I’ve written before about how our theology directly effects our living. Even though “theology” seems like a fancy religious word and our brains turn off when we read it, I argue every person on the planet believes something about God, their personal theology. Whether they believe there is no God or they believe He is far off and absent, they still have a theology.

If the purpose of this site to help moms get God-centered then I need to spend time writing directly about the God we want to center around.

Because I’ve written about the “why” you should get God-centered and about the “how” to get God-centered, but I’ve often neglected the “who”.

Knowing the God who created you (yes, I believe He is the Creator) and who sustains you (He is actively involved in our days) and who has big plans for you (You were not an accident), I believe creates a frame for life. Like an embroidery hoop, having a firm structure surrounding the day in and day out helps us work easily without anxiety. Instead of flopping around, we are held tightly. We can see clearly and walk securely knowing Him.

For the first installment in this series I want to share a story which began last Friday afternoon and has been transpiring over this week…

At 5:30 pm leaving flag football practice, our car crawled through Friday evening rush hour traffic. My unwashed hair piled high (a weak attempt at a trendy top-knot) felt like a mirror to my messy soul…a soul longing for those missed early morning moments with God. With early morning wake-ups to take their oldest brother to school and too late night bedtimes from evening sporting events exhaustion was showing.

I don’t remember why the boys kept screaming in the back of the car but I gritted my teeth and counted down…only 2 more hours. Then Bruce would be home and I’d head off to a girl’s night out while he tried to beat the effects of jet lag with an early bedtime.

At the last stop light before our street I quickly checked my email, because sometimes that’s how I escape the crazy.

But this email did more than give me a mental retreat, I was handed a large helping of perspective.

I read unbelievable words about Dallas friends: “in Virginia…Brother’s wedding…tragic head-on car crash… please pray…36 weeks pregnant, baby may be lost.”

My exhaustion mixed with shock led me to exclaim, “NO! There’s been an accident. One of my friend’s baby may have died. I can’t pray right now. Quade would you pray?”

I listened as my oldest boy spoke to the Creator and pleaded for “mommy’s friends” to be ok and for the baby to be ok and to make another baby in the mommy’s belly.

Thank you Lord that we can cry out anywhere, any time and you hear.

Moments later we were home, pulling together one more meal before my helpmate arrived. I quickly checked Instagram and noticed a blogging friend’s picture. She wrote, “praying for a friend of a friend who is fighting for her life…and who lost her baby.” I immediately text this blogger and ask if we are praying for the same friend. We were.

I fell face first on the kitchen floor tears pouring down. This was really happening.

This most precious person who I just saw a few days before…the tight round belly I had patted and told her how radiate she was, told her I couldn’t believe she was pregnant for the third time.  Her first son and mine were in playgroup together and her daughter and my third son were born within 30 minutes at the same hospital. She would never bring home her third son and, along with her heart, her entire left half of her body was broken.

How could this woman who serves the body of Christ with a constant smile and oozes grace, be fighting for her life?

And yet. In all things, I’m slowly learning to give thanks. Unbelievably, I stopped and thanked God for faith.  Because how can any of us stand if we don’t have Hope, believing there must purpose in the tragic?

I begged for her life. I prayed for wisdom for the doctors and peace for her loving husband thankfully by her side. I thanked God my other friend who was in the van was not injured (except for the damage of being a part of a tragic event).

Then I thanked God because I realized this little boy she had been nurturing in her womb for 8 months gave his life to save hers.

That wasn’t our plan for baby Charlie, to save his mother’s life. 

Sometimes the bigger story beats our version.

A baby came to save me. Christ walked in flesh and identified with our weaknesses. Fully God and yet He suffered, His body broken. Our heavenly Father knows the pain of losing a son. God is not distant and uncaring. 

Know God…is close to the brokenhearted.

We want to cry out, “Why God? Why this friend? Why this sweet baby? Why so much sadness for one family?”

The question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” is answered with another question, “Why does any good happen?”

This world is broken. We have a real enemy who seeks to devour and destroy. God doesn’t plan to harm us.

Do bad things happen? Yes. In His mercy and grace, good things happen too.

(an update: Ashley has been through 4 or 5 different surgeries and they have all gone well. Prayers have poured from all corners of the world. The body of Christ has gathered to lift this sweet woman up.) 

In this world we will have trouble, but we are able to bear it because of the Hope He gives knowing He has overcome the world. He created it. He sustains it and He will rule it forever.

Of course, these aren’t the words we use to comfort the grieving. But hard things are happening to loved ones every day it seems. As we watch from the sidelines sometimes we wonder, “Why God?”

If you are stuck wondering, I would suggest going to Him. Pleading honestly “Lord, help me with my unbelief.” Read His words and all the stories of how God works; how He takes weak and hard things to shame the strong.

Join me in praying for my sweet friend who just awoke the other day from her induced coma and learned all that has happened. Pray for the Holy Spirit to minister to all the physical and spiritual broken places–to lift her up and hold her close.