Focus

As we go through life, different sights can trigger a wave of sadness within us. When I was single and then again when I was struggling with infertility during the first several years of marriage, the sight of a baby bump or a baby shower invitation could easily reduce me to tears. Father's Day was really difficult for one of my friends this year because her father had recently passed away. Now that I have three precious children, the sight of a pregnant woman does not have the same effect on me, but looking at photos of a newborn baby, particularly those taken in a hospital room, are difficult for me because my three babies all spent the first 1-4 weeks of their lives in a NICU. My firstborn came only four weeks early, and the next two times I was pregnant I was hoping and praying to avoid the NICU, but in fact the next two babies came six weeks and then nine weeks early. When I start to feel a wave of grief, I try to shift my focus. Yes, it would have been wonderful if at least one of my children hadn't come prematurely, but I am so blessed to have these three beautiful children. I have friends whose desire to become a mother never came to fruition. Instead of zooming in on a circumstance, I need to zoom out for perspective. If Paul and Silas (Acts 16) could "sing hymns of praise to God" while they were shackled in prison right after they were beaten with rods, I can always find a reason to praise God. The circumstances I complain about can become the chains that imprison me. Worship is the way out!