Bring on the rain

“I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You”

I’ve been thinking about these lyrics from a Mercy Me song a lot recently, and have tried writing this blog for a couple of weeks. As I was wasting time at work, I found a link to a blog (your not surprised are you?) of a family who lost their child shortly after birth. I was amazed, actually in awe, of the strength this family shared through their blog, and their unwavering faith in Christ. Connected to this blog was a series of other family’s blogs with similar stories of their children being born with Trisomy 18, a disease that is considered “incompatible with life.”

Jose was getting nervous with my obsession of reading the stories of T18 because they seemed depressing (and I don’t think he wants me dreading this when we decide to have children). But the truth is, even in these mother’s descriptions of their enormous grief, they are positive stories! The faith they have in Jesus, the trust they have in the Lord’s unfailing plan, and the hope they have in the promise of Heaven is challenging to me!

I am so blessed that I have not had to go through loss like they have. For whatever reason, so far God has given me a life free from huge trial. I am sure that won’t always be the case, but I pray and trust that when I am faced with a choice to give up or look up, I will be able to say “I am Yours regardless of The dark clouds that may loom above Because You are much greater than my pain,” (mercy me says it much better than I could).

In light of reflecting on this topic, we learned yesterday as my mom was waiting for my grandma to come out of surgery, that my grandpa’s kidneys have failed and he will need dialysis if he wants to live more than a year. My poor mom has two parents to worry about! But the weird thing is it didn’t surprise me. I had been praying that when grief hits my family that we would be examples of praising God through the rain. I’ll be more careful about what I pray for from now on!

“And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain”