Finding hope in a hopeless World

“How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken."~ Luke 21:23, 25-26

I stood with my swollen feet rooted to the floor, my hand resting on my stomach as if my small hand could somehow protect our unborn child from the horrors my naive mind could never have imagined. My husband had called from his business trip to tell me the news, but I had run to the television and turned it on to witness this terrible thing for myself. My heart beat a little faster as I flicked on the local news channel and prayed it wasn't true. And then I watched the World Trade Centers go down again and again in the newsreel that played over and over like a skipping record that's been warped and scratched from neglect.

I felt both shock and fear as I watched as the events of September 11 continue to unfold. I called work to tell them I would not be going in that day. I wanted to be home, even if I was alone, because somehow home seemed like a safe place that was separate from the world in which I found myself suddenly living. How could this be happening? Just an hour earlier, I had all that I wanted in life... a loving husband, a steady job, a nice roof over my head and a little money in the bank. We were a happy and healthy young couple, about to become a perfect little family. And now this... this terrible event, this horrific THING, had crashed uninvited into our little bubble and changed our world into something less than perfect. There was such a precious gift growing inside of me, and as I stood in our living room glued to the t.v., I apprehensively wondered what kind of world we were bringing him into.

But despite the tragedies of life, the sun kept rising and the moon and the stars appeared in the sky each night. One month later, our baby boy (not knowing what he was getting himself into), came into this world right on time with a small cry and flailing fists. And in sending our little boy, with his ten tiny fingers and ten perfect toes, God sent me hope. Through him, God reminds me of His nearness. I was never alone, as I had believed. He was near! For who but God could send such a beautiful thing to me in a time of such anguish? And we continue be reminded of His nearness in every milestone our little boy and his sister reach.

Father, help us remember the hope you have given to each of us in the nearness of Your kingdom. Amen.

~ Terri