Tuesday, December 12, 2023

God is in this Story

This mornings devotion seemed most fitting on this anniversary week. The focus was on the disciples and how Jesus prepared them for what was to come even though they had no idea of these lessons they would need. This question was asked at the end of the devo....


Remember a time in your life when God was at work but you weren’t yet able to see it. How does that moment now act as a spiritual anchor that strengthens your faith during challenging seasons?

I shared this as my response....

Fifteen years ago today I underwent surgery to correct a condition, called TTTS, that was occurring within the shared placenta of my unborn identical twins. The day before I had been diagnosed with this condition and sent, almost immediately, to Toronto where the diagnosis was confirmed and the surgery explained.  All the medical staff we encountered were very optimistic, everyone was quite certain that both of our boys would be fine once they recovered from this surgery. My faith existed but I did not really have a relationship with Jesus at the time, not like I do now. That being said, I knew to pray, and so, before I went to sleep the night before surgery, I prayed that God would heal my boys and protect them for the remainder of the pregnancy.

And while the surgery itself was successful, the TTTS had progressed rapidly in the 18 hours or so from my arrived in Toronto to when I had surgery and our son, Cole, was very sick. The day after surgery we went for some assessments and discovered that his heart had stopped beating. It was the worst day of my life.

It was very hard to find God in those moments. I didn't understand why he would have made me pregnant with twins in the first place, in a pregnancy that actually wasn't planned, only to take one of them away. 

In the many months and actually years that followed, I began to see how God had worked in our lives in all of those moments. I saw how he had protective Cameron from becoming as sick as his twin and had kept him from being born at 26 weeks when my water broke. I saw how he looked after my family in the many months that I spent in the hospital after my water broke but before my twins arrived at 34 weeks. I felt him as I walked along a path of darkness and grief and I saw him directing me towards the light. I heard him in the words that he inspired me to share with others going through similar journeys and in the thoughts that came to my head about what I could do to help other people by fundraising for the hospital that ultimately save Cameron's life.

But most of all I know that God was with me as he helped me grow my faith and learn to trust him and then share that faith and trust with others who are also questioning where God was.


I thought this was all I would write this morning and was about to shut down the computer when this song popped into my head and heart...and became the title of this blog post....



There's torn up pages in this bookWords that tell me I'm no goodChapters that defined me for so longBut the hands of grace and endless loveDusted off and picked me upTold my heart that hope is never gone
God is in this storyGod is in the detailsEven in the broken partsHe holds my heart, He never failsWhen I'm at my weakestI will trust in JesusAlways in the highs and lowsThe One who goes before meGod is in this story
So if the storm you're walking throughFeels like it's too much and youWonder if He even cares at allWell, hold on tight to what you knowHe promised He won't let you goYour song of healing's written in His scars
God is in this storyGod is in the detailsEven in the broken partsHe holds my heart, He never failsWhen I'm at my weakestI will trust in JesusAlways in the highs and lowsThe One who goes before meGod is in this story
If it reads like addictionIf it reads like diseaseHe's the One who frees the prisonerHe's the healer of all thingsIf it reads like depressionIf it reads broken homeHe's the One who holds your sorrowHe won't leave you here alone
God is in this storyGod is in the detailsEven in the broken partsHe holds my heart, He never failsWhen I'm at my weakestI will trust in JesusAlways in the highs and lowsThe One who goes before me
Always in the highs and lowsThe One who goes before meGod is in this story (you're in this story)God is in my story (right here in my story)

God is in my story.  He is the one who held my sorrow. When the storm I was walking through felt overwhelming, dark and so full of sadness and I didn't know where to go, God found me and lead me through that darkness to find light.  He gave me the gift of words, of writing, of empathy and compassion and showed me how to use all of those gifts to help others.  

And this morning God gave me clarity and focus...something that has been lacking this year as I walked into this season of remembrance.  I have been so distracted, unfocused, scattered and overwhelmed this year (lots going on in my life I guess) and hadn't been able to really put my head and heart on a path that made sense when it came to my feelings about where we were 15 years ago. So thank you Jesus for this devo, this song and this sense of clarity this morning.  

Yes, God is in this story and he's in your story too!

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