God has appointed this time in your life to be a hard season for you, then realize that He also has an appointed time for joy in your life. There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.
It will not always be as hard as it is today. It came to pass... It has come into your life, but it will pass. God can use the difficulty you are facing in ways you never dreamed possible to reach you and teach you and show you amazing things about Himself. But it has come to pass. This may be your time for weeping, but your time for laughing is coming. You may have had a time for mourning, but you will dance again!
It came to pass!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
On the 3rd Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...The Gift of His Plan
Joseph
The Forgotten Member of the Christmas Story
There is no doubt you are being bombarded with everything Christmas. It’s everywhere you look! Turn on the television and there are commercials offering you the greatest bargains you could ever hope for. Decorations line the streets and radio stations blast “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. Sometimes you don’t want to rock around another Christmas tree--you just want a few moments of peace and quiet! Your heart is filled with so many questions, and in this time when our attention is turned to God’s plan for humanity, you can’t help but wonder about His plan for you. Today would be a good day to sit down with Joseph. Share a few moments with the man who adopted the Savior. The one who wiped His nose and taught Him a trade. The one whose heart must have carried as many questions that first Christmas as yours does this Christmas.
Have you ever really thought about Joseph? What he thought and felt? He knew all about a life that doesn’t go according to a plan! He thought he would marry the girl down the road, he’d build her a nice home and they’d have children--together--and they’d be like everyone else. Sound familiar? He had no idea that God had such a plan and that he would play such a role! Don’t you imagine he must have scratched his head more than once as he pondered the part he was to play in this scene? “God, why me? Why did You choose me? I don’t know if I can do this!” Can’t you see his face as he tried to get Mary settled in a stable for the birth of Jesus? “God, I’m failing You. I’m failing her. I’m failing Him. I can’t do this right. I just can’t do this. I just wanted to get married and have a family, God! I feel like such a failure!”
Scripture doesn’t tell us much about Joseph so we don’t really know if he felt like this or not. We do know that he must have loved Mary, and that he trusted God with all of his heart. No matter what his exact thoughts were, he had to be amazed at the magnitude of the role he was called upon to play. I believe there were times when his calling felt too heavy, the job seemed too hard. Does yours? Especially during times when society focuses so intensely on perfect family gatherings and idyllic holiday scenarios? Think again on Joseph.
During the times Joseph must have struggled in feeling like he wasn’t doing enough for his unique family, Heaven must have smiled. Why? Because Joseph’s trusting heart was leading him down the path Heaven had planned for him. He couldn’t see the entirety of God’s plan and couldn’t understand all that he was asked to do, but his servant’s heart trusted God. He was playing a role in the events that would change not only his world, but the world.
There are times as you are called upon to trust facets of God’s plan that you do not understand, but your trusting heart may be changing someone’s world. Without plausible explanation, you know that the hours poured into a young person’s life will pay off one day whether you see the results or not. You give of your talent and your treasure to outreaches and ministry opportunities and know that the Holy Spirit will multiply your efforts and meet someone’s need through the gifts you’ve offered in His Name. Somehow, your servant’s heart keeps trusting in God and His magnificent plan for your life. And Heaven smiles because your trusting heart keeps you walking the path God has planned for you even when you cannot fully explain it.
Joseph may have winced when he looked inside that dirty, little stall where his sweetheart would labor to bring the Savior into the world. He may have thought he was doing Him an incredible injustice by not providing better. But God led him there just as He led the shepherd and the Magi there. Just as He led you to your Bible Study group, or into the care of your supportive friend or church family who loves you as you faithfully serve.
And Heaven smiles.
The Forgotten Member of the Christmas Story
There is no doubt you are being bombarded with everything Christmas. It’s everywhere you look! Turn on the television and there are commercials offering you the greatest bargains you could ever hope for. Decorations line the streets and radio stations blast “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. Sometimes you don’t want to rock around another Christmas tree--you just want a few moments of peace and quiet! Your heart is filled with so many questions, and in this time when our attention is turned to God’s plan for humanity, you can’t help but wonder about His plan for you. Today would be a good day to sit down with Joseph. Share a few moments with the man who adopted the Savior. The one who wiped His nose and taught Him a trade. The one whose heart must have carried as many questions that first Christmas as yours does this Christmas.
Have you ever really thought about Joseph? What he thought and felt? He knew all about a life that doesn’t go according to a plan! He thought he would marry the girl down the road, he’d build her a nice home and they’d have children--together--and they’d be like everyone else. Sound familiar? He had no idea that God had such a plan and that he would play such a role! Don’t you imagine he must have scratched his head more than once as he pondered the part he was to play in this scene? “God, why me? Why did You choose me? I don’t know if I can do this!” Can’t you see his face as he tried to get Mary settled in a stable for the birth of Jesus? “God, I’m failing You. I’m failing her. I’m failing Him. I can’t do this right. I just can’t do this. I just wanted to get married and have a family, God! I feel like such a failure!”
Scripture doesn’t tell us much about Joseph so we don’t really know if he felt like this or not. We do know that he must have loved Mary, and that he trusted God with all of his heart. No matter what his exact thoughts were, he had to be amazed at the magnitude of the role he was called upon to play. I believe there were times when his calling felt too heavy, the job seemed too hard. Does yours? Especially during times when society focuses so intensely on perfect family gatherings and idyllic holiday scenarios? Think again on Joseph.
During the times Joseph must have struggled in feeling like he wasn’t doing enough for his unique family, Heaven must have smiled. Why? Because Joseph’s trusting heart was leading him down the path Heaven had planned for him. He couldn’t see the entirety of God’s plan and couldn’t understand all that he was asked to do, but his servant’s heart trusted God. He was playing a role in the events that would change not only his world, but the world.
There are times as you are called upon to trust facets of God’s plan that you do not understand, but your trusting heart may be changing someone’s world. Without plausible explanation, you know that the hours poured into a young person’s life will pay off one day whether you see the results or not. You give of your talent and your treasure to outreaches and ministry opportunities and know that the Holy Spirit will multiply your efforts and meet someone’s need through the gifts you’ve offered in His Name. Somehow, your servant’s heart keeps trusting in God and His magnificent plan for your life. And Heaven smiles because your trusting heart keeps you walking the path God has planned for you even when you cannot fully explain it.
Joseph may have winced when he looked inside that dirty, little stall where his sweetheart would labor to bring the Savior into the world. He may have thought he was doing Him an incredible injustice by not providing better. But God led him there just as He led the shepherd and the Magi there. Just as He led you to your Bible Study group, or into the care of your supportive friend or church family who loves you as you faithfully serve.
And Heaven smiles.
Monday, December 14, 2009
On the 2nd Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...The Gift of His Limitless Ability
Is anything too difficult for the Lord?
Genesis 18:14
For nothing will be impossible with God!
Luke 1:37
In the stories of the births of Isaac and Jesus Himself we see some similarities. Astonished parents. Surprise. A promised child. But I want to point out to you a couple of very similar and wonderful statements undoubtedly proclaimed with a twinkle in the eye of the holy messenger who was honored to share it. Go back with me to Sarah’s tent as the angel of the Lord told her at the tender young age of 89 that within one year she would finally bear the child she had craved her entire life. What was that blessed question to the dazed octogenarian? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14) I know she laughed but I can’t help but think that the angel had to at least snicker at her expression!
Now jump ahead to the central event of mankind--the birth of Christ. Look with me as a scared young girl stares an angel in the face as he tells her she is carrying the Lamb of God in her virgin womb. What was his message to this confused young girl? For nothing will be impossible with God! (Luke 1:37)
See any similarities? Both of these statements were uttered to reassure the mothers of children who otherwise could not have been born! It took a miracle to breathe life into the womb of a 90-year-old woman and even more miracle working power to bring the Son of God into the human body of a virgin teenager! I absolutely love that God placed those two Scriptures boldly screaming out through time and eternity that nothing is too difficult for God right smack dab in the middle of these stories! Both statements were uttered in response to the conception of children! (That really speaks to me as a woman who for a time felt the sting of childlessness myself!)
Let me tattoo on your heart right now--Nothing is too hard for God! Nothing! Hallelujah! Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for God and He’s fighting this battle right along with you! Disease? He can heal! Financially strapped? His very Name--Jehovah Jireh--proclaims to you that He is your Provider! Lonely? He is the Creator of friendships, marriage and family! Tired? He can give you rest! Barren? He can open your womb! He is beautifully aware of every aspect of your life, knows every detail of your life and has never been overwhelmed by your need. How comforting it is to rest in the assurance that nothing is too hard for the God we serve!
