Present Joy

I got to hold a 5 lb. 10 oz miracle yesterday. She was a feather in my arms. She was the first child I have held of any of the women I have counseled for life at the abortion mill. I gazed at her and kept thinking, this is a child that was slated to die. But look at her, with her full head of hair, her ten little fingers clutching my thumb, her tiny mouth puckered as though nursing. What a beautiful miracle of life.

The father was there, holding the baby when I came in. He had been indifferent (at best) when the young woman discovered she was pregnant. Now, I saw him gazing rapturously at her, cradling her in his arms.
"Do you feel differently than you expected?" I asked.
"Surprisingly, I do. It's pretty...amazing."

Important lesson -- never do rash or irreversible things on the impulse of current struggles. Hearts and struggles change. It never feels like they will, but they almost always do.

I don't know what the future holds. None of us do. That child will likely have her share of struggles, like most of us. I found my mind racing to those dismal thoughts as I drove away, thinking of the obstacles that would need to be hurdled for the new little family. No, I said to my pessimistic musings, think about the miracle, the gift, the joy of this moment. Troubles will come whether you worry about them or not, and yes, there are still mountains to climb. They look waaaay taller and waaaay more craggy than your unsteady feet can manage. Don't back away, don't run, don't despair. Don't exchange the joy of the first step for the terrors of how one can possibly reach journey's end. Present joy should not be taken lightly.

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Psalm 139:16 

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 

Psalm 27: 5-6

For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.