Sunday, May 20, 2007

Promises and Gratitude

Needless to say, after the events of this week, I've been feeling emotional and overwhelmed. On Wednesday night I turned to the Psalms for comfort, and this verse jumped off the page at me:

"The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11).

God has been bringing it to my mind again and again ever since. In the midst of so much unknown, I am trying to cling to this promise. His strength is perfect in our weakness, and He will provide the grace we need for whatever trials we face. In Christ, I can have a deep, real, lasting peace--not a tenuous peace that comes from odds in our favor, or reassuring baby kicks, or midwife checkups, but a peace in knowing that our sovereign God holds me, this baby, and Steve in the palm of His all-powerful hand, and that He is at work for our good and His glory.

I thought a list like this might also be appropriate in light of Thursday's timely reminder...

  • I'm thankful that since we can't go to DC, Steve now has five more vacation days to use after the baby is born. (Well, four and a half, after he came home early Friday when I was a bit of a mess.)
  • I'm thankful that we were able to cancel our Chattanooga hotel reservations and return our attraction tickets without any penalties or money lost.
  • I'm thankful that since we can't go on our trips, Steve has more weekends to work on the house.
  • I'm thankful that I passed my glucose test, so we could stop for comfort food on the way home Friday. (And that the DQ guy was overly generous with the M&Ms.)
  • I'm thankful that my midwife encourages me to call her at home with any questions or concerns I have.
  • I'm thankful that I was even able to get pregnant in the first place!
  • I'm thankful that we've made it to the point where the baby's chances for survival are excellent, and that I'm scheduled to deliver at an ideal hospital for neonatal intensive care.
  • I'm thankful that the baby hasn't been born yet and I'm not having contractions.
  • I'm thankful that most of my maternity pants don't have buttons or zippers, so it's easier to go to the bathroom five hundred times a day (which is totally not an exaggeration now that I have to be extra careful about drinking water to prevent contractions).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have a wonderful perspective! Your child is so blessed to have you as a parent.

Amy said...

well, thanks...the truth is, though, this baby has a very selfish and flawed mama...hopeless apart from the grace of God. this wasn't my immediate perspective...God had some work to do (still has plenty to do) in my heart.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad you're seeing everything this way. And the more days your husband can spend with you once baby arrives, the better! (Depending on his work situation, he can probably use sick days instead of or in addition to vacation days, though. My husband thought that he used two weeks of vacation when Pea was born, but it turned out that he didn't use a minute.)

Jules said...

Mike and I have been praying for you guys every day. Hang in there mama.

Love you.