The Marvelous Works of God
Like most of my days, Friday was roller coaster of emotions. Most of my day was good--I found some cute, comfy jeans at Goodwill for only five dollars, for example. Some of it was bad--I got two more rejection letters from jobs that don't even want to interview me (one was a teaching position; I will be emailing them to find out what the problem is). By the time I got into bed at night I was feeling down and didn't really want to pick up my scriptures. But I did anyway, and when I opened them, this popped out at me from Mormon chapter 9:
15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
Miracles have been on my mind again lately, because Little Dude's birthday is on Monday. Last week at church someone asked me about my birth experience (we have a lot of pregnant women in my ward). When I mentioned what had happened, one of the other women--who happens to be a doctor--looked at me with wide eyes: "Wow, that's really scary! You could have died!" Every birth is a small miracle, but I still feel humbled when I think about how protected and blessed I felt at the circumstances of Little Dude's. Especially because it was a miracle that I was not expecting or asking for; it was a gift of God's grace.
I recently read an essay by a woman who had a similar experience, but ended up losing her baby and nearly dying herself. I felt almost guilty when I read her story. Why had my baby's life been spared and hers not? I really don't know. Her essay was about all the other ways God intervened in her life and strengthened her testimony. For her, the miracle was not found in a tragedy averted, but in the outpouring of love and support both from people on Earth and from the Lord.
The world we live in is messy, complicated, and chaotic. Life is unfair, and sometimes this unfairness is more painful than words can really express. God knew we needed the opportunity to fall in order to learn, and one of the most important lessons we can learn is to ask for his help in picking ourselves back up again. I am grateful for the love He always gives me, even when it's not as obvious as it was last May 28th. Right now I need some intervention in my life, and even though I know it probably won't be quite so dramatic, I still have faith that God is listening to my prayers. He is still a God of miracles.
15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?
Miracles have been on my mind again lately, because Little Dude's birthday is on Monday. Last week at church someone asked me about my birth experience (we have a lot of pregnant women in my ward). When I mentioned what had happened, one of the other women--who happens to be a doctor--looked at me with wide eyes: "Wow, that's really scary! You could have died!" Every birth is a small miracle, but I still feel humbled when I think about how protected and blessed I felt at the circumstances of Little Dude's. Especially because it was a miracle that I was not expecting or asking for; it was a gift of God's grace.
I recently read an essay by a woman who had a similar experience, but ended up losing her baby and nearly dying herself. I felt almost guilty when I read her story. Why had my baby's life been spared and hers not? I really don't know. Her essay was about all the other ways God intervened in her life and strengthened her testimony. For her, the miracle was not found in a tragedy averted, but in the outpouring of love and support both from people on Earth and from the Lord.
The world we live in is messy, complicated, and chaotic. Life is unfair, and sometimes this unfairness is more painful than words can really express. God knew we needed the opportunity to fall in order to learn, and one of the most important lessons we can learn is to ask for his help in picking ourselves back up again. I am grateful for the love He always gives me, even when it's not as obvious as it was last May 28th. Right now I need some intervention in my life, and even though I know it probably won't be quite so dramatic, I still have faith that God is listening to my prayers. He is still a God of miracles.
Comments
Happy birthday to your sweet little boy, too.