The God of Comfort...

I love my sister-in-law's blog. If you've never been there you should read it. (I can't do the cool word link thing but click on the "heart and home" over on your left :o) You can always see her heart. Sometimes it is side-splitting funny, sometimes heartbreaking or heartwarming, but you can always see her heart. And her heart is first to love God and then her family and that is always apparent. I am so proud of her and the way she handles herself and the boys while John is in the "sandy spot".

When my first ultrasound came back as "birth defects, possibly fatal" and the next day "99% sure she won't make it full term", Ashleigh was a bright light in my darkness and depression. She cried on the phone with me and wrote such beautiful things that warmed my heart. Her first post about Adyson was called "The God of All Comfort". That post is the first page in Adyson's scrapbook. The verse is "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God". 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

I was comforted greatly all through this ordeal (and still am getting and asking God for it!!) but it has changed the way I pray for people. One of my friend's daughter lost her 20 week along son--the week before we lost Ady. He was perfectly healthy and normal until she got an infection and he suddenly died. Sara and I are now kindred spirits in motherhood that has no responsibilities. I can truly pray for her now--when before it was a quick, "Lord be with them, strengthen them, help them". Now it is heartfelt, with tears and sometimes no words at all. But we have the Spirit to utter groanings when we can't say anything, when we can just cry out.

At our revival meetings on Thursday, another lady in our church told me about her future daughter-in-law's sister (and then I got to speak with her mother at the Bridal Shower on Saturday). They have been trying for several years to have a baby. She found out she was pregnant and on Tuesday, at 14 weeks she went in for her first ultrasound. The dr said her baby's skull and top part of his/her brain is not developing. (I think it was called ansiphalis-or something similar). Their baby will almost 99% certain make it full term, and then will have to be delivered by c-section, and then wait to die. One baby lived for 1 year in a vegetable state, but most only make it a few hours or days. My heart breaks for them. I know the pain, the uncertainty the "why God? Why?"

I can now see a tiny bit of hope through our situation. I know the pain she is in, the agony of waiting, the pain of dreading saying "goodbye" to your firstborn child. Maybe, just maybe I can be the bright light, like Ashleigh was for me that first week, and get her through one step at a time, that I "may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith (I am) comforted of God." I ask you to pray for her and her husband, and their precious little one. And pray that God will give me the words, or silence and tears, to help comfort them in some small measure.

Sarah