Tears of Gratitude

Since Lincoln has been born, twice I have stumbled upon blogs of families who have recently lost an infant. In both situations, the babies were born and taken Home before they ever left the hospital. One family enjoyed their baby for only a few hours, and the other for a few days. As I read their stories, I am brought to tears, not only for their aching and loss, but tears of great gratitude for Lincoln's safe arrival. I feel far too often the miracle of birth is overlooked, it happens every day, and we become so calloused to the truly amazing thing that it is. I know that my children are on loan to me, I know that every day is a complete gift, but how often I am overtaken by the tasks of the day, that I forget to stop and thank my God for another day! As I read the stories of these families, I was overwhelmed with grief, yes, but also so encouraged and challenged by their strong faith and desire to glorify God in every circumstance. God's ways are truly so much higher than ours, so much more complex than meets the eye, so eternally-minded. I will not say I can understand why God allows such loss, but I will say with confidence that as the Creator of life, He does hold all things in His hands, and we can rest there. Such trials ought not make me fear of what I may lose (which is the natural thing our mind rushes to) but rather- make me so grateful for His goodness and spend the day praising Him for the many things He blesses me with. We serve an Awesome Father and I so desire to bring Him glory in all that life brings- both the miracles and tragedies!