God is in the ordinary but he radiates in the unexpected and
unusual.
The bible is full of stories about ordinary and everyday
people who have unexpected and unusual things happen to them. Those individuals who become our biblical
heroes are the ones who take those odd circumstances and trust in a sovereign
God who is creative beyond anything we can imagine and who knows just how he is
going to work all those rare and bizarre events into HIS perfect redemption
story.
This Advent season like many Christians, I’ve naturally been
drawn to the story of Jesus’s mother, Mary. I could pretend that our store bought nativity
scene perfectly illustrates what actually happened on the night of our Savior’s
birth. I usually imagine, the way so
many of us do, that everything was easy and every thing worked out perfectly
for Mary and Joseph. But if I did this,
I would miss so much about the real story of what happened.
Mary was a young lady from a humble family. She was betrothed to a man named Joseph. An angel was sent to her to tell her that she
had been chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah even though she was a
virgin. Unexpected and unusual, I would
say so!
The first “problem” was that Mary was betrothed and
pregnant. In their culture, betrothal
involved official arrangements. Joseph
and Mary had already entered into a legal contract and were basically waiting
on the wedding ceremony. At this time, they were already referred to as husband
and wife but they were not considered “married” so any sexual relations was
considered immoral and any unfaithfulness during this time was considered
adultery. Under Mosaic Law she could
have been divorced and stoned because of this pregnancy.
Another obstacle is that Caesar Augustus sent out the decree
for everyone under Roman rule to be registered for tax purposes. Because Joseph was from Bethlehem, he and
Mary had to begin their journey.
Typically, travelling this distance would take about 4-5 days, however;
it is estimated that it likely took them a week or longer because Mary was so
far along in the pregnancy.
Once they got to Bethlehem so many others had already
arrived that there was no room for them at the inn. The only place they could find to rest was with
the animals, likely a stable, since scripture indicates that a “manger” (or a
feeding trough) was the only place to lay Jesus after his birth. If I really stop to think what that scene actually
looked like, I’m sure I would not see the well-groomed cows, horses and sheep
as depicted in our nativity scenes. I
would guess that Mary had a pretty uncomfortable labor as she laid on dirt and
hay and smelled animal feces. I can
imagine Joseph, a first-time dad, struggling to comfort Mary as she had
contractions and taking care of her after she delivered the baby. I can imagine Mary (a young teenager) trying
to figure out how to nurse and care for her newborn while trying to heal from
labor. Of course all of this is
speculation, but the point is that Jesus, although He was perfect, was not born
into a perfect world. He was born into a
world filled with pain, sorrow, disappointment, frustration, unmet
expectations, and more.
But God knew every detail.
He is the author of every single thing that took place. God gave Joseph grace and compassion to love
Mary and trust her even though the circumstances did not make sense. Many prophecies were fulfilled because
Jesus’s earthly father was Joseph, a descendant of David and Abraham. God orchestrated all the events which led to
Caser ordering the decree which forced Joseph and Mary to return to Bethlehem
and fulfill yet another prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah. God may not have provided the place or
circumstances for Jesus’s delivery that Mary and Joseph wanted or even
imagined. However, He provided for their needs. God surprised the whole world with the unexpected
way in which the King of Kings and Lord of Lord was brought into the world. And how unusual that God choose to announce
the arrival of Jesus to the lowly shepherds before anyone else!
Now, considering our recent circumstances, and the loss of
our baby, I could read this story and dive into self-pity in which I focus on
how I will never be able to hold my baby or be able to shower him/her with kisses. But, instead I must focus my mind on a mighty
God who knows all things and whose plan is perfect (even if it doesn’t seem
ideal to me). Over the past three weeks
I have hurt more deeply than I ever have before, but I can be thankful. I can be thankful because when God is doing
unexpected and unusual things in my life, I know He is at work! He is strengthening my faith and deepening my
trust in Him!
In my last post I had shared about our anxiousness prior to
the D&C and now I want to share with you a little of what we’ve been
through since having the procedure. Most
women who need a D&C after a miscarriage recover from the procedure approximately
24-48 hours afterwards. For me,
however, it’s been anything but what was predicted. I had the initial procedure on Friday,
November 22nd. The very next
day, I was in so much pain we called the on-call doctor for my obgyn. He asked me to immediately come into the
office because my symptoms sounded as if they had punctured my uterus (and
possibly my small intestines) during the D&C. I called Josh who was able to get off of
work. I called several neighbors who quick volunteered to watch my kiddos and
one who drove me across town to the doctor’s office.
As Josh and I sat on the sidewalk outside the locked office
building waiting on my doctor to meet us, I realized…my life is so unusual. I’ve always known this, but in this moment it
really hit me. Things don’t ever go as I
have them planned…EVER.
As we weaved through the dark hallways passing empty exam
rooms, I imagined the number of women who had sat in those very rooms and heard
unexpected news. Certainly many women had
heard good news and others the same horrifying news I had heard earlier that
week. But, in all these moments, God knew.
I lay on the ultra sound table. Here I was, yet again, being poked and
prodded. A doctor, who I completely
trust, searched for an answer to the problem.
However, even with years of schooling and even more years of experience
he was unable to answer the question about what was causing me so much pain. Again, I was comforted by an echoing whisper
in my head- “I know what is wrong. I am the only One who truly has the power to heal.
Trust me.”
The cramping gradually got better. However a week later, I was still bleeding
excessively. I called the doctor and they
immediately had me come back in. After
another set of extensive exams, my doctor concluded I had severe blood clots
and needed to be put on medicine equivalent to Pitocin (which basically brings
on and strengthens labor contractions during childbirth). They hoped that it would cause my uterus to
contract enough to push everything out "naturally." He said this would be very painful
(especially since usually women who receive Pitocin typically also get an
epidural for the pain). He also told me that if this did not work I would need
a 2nd D&C. Fortunately,
he gave me another medication to help me manage the pain. I obviously could not take this when watching
the kids during the day or when planning to drive, but I could take it in the
evenings so I could sleep. By the end of
this appointment I was beginning to get frustrated. I was just so ready for "normal
life" to resume because I was so sick of the constant physical reminders
of the miscarriage. Those few days were rather
difficult, but God gave me what I needed to endure. Tomorrow I go back (for hopefully my last
appointment) and whatever news I hear, I pray that like Mary, my response to my
rare and unusual circumstances will be pleasing to the Lord.
When Mary was told she was the one chosen to give life to
the Savior of the world, this is how she responded according to Luke 1:46-49,
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has
been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations
will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is
his name.”
In addition, this gives me great joy to know that my God is
working in the life of our little girl in China. She is most definitely going to have a
testimony of God working in unexpected and unusual ways. I’m excited to see what God has in store for
her and I’m anxiously waiting the day He brings us into her life!
Here’s another amazing thing, you are special and unique
too. God has not written the story for
you that you think he has. God is in the ordinary but he radiates in the
unexpected and unusual. He will
use you in a mighty way, if you are willing.
Take those unexpected and unusual circumstances that arise and choose to
honor the Lord.
The term advent means "coming.” This world and everything in it revolves
around the two periods of waiting for Christ to come 1) The long-awaited birth
of the Messiah and 2) How we are currently waiting for His return to
earth. We must keep this perspective! We must fight the temptation to believe that
the world revolves around us. We must choose
to be thankful for a God who works in unexpected and unusual ways. This advent season I challenge you to focus
on the 2nd coming of Jesus, be thankful that every promise God has
ever made he has kept. Trust and wait
with full confidence that Jesus will keep his promise to come again when we
least expect him!
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