In my arms

Tiny, precious, and a miracle, my heart overflowed, my tears trickled down my cheeks, and around my smile as I embraced one of the twins.

Yesterday, our friends who had identical twins came to church for the first time.

I was surprised, but so pleased when offered to burb one of the babies.

As a cradled this small miracle man on my shoulder, trying to gently encourage a release of gas bubbles, an older woman looked up at me and said,

“There’s nothing like holding a baby.”

I agreed.

As we drove home, I just couldn’t contain my joy and privilege at being allowed to hold a tiny baby whose beginning was so many answered prayers.

But I had no idea this wasn’t the only gift God would grant me this blessed Sunday.

Anne and I were able to attend a wedding yesterday in a community I’ve never visited before.

The bride was a friend of our daughter’s and we were excited to celebrate this union of two people who love Jesus and one another.

Not long before the ceremony began, Anne grabbed my arm.

“Mom, did you see her?”

Shaking my head, I crooked my neck in an effort to see who she was talking about.e’ve known each other since in our teens.

It turned out to be a friend of mine.

We’ve known each other since our teens.

I hadn’t expected to see her, but realized I should have, as she and her three girls are good friends with the bride’s family.

I’m a bit older than she and when I had our Anne, she and her sisters visited me in the hospital.

She also made Anne the most beautiful baby quilt.

We worked together at the Academy and I was blessed to have her oldest daughter in my class my final year of teaching there.

Because of my health and our move, I’ve not seen her in about three years.

Just this year she’s been diagnosed with cancer.

Because of the other people, I had to wait for a bit to see her.

When she stepped within reach I threw my arms around her and hugged her.

I don’t know if it’s possible to communicate all emotions from one person to another through a hug, but I certainly tried.

Tears streamed down my face again.

The final gift God gave me was after the ceremony.

As I stepped close to the bride, her expression was surprised.

Then I realized, she’d not seen me since my health began improving.

Her comment was of the joy that I was able to come.

I was so blessed to wrap my arms around this beautiful young woman and tell her how glad we were for her and her husband.

In one day God placed three people in my arms and each one was a gift.

When I consider the wonderful privilege of friendship, life, and love, I’m amazed by God.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 KJV — A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

Yesterday, was definitely a time to embrace!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for blessing me! My heart is still full of gratitude for all Your wonderous works. I want to remain in this place of thankfulness all my days, please help me to never stop recognizing and praising You for Your gifts. Lord Jesus, I lift up those beautiful miracle men, and I humbly request You place Your hands upon them daily, leading them in Your calling, working through their lives. Please help these boys to know You from an early age and cling to Your Word and You, Jesus. Lord, I lift up my dear friend and her daughters. I thank You for each one of them and how You are walking them through this extreme season of difficulty. Lord, please touch each one, giving them grace and strength to follow You throughout. Finally, Lord, I lift up this couple who committed themselves to You and each other, before so many, yesterday. Please give them all they require, supply their needs and help them to find joy in this new family You created by bringing them together. Thank You for marriage and the blessings You grant within it. Lord, thank You so much for all these precious people. Thank You for Your blessings and Your gifts. I love You, Jesus. Thank You so first loving me. Amen.

A season of miracles

God is in the business of miracles.

This winter I received two prayer requests from friends, both of them were asking for unborn babies.

A friend of mine was asking for her daughter who was pregnant.

The young lady and her husband have been walking through a sad season as they’ve struggled with miscarriage and sorrow, wanting to add to their family, but finding it very difficult.

The request was that this baby would survive.

As a grandma myself, my heart was touched for this couple as well as my friend, if this baby lived it would be her first grandchild this side of heaven.

The other request was from a new friend at our church.

She shared with me that she and her husband were surprised to find out she was pregnant.

They already have two boys, and although they had wanted more children, God had simply not provided more, until now.

This beautiful lady shared with me her extreme surprise at being over 40 and pregnant.

Imagine the emotion for all involved when they found out she was having twins!

Not long into this it was discovered these were identical babies on the same placenta, very rare and potentially dangerous.

Both these mothers and their unborn babies have been in our prayers ever since.

In March, more requests for prayer came in as my friend let me know her daughter was in pre-labor and it was too soon.

Her daughter ended up remaining in the hospital as we prayed for that baby to stay in the womb as long as possible.

My heart felt so much when my friend texted that she was headed to the hospital, several hours away, because baby was coming.

And he survived!

He only weighed 3lbs and 12 oz, but he was here and we all rejoiced.

I began calling him “your miracle man” to my friend as we celebrated through texts and pictures.

God continued to answer prayers and this precious baby made milestone after milestone.

I felt like crying when they sent me photos of him at home.

This morning I’m rejoicing again.

My friend with the twins has had a rough season: time in the hospital, bed rest, and so many doctors appointments.

But this morning we received news that both her baby boys were born last night.

These babies are miracles!

It’s a season of miracles.

When I think of the numbers of problems both mothers had to deal with, the long list of prayer requests for each of these babies, and the faithfulness of God, I’m overwhelmed.

He carried these mothers and their little men through all of this and each of them has an incredible testimony to God’s goodness.

And then, as I praised God for His blessing in these lives, I was struck by a truth.

The birth of each of our children was a miracle.

The birth of each of our grandchildren was a miracle.

My birth is a miracle.

Every life is a miracle.

God is continually working miracles and today I’m taking the time to praise Him for it.

May we never take for granted the beautiful blessings God gives us.