Genesis 18:14
For nothing will be impossible with God!
Luke 1:37
In the stories of the births of Isaac and Jesus Himself we see some similarities. Astonished parents. Surprise. A promised child. But I want to point out to you a couple of very similar and wonderful statements undoubtedly proclaimed with a twinkle in the eye of the holy messenger who was honored to share it. Go back with me to Sarah’s tent as the angel of the Lord told her at the tender young age of 89 that within one year she would finally bear the child she had craved her entire life. What was that blessed question to the dazed octogenarian? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14) I know she laughed but I can’t help but think that the angel had to at least snicker at her expression!
Now jump ahead to the central event of mankind--the birth of Christ. Look with me as a scared young girl stares an angel in the face as he tells her she is carrying the Lamb of God in her virgin womb. What was his message to this confused young girl? For nothing will be impossible with God! (Luke 1:37)
See any similarities? Both of these statements were uttered to reassure the mothers of children who otherwise could not have been born! It took a miracle to breathe life into the womb of a 90-year-old woman and even more miracle working power to bring the Son of God into the human body of a virgin teenager! I absolutely love that God placed those two Scriptures boldly screaming out through time and eternity that nothing is too difficult for God right smack dab in the middle of these stories! Both statements were uttered in response to the conception of children! (That really speaks to me as a woman who for a time felt the sting of childlessness myself!)
Let me tattoo on your heart right now--Nothing is too hard for God! Nothing! Hallelujah! Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for God and He’s fighting this battle right along with you! Disease? He can heal! Financially strapped? His very Name--Jehovah Jireh--proclaims to you that He is your Provider! Lonely? He is the Creator of friendships, marriage and family! Tired? He can give you rest! Barren? He can open your womb! He is beautifully aware of every aspect of your life, knows every detail of your life and has never been overwhelmed by your need. How comforting it is to rest in the assurance that nothing is too hard for the God we serve!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
On the first day of Christmas my True Love gave to me...
Shh! Can you keep a secret? You can’t tell! My husband’s Christmas gift has been sitting on our kitchen counter for two weeks and he doesn’t know it! It’s wrapped up in a beautiful, decorative box that is quite ornate. The uniquely shaped box he assumes to be a new Christmas decoration is actually a gift he has been hinting for for quite some time! He walks by it every day and has no idea! He stands within inches of his present and reads the mail! I have to admit, I enjoy being a little sneaky and the thought of hidden treasures makes me smile.
Do you realize that God has hidden treasures all around you today? He understands that life can take a toll on your heart--especially around the holidays--so He gives you extra measures of love. He may not have placed them in brightly colored boxes on your kitchen countertops, but they are there!
Where are these hidden Christmas gifts from God? Perhaps God has given you a measure of His love in a phone call from a friend who just called to check on you after she knew you had an important doctor’s appointment. Just the fact that she cared spoke volumes to your heart! (A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.--Proverbs 25:11) Remember your pastor’s sermon that really seemed to speak to your heart? Maybe God was being a little sneaky and placed that in your pastor’s heart just for you. How many times have you gotten an email with just what you needed for the struggle you were going through on a particular day? God had placed a hidden treasure right in front of you--right on your computer screen! Something as simple as an encouraging book you found in a Christian book store, or even a song on the radio can remind you of the love God has for you in troubling times. Perhaps you’ve never considered that encounters such as these can be more than just coincidences and could actually be hidden gifts from God to help you through the difficulties life brings!
Remember when you were a little kid? Did you sneak around the house at Christmas time, trying your best to find the Christmas gifts you knew were hidden somewhere just out of sight? Why not be like that again? Look around you for the hidden treasures of God’s love. Could that song be God’s way of reminding me that He really is Emmanuel, God with me? He won’t leave me--ever!
Who could ever be a truer love of our souls than God Himself? As we draw closer and closer to Christmas, the day we set aside to celebrate the most breathtaking Gift ever given, my heart and mind have been captivated by the multitude of undeserved gifts God has provided through the birth of His Son. Over the next 12 days, won’t you join me on a treasure hunt? Let’s slip in the stable and eavesdrop on new parents as they ooh and ahh over the sweet, tiny treasure on Mary’s lap. I can’t wait to hear Zecharias finally tell his story after months of angel-induced laryngitis! Oh the riches of his experience! Each aspect of this timeless story unwraps a precious gift straight from God’s heart to our very own.
God loves you. He’s passionate about you. He wants to show you His love for you. And when you find His gifts of love, I believe He smiles.
Do you realize that God has hidden treasures all around you today? He understands that life can take a toll on your heart--especially around the holidays--so He gives you extra measures of love. He may not have placed them in brightly colored boxes on your kitchen countertops, but they are there!
Where are these hidden Christmas gifts from God? Perhaps God has given you a measure of His love in a phone call from a friend who just called to check on you after she knew you had an important doctor’s appointment. Just the fact that she cared spoke volumes to your heart! (A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.--Proverbs 25:11) Remember your pastor’s sermon that really seemed to speak to your heart? Maybe God was being a little sneaky and placed that in your pastor’s heart just for you. How many times have you gotten an email with just what you needed for the struggle you were going through on a particular day? God had placed a hidden treasure right in front of you--right on your computer screen! Something as simple as an encouraging book you found in a Christian book store, or even a song on the radio can remind you of the love God has for you in troubling times. Perhaps you’ve never considered that encounters such as these can be more than just coincidences and could actually be hidden gifts from God to help you through the difficulties life brings!
Remember when you were a little kid? Did you sneak around the house at Christmas time, trying your best to find the Christmas gifts you knew were hidden somewhere just out of sight? Why not be like that again? Look around you for the hidden treasures of God’s love. Could that song be God’s way of reminding me that He really is Emmanuel, God with me? He won’t leave me--ever!
Who could ever be a truer love of our souls than God Himself? As we draw closer and closer to Christmas, the day we set aside to celebrate the most breathtaking Gift ever given, my heart and mind have been captivated by the multitude of undeserved gifts God has provided through the birth of His Son. Over the next 12 days, won’t you join me on a treasure hunt? Let’s slip in the stable and eavesdrop on new parents as they ooh and ahh over the sweet, tiny treasure on Mary’s lap. I can’t wait to hear Zecharias finally tell his story after months of angel-induced laryngitis! Oh the riches of his experience! Each aspect of this timeless story unwraps a precious gift straight from God’s heart to our very own.
God loves you. He’s passionate about you. He wants to show you His love for you. And when you find His gifts of love, I believe He smiles.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Would You Ever Kill Someone?
Would you kill someone?
I’m not talking about taking the life of an attacker as you are defending your own life or that of your family. I’m asking if you would ever just come right out and kill someone. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume your answer is a resounding “no”! For most of us, the idea of even hurting someone is absurd, much less taking someone’s life!
But why would you refuse to kill someone? Is it because you wouldn’t want to endure the punishment that would follow? As horrible as the punishment would be, most of us wouldn’t want to kill someone even if we knew we could escape any consequences. What is it that makes the idea of purposefully ending another person’s life so unthinkable?
A holy God handed down a commandment saying “Do not kill”. Enough said.
Do you realize this same holy God also said “Do not worry”?
Infertility places a heavy burden on your heart and your mind. You worry about whether or not you should pursue medical treatment. You worry about where the money will come from. You worry about a future without children if you are unable to conceive. You worry about a marriage placed under the strain of an empty cradle. You worry. You worry. You worry.
The same God who said “Do not kill” also said “Do not worry”.
Why does God tell you not to worry? Because He knows your future. He knows the plans He has for you, and He’s not worried. The uncertainty that infertility places before you is not puzzling to God. He knew every day of your life before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16) If His plan for you involves difficult days, He knows how to bring you through them. He also knows how to celebrate with you on joyous days. You don’t have to worry because you are never alone (Matthew 28:20), and the One who travels with you, who knows your future, is not worried.
You matter to God. God cares that your heart longs for a baby. He sees every tear that has streamed down your face when another cycle ends without a pregnancy. He understands the hurt and the frustration, yet because He is lovingly in control He can still say to you “don’t worry”.
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! Luke 12:27-28
I’m not talking about taking the life of an attacker as you are defending your own life or that of your family. I’m asking if you would ever just come right out and kill someone. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume your answer is a resounding “no”! For most of us, the idea of even hurting someone is absurd, much less taking someone’s life!
