What God Does With My Inadequate Words and the Hurt of the World

A day of joy. I got to hold the new baby of one of the moms I work with who chose life over abortion. She is doing so well, and loves her little daughter. And yes, that little three-week-old baby is smiling in the photo. She smiles at everything, especially her mama.

"She cannot take her eyes off of you!" I said to the mama.
She has every reason to smile. The mama who once considered aborting her cannot imagine life without her now. The love between the child and her mama is palpable.

"Something you said really stuck with me," the mom told me as we settled down to talk. "You said when you are in the midst of a storm, it feels like it will last forever...but it doesn't. And we shouldn't base our actions on how we feel in the middle of the storm."

I said that? Good. I hope I can apply it to my own life a little better.

We had a long discussion about God and how following Him opens the floodgates of blessings. This beautiful mama has dreams and she is pursuing them. She starts school full-time in January. She inspires me with her goals and thoughtful planning.

I love her so much. I have so many hopes and prayers for her. I shared with her from a heart filled with passion for God and absolute assurance of how integral He is to all joy.

If only I could more clearly convey how real He is, and how obeying Him leads to an abundant life we absolutely cannot know without Him. If only I could explain His truths better.

But my words fall so short, my eloquence is so limited, my ability to say all that is in my heart is so inadequate in the face of this miracle of life and all that she means....

The little baby fell asleep in my arms as I cuddled her.
"It's been a long time since a newborn fell asleep in my arms," I said, holding the tiny child.

The joy of the visit was only slightly lessened by the call from my dermatologist on the drive home. The spot on my arm the doctor biopsied last week is basal cell carcinoma. Luckily, it is very superficial and they will burn it off Thursday in a fifteen-minute in-office visit. I should feel no pain after the numbing shot, and in a week, be as good as new.

I hate to go through any more medical procedures ...but it could be worse. At least, as the doctor passed along the less than thrilling news, the arm with the carcinoma was still warm and achy from holding a sleeping, little baby who was slated to die, but is now alive.

The baby helped keep everything in perspective.

May God somehow cover my inadequacies and glean from my words to this mama and this precious child exactly what they needed to hear.

Then, as the day closed, I texted a mom I hadn't heard from in a couple of months. I send her, and all the moms I work with, daily Bible verses. Often, if they have a need or just want to talk, they contact me at that point. This particular mom, "O",  was on my heart for some reason.

"O" responded to my text instantly. She said all was fine and she was eager to meet her baby, due in February. Then, I remembered that I had one more family willing to buy Christmas gifts for one of the moms I work with. So far, ten moms and their children are being helped by these generous supporters of Cities4Life and its mission to promote the Gospel and a culture of life in our city through tangible assistance.

I asked "O" if she might be interested in a family 'adopting' her to provide her son and her with Christmas gifts. She was effusive in her reply.

It was clear to me then that it was God who had brought her to mind. I quickly sent her our list of housing resources for single moms. I also reminded her that if she ever had needs, let us know. We cannot promise to meet them, but we will try.  With God, all things are possible, I reminded her.

But God doesn't work alone. For some inexplicable reason, He employs us to work on His behalf. He who created the universe could easily snap His fingers and bring every single mom out of poverty. He doesn't. Instead, He commands us to help those in need. He commands us to be a voice to the voiceless. He commands us to spread the truth of the Gospel.

Why doesn't God end all the pain and struggle on Earth? He commands us to be His healing presence, His hands and feet, and one day when all the pain and struggle has ended, perhaps we will understand.


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John 10:10 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.