Last Tuesday, God blessed my family and I with a new bundle of joy and his name is Kaleb Hill. At 6lbs 9oz, he instantly melted my heart and I feel in love. I'm thankful to say that after a challenging pregnancy, God faithfully and graciously carried us through. You see, I didn't understand why I ended up in the hospital at 29 weeks with the threat of preterm labor. I was in the hospital for 7 days and it was my first time being injected with steroids in case I delivered him early. The entire experience puzzled me. I didn't understand any of it.
For most mom's, after you receive your precious little one in your arms, you don't care much about the prior experience. Your focus and attention is glued to your baby. Most mom's would even say, "It was all worth it!" Every pain. Every contraction. Every second in the hospital to carefully monitor his development. All worth it. I feel this way too. When I left the hospital with him, I didn't think twice about what "almost" happened. I just gave God the glory for what did happen-- a healthy full-term baby was born.
But, God quickly reminded me of what happened because the opportunity was presented for me to share of his goodness in that situation with someone who needed to hear it.
Just yesterday at my son's one week doctor's visit, I sat for almost 30 minutes after his appointment to talk with a nurse. However, this wasn't about Kaleb's health. We had a beautiful conversation about God's goodness. This nurse remembered my oldest when he was an infant and was excited to see my 4th little one there. But her face dropped a little, as she shared with me how difficult her pregnancy was with her only child and how she does want other children. She suffered with severe pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy with him and had to stay in the hospital for 10 days and have him at 32 weeks. "It was rough," she explained. "And I want to have other children, but my doctor said it would happen again." She continued to share with me how her mom always encourages her to trust in the Lord and that she does. "It's just tough when you can't do anything at all... when nothing is in your control," she said. I could totally sympathize with how she felt. That's exactly what I faced when I was in the hospital myself.
I had the opportunity to encourage her to know that we don't control a thing and that only God does and he doesn't allow anything to happen for naught. Doctor's may say one thing, but God is aware of what your heart desires and what your body can handle. It's vitally important that we trust him with all of our decision making, especially as it relates to our bodies because our bodies are temples for Him. We should seek him for his wisdom and trust his guidance. I told her even if she decided not to physically have any more and still has the desire to mother another child, she can always adopt! A smile beamed from her face because she was once told the same thing from someone very close to her. Sharing my experience with her encouraged her to know that God does have a Master plan. We don't know why we experience somethings, but God does. And he's faithful to be our peace and strength in the midst thereof.
In all of this, I was reminded of how strategic God is. Who knew that I'd see her there at that moment and that time to have that conversation? I surely didn't. In fact, my appointment was rescheduled to that time.. I was supposed to be there earlier in the morning and had to push it back.
Here's what I've learned from this:
- Be ready and keep an open ear to the Holy Spirit at all times.
- Trust that our experiences are not only for ourselves.
- Speak of the Lord's goodness with joy. Remember it's his goodness that leads men to repentance. (Romans 2:4)
Thank you for reading today!
Grace and Peace,
Kennisha