But why would you refuse to kill someone? Is it because you wouldn’t want to endure the punishment that would follow? As horrible as the punishment would be, most of us wouldn’t want to kill someone even if we knew we could escape any consequences. What is it that makes the idea of purposefully ending another person’s life so unthinkable?
A holy God handed down a commandment saying “Do not kill”. Enough said.
Do you realize this same holy God also said “Do not worry”?
Infertility places a heavy burden on your heart and your mind. You worry about whether or not you should pursue medical treatment. You worry about where the money will come from. You worry about a future without children if you are unable to conceive. You worry about a marriage placed under the strain of an empty cradle. You worry. You worry. You worry.
The same God who said “Do not kill” also said “Do not worry”.
Why does God tell you not to worry? Because He knows your future. He knows the plans He has for you, and He’s not worried. The uncertainty that infertility places before you is not puzzling to God. He knew every day of your life before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16) If His plan for you involves difficult days, He knows how to bring you through them. He also knows how to celebrate with you on joyous days. You don’t have to worry because you are never alone (Matthew 28:20), and the One who travels with you, who knows your future, is not worried.
You matter to God. God cares that your heart longs for a baby. He sees every tear that has streamed down your face when another cycle ends without a pregnancy. He understands the hurt and the frustration, yet because He is lovingly in control He can still say to you “don’t worry”.
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! Luke 12:27-28
Monday, November 16, 2009
For this child I prayed...
As women who face the daily struggle of infertility, there is no doubt the pages of our Bibles recording chapters one and two of 1 Samuel are dog-eared. We loved to read and reread the story of Hannah as she wept and prayed in the temple, crying out to God for a baby, just as we do today. We relate to her frustration, we can almost literally feel her pain and taste her salty tears. How many times have we all sat down in the dusty floor of the temple next to Hannah and wept along with her? It’s just so good to be understood by someone else who knows what it feels like to want a baby so badly, even if that understanding sister lived thousands of years ago!
Oh, how I wish there were video cameras in Hannah’s day! As much I love to read Hannah’s words, I would really love to hear her tell her story. Wouldn’t you? I’d love to hear her make her petitions to the Almighty. I’d love to see her face when she told Eli the priest that she wasn’t drunk, but heartbroken instead. Most of all, I’d want to eavesdrop when she brought her God-sent son back to the same priest and dedicated him to the Lord. I’d ask you to watch that particular video today. Then I’d ask you to watch it again and again. And again.
I’d ask you to back the video up to 1 Samuel 1:27 when Hannah held her precious baby boy in her arms and looked at the priest, Eli, and said “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted what I asked of Him...” And then I’d ask you to back it up and watch it again. And again. “For this child I prayed...” Back it up. “For this child I prayed...” Turn the volume up. “For this child I prayed...” I can’t help but believe if we could hear Hannah’s voice when she said these words, we might just hear her put her passionate emphasis on the word this. “For THIS child I prayed...”
The waiting in hard. You just want a baby. You don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, or if it’s born at the perfect time of year. You just want a healthy baby. You cry out to God with everything in you to let this month be the month. “God, please! I can’t wait another month! I’ll go crazy! Please let me get pregnant this time!” Just one baby! That’s all you ask for! But please, let it be now! Anybody who has ever gone through infertility would absolutely understand.
But listen to Hannah. “For this child I prayed.” What she didn’t realize all those years as she was weeping and crying out to God for a baby was that every single tear and every single prayer was a prayer for Samuel. Every single tear was a tear shed for Samuel. Every single prayer was a prayer prayed for Samuel. For this child I prayed. Can you imagine the first time she saw his face? It must have all come together in an instant! “Oh, I understand! It was for this child I prayed and waited! Not another! But for this child! So worth it. He was so worth it!”
If Hannah had conceived when she first desired a child, that child would not have been Samuel. There’s no way she could have realized the specific child she was praying for, but God knew. God knows your life and your future just as specifically. All the months that have passed with negative pregnancy tests are not failures. Were Hannah’s months and years without pregnancies failures? Her story resulted in Samuel! If she had conceived even one month earlier than she did, Samuel could not have been conceived and history would have been changed. “For this child I prayed...”
I believe God has a purpose and a plan for your infertility. I believe there is a reason for every single month, every single week, every single day and every single negative pregnancy test you must endure. (Jeremiah 29:11) Keep praying. Keep asking God for children. It is our prayer that one day, just as you have wept with Hannah, you will join with her in saying, “For this child I prayed and God has granted what I asked of Him.”
Oh, how I wish there were video cameras in Hannah’s day! As much I love to read Hannah’s words, I would really love to hear her tell her story. Wouldn’t you? I’d love to hear her make her petitions to the Almighty. I’d love to see her face when she told Eli the priest that she wasn’t drunk, but heartbroken instead. Most of all, I’d want to eavesdrop when she brought her God-sent son back to the same priest and dedicated him to the Lord. I’d ask you to watch that particular video today. Then I’d ask you to watch it again and again. And again.
I’d ask you to back the video up to 1 Samuel 1:27 when Hannah held her precious baby boy in her arms and looked at the priest, Eli, and said “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted what I asked of Him...” And then I’d ask you to back it up and watch it again. And again. “For this child I prayed...” Back it up. “For this child I prayed...” Turn the volume up. “For this child I prayed...” I can’t help but believe if we could hear Hannah’s voice when she said these words, we might just hear her put her passionate emphasis on the word this. “For THIS child I prayed...”
The waiting in hard. You just want a baby. You don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, or if it’s born at the perfect time of year. You just want a healthy baby. You cry out to God with everything in you to let this month be the month. “God, please! I can’t wait another month! I’ll go crazy! Please let me get pregnant this time!” Just one baby! That’s all you ask for! But please, let it be now! Anybody who has ever gone through infertility would absolutely understand.
But listen to Hannah. “For this child I prayed.” What she didn’t realize all those years as she was weeping and crying out to God for a baby was that every single tear and every single prayer was a prayer for Samuel. Every single tear was a tear shed for Samuel. Every single prayer was a prayer prayed for Samuel. For this child I prayed. Can you imagine the first time she saw his face? It must have all come together in an instant! “Oh, I understand! It was for this child I prayed and waited! Not another! But for this child! So worth it. He was so worth it!”
If Hannah had conceived when she first desired a child, that child would not have been Samuel. There’s no way she could have realized the specific child she was praying for, but God knew. God knows your life and your future just as specifically. All the months that have passed with negative pregnancy tests are not failures. Were Hannah’s months and years without pregnancies failures? Her story resulted in Samuel! If she had conceived even one month earlier than she did, Samuel could not have been conceived and history would have been changed. “For this child I prayed...”
I believe God has a purpose and a plan for your infertility. I believe there is a reason for every single month, every single week, every single day and every single negative pregnancy test you must endure. (Jeremiah 29:11) Keep praying. Keep asking God for children. It is our prayer that one day, just as you have wept with Hannah, you will join with her in saying, “For this child I prayed and God has granted what I asked of Him.”
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Star Struck
I have to admit, I’m a little star struck. It’s kind of embarrassing--I’m 41 years old! But I just can’t help myself. Each time I find myself surrounded by the caliber of musicians God has gifted to Healing Place Church, I feel like a kid in a candy store who is way, way out of her league. However, I take my undeserved place on the risers and lift my voice with theirs, offering my grateful praise to the Heavens anyway.
One of those star-struck moments came during this year’s Live the Dream Women’s Conference at Healing Place Church. As I joined with the choir in singing our worship to our amazing God, there was one voice that rose a little higher than all the others. There are some some incredible vocalists at HPC, but this one really stood out far above all the others. It was a little sweeter, a little louder, perhaps a smidgen unique. It was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful voice I heard on that stage all weekend. I found that I hushed to listen to this voice lift it’s praise, and I am certain that Heaven must have done the same.
You see, this voice belongs to Lizzie Haviland. A beautiful young woman who took her rightful place on the front row of the HPC choir. The challenges of Down’s Syndrome could never silence her worship and any of us would struggle to rise to her standards of excellence, sincerity and dedication. She lifted her heartfelt song of praise straight to God Himself, and I know all of Heaven leaned in to hear. The world may not recognize the beauty of her song, but Heaven’s choir must be jealous of her aria. What an incredible chorus she sings!
Standing among the likes of Lizzie Haviland in the Healing Place Choir, I am truly star struck and have no doubt I am way, way out of my league.
