Blessings & Prayers & Quivers -- Oh my!

God is good.  He has a better plan than anything we can design.


Thirty-three years ago, newly married,  I had this idea of having a baby girl.   Dress her up in pink dresses, little hair bows, teach her good things, and have a friend for life.  

God said, "Hold on, I've got someone who needs you."   So He sent us two boys:  Travis (11) and Joshua (10).   Overnight our lives changed.  Richer.  Deeper!  WOW! 

Three years later, God said again, "There are two more children who need loving parents and a family to surround them with love."  And He sent us Robert (9) and Amber (6).   Incredible!  Amazing! 

Three boys and a girl!   My attitude shifted away from yearning for a baby to being thankful for the children God HAD sent us via adoption.   Busy!  Busy!  Busy!  

Our lives were so enriched by each child who joined our family.  Yes, we went through mega-stuff with them, loads of baggage actually.  And there were days when I wondered: "What in the WORLD is God doing?   Why can't it be easier?"   

One of those bittersweet moments in a mom's life! And, yes, I used those clotheslines!

Two years later God sent us a little boy, our dear Samuel ("God hears")!   He was 22 months old when God added another ("Surprise!!!") blessing ~ Benjamin ("beloved son")!    Are you kidding?  I just could NOT believe how God pulled it off.   Unreal but oh-so-wonderful!

Imagine the thrill when I learned (at age 38) that I was going to have another baby (at that point I didn't care if "it' was a boy or a girl--I felt so BLESSED to be having a THIRD baby!!!)...and then arrived a pink package.  A daughter, Allison ("truth")!  All those years earlier, a prayer .... one I'd given up on--yet so graciously answered!   

And answered in SUCH a way!   Who knew 33 years ago?   O, Lord.  I am blessed to have a faithful daughter alongside me when I'm (ahem!) "old" and the house is so empty after all those years with all those children running in and out, mouths to feed, laundry to fold, fingerprints on the windows!

How she cheers me with her sunny smile and her warm heart!   Did I think about THAT 33 years ago when my ideas revolved around the cute baby-girl clothes, the bonnets, the baby gear, the nursery painted girlishly pink?   Nope! 

But God knew!  Right up to the exact second, right down to the smallest molecule of essence in my being.  God knew EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED and WHEN I'd need it the most.   His timing--as always--is exactly perfect!

My five sons are such a source of pride to me, and my daughters bring me great joy!

Oh, but WAIT, dear friends.     

There also arrived more arrows in our quiver:  grandchildren!!!  Anthony, Zack, Katelynn, Onika, and Carter.  Three boys and two girls.  So far. 

Please rejoice with me as I give thanks to God for the many wonderful blessings He has so GENEROUSLY showered on me and our family over the years! 

"Unless the LORD builds the house, 

it's builders labor in vain.

...

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, 

children a reward from Him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior 

are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver 

is full of them."

Psalm 127

A Piece of the Puzzle

My sister-in-law, Laura, age 46, died last night--unexpectedly, as death almost always finds us--leaving behind two sons (17 and 10) and my brother, her husband.  My son wrote the following poem for a high school English assignment some years ago.  I've always thought it was especially compelling, to read the questions he poses and the confidence of his answers.    I love how he shows the glory and magnificence of God's plan for our lives.   Today's post is dedicated to Laura, and I thank Sam for writing such an inspirational piece.

A Piece of the Puzzle

Sam Hofland, 2004

I am a product of Someone’s imagination, and 

I am a tiny piece in a huge puzzle.

I wonder if, in this huge puzzle, I really matter?

I hear the thunder and lightning, and 

I imagine the huge power and glory of God.

I see the endless expanse of our universe and wonder—

do we really matter?

I want to understand this life and universe and 

then I wonder if it really is possible.

I am a product of Someone’s imagination, and 

I am a tiny piece in a huge puzzle.

I pretend to understand but then realize—to understand 

you must forget all the things you think you know.

I feel my beating heart and I wonder at the power and glory of God, 

to have created such a thing so perfect and wonder filled.

I touch the worn bark of an old oak tree, 

and imagine the silent strength and power of that old being, 

and then I touch my frail fingers.

          I am a TINY PIECE in a huge puzzle.

I worry, but should I?  Does it matter?   

In this world does one little thing matter, even in this universe?

I cry for the pain and loss in our world, 

and through it all it seems that so much is going on that 

one little problem doesn’t seem to matter, 

but I know that HE is watching me, 

and HE knows my name.

I am the product of Someone’s imagination, 

and I am a tiny piece in a huge puzzle.

I understand enough or do I?     

Is what you know now ever enough?   

Should it be?

I say my prayers every night, 

even though I am only a tiny piece of a puzzle, 

I know HE has already put it together.

I dream of a day when many more people will understand this.

I try to share but so many think they already understand this.

I hope that HE will not start picking up the pieces and 

put the box away before more people believe this.

I am a product of Someone’s imagination, 

and I am a tiny piece in a huge puzzle.

Jesus said: 

"I am the resurrection 

and the life. 

He who believes in me will live, 

even though 

he dies;

whoever lives 

and believes 

in me will 

never die." 

John 11:25-26 NIV