Psalm 127:3 KJV — Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your blessings! Thank You for bringing all three of these baby boys to their families and supplying then with all they need. Lord, please continue to guide and bless these families. Help them to hear Your voice and walk with You as they raise these tiny men. Lord, make each one of these boys to be Mighty Men of Valor, who speak the truth in their hearts, who refuse to look upon wickedness, who shun evil and do good. Lord, bless them with knowledge and understanding. Bring them up in Your Word and establish them in Your ways. Thank You so much for these babies. Thank You for Your blessings. May we be encouraged by Your goodness even as we grieve with those who suffer loss, for in this world we shall have trials and tribulations, but You have overcome the world. Lord Jesus, we don’t always understand why somethings occur, but I know we can always rest in Your truth and find security in Your salvation. For this world is not our home and we look with expectation at both the blessings here and those yet to come. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

A Wednesday miracle

Each day is created special by God.

Yes, even Wednesdays.

The busy and the unexpected can blind me to seeing the miracle of the day I’m in, but thankfully that’s not the case today.

I’m praising God this morning, while sitting in the allergist office.

This is an answered prayer.

Last week, I started back on my allergy shots.

It was really important that I come and get another round this morning.

I’ve suffered from migraines for the past two days and been unable to get out of bed for more than a brief time.

I’d prayed many times, asking the Lord to heal me.

I woke up very early this morning and as I walked to the bathroom, my migraine wasn’t gone.

I began to pray and felt strongly that God was going to help me be able to go to the allergist and that I needed to go back to sleep for a bit.

When my husband’s alarm went off, I woke singing:

“God is so good. God is so good. God is so good, He’s so good to me.”

Hubby and I prayed together and each got up to start our day.

I felt I should eat first thing.

As I sat with my breakfast and hot tea, my heart sang:

“He answers prayer. He answers prayer. He answers prayer, He’s so good to me!”

And I meant every word, because my migraine was gone and I knew I’d be able to come get my shots

As I walked outside on my way to the car I snapped the picture at the top of today’s post.

They too are an answered prayer.

I’d been very concerned about trying to move my plants when we moved.

These little bulbs have survived just fine and I’m so thankful.

I know there’s plenty of things to praise God for each day and my heart is encouraged by His daily blessings, both major and minor.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalms 121:1‭-‬8 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your blessings. Thank You for Your Word and Your direction. Lord, thank You for Your wondrous works which are far beyond number. Lord, thank You for showing me how to rest in You for all things. I know You are worthy of all praise, all honor, and all glory. I praise Your holy name, Jesus. Amen.

A life of miracles

As an infant, crawling around beneath my father on the carpet, I found and swallowed an almond whole.

The Korean War had left my dad with forty percent loss of hearing, so he didn’t realize he’d dropped the almond nor that I’d swallowed it.

The doctor didn’t know either.

All he did know was that I was obviously in a lot of pain and running a high fever, with apparently no reason.

But God worked a miracle.

The only reason I know anything about the circumstance is the almond ended up in my diaper.

Mom made sure I knew how God had worked in my infant-hood to heal and protect me.

At the age of four, I had to undergo surgery.

My adenoids were causing me hearing loss.

It was definitely God who walked me through the frightening moment of being taken from my parents to prep me for surgery.

The miracle for me was how quick it all seemed.

I remember the nurse taking me away and then I was waking up to my dad sitting next to me and hearing it was all over.

For my parents the miracle was in my condition.

No longer did I have chronic ear infections, and my hearing was perfect.

At age six I was rushed into emergency surgery.

Through my own foolishness, I’d been hit in the right eye by a stick from the ground.

It had broken off inside my eye.

The best eye surgeon the hospital could get worked to repair the damage.

Again, God showed up.

By a complete miracle my retina was unharmed.

Although, I’d lost part of my iris and had a tear in my cornea, there was minimal damage considering what had happened.

Weeks of antibiotics followed, due to the obvious danger of bacterial infection from the stick.

People all over were praying for me.

God answered.

I never had an infection, infact my eye sight in that eye was 20-45 for many years.

At age 17, I again under went emergency surgery.

My appendix was on the verge of bursting.

God was there.

The miracle this time was the fact that it didn’t burst and recovery was swift.

At the age of twenty-one, I went through my third emergency surgery.

While giving birth to our first daughter I’d torn my cervix.

It had gone unnoticed and five weeks later I tore it again.

After nearly passing out from loss of blood I was admitted to the prep room.

God stepped in with a miracle.

I didn’t die.

At the age of 34, I returned to the hospital for surgery.

I need a hysterectomy.

I’d been unwell for nine months.

My slender frame was down to 90 lbs.

My body was in such constant pain that I couldn’t sleep and eating was very minimal.

God preformed a miracle.

My first conscious thought was of relief and joy.

I was out of pain.

The recovery was long and slow, but I improved.

I’m 42 now.

It’s been almost a year since I was diagnosed with asthma.

It’s been more than a year since my family has had to learn how to adjust, because, “Mom is sick”.

It’s been about a month since we moved and it has definitely been a miracle.

And God hasn’t finished yet.

He’s healing me every day.

He’s walked me through so much.

My life is a testimony to the goodness of God.

His Mercy, faithfulness, and love are so evident.

I’ve told all this before and I’m sure I’ll tell it all again.

It’s a story worth telling:

A life full of miracles.

But mine is not the only one.

Every life is surrounded by God’s miraculous works.

Whether they are recognized or not.

Every breath is a miracle.

Each beautiful life is a miracle.

I’ve shared mine.

How will you share yours?