One of those star-struck moments came during this year’s Live the Dream Women’s Conference at Healing Place Church. As I joined with the choir in singing our worship to our amazing God, there was one voice that rose a little higher than all the others. There are some some incredible vocalists at HPC, but this one really stood out far above all the others. It was a little sweeter, a little louder, perhaps a smidgen unique. It was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most beautiful voice I heard on that stage all weekend. I found that I hushed to listen to this voice lift it’s praise, and I am certain that Heaven must have done the same.
You see, this voice belongs to Lizzie Haviland. A beautiful young woman who took her rightful place on the front row of the HPC choir. The challenges of Down’s Syndrome could never silence her worship and any of us would struggle to rise to her standards of excellence, sincerity and dedication. She lifted her heartfelt song of praise straight to God Himself, and I know all of Heaven leaned in to hear. The world may not recognize the beauty of her song, but Heaven’s choir must be jealous of her aria. What an incredible chorus she sings!
Standing among the likes of Lizzie Haviland in the Healing Place Choir, I am truly star struck and have no doubt I am way, way out of my league.
Friday, August 21, 2009
FInding Rest
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,
for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
There are so many Scriptures that encourage you to be strong, and to be of good cheer. We’re reminded that even though there will be problems in our lives, Christ has overcome the world, so ultimately we know we’ll be okay! But there are still days when all we want to do is pull the covers over our heads and stay in bed. Is today one of those days?
Jesus knew life would be hard. He knew that infertility and loss would be hard. The precious comforting words you read in Matthew 11:28-30 were spoken from His lips. If today is one of those days where everything feels too hard, hear Him say to you today, “Come to Me, you who are weary. I’ll give you rest.” You’ve tried to be strong for so long. You’ve tried to build your faith and tried to believe through so many failed procedures and negative pregnancy tests. Nothing could have convinced you that last month wasn’t the month--until your period and your tears started again. You’re just tired. Tired of trying and tired of crying.
Perhaps my friend, Erin, can say it better. She’s shares her heart with you in a poem she wrote and allows me to share with you.
One day, I won't need to hear "Mommy" or hold you or help you or feed you.
I will see clearly, instead of "through a glass dimly."
I will trust that God's ways really are "higher than my ways."
I will see how He "worked all things together for good."
Faith will be in Him alone-not in any earthly relationship.
Faith will even pass away, becoming sight of all things hoped for.
But today, I feel like such a baby.
God, will You please hold, me, help me, feed me, and call me Your child?
So if you’re tired today, hear the voice of Jesus beckoning you to come to Him, to rest in His embrace. To learn from Him and find rest. You can resume the fight tomorrow. But for today, just let Him hold you, help you, feed you and call you His child.
We at Sarah’s Laughter love you. We’re pulling for you! We’re praying for you. If there’s anything this ministry can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,
for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
There are so many Scriptures that encourage you to be strong, and to be of good cheer. We’re reminded that even though there will be problems in our lives, Christ has overcome the world, so ultimately we know we’ll be okay! But there are still days when all we want to do is pull the covers over our heads and stay in bed. Is today one of those days?
Jesus knew life would be hard. He knew that infertility and loss would be hard. The precious comforting words you read in Matthew 11:28-30 were spoken from His lips. If today is one of those days where everything feels too hard, hear Him say to you today, “Come to Me, you who are weary. I’ll give you rest.” You’ve tried to be strong for so long. You’ve tried to build your faith and tried to believe through so many failed procedures and negative pregnancy tests. Nothing could have convinced you that last month wasn’t the month--until your period and your tears started again. You’re just tired. Tired of trying and tired of crying.
Perhaps my friend, Erin, can say it better. She’s shares her heart with you in a poem she wrote and allows me to share with you.
One day, I won't need to hear "Mommy" or hold you or help you or feed you.
I will see clearly, instead of "through a glass dimly."
I will trust that God's ways really are "higher than my ways."
I will see how He "worked all things together for good."
Faith will be in Him alone-not in any earthly relationship.
Faith will even pass away, becoming sight of all things hoped for.
But today, I feel like such a baby.
God, will You please hold, me, help me, feed me, and call me Your child?
So if you’re tired today, hear the voice of Jesus beckoning you to come to Him, to rest in His embrace. To learn from Him and find rest. You can resume the fight tomorrow. But for today, just let Him hold you, help you, feed you and call you His child.
We at Sarah’s Laughter love you. We’re pulling for you! We’re praying for you. If there’s anything this ministry can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Recklessly Unannounced
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
After a quite intense battle with infertility, God blessed my husband and me with a daughter. We see Him in her every day of her life, and could never express the gratitude our hearts hold for His indescribable gift.
When she was two years old, Lexie had a seizure. We were visiting with my parents who lived smack dab in the middle of a national forest, and were about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital. Since she had not been feeling well that day, my husband slept in one bed and I put Lexie in the bed with me. About 4 AM my bed began to shake as if we were in the throws of a major earthquake! I flipped the lamp on to see this miracle baby God had given me with her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her entire body violently thrashing in every direction all at once!
I immediately grabbed her in my arms and began to run through the house alerting my family. I banged on the wall to wake my husband and headed for my parents’ bedroom. When I got to their room, I slammed the door open, threw my seizing baby on my parents’ bed and screamed “Daddy, pray! Lexie’s having a seizure!”
Before they could shake the sleep from their minds, both of my parents, my husband and I were crying out to God in a way I never had before. I could not even begin to think that God would grant us the miracle of this child after fighting infertility like we did, and then lose her to a seizure in the middle of the night. We called on God with amazing fervency, and He heard our cries. God brought my daughter through the seizure that night, and she has never had another one. To God be the glory!
I share this story with you, because I think there is a great truth for you to learn in your struggle with infertility. In the moments when I realized we had a major problem on our hands, the first thing I did was wake my husband and run to my parents room. I called out to my dad to begin praying. (My dad was a pastor for nearly 60 years. It seemed the natural thing for me to call his name, although I knew my mom and husband would pray just as fervently, and they did!) Do you think I knocked on the door? Do you think I stood at the door to their bedroom with my seizing baby in my arms and wondered if it was okay for me to disturb their sleep? Should I have called someone else down the street who might still be awake? Of course not! I burst through my father’s door, threw my sick baby on the bed and cried out for help.
This is a great example of what God tells us to do when we need His help! Hebrews 4:16 says:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God invites us to come to Him to receive mercy and grace in our time of need. The words “draw near with confidence” literally mean “come recklessly unannounced”! God tells us to come recklessly unannounced into His throne room to find the help we need! The night of the seizure, I didn’t wait to be invited before I burst into my father’s room. I didn’t ask someone else to go there for me. I didn’t wonder if he’d be mad for me waking him up, or if he would refuse to help me pray. I didn’t have to. He’s my father, and I’m his child. That’s all the authority I needed to burst through his door recklessly unannounced.
Burst into God’s throne room recklessly unannounced to find help when you need it. When you feel like you can’t take this struggle anymore, go recklessly unannounced to your Father and cry out for help. He won’t turn you away. When another period starts, or you and your spouse just can’t agree on what steps to take next, cry out to your Father and approach Him recklessly unannounced! Bring your hurt and your problem to Him and cast it on Him. He knows how heavy the burden of infertility is for you. He’ll respond to the cry of His child with grace and mercy to help you in your time of need.
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16
After a quite intense battle with infertility, God blessed my husband and me with a daughter. We see Him in her every day of her life, and could never express the gratitude our hearts hold for His indescribable gift.
When she was two years old, Lexie had a seizure. We were visiting with my parents who lived smack dab in the middle of a national forest, and were about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital. Since she had not been feeling well that day, my husband slept in one bed and I put Lexie in the bed with me. About 4 AM my bed began to shake as if we were in the throws of a major earthquake! I flipped the lamp on to see this miracle baby God had given me with her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her entire body violently thrashing in every direction all at once!
I immediately grabbed her in my arms and began to run through the house alerting my family. I banged on the wall to wake my husband and headed for my parents’ bedroom. When I got to their room, I slammed the door open, threw my seizing baby on my parents’ bed and screamed “Daddy, pray! Lexie’s having a seizure!”
Before they could shake the sleep from their minds, both of my parents, my husband and I were crying out to God in a way I never had before. I could not even begin to think that God would grant us the miracle of this child after fighting infertility like we did, and then lose her to a seizure in the middle of the night. We called on God with amazing fervency, and He heard our cries. God brought my daughter through the seizure that night, and she has never had another one. To God be the glory!
