Psalm 71:20 “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.”
A friend of mine has had the privilege of being a mom twice. Her first pregnancy went pretty much as planned, a baby boy. When she found out she was pregnant the second time, her and her husband were both so excited to find out they were going to have a baby girl. That excitement came to a quick halt after they were told this precious baby girl had Down syndrome. They were devastated, but read everything they could get their hands on to help them prepare for what challenges they would be facing. This little girl has changed not only their lives but everyone who comes in contact with this family. When my friend speaks of her life now, this is how she describes it. “When I tell people about our kids, I often describe them this way: Brock is the child I always wanted and Melanie is the child I always needed. Melanie teaches us to slow down, to notice something over and over because we may see something that wasn’t there before, and that it’s ok to take longer to do something - we appreciate those milestones so much more when it’s taken us a lot of hard work to finally achieve our goal. We don’t read those medical books anymore; we just keep them in a closet for reference when needed. And, we don’t treat Melanie any different from her brother - everyone eats their meals, everyone cleans up their messes, everyone does their very best. I can’t believe what we were missing out on before she was born - what I was missing out on - as a mother, friend, and human being. She has opened our eyes to the world of people with different abilities - a loving, encouraging place where everyone is included, and we thank God each day for the chance to experience life through Melanie’s eyes.”
It is hard to be grateful when we find ourselves in trials. The Bible instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances. Sometimes the all is not at all what we wanted or had planned. I think we often misunderstand what Paul is saying. The Life Application Bible explains that Paul is not teaching us that we need to thank God for everything that happens to us, but to thank Him IN everything. Evil does not come from God, but when evil strikes we can be thankful for God’s presence and for the good that He will accomplish. Sometimes the hardest challenges we face can bring us some of life’s greatest gifts, gifts we didn’t even know we were lacking. The Lord has done great things for us even though at the moment we might not be able to see them, they are there. He is restoring our life once again. He is there with us in our darkest days and in that alone we can be grateful. He is enough!
Lord, You make beautiful things out of the dust.
– Michele
