Monday, January 18, 2010

From Joy to Mourning to Hope

Just a few days after Thanksgiving, Andrea and I received confirmation that we were expecting our second child.  As you can imagine, we were pretty excited.  On December 20th, we went to the doctors for our first ultrasound and were able to catch our first glimpse of our baby- we even saw it's heartbeat.

Something happened between that doctors visit and this past week.  The baby stopped growing and we were looking at the reality of a miscarriage.  Friday was a difficult day as we went through 2 ultra sounds to confirm that there was no heart beat.  We were crushed by the news.  Even though we had a notion someting wasn't right- we were hopeful that it was nothing and still anticipating our new child.  As the doctor shared the news, we were obviously quite sad.

When everything was finalized and Andrea had the DNC procedure, it was interesting how our conversation began to turn.  Our conversation turned to the joy we have because of our daughter, Abbie- and the hope that we have for what God has in store for us.  Sure, we have had moments of sadness since then, but we serve an amazing God who has blessed us richly.  Because of that, we look to the future with hope.

Isn't that how the Psalms work out in the Bible?  Many begin speaking about the trials and tribulations that occur in life- and they end by giving God praise because ultimately God is in control.  God will bring vindication.  God will bring salvation.  This is why the Psalms are so powerful because they speak authentically about our human condition.  We suffer (Haiti earthquake), we face death, we face uncertainty- but through it all, God is faithful, and for that reason we can have hope.

For those of you who knew about the miscarriage, thank you for praying for us.  It's appreciated.  For all of us, let us go about our days with the hope of God's salvation and God's provisions.

2 comments:

Matt Ralph said...

Thanks for being vulnerable and sharing this, Steve. It's a great reminder how in our suffering we still have unspeakable joy and hope in a risen savior.

your fellow traveler said...

Steve and Andrea - My heart aches for you. But I am blessed to hear that in the midst of suffering and sorrow that you are finding peace and hope in Jesus. He gives beauty for ashes. What comes from this tragedy will be so beautiful. I believe that God will use this experience in your lives so that you will be able to minister to other couples who experience this same thing. Praying for you.....