I share this story with you, because I think there is a great truth for you to learn in your struggle with infertility. In the moments when I realized we had a major problem on our hands, the first thing I did was wake my husband and run to my parents room. I called out to my dad to begin praying. (My dad was a pastor for nearly 60 years. It seemed the natural thing for me to call his name, although I knew my mom and husband would pray just as fervently, and they did!) Do you think I knocked on the door? Do you think I stood at the door to their bedroom with my seizing baby in my arms and wondered if it was okay for me to disturb their sleep? Should I have called someone else down the street who might still be awake? Of course not! I burst through my father’s door, threw my sick baby on the bed and cried out for help.
This is a great example of what God tells us to do when we need His help! Hebrews 4:16 says:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
God invites us to come to Him to receive mercy and grace in our time of need. The words “draw near with confidence” literally mean “come recklessly unannounced”! God tells us to come recklessly unannounced into His throne room to find the help we need! The night of the seizure, I didn’t wait to be invited before I burst into my father’s room. I didn’t ask someone else to go there for me. I didn’t wonder if he’d be mad for me waking him up, or if he would refuse to help me pray. I didn’t have to. He’s my father, and I’m his child. That’s all the authority I needed to burst through his door recklessly unannounced.
Burst into God’s throne room recklessly unannounced to find help when you need it. When you feel like you can’t take this struggle anymore, go recklessly unannounced to your Father and cry out for help. He won’t turn you away. When another period starts, or you and your spouse just can’t agree on what steps to take next, cry out to your Father and approach Him recklessly unannounced! Bring your hurt and your problem to Him and cast it on Him. He knows how heavy the burden of infertility is for you. He’ll respond to the cry of His child with grace and mercy to help you in your time of need.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Ridiculousness of God
Oh, I wish you could have been with me yesterday! Every single one of you! I know that infertility is so hard and can drain you of your sense of humor. You can sometime use a laugh! You would have gotten a chuckle if you could have followed me yesterday! You see, I took my 73 year old mother to the doctor and my 79 year old dad tagged along. (Don’t see the humor yet? Hang on!) The appointment was with a new doctor and we were not quite sure where the office was, but figured we’d just follow the signs once we got close. When we got to the appropriate floor of the physicians’ tower, my parents stepped off the elevator and began “confidently” heading straight toward the office of an infertility clinic! It was the funniest sight! A duo of septuagenarians, wrinkles, gray hair, one with an artificial knee and one with a walker, determinedly headed for fertility center! What if the fertility staff had looked out the door? What would they have thought? “Hey doc! Don’t plan on going to lunch today! You’ve got a doozy of a case coming this way!” We all laughed when I pointed out the sign over the door where they were headed as I quickly steered them toward the much more appropriate office. (I think I heard my dad say something about just popping into the fertility clinic to get checked out, but he complied with me and followed us into mom’s doctor’s office!) What a ridiculous sight!
If my parents had been going to a fertility clinic on purpose, there is no doubt in my mind that the fertility specialist would have thought they were out of their minds! I’ll bet he would have scheduled a psychiatric consult rather than a fertility work-up! But do you realize that Scripture tells of a couple with an even more ridiculous fertility story? Add more than 25 years to this story and you have the family history of Sarah and Abraham! Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 when they were the proud parents of a brand new, bouncing baby boy! God performed a ridiculous miracle in the lives of Sarah and Abraham to do for them what He promised He would do. The Bible is full of God doing things that the world would deem ridiculous. Oh, the ridiculousness of God!
Friend, God can still do the ridiculous! If God decides to place life in a womb, it doesn’t matter if that womb is 42 years old! God is the giver of life! If God says there will be life, there will be life! If God chooses to conquer PCOS, endometriosis, and low sperm counts, He will! How ridiculous it may seem to believe that God can take a child conceived in a tiny village on the other side of the world, and destine that baby to be raised in your loving Christian home in the United States, to be taught of the love of Christ at your knee, and to call you Mommy, but if God calls it done, then friend, prepare your nursery! How unbelievable that even God could help you survive months or even years of waiting until His plan is made manifest in your life. But He does. He has. He is. I love the ridiculousness of God!
God is still able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you can ask, or even think to ask Him to do for you. He is still working and moving through the infertile days of your life. Trust Him through the confusing days. And look for the ridiculousness of God!
Submit a prayer request or join the Sarah's Laughter Prayer Team at
Requests@Sarahs-Laughter.com
If my parents had been going to a fertility clinic on purpose, there is no doubt in my mind that the fertility specialist would have thought they were out of their minds! I’ll bet he would have scheduled a psychiatric consult rather than a fertility work-up! But do you realize that Scripture tells of a couple with an even more ridiculous fertility story? Add more than 25 years to this story and you have the family history of Sarah and Abraham! Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 when they were the proud parents of a brand new, bouncing baby boy! God performed a ridiculous miracle in the lives of Sarah and Abraham to do for them what He promised He would do. The Bible is full of God doing things that the world would deem ridiculous. Oh, the ridiculousness of God!
Friend, God can still do the ridiculous! If God decides to place life in a womb, it doesn’t matter if that womb is 42 years old! God is the giver of life! If God says there will be life, there will be life! If God chooses to conquer PCOS, endometriosis, and low sperm counts, He will! How ridiculous it may seem to believe that God can take a child conceived in a tiny village on the other side of the world, and destine that baby to be raised in your loving Christian home in the United States, to be taught of the love of Christ at your knee, and to call you Mommy, but if God calls it done, then friend, prepare your nursery! How unbelievable that even God could help you survive months or even years of waiting until His plan is made manifest in your life. But He does. He has. He is. I love the ridiculousness of God!
God is still able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you can ask, or even think to ask Him to do for you. He is still working and moving through the infertile days of your life. Trust Him through the confusing days. And look for the ridiculousness of God!
Submit a prayer request or join the Sarah's Laughter Prayer Team at
Requests@Sarahs-Laughter.com
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
You Can't!
When you struggle with infertility, there are so many “can’ts” in your life! You “can’t” go on vacation with your best friend because you may ovulate while you’re gone. You “can’t” have that cup of coffee or sit in a hot tub. You “can’t” go to another baby shower. You “can’t” figure out where the money would come from for treatment. You “can’t” handle the anxiety or depression anymore. All because you “can’t” conceive!
If you have grown up in a Christian home, you have probably heard all the Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation. Jonah and the Whale. David and Goliath. Daniel in the Lions’ Den. Go ahead! Pull your Bible off the shelf and read the stories. You’ll find lots and lots of “can’ts” there too! The Bible is full of “can’ts” that were turned into “cans” by the power of God’s hand!
Don’t let these precious stories become just stories. Remember that the men and women we read about in the Bible were just that: men and women. Men like your husband. Women like you. Ordinary people who put their trust in an extraordinary God!
Think about Daniel when he was thrown in the lions’ den. Put your husband’s face to the story. What did he hear? The lions’ claws scraping the floor of the den? What did he smell? Rotting flesh of other victims? What was it like for him that night? It was common in their day for victims to be covered in lamb’s blood before being thrown into the pit with the lions. (Boy! That’ll preach!) This way the lions would more quickly devour them. Picture Daniel dripping in blood, but not blood from his veins. He stood there untouched. A man “can’t” survive a night with the lions, can he? With God, he can!
What about Joshua? He was fighting a fierce battle against the Amorites and nighttime was coming! What would happen when darkness fell? Joshua didn’t have to worry about that! He prayed and asked God to let the sun stand still--and it did! The sun and moon stopped dead in their tracks for about 24 hours and never moved an inch! The sun “can’t” stand still in the sky and not complete it’s assigned course, can it? With God, it can!
And of course, there’s Sarah! A 90 year old woman cannot conceive and give birth to a healthy child! That’s ludicrous, isn’t it! Of course it is. A woman beyond childbearing age “can’t” give birth to a baby, can she? With God, she can!
The list goes on and on!
The waters of the Red Sea “can’t” part and stand up like walls of stone, can it? With God, it can!
A man “can’t” live inside a huge fish for three days, only to be vomited up at the right place at the right time, can he? With God, he can!
A child “can’t” defeat a nine foot tall giant in battle. A virgin “can’t” conceive. Water “can’t” be turned to wine. A crowd of 5,000 “can’t” be fed with a child’s lunch. With God, they can!
Maybe you’ve heard doctors say you “can’t” conceive. Maybe you’ve heard yourself say you “can’t” take anymore. Maybe you’ve heard your spouse say he “can’t” believe in anything anymore. Maybe you’ve heard Satan tell you you “can’t” carry a baby full-term.
