Oh, the Joy that Labor Pains Can Bring!

It just occurred to me today as I was reviewing some dates for my scrapbook that I arrived in Vermont exactly 9 months after my family left me in Nashville to move here ahead of me. I'm not sure why I never did the math before. I knew it was "about 9 months," but by the time I arrived, I was swept up in enough other activities not to bother with looking back at a calendar for review. At that point, I didn't really care anymore about how long it had been. I was just glad our time apart was over.

As I think about it now, I can't help but see something poetic and redemptive about the entire scenario. The other two significant 9-month waiting periods in my life (my full-term pregnancies) gave me Macy and Grace. And then I spent years mourning my time away from them each time I had to leave them for work.

This time my 9-month waiting period gave them back to me. And just like the pain of labor was well worth the beautiful miracle of holding my newborn babies, the pain of 9 months away from them (while it was MUCH worse than labor pains) was still worth the miracle that we are living now. Thank you, Jesus, for redeeming my time away from my babies and for using it to teach me just how valuable our time together is. I hope I never take it for granted. God designed my heart through and through for such a time as this, and I have never known such joy.