The weekend of December 18th was already going to be a busy weekend for us. I (Chris) had been put in charge of organizing a 5K run for our church. It was scheduled for the morning of the 18th. Christen, Carrie's sister, was also graduating from LSU grad school that weekend. So Carrie made plans to head down to Louisiana for the ceremony. This was going to be our first weekend apart since the wedding. :( Carrie got on a plane Thursday after work. Friday morning she called me a little concerned about some bleeding she was experiencing. We prayed together over the phone and I really didn't think too much of it. I figured it would go away pretty quickly. I was spending that Friday at the church preparing the 5K course for the following day's race. By around 10, Carrie called me back because the bleeding had not stopped but had actually increased a little bit. This was really shaking both of us. "Why would God be letting this happen? We prayed about it this morning. Shouldn't that solve everything?" Fortunately, Carrie was surrounded by family and I had good friends nearby to comfort me. (Thanks Adam, AmyLeigh, and Steve for your prayers and your friendship!) As the day drew on, I was starting to make plans to head to LA that evening. I needed to get all our ducks in a row for the race and ask others to try and pull it off. With Mattie in her crate in the car and my bags packed for the trip, I got a call from Debbie around 4pm. They had been to the hospital and had an ultrasound done. Praise God they heard the baby's heartbeat and all was well. Carrie was prescribed bed rest until the bleeding stopped and her parents drove her up to Birmingham so I could stay for the race (the docs said no plane travel).
It took nearly a whole month for the bleeding to stop completely. That time was very trying, but it has also been great. Why? Because of Romans 8.28. "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." I don't believe for a second that God caused this to happen but I do believe that since it happened, God has used it for our good. Over the past month, my relationship with God has grown deeper. Before this event I prayed the words "We know that this child does not belong to us. It is yours God and we are its stewards." But because of this, that prayer has become a reality in my heart. At first, I was angry. I asked God, "Why aren't you healing Carrie and the baby?! We are asking for it!!" But the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that I was claiming to trust in Him. Hadn't I said "This child is yours to do with as you please."? The Lord worked on me gently as Ephesians 3.20-21 says He will. I am grateful that I serve the one true God who loves me and deeply cares for me.
We go to the doctor again today at 2pm for a scheduled check-up. We are believing in God for a great report. We believe that the baby will be 100% healthy and that there will be no complications!! To God be the glory!
"God can do anything, you know -- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3.20-21
No comments:
Post a Comment