Friend, pour through the pages of Scripture and watch God turn all those “can’ts” into glorious “cans”! Encourage yourself and build your faith by diving into the real stories of real people with a real belief in a real God! The same God who closed the mouths of the lions, fed thousands of people with nothing more than scraps, breathed life into ancient wombs and even placed His Son in a virgin womb, is the same God who heard your prayer today. He’s the same God who knows how badly you want that baby. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the only one who can turn all your “can’ts” into “cans”!
I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
If you have grown up in a Christian home, you have probably heard all the Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation. Jonah and the Whale. David and Goliath. Daniel in the Lions’ Den. Go ahead! Pull your Bible off the shelf and read the stories. You’ll find lots and lots of “can’ts” there too! The Bible is full of “can’ts” that were turned into “cans” by the power of God’s hand!
Don’t let these precious stories become just stories. Remember that the men and women we read about in the Bible were just that: men and women. Men like your husband. Women like you. Ordinary people who put their trust in an extraordinary God!
Think about Daniel when he was thrown in the lions’ den. Put your husband’s face to the story. What did he hear? The lions’ claws scraping the floor of the den? What did he smell? Rotting flesh of other victims? What was it like for him that night? It was common in their day for victims to be covered in lamb’s blood before being thrown into the pit with the lions. (Boy! That’ll preach!) This way the lions would more quickly devour them. Picture Daniel dripping in blood, but not blood from his veins. He stood there untouched. A man “can’t” survive a night with the lions, can he? With God, he can!
What about Joshua? He was fighting a fierce battle against the Amorites and nighttime was coming! What would happen when darkness fell? Joshua didn’t have to worry about that! He prayed and asked God to let the sun stand still--and it did! The sun and moon stopped dead in their tracks for about 24 hours and never moved an inch! The sun “can’t” stand still in the sky and not complete it’s assigned course, can it? With God, it can!
And of course, there’s Sarah! A 90 year old woman cannot conceive and give birth to a healthy child! That’s ludicrous, isn’t it! Of course it is. A woman beyond childbearing age “can’t” give birth to a baby, can she? With God, she can!
The list goes on and on!
The waters of the Red Sea “can’t” part and stand up like walls of stone, can it? With God, it can!
A man “can’t” live inside a huge fish for three days, only to be vomited up at the right place at the right time, can he? With God, he can!
A child “can’t” defeat a nine foot tall giant in battle. A virgin “can’t” conceive. Water “can’t” be turned to wine. A crowd of 5,000 “can’t” be fed with a child’s lunch. With God, they can!
Maybe you’ve heard doctors say you “can’t” conceive. Maybe you’ve heard yourself say you “can’t” take anymore. Maybe you’ve heard your spouse say he “can’t” believe in anything anymore. Maybe you’ve heard Satan tell you you “can’t” carry a baby full-term.
Friend, pour through the pages of Scripture and watch God turn all those “can’ts” into glorious “cans”! Encourage yourself and build your faith by diving into the real stories of real people with a real belief in a real God! The same God who closed the mouths of the lions, fed thousands of people with nothing more than scraps, breathed life into ancient wombs and even placed His Son in a virgin womb, is the same God who heard your prayer today. He’s the same God who knows how badly you want that baby. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the only one who can turn all your “can’ts” into “cans”!
I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
If Only...Had It Not Been...
Moving from “If Only…” to “Had it not been…”
You stand on the sidelines of life, watching mothers soothing their crying babies as your own tears cascade down your face. You see fathers rushing their sons off to football practice as you rush back to the local fertility clinic. The parade of “if only”s march past your mind’s eye as you question every decision you’ve ever made in your efforts to have a baby.
If only I’d started treatment earlier…
If only I hadn’t taken that pain killer or gotten in that hot tub…
If only I’d married someone who wasn’t infertile…
If only I had taken better care of my body…
If only I’d served God more faithfully…
If only I would have called the doctor as soon as I started to bleed…
If only…
If only…
Journey back in time with me and let’s slip through the door of an Egyptian throne room. One very powerful man stands with tear-swollen eyes looking at 11 terrified men who are witnessing the most mind-blowing theatrics they could have ever imagined! Joseph reveals his identity to the brothers who threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery when he was just a skinny, gangly 17 year old boy. Now he’s second in command of Egypt! What would be their fate?
Joseph’s brothers stand before him trembling because they know he has the authority to do with them as he wishes. Now is the chance for him to destroy them for all the heartache they caused in his life. What was his response to them?
“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)
And just so you don’t think that Joseph’s extension of mercy was just a momentary, emotional response, flip over to Genesis 50:20. He’s speaking to his brothers at the death of their father. They are afraid that Joseph will take revenge on them now that their father is not around to witness it. Joseph once again looks at them and says “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)
What? Why such gracious responses? Come on! Admit it! You wanted to hear him say something like “If only you had gotten me out of the pit, I’d save you now! But you really blew it this time, buddy! Let’s see how you like prison food!” How was Joseph able to grant such mercy and grace?
It’s really quite simple. Joseph changed the “if only…”s in his life to “had it not been…”s.
Had it not been for his brothers throwing him in a pit and selling him into slavery, he would never have gotten to Egypt,.
Had it not been for Joseph being in Egypt, he would never have placed in Potiphar’s home.
Had it not been for the time he spent in Potiphar’s home, he would never have been wrongly accused of a sexual crime and thrown in prison.
Had it not been for his imprisonment, Joseph would have never met Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, whose dreams he was meant to interpret.
Had it not been for interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, Joseph would never have been able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
Had it not been for interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph would never have risen to second in command over Egypt.
Had it not been for Joseph rising to power, he would have never been in a position to save the same family members who threw him into a pit years before.
When you reach the resolution of your infertility story, may you watch the parade of “if only…”s become a beautiful display of “had it not been…”s:
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have pursued the adoption of this precious child God ordained for my family before time began.
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have learned how to communicate with my spouse the way we do now.
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have known how to trust God through His silence.
Had it not been for infertility, we would not have experienced the comfort of God in great trials.
Had it not been for infertility, we would never have sought God and His will for our lives the way we have.
Had it not been…
Had it not been…
Don’t let Satan convince you that difficult situations mean God isn’t working and moving. He’s working through the celebrations. He’s working through your tears. Change the “if only…”s in your life to a marvelous parade of “had it not been…”s.
(c) 2009 Sarah’s Laughter-Christian Support for Infertility & Child Loss
Submit a prayer request or join the Sarah's Laughter Prayer Team at
Requests@Sarahs-Laughter.com
You stand on the sidelines of life, watching mothers soothing their crying babies as your own tears cascade down your face. You see fathers rushing their sons off to football practice as you rush back to the local fertility clinic. The parade of “if only”s march past your mind’s eye as you question every decision you’ve ever made in your efforts to have a baby.
If only I’d started treatment earlier…
If only I hadn’t taken that pain killer or gotten in that hot tub…
If only I’d married someone who wasn’t infertile…
If only I had taken better care of my body…
If only I’d served God more faithfully…
If only I would have called the doctor as soon as I started to bleed…
If only…
If only…
Journey back in time with me and let’s slip through the door of an Egyptian throne room. One very powerful man stands with tear-swollen eyes looking at 11 terrified men who are witnessing the most mind-blowing theatrics they could have ever imagined! Joseph reveals his identity to the brothers who threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery when he was just a skinny, gangly 17 year old boy. Now he’s second in command of Egypt! What would be their fate?
Joseph’s brothers stand before him trembling because they know he has the authority to do with them as he wishes. Now is the chance for him to destroy them for all the heartache they caused in his life. What was his response to them?
“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)
And just so you don’t think that Joseph’s extension of mercy was just a momentary, emotional response, flip over to Genesis 50:20. He’s speaking to his brothers at the death of their father. They are afraid that Joseph will take revenge on them now that their father is not around to witness it. Joseph once again looks at them and says “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)
What? Why such gracious responses? Come on! Admit it! You wanted to hear him say something like “If only you had gotten me out of the pit, I’d save you now! But you really blew it this time, buddy! Let’s see how you like prison food!” How was Joseph able to grant such mercy and grace?
It’s really quite simple. Joseph changed the “if only…”s in his life to “had it not been…”s.
Had it not been for his brothers throwing him in a pit and selling him into slavery, he would never have gotten to Egypt,.
Had it not been for Joseph being in Egypt, he would never have placed in Potiphar’s home.
Had it not been for the time he spent in Potiphar’s home, he would never have been wrongly accused of a sexual crime and thrown in prison.
Had it not been for his imprisonment, Joseph would have never met Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, whose dreams he was meant to interpret.
