a rainbow and acts of love

we had our follow-up ultrasound this week. i made it through the three weeks of waiting just fine, but the day of the ultrasound, i was a mess. i was coming off of an emotional weekend helping my mom (another post coming soon), came home to a very sick little d and became totally overwhelmed by the intersection of everything.

early in the day, the girls and i made a trip to walgreens to stock up on motrin for d and some other remedies that might help her feel a little better. i was standing in the aisle, totally exhausted from being up the entire night before with d, trying to make a decision about nasal saline. typically, a quick decision. anyways, a friend of mine spotted and me and knew right away that i didn't look well. after a quick chat, with me choking back tears, she informed me that she was bringing us dinner. she didn't let me tell her "no", she just said she was doing it and that she would call to let me know when she'd be by.


later in the day, my sweet friend jen called. she said that i had been on her heart and she wanted to check in with me. she also mentioned that she was going to be coming out our way to drop a friend at the airport and that she would like to swing by (we live an additional 20 minutes beyond the airport) and pick up e. as you can imagine, this doesn't happen too often where city friends just stop by on a random tuesday. she came, she took e and her daughter to a local indoor playground and gave me a few hours of much needed time.


during the two hours that e was gone, my sweet sister called. sensing that i was on the brink of a meltdown, she instructed me to go and grab my bible and walk around the house, holding d and reading psalms. i will admit that i thought she was a little bit on the border of crazy, but i was on the border of loosing it, so i went with it. within three minutes, sweet d who had already taken her afternoon nap, became the most tired i have ever seen. i slipped her into her crib, crossing my fingers. she went slept for 30 minutes without making a peep and during those 30 minutes, God led me on a journey through the bible. with each turn of the page, he filled he reveled encouragement to me and peace that can only come from Him. it was beautiful and amazing.

and then off to the ultrasound i went. i kid you not, as i was driving the pouring rain that had been coming down all day ceased and the sun began to peak through the clouds. the ultrasound went beautifully, revealing that all concerns were lifted. and as scott and i walked out of my midwife's office, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky.

isn't God good?

i am still absorbing this wonderful news, two weeks later. but the one thing that has stood out concerning this day in my life is that three people responded to the tug at their hearts placed upon them by our sovereign Father. my friend in walgreens, my friend from the city, and my sister all felt God prompting them to do something. and they simply responded with an act of service and an act of obedience.

i was the recipient of those acts and it changed my posture in that day for sure. instead of having a heart of anxiety and fear, it allowed me to redirect my vision onto Him. those three people (and many others that i learned later had been praying) were the hands and feet of Jesus. if Jesus were here on earth hanging out in nearby, i think he'd have done the same sort of things. when you are the recipient of His inspired actions, well, it is just so meaningful.

while i rejoice that God granted me with good news that afternoon, i also rejoice in the tangible presence of Christ through His followers.

it is absolutely clear that god has called you to a free life. just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. for everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence. love others as you love yourself. that's an act of true freedom. -galatians 5:13-14