You may have noticed on the right hand side of my blog the "Praying for Harper" button. The Ramsey family is truly praying for Harper and all the Stamps family. She is a sweet little girl that was born with severe pneumonia in her lungs. These sweet parents thought they would give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl and bring her home in two days, like "most" women do. Like I am blessed to do.
She is healing and the Lord is doing great things through her challenges. We continue to pray for them everyday.
Harper's mommy asked for prayer for another hurting family a few days ago who lost their unborn baby at 38 weeks of pregnancy. After going in for a routine check-up that would eventually change her life forever, she then had to be rushed to do an emergency C-section and give birth to her unborn little boy.
I can't imagine what either of these moms are going through. Most women who give birth to healthy, beautiful, "normal" children can't imagine a situation such as these. I would even venture to say that most of these women forget to thank God everyday for the lives that he has entrusted to them. I know I fall into that category.
Sadly enough, not only do I forget, I take for granted all the little things. Instead of noticing the tiny wrinkles that God placed as he was forming that hands of my child, I notice the smug marks that those hands make all over my fridge. And instead of marveling at the sounds of my baby, I notice the frustration those noises are in the middle of the night. I even forget to put down the laundry and the dirty dishes, and bend down to listen to my child as she tugs on my pant legs.
For several months, Ben and I have been torn over our belief in birth control. After conceiving our first two children very quickly, we began to worry about what that meant for the fate of our lives. "What if we have thirteen kids!" "What will people say about us?" and the most common -"How could we ever afford this?"
As I have been reading the stories of these two amazing women, I began to notice my selfishness. Here I am worrying about having too many children, when these families lose their one. As I pray that the Lord "give us a break," these women are on their faces before the Lord THANKING Him for the tragedy of their innocent baby's life. For they know, there is a purpose, and there is a plan.
Why am I so quick to forget that God is in control, and has a better plan for me? I am so quick to step into the driver's seat because maybe God doesn't know what he is doing. Haven't I learned yet?
Needless to say, the Lord truly has done a work in both our hearts these past few days. I want to leave you all with this verse:
"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, When they speak with their enemies in the gate. " Psalm 127:3-5
Oh, how blessed am I, epecially if I have a quiver full.
My children are the only eternal possession I have except for my own soul. I pray God restores to me a respect, a love and a desire for my most precious possessions — Ellie Kate, Peyton, and beyond...
3 comments:
WOW! Amazing post that I am chewing on :) Thanks. Can't wait to have lunch.
I have been reading your blog for a few weeks now and really enjoy it. I also appreciate your honesty in this post. I have struggled with the same thing, about whether it is really in our hands to choose how many children we have. I got an answer to that question almost 2 years ago. Like you, I had completely healthy babies. By the time I had 3 babies and was pregnant with #4, I was getting nervous. They had been coming every 2 years and I was only 26. Soon after, I miscarried and have not been able to get pregnant since. The doctor now thinks I have endometriosis. So, long story short- I found that children truly are a gift from the LORD and I would welcome any more that He gives us with open arms! Of course, my husband's heart has changed now and he is happy with the 3 that we have, so now I am praying that the LORD would change his heart and bless us with at least one more! Also, watching the Duggars' show helps to see how the LORD provides, too. She said the hardest part of her life with children was when she had 5 kids, ages 5 and under. She cried every day and was completely overwhelmed. You would never guess that now. Sorry this is so long, I just love the topic!
What an amazing woman you are becoming- you are an inspiration to me daily (and I like to think I had a part in your creative writing prowess (remember all those Venn Diagrams and brainstorming in 9th grade homeschool?) Mom
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