Not every gift comes wrapped in pink and blue ribbon. Heart mamas know this full well. We carry the magic of creation in our womb for several months, 9, if we are lucky. We grip hands and clench teeth through the pain of contractions and labor, longing for the moment of delivery - the very minute a precious life reveals itself with the long sought after first cry. A baby is laid on our chest and in a split second, life changes forever when we are given the most beautiful gift to be treasured beyond all others. My mama heart almost bursts at the seams just remembering the magic - little fingers gripping my pinky, the adorable turn of the head with just a stroke of the cheek, confirmation the rooting response is working. For heart mamas, this memory is often interrupted.
What is Hard to Live is Hard to Read
It's near impossible for the heart to prepare for demolition. Rebuilding is painful. Heart babies are whisked away, moments or days after birth - handed to a surgeon whose healing touch will be required in a just few short hours, to break more than one heart wide-open in order to fix it.
Moms and dads suffer through a new kind of labor begging for yet another delivery. Our hearts ache with anguish, powerless to change the circumstances, humbled to the smallness of who we are, longing for mercy and favor to be doled out once again. The moment of reunion this side of heaven, is a blessing of such magnitude that I struggle to describe it in words. Our gift has been returned, but the wrapping is different.
What's Happening on the Outside
is Evidence of
What's Changing on the Inside
Beyond the stitched-up tissue and bandaged cells, is a heart that is literally so beautiful it carries with it a story only God could write. One full of suspense, tragedy, heartache, but dazzled with joy, victory, truth, and miraculous events. The path of a miracle maker is never easy. It means reaching a crossroads where hope relies only on the divine intervention of God. These children are the faces of the innocent, destined to change history. They are a promise fulfilled - heroic and brave. They are precious children, His before ours.
Jesus Paid it All
Isaiah 61:1-3
"...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
...to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor...
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve... —to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."
The Lord has already accomplished the unimaginable. May our hope rest in Him - He who is the same yesterday, today, and always.