Fearfully And Wonderfully Made

It was fairly early in the morning and we were sleeping in after getting in late from a road trip. We were really tired but its amazing how quickly you can be revitalized when your son-in-law calls and says your daughter has gone into labor. It's especially exciting when you know that this was our first grandchild. My mind rambled as we waited the next several hours for the arrival about the night we spent in the hospital having his mother. The joy that covered us to hold that sweet little girl in our arms and take her home to be truly ours was more than can be expressed in any written form. If it is possible, this was even greater. When the midwife brought that little fella down the stairs and placed him in my arms I was completely smitten. The worst doting Grandfather ever. His soft little fingers wrapped around mine and his eyes would follow movement as someone walked across the room only to look right back at Pa when they were through passing by. He was the first and soon spoiled by all. The next one came as quickly as he did and again we were headed out on the road and made a detour to be there. In just a short while, the midwife arrived and so did little Julian. Over a pound heavier than his older brother, Efrim, Julian came into this world a quiet and calm little baby that quickly turned into a bull in a china closet? Fifteen months younger, he soon caught up in weight and was nearly as tall as Efrim by the time they were three and four. The next was not as pleasant an experience because just as the laughter and joy came in the room at Efrim and Julian's births, so came the sorrow and tears as we lost little Lucy. Just two weeks early she came and though the doctor said everything seemed perfect, something wasn't. We will never know what or why, but we lost her just the same. Now, we wake up to the laughter and playful sounds of our two little boys as we get out of bed after a long night ushering in the newest of the clan; Oscar. Yes another little boy. They can't wait to see mommy and daddy and Oscar but waking up with Pa and Darlin' here makes mommy and daddy's absence okay...for now.

It doesn't matter how they come, with a midwife full term or at the hospital a little early, they are special and precious and a blessing from God. And it doesn't matter if they are lost early on in a miscarriage or almost full term in an unexpected tragedy, the loss can be devastating. But a wise young man told me that if we say we trust God when they are healthy and perfect, but turn from Him when they aren't, we never really trusted Him at all...not really. I don't know nor will I ever know why some are born beautiful and perfect while others are born with handicaps, physical or mental. I don't know why some make it and still others don't, leaving a hole in the heart of parents and grandparents or a heart that is completely broken in some, but I do know this; Life is precious. Every life. God's word tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made; that we are His handiwork; that He knew us before we were formed in our mother's womb. That tells me we are special. At least we are special to Him. In reality, His opinion is all that matters. I'm just a simple man but I think He knows better than we do. Every child, whole or not, healthy or not, is a special blessing from God. Maybe if we remembered that we would cherish each other more as we grow older. One thing is as sure as the fact that children by the thousands, maybe millions, will be born today, on the same day as little Oscar, and that is that from that day on we begin to grow old and eventually die. I don't understand any of the hows or whys, but I know who does. The Bible says, "Trust in The Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." It's great to have Him to lean on and trust when we are tired, scared, and don't understand what's going on. I will worship Him because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

The feeling of joy when they see you coming and their faces light up with excitement as they run and holler your name, jumping up into your arms, is fulfilling and a great blessing in and of itself. There are times when their little feet tamp, tamp, tamp through our house or their little voices on the phone make my day better. When I hear them say, "I love you Pa." The loss of their little sister, though still painful, is at least bearable. I know she's okay. She is with the one who made her, "fearfully and wonderfully." Every bit as wonderful as her brothers, her parents, and all of us.