That The Works of God Might Be Displayed
Gosh, life is hard, isn't it? This morning, I woke up, got ready for the day, and spent some quiet time in the Scriptures while my 3-year-old (my miracle baby) sang and talked to herself in her bedroom. After my devotions, and only slightly less important, my morning coffee, I woke up my 1st grader and got my 3-year-old out of bed. "Mommy, my cold fever is back! I need a snuggle!" she told me. I took her temperature (she was right), and snuggled with her on the couch while periodically shouting at my older daughter to get dressed for school. When she came out and said she wasn't hungry for breakfast, the thermometer came out again and I told her she could change out of her school uniform and into something else because she wasn't going to school today.
I logged onto Facebook for the zillionth time this morning to see if there were any new updates. A family in our class at church has a baby in the PICU at the Children's Hospital. After an accident, she has multiple skull fractures and complications that seem to be getting worse. CT scans, MRIs, fluids, transfusions. Worry, stress, anxiety, despair.
My girls sat close to me on the couch. The youngest one talked non-stop, despite the fact that her older sister was reading her book after book. It was (mostly) happy noise, but it was noise. And my heart needed to be quiet.
I came to my room get away from the chatter and read in the quiet. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I am reading a book called The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers. And I am a happy mother. A happy mother who longs to stay happy, to be happier, to spread happiness. But this morning, as I read about the importance of friendships in a woman's life, I think of a friend who is in the hospital, living every mother's worst nightmare, begging God for healing for her 3-month-old baby girl.
I can't see the words on the page anymore. I can't think about being a happy mom anymore. All I can think is God, PLEASE show yourself strong this morning. Heal her. Wrap your loving arms around her parents and make everything alright again. Tears run down my cheeks and I beg Him, as I have done so many times before.
This life is so hard.
This world is so broken.
Just a few days ago I was reading in John and read one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. In chapter 9 we read about a blind man who is healed by Jesus. But before the healing, the disciples ask Jesus whose sin caused the man to be born blind - him or his parents. And Jesus replies "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."
How many times have I seen this in my world? Tragedy that makes no sense, bad things happening to good people, pain and suffering that seem so undeserved? For some people, it seems easy to blame God. After all, He has the power to stop these bad things from happening. He has the power to heal and to take the pain away. Why does He allow the suffering to go on? That the works of God might be displayed in us.
But we have power too. We have the power of prayer. We know the Creator of the universe. Followers of Jesus have a direct line to the Healer. We can appeal to Him, on behalf of those we love, to intervene.
We also have the power to glorify God. And this is our greatest responsibility! Even as these parents sit in the hospital this morning, waiting with fear and hope during a 5-hour surgery, they are pointing to God. They are trusting Him, no matter the outcome. And seeing their trust in Him encourages me to trust in Him. Seeing them point to Him makes me want to shout to the world that He lives and He is real. Because this family is seeking a better blessing, God is using them as a spotlight that points directly to Him. Glory to God!
I don't know what lies ahead for this family. But they are on my heart today. I am praying that they will find a strength they never knew and a trust like no other. I lift them up in prayer, begging God to heal their baby girl and to display His works in their lives through this experience.
May he use me in the same way. As I sit in my room and listen to the sounds of giggles and sweet chatter coming from the living room, I am reminded that nothing in this life is guaranteed and that every moment should be cherished. And I pray that God will use my life in some way - that the works of God might be displayed in me.
Please take a moment to pray for this family! I had the privilege to photograph them shortly after baby S was born. The last photo is from this morning as the baby went in for her MRI followed immediately by surgery. Pray for complete healing and a full recovery! Thank you!
I logged onto Facebook for the zillionth time this morning to see if there were any new updates. A family in our class at church has a baby in the PICU at the Children's Hospital. After an accident, she has multiple skull fractures and complications that seem to be getting worse. CT scans, MRIs, fluids, transfusions. Worry, stress, anxiety, despair.
My girls sat close to me on the couch. The youngest one talked non-stop, despite the fact that her older sister was reading her book after book. It was (mostly) happy noise, but it was noise. And my heart needed to be quiet.
I came to my room get away from the chatter and read in the quiet. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I am reading a book called The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers. And I am a happy mother. A happy mother who longs to stay happy, to be happier, to spread happiness. But this morning, as I read about the importance of friendships in a woman's life, I think of a friend who is in the hospital, living every mother's worst nightmare, begging God for healing for her 3-month-old baby girl.
I can't see the words on the page anymore. I can't think about being a happy mom anymore. All I can think is God, PLEASE show yourself strong this morning. Heal her. Wrap your loving arms around her parents and make everything alright again. Tears run down my cheeks and I beg Him, as I have done so many times before.
This life is so hard.
This world is so broken.
Just a few days ago I was reading in John and read one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. In chapter 9 we read about a blind man who is healed by Jesus. But before the healing, the disciples ask Jesus whose sin caused the man to be born blind - him or his parents. And Jesus replies "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."
How many times have I seen this in my world? Tragedy that makes no sense, bad things happening to good people, pain and suffering that seem so undeserved? For some people, it seems easy to blame God. After all, He has the power to stop these bad things from happening. He has the power to heal and to take the pain away. Why does He allow the suffering to go on? That the works of God might be displayed in us.
But we have power too. We have the power of prayer. We know the Creator of the universe. Followers of Jesus have a direct line to the Healer. We can appeal to Him, on behalf of those we love, to intervene.
We also have the power to glorify God. And this is our greatest responsibility! Even as these parents sit in the hospital this morning, waiting with fear and hope during a 5-hour surgery, they are pointing to God. They are trusting Him, no matter the outcome. And seeing their trust in Him encourages me to trust in Him. Seeing them point to Him makes me want to shout to the world that He lives and He is real. Because this family is seeking a better blessing, God is using them as a spotlight that points directly to Him. Glory to God!
I don't know what lies ahead for this family. But they are on my heart today. I am praying that they will find a strength they never knew and a trust like no other. I lift them up in prayer, begging God to heal their baby girl and to display His works in their lives through this experience.
May he use me in the same way. As I sit in my room and listen to the sounds of giggles and sweet chatter coming from the living room, I am reminded that nothing in this life is guaranteed and that every moment should be cherished. And I pray that God will use my life in some way - that the works of God might be displayed in me.
Please take a moment to pray for this family! I had the privilege to photograph them shortly after baby S was born. The last photo is from this morning as the baby went in for her MRI followed immediately by surgery. Pray for complete healing and a full recovery! Thank you!
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