Giving Thanks

Last week we blogged about the stress we put on ourselves while preparing and anticipating the upcoming holidays. So now we are on the homestretch. It is Thanksgiving! There is the family sitting around the table sharing good food and family stories that bring uncontrollable laughter. Then later on in the evening everyone sitting around the family room eating leftovers while watching football or that favorite Christmas movie to start off the “countdown”. (Ours is It’s a Wonderful Life). Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for. My life is not perfect and there have been a few curves in the road but even so God has always been there to help me maneuver those curves and has blessed me tremendously. I am so thankful that every year I get to experience the scene mentioned above. He has given me a wonderful family. Great lifelong friendships. I have never had to go without shelter and food. He has given me good health. I am thankful to be a citizen in a country where I have the freedom to express my belief and dependency on God, own a bible that I have the ability to read every day and attend church weekly without fear.

I am very excited for you to read Lisa’s thoughts today. She is going to share with you an amazing miracle that could only come from God, one that makes Thanksgiving even more special for her and her family. I know your faith will be built as you read her story. God blessed me by giving me the privilege to be living here and witnessing firsthand the miracle that was a result of many prayers poured out to God by Lisa, her husband, family, myself and others who call them friends. Nothing builds your faith more when you get to witness your prayers answered. I say with joy and excitement that I am glad I get to add this to my list of things I am thankful for.

I pray the very best for all of you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It’s 12:30 AM. I’m awake because I just got done rocking my baby, who’s quickly becoming not a baby.

As I looked over at the clock in her room, I was brought back a year ago, when I was also awake at 12:30 AM, but for a very different reason. Just one year ago I was wide-awake.

I’m sure many of you have heard this story so many times that you could give an accurate account, but on this particular night I saw God move in ways I had only ever dreamed.

So humor me once again as I share what I am truly thankful for, and bear with me, this is a little long, but written from my heart.

I was sound asleep in my hospital bed, which is almost unheard of. My one day-old baby was safe in the nursery, and would be brought to me shortly. When the door opened, I was not at all surprised, but I was shocked when the nurse who came in was the NICU nurse, and came without my baby.

She began to talk to me about routine blood pressure monitoring and that our baby girl was showing some irregularities that were now being monitored in the NICU. She talked about something being wrong with her heart, the cardiologist would take scans in the morning, and that she might need heart surgery.

I wish I could tell you everything she said, but at that moment all I could do was fight back the tears. My heart was breaking for a little girl who I had only known for a little over a day, but had loved for almost a year.

When the nurse left, I broke down. My husband did his best to hold it together, but even his voice began to shake. We called our parents and some of our friends, and knew that we prayers were being prayed for our baby girl. And then my husband prayed while I cried and agreed with him.

Walking to the NICU to see her was surreal. I remembered a comment that I had made a few months ago when we had attended a funeral for a baby girl who died of a heart condition. It was something along the lines of hoping that we would never have to be NICU parents. And here we were, washing our hands and walking over to see our little girl with all kinds of wires and machines all over her.

I held her and rocked her and prayed for her. While we were there her, there were no blood pressure discrepancies. We left her and tried to sleep. But I could not. And all I could focus on were these words that kept repeating in my head:

He is
He was
He always will be

Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
He is

This is “He Is” by Mark Schultz. It was almost as if the Lord was whispering to me, “I am here, I have been here, and I will always be here.”

A few hours later we made our way to the NICU again. But this time we walked with an amazing sense of peace. Once again, her blood pressures were matching up. They had not seen any discrepancies since she had been in the NICU, which was a good sign.

I did fall asleep, and slept peacefully. And then some nurses came in the room. I was groggy and my eyes were swollen from crying so hard, but I could hear one of them saying, “We have someone here, and she’s a hungry girl.” My eyes welled up once again and I thought to myself, “You’re in the wrong room. My baby’s sick and she can’t come to me.” But then I looked over, and there she was. No wires, no machines. Just my wide-eyed baby girl.

The nurse explained that every single time they checked her blood pressures, they matched “too perfectly”. I don’t know about you, but those in the medical profession rarely use the term “perfect”. Chills went down my spine and the tears spilled over. The cardiologist would no longer be consulted, and we were all three going home in a few hours.

I wish I could say that this was the only time God healed this little girl, but I would be lying. He has touched her so many times it’s amazing!

She turned one this past week, and I have been an emotional mess. I am in awe and so thankful. We knew she would be our Thanksgiving baby, but we had no idea that she would be our miracle.