Inspire, Spring 2002

Inspire 19 Believe it or not, with God’s direction, I was able to negotiate with the insurance company for $5,000 above their original settlement offer for my car. This helped our strained finances by eliminating a monthly car payment and by paying for the next round of fertility treatments—treatments that worked! There is NO doubt that His ways are the best . Pick His checklist over yours. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). While our path to parenthood didn’t follow the traditional trails that I would have chosen, God’s perfect plan has changed me for the better. It has strengthened my faith, improved our marriage, and opened new doors of ministry for our family. My “plan” would have given us a child. God’s plan gave us so much more! WAIT patiently and keep the lines of communications open . So often prayers focus on changing circumstances rather than on changing people— namely ourselves. Psalm 40:1 states, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” How did I get in my “slimy pit” in the first place? I neglected to stand on the Rock by focusing on the slimy circumstances surrounding me. When in despair I feared His “wait for a child” was really a “no, you can’t have children,” my stubborn will was finally broken. I was focusing on my empty arms and unfulfilled dreams, but God was working on my strong-willed heart (and lengthy checklist). Finally, with tears running down my face, I reaffirmed God’s place as Sovereign Ruler of my life. Peace filled my heart as I trusted once again that God’s plan would obviously be the very best for my life. I accepted the possibility that we would never have children and started mentally planning for a happy life without babies. Once I came to that very peaceful and joy-filled place of submission and trust, the “wait” that I feared was a “no” turned out to be a “yes, yes, yes!” Talk about abundant blessings! God gave us not one, not two, but three tiny bundles of joy—two girls and a boy! As I was finishing this article, shut in a bedroom with two babies sleeping next door and another downstairs with daddy, I heard a panicked cry from my son. Since little Charlie is as easy-going as my wonderful husband, I dropped my laptop and ran to see what was the matter. Snuggling my miracle of a little boy reminded me how much God longs to “snuggle” us through our times of trial. He listens, really listens to our cries. If you think you are alone in your pain, Satan is playing with your mind. Don’t give in to the lies or self- pity. Focus on the truth. God hears. God cares. God loves. God gives only the best. When you deep-in- your-soul accept this as truth, you can face difficulties with a heart at peace, knowing that each trial is a God- designed blessing just waiting for you to find it.