by Sola
It has not been easy to become a first-time mother during the coronavirus pandemic. It became even harder when, just a few months after finding out that I was pregnant, my doctor informed me that I had a problem with my pregnancy and that my baby’s health could be in danger. I had a rare medical condition, and it was shocking and scary for me and my husband to find out about it.
I had a deep desire to keep my baby safe, both from the condition and from the virus that was spreading around the world. But I simply couldn’t. There was nothing I could do about these things, other than to pray. The Lord used that to teach me how to trust Him and to rely on Him. He showed me that there are a lot of things in my life that I CANNOT CONTROL…but He is the one in control and watching over me and my baby. I came to see that I needed to submit this vessel of mine and my baby’s life to Him and to let Him lead us to safe shores. I needed to trust Him in the midst of this hard time and to trust Him with my health.
Many times in those stressful days I felt that the enemy was prowling around like a lion, seeking to attack me and my baby.
Yet after all this, I have seen that God has been watching over us. Sometimes it seemed like Satan was winning, but God had a better plan to rescue us from his clutches. In this season the Lord encouraged me with 2 Thessalonians 3:3, which says:
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (NIV).
While I was pregnant, Abraham’s life was a great encouragement to me. The story of God asking him to sacrifice his son is such an amazing picture of how he trusted God in seemingly impossible circumstances. He was willing to obey God even if meant the death of his beloved son. He did not argue with God and did not keep his son back from him. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for him to sacrifice his son—about whom he had received God’s promise—after waiting for twenty-five years for that promise to be fulfilled. And yet his faith was so steadfast that he even believed that God would raise Issac up from the dead, as Hebrews 11:19 says:
“Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death” (NIV).
This story strengthened me and led me to submit my daughter’s life and future into God’s hands. He is the one that formed and knitted her in my womb, and He is the one who will keep her safe. In all this, God was teaching me that I am only a steward over my daughter. I do not own her; she is a gift from the Lord to us, and ultimately she belongs to Him. These were the truths He reminded me of as my due date approached.
In April of this year my daughter was born, healthy and whole. I witnessed so much of God’s goodness and faithfulness during the delivery. He kept me and my baby safe, and it was such a joyful moment to see her come into the world and to hold her in my arms for the first time. I cannot express how much I love her. Through my relationship with her, I am always reminded of God’s fatherly care for me. Abba Father loves me (and my daughter) far more even than I love my own daughter; my imperfect love pales in comparison to His.
Seeing the attitude and actions of my daughter has also been a reminder of how we should live in relation to God as his children.
My daughter trusts me in every way. She trusts that I will feed her and that I will take good care of her. She trusts that I will be beside her whenever she needs me. I rejoice over every small little detail about her and every new step of development. My heart is filled with so much happiness as I watch her growing and changing, and see her starting to communicate with us through her smiles and laughs, and even through her discontent and fussiness! I delight in her and she loves having my attention. It is obvious that she can feel my love for her. If she is in danger or distressed, I run to rescue her. There is nothing in this world that can stop my love for her.
She is my beloved and precious daughter. In all this, I have seen such a powerful parable of our relationship to our heavenly parent. Abba Father does even more for us than what I do for my daughter. He is our perfect Father, as Matthew 7:11 says:
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV)
And He is the one who teaches me how to be a good mother. As a mother, I know that I will fail in many ways. My love is an imperfect love. But God’s love does not fail; His love is perfect. The Father-heart of God is always full of grace and patience. All of this has helped me to see the beautiful truth that His love for us really is extravagant and indescribable.
God knows everything that happens and will happen in this world; He is not surprised by any of it. And he has a plan of goodness for his children who are dependent upon Him. He is a good and loving Father. I have seen this to be the case more than ever through the ups and downs of the last year.
Sola is from the Middle East. She is married to a wonderful man and they live with their adorable daughter in the Middle East. Her passion is to serve the nations and to share God's love with them. She enjoys baking and exercising.
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