Had it not been for interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker, Joseph would never have been able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
Had it not been for interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph would never have risen to second in command over Egypt.
Had it not been for Joseph rising to power, he would have never been in a position to save the same family members who threw him into a pit years before.
When you reach the resolution of your infertility story, may you watch the parade of “if only…”s become a beautiful display of “had it not been…”s:
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have pursued the adoption of this precious child God ordained for my family before time began.
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have learned how to communicate with my spouse the way we do now.
Had it not been for infertility, I would never have known how to trust God through His silence.
Had it not been for infertility, we would not have experienced the comfort of God in great trials.
Had it not been for infertility, we would never have sought God and His will for our lives the way we have.
Had it not been…
Had it not been…
Don’t let Satan convince you that difficult situations mean God isn’t working and moving. He’s working through the celebrations. He’s working through your tears. Change the “if only…”s in your life to a marvelous parade of “had it not been…”s.
(c) 2009 Sarah’s Laughter-Christian Support for Infertility & Child Loss
Submit a prayer request or join the Sarah's Laughter Prayer Team at
Requests@Sarahs-Laughter.com
Monday, January 26, 2009
Scars
Scars
During a period of time prior to my marriage when I was trying to flaunt my independence, I decided I could handle everything entirely on my own. I was moving from one apartment to another and would not allow anyone to help me load furniture. I was going to load the glass top of my kitchen table into the back seat of my small Honda Accord and take it to my new apartment--all by myself! I carried it down a flight of stairs and made it to the parking lot, but when I got to my car, I realized the door was locked. I propped the glass table top on my foot to dig my keys out of my pocket, and was quite proud of my progress thus far! I got my door unlocked and began to gently slide the huge piece of glass into the back seat when everything--including the glass--fell apart! Apparently, I bumped the edge of the glass on the inside of the door frame at the just the right--or just the wrong--angle and CRRRRACK!!!!!!! The huge piece of glass split right down the middle! The oval shaped table top immediately became two gigantic shards of glass and one sliced the inside of my right wrist open like a hot knife through a stick of butter! The parking lot must’ve looked like a crime scene to the apartment dwellers who came home later that evening as there was broken glass and pools of blood everywhere! (In an odd twist, I was working as a counselor in a psychiatric hospital at the time and had to conduct counseling sessions with my wrist bandaged! It took a great deal of explanation at work before I was allowed to do my job!)
Many years have passed since my stubborn encounter with foolishness and glass table tops, yet I still carry a scar on the inside of my right wrist. It has faded with time, but it is still there. Sometimes when I notice that scar, I laugh a little when I remember how silly it was of me to not allow anyone to help me. Sometimes I remember how awkward it was to try to explain the injury to my employer. Nevertheless, no matter what I remember when I see the scar, I always know the wound is healed.
There is no doubt your infertility has caused scars. Some may be physical scars from surgeries you’ve endured in an attempt to correct the failures of a faulty reproductive system. The more painful wounds are the invisible ones--the scars on your wounded heart. Maybe some scars are old, some are more recent. Does your heart bear the scars of hurtful words, spoken out of ignorance, but injuring just the same? Another birthday without a baby cuts like a knife. Baby shower invitations make scars like paper cuts across the surface of your heart. Perhaps your scars run deeper. Have your heart and soul been wounded by the loss of your precious baby? What do you remember when you see the scars infertility has tattooed on your heart?
The Bible is an amazing love story to each of us who has ever felt the sting of baby hunger. It is the Word of a God who fully understands what it feels like to want a child to come into His family. He also understands what the death of a child feels like. Remember, His Child died too. If you are nursing wounds today, and you carry scars from infertility’s hand, please allow me the privilege of sharing a couple of passages of Scriptures with you. Psalm 34:18 says The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. If you are hurting because your womb and nursery remain silent, know that God is near. When you feel you will collapse under the weight of an empty cradle, envision the God of the universe rushing to your side to bear the weight for you . Psalm 147:3 says “He (the Lord) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” If you feel wounded by infertility today, know that the Lord is working to bind your wounds. The Great Physician takes His place at your bedside to brush away your tears and bind your wounds. Even if you cannot sense His presence, God promises to be near to you, ever working, ever binding the wounds, ever healing the hurts of His child.
There’s an interesting thing about scars. When you look at them, what do you see? You can see a scar as a reminder that you’ve been wounded, or you can see them as a reminder that you’ve been healed. You can remember the hurt and the pain of the injury that caused the scar, or you can remember the healing and the restoration you’ve experienced. How will you choose to look at the scars of infertility? Will you choose to remember all the hurtful days and nights when tears flooded your face and your arms were achingly empty, or will you choose to remember that God Himself walked beside you through each and every experience? Will you choose to allow infertility to cause a chasm to grow between you and God, or will you choose to allow this difficult season to be the catalyst for a stronger relationship between you and the One who truly understands the hurts your heart carries? Your scars can be a magnificent vehicle for your testimony of healing to another who comes behind you bearing similar scars.
What will you remember when you view your scars?
During a period of time prior to my marriage when I was trying to flaunt my independence, I decided I could handle everything entirely on my own. I was moving from one apartment to another and would not allow anyone to help me load furniture. I was going to load the glass top of my kitchen table into the back seat of my small Honda Accord and take it to my new apartment--all by myself! I carried it down a flight of stairs and made it to the parking lot, but when I got to my car, I realized the door was locked. I propped the glass table top on my foot to dig my keys out of my pocket, and was quite proud of my progress thus far! I got my door unlocked and began to gently slide the huge piece of glass into the back seat when everything--including the glass--fell apart! Apparently, I bumped the edge of the glass on the inside of the door frame at the just the right--or just the wrong--angle and CRRRRACK!!!!!!! The huge piece of glass split right down the middle! The oval shaped table top immediately became two gigantic shards of glass and one sliced the inside of my right wrist open like a hot knife through a stick of butter! The parking lot must’ve looked like a crime scene to the apartment dwellers who came home later that evening as there was broken glass and pools of blood everywhere! (In an odd twist, I was working as a counselor in a psychiatric hospital at the time and had to conduct counseling sessions with my wrist bandaged! It took a great deal of explanation at work before I was allowed to do my job!)
Many years have passed since my stubborn encounter with foolishness and glass table tops, yet I still carry a scar on the inside of my right wrist. It has faded with time, but it is still there. Sometimes when I notice that scar, I laugh a little when I remember how silly it was of me to not allow anyone to help me. Sometimes I remember how awkward it was to try to explain the injury to my employer. Nevertheless, no matter what I remember when I see the scar, I always know the wound is healed.
There is no doubt your infertility has caused scars. Some may be physical scars from surgeries you’ve endured in an attempt to correct the failures of a faulty reproductive system. The more painful wounds are the invisible ones--the scars on your wounded heart. Maybe some scars are old, some are more recent. Does your heart bear the scars of hurtful words, spoken out of ignorance, but injuring just the same? Another birthday without a baby cuts like a knife. Baby shower invitations make scars like paper cuts across the surface of your heart. Perhaps your scars run deeper. Have your heart and soul been wounded by the loss of your precious baby? What do you remember when you see the scars infertility has tattooed on your heart?
The Bible is an amazing love story to each of us who has ever felt the sting of baby hunger. It is the Word of a God who fully understands what it feels like to want a child to come into His family. He also understands what the death of a child feels like. Remember, His Child died too. If you are nursing wounds today, and you carry scars from infertility’s hand, please allow me the privilege of sharing a couple of passages of Scriptures with you. Psalm 34:18 says The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. If you are hurting because your womb and nursery remain silent, know that God is near. When you feel you will collapse under the weight of an empty cradle, envision the God of the universe rushing to your side to bear the weight for you . Psalm 147:3 says “He (the Lord) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” If you feel wounded by infertility today, know that the Lord is working to bind your wounds. The Great Physician takes His place at your bedside to brush away your tears and bind your wounds. Even if you cannot sense His presence, God promises to be near to you, ever working, ever binding the wounds, ever healing the hurts of His child.
There’s an interesting thing about scars. When you look at them, what do you see? You can see a scar as a reminder that you’ve been wounded, or you can see them as a reminder that you’ve been healed. You can remember the hurt and the pain of the injury that caused the scar, or you can remember the healing and the restoration you’ve experienced. How will you choose to look at the scars of infertility? Will you choose to remember all the hurtful days and nights when tears flooded your face and your arms were achingly empty, or will you choose to remember that God Himself walked beside you through each and every experience? Will you choose to allow infertility to cause a chasm to grow between you and God, or will you choose to allow this difficult season to be the catalyst for a stronger relationship between you and the One who truly understands the hurts your heart carries? Your scars can be a magnificent vehicle for your testimony of healing to another who comes behind you bearing similar scars.
