The Half Way Mark

One of the interesting things about time is that it usually seems to speed up when we're having fun and slow way down when we're not. That's why we're celebrating the half way point of my pregnancy for baby number eleven! Nine months almost always seems like a very long time--especially when those first few months go by very slowly. Thankfully, although this pregnancy has had more than its share of difficult days, we are learning that God's perfect way is for us to glory in our difficulties. The Apostle Paul said that "most gladly" will I glory in my infirmities. Instead of asking God to take away difficulties, he learned that it was more beneficial to him to experience God's power working through the difficulties.

I'm still working on the "most gladly" part, but I will say that I have already learned a lot through the difficulties that I have experienced. Recently, my doctor asked me to "tell him something good" when he entered the room. I replied that I had recently saw pictures of a maternity hospital in the Sudan, and I was glad that I was here and not there! Yes, we all have innumberable things to be thankful for, and the more we look around, the more things we usually find to be grateful for.

I'm grateful for the sickness I've gone through because I learned a little more how to relate to others that experience extended sickness. I'm grateful for those days in bed because it gave me time to think about all the ways God had blessed me (after all, I was resting in an air conditioned room). I'm thankful for the days of isolation from others as I couldn't get out because it gave me perspective on the loneliness and pain that others have that never get out. I'm thankful for the difficulties I experienced because although it's not in the Bible, I believe that all good things come to those who put some effort into it. If that's true, I think we're getting ready to have something really special.