What will you remember when you view your scars?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Hindsight is 20/20
Hindsight is 20/20
I found an old friend the other day. It was the journal I kept during the hectic days of infertility treatment. One pages recorded the medication schedule--what time to take an antigen shot, when to take an HcG shot. Another held the date of an IUI. Another marked the tear-stained record of a failed cycle and the beginning of another period. Each entry marked by infertility’s pen. As I scanned each page, memories flooded my mind. It was amazing to me that the same mind that cannot hold on to the location of my car keys could somehow recall the specific emotions and conversations that accompanied these journal entries with laser beam clarity.
As I perused these pages, I realized I was reading more than doctor’s appointments scribbled in blue ink and test results scribbled in black. Every journal entry was edited by Mercy’s hand. Beautifully written in invisible ink across every page were the words “My plan is unfolding” and they were all signed by “Grace”. In the dark days when the journal pages were crisp and blank, I could only see the empty calendar pages. I couldn’t see the entirety of God’s plan for me. I couldn’t even see the end of the month! I could only see the failed pregnancy test, the cysts that caused a delay in treatment, the addition of another diagnosis. I couldn’t see around a failed adoption to see that God really did have a marvelous plan for me and that all of these setbacks played a role.
As I look back through the pages of my journal, I remember how confusing those days were. Today I look back and see God’s hand on every page. You’ve all heard the old saying “Hindsight is 20/20”. As you look back at situations in your life, you can sometimes see things more clearly. Look at 2 Chronicles 20:20: “Have faith in the Lord your God. He'll take good care of you.” One day, you’ll be able to look back on the trials that perplex you, and realize more clearly than you can see today, God is still taking good care of you. Your hindsight will be 2 Chronicles 20/20! If, as you write in your journal today, it seems like God is no where to be found in your infertility story, remind yourself that God will take good care of you. Even if your emotions don’t line up with your faith, encourage yourself with the truth of Scripture that God loves you and will take good care of you.
I found an old friend the other day. It was the journal I kept during the hectic days of infertility treatment. One pages recorded the medication schedule--what time to take an antigen shot, when to take an HcG shot. Another held the date of an IUI. Another marked the tear-stained record of a failed cycle and the beginning of another period. Each entry marked by infertility’s pen. As I scanned each page, memories flooded my mind. It was amazing to me that the same mind that cannot hold on to the location of my car keys could somehow recall the specific emotions and conversations that accompanied these journal entries with laser beam clarity.
As I perused these pages, I realized I was reading more than doctor’s appointments scribbled in blue ink and test results scribbled in black. Every journal entry was edited by Mercy’s hand. Beautifully written in invisible ink across every page were the words “My plan is unfolding” and they were all signed by “Grace”. In the dark days when the journal pages were crisp and blank, I could only see the empty calendar pages. I couldn’t see the entirety of God’s plan for me. I couldn’t even see the end of the month! I could only see the failed pregnancy test, the cysts that caused a delay in treatment, the addition of another diagnosis. I couldn’t see around a failed adoption to see that God really did have a marvelous plan for me and that all of these setbacks played a role.
As I look back through the pages of my journal, I remember how confusing those days were. Today I look back and see God’s hand on every page. You’ve all heard the old saying “Hindsight is 20/20”. As you look back at situations in your life, you can sometimes see things more clearly. Look at 2 Chronicles 20:20: “Have faith in the Lord your God. He'll take good care of you.” One day, you’ll be able to look back on the trials that perplex you, and realize more clearly than you can see today, God is still taking good care of you. Your hindsight will be 2 Chronicles 20/20! If, as you write in your journal today, it seems like God is no where to be found in your infertility story, remind yourself that God will take good care of you. Even if your emotions don’t line up with your faith, encourage yourself with the truth of Scripture that God loves you and will take good care of you.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A Flock of Birds & A Plane Crash
Perhaps you saw the news about a US Airways flight that crashed in the frigid Hudson River. Miraculously, all five crew members and all 150 passengers were saved! Despite being terrified and some suffering from hypothermia, every single person who boarded the plane also exited the plane alive. What caused this huge, mechanical bird to meet its demise? Was it a massive failure in the engineering system? Domestic terrorism? No. This powerful Airbus A320 jet airplane was brought down by a bunch of ordinary birds that the world would hardly even notice!
You would think it would take something bigger, stronger, smarter than a bunch of quacking feather dusters to bring down the culmination of millions of dollars and the work of the best and brightest minds in the aeronautical sciences! Unless, of course, you’ve been brought to your knees by the whimper of a newborn, or other seemingly ordinary events the fertile world would hardly even notice. Something as mundane as a picture of sweet baby feet on the cover of a magazine may be all it takes to spotlight the baby-shaped void in your life. Your heart crashes into a river of tears much like that powerful jet crashed into the Hudson River.
There’s something different about the story of this plane crash. Everyone survived! How did such a miracle occur? There was an amazing pilot at the helm of the doomed vessel who knew what to do even when everything went wrong. Guess what, hurting friend! You’ll survive your struggle as well, because there is an amazing Pilot guiding you through your journey through infertility! When infertility has caused your life to feel totally out of control and you wonder if you will survive, remember that very familiar Scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” When infertility causes your life to feel as if it is spinning out of control the Lord knows just how to guide you to safety. He knows how to bring you through each emergency, each unexpected report, each terrifying moment when you don’t know what will happen.
Remember the ferry boats? They came alongside the downed jet and rescued the passengers and took them to safety. There are “ferry boats” in your life as well! Perhaps they don’t look like ferry boats, but they are there! One “ferry boat” may come in the form of a good friend who understands your struggle because she walks that road too. Another “ferry boat” may be the compassionate prayer of your Pastor that seems to speak right to the hurt your heart carries. What “ferry boats” have you found in Scripture? Oh they’re there! The stories of Abraham and Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth! They’re all “ferry boats” to rescue you from the devastation that infertility brings.
There is one more reason I believe this story is being dubbed such a miracle. In one news report, an incredibly grateful passenger said you could hear prayers being offered up all over the plane as it was going down. Never, ever forget there is power in prayer. It may seem that your prayers go unnoticed and unanswered. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hannah prayed and prayed and kept on praying for a child even when she was discouraged because her struggle lasted so long. Her prayers were heard and answered. Keep on praying. There is power in your prayer.
You would think it would take something bigger, stronger, smarter than a bunch of quacking feather dusters to bring down the culmination of millions of dollars and the work of the best and brightest minds in the aeronautical sciences! Unless, of course, you’ve been brought to your knees by the whimper of a newborn, or other seemingly ordinary events the fertile world would hardly even notice. Something as mundane as a picture of sweet baby feet on the cover of a magazine may be all it takes to spotlight the baby-shaped void in your life. Your heart crashes into a river of tears much like that powerful jet crashed into the Hudson River.
There’s something different about the story of this plane crash. Everyone survived! How did such a miracle occur? There was an amazing pilot at the helm of the doomed vessel who knew what to do even when everything went wrong. Guess what, hurting friend! You’ll survive your struggle as well, because there is an amazing Pilot guiding you through your journey through infertility! When infertility has caused your life to feel totally out of control and you wonder if you will survive, remember that very familiar Scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” When infertility causes your life to feel as if it is spinning out of control the Lord knows just how to guide you to safety. He knows how to bring you through each emergency, each unexpected report, each terrifying moment when you don’t know what will happen.
Remember the ferry boats? They came alongside the downed jet and rescued the passengers and took them to safety. There are “ferry boats” in your life as well! Perhaps they don’t look like ferry boats, but they are there! One “ferry boat” may come in the form of a good friend who understands your struggle because she walks that road too. Another “ferry boat” may be the compassionate prayer of your Pastor that seems to speak right to the hurt your heart carries. What “ferry boats” have you found in Scripture? Oh they’re there! The stories of Abraham and Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth! They’re all “ferry boats” to rescue you from the devastation that infertility brings.
There is one more reason I believe this story is being dubbed such a miracle. In one news report, an incredibly grateful passenger said you could hear prayers being offered up all over the plane as it was going down. Never, ever forget there is power in prayer. It may seem that your prayers go unnoticed and unanswered. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hannah prayed and prayed and kept on praying for a child even when she was discouraged because her struggle lasted so long. Her prayers were heard and answered. Keep on praying. There is power in your prayer.
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