How Will Things All Work Out?

“Jeannie worked as a neonatal nurse at a hospital in Rockford, Illinois, for ten years when she met the shoebox baby. She was in the special care nursery when she noticed a young boy in a hooded sweatshirt holding a shoebox and crying…inside the shoebox was a three-pound infant. Wrapped in a dish towel, the tiny newborn wore a doll’s onesie. The baby boy had been born six-weeks premature.

 

“The medical staff treated him for hypothermia, dehydration and an infection from the household scissors used to cut his umbilical cord. Despite the harrowing conditions, God used Jeannie to help work all things out for good!

 

“As hospital staff did everything to save the newborn, his teenage father waited outside, sobbing uncontrollably. Jeannie kept him posted on his baby’s progress. And once the infant’s condition stabilized, she explained to the young, terrified dad that if he gave up his baby that day, he’d no longer be able to receive updates on his health. She reminded him he could take his time in exploring options rather than make an impulsive decision. The boy took the parental bracelets Jeannie offered him so that he and the baby’s mother could come back to visit him. The young couple returned the next day, and every day after for several weeks.”

 

“This is one of the cases I won’t forget,” said the doctor who treated the shoebox baby. There was someone looking down on him.”

 

[Click on the following Shoebox link to read the rest of this true story and others like it from godupdates.com]

 

Shoebox

 

The World is Still Spinning

It’s been nearly five months since many of us have had any chance to venture outside our homes. Maybe to keep a doctor’s appointment or to stock up on whatever groceries we can find on the shelves. But other than that, if we are responsibly following medical guidelines, we are basically hibernating.

It isn’t surprising then when feelings of aloneness (different than loneliness) invade our minds. But no matter what is going on in our own lives, we can find many, many stories of hope out there like the one above if we try. And we desperately need that right now. Even in this tumultuous world, it will lift our spirits when we hear about how hope and inspiration remind us the world is still spinning!

We have all had many ups and downs in our lives including divorce, widowhood, and maybe even our own story of a premature infant. Sadness does not escape anyone. It is what we do with those agonizing moments in our lives that will make a difference. How will God “work all things out for good” in our individual lives?

The plain truth is that God will never force us to do what we don’t want to do. Don’t misunderstand. He created us and has a great plan for our lives because he loves us. Have we ever given a gift to someone just because we loved them? God does that too. He delights in showing us how satisfying and fulfilling our life can be if we only choose to listen to Him. But He won’t pressure, coerce, or threaten us. He’s not that kind of God. He would rather love us.

A Love Gift

It’s all about our choices. Teen parents chose to bring their premature infant to a hospital for care rather than abandoning the baby. They didn’t have to be that responsible or loving.

Jeannie, the neonatal nurse chose to jump right in and help save a three-pound infant. She could have wasted her time by judging the teen parents and refusing to allow them a chance to change their minds. Jeannie’s job was to tend to the baby. But she also chose to love those teen parents.

We also have many, many choices day in and day out to make. Especially now that we are on our own for however long. Like we mentioned, God never forces us to do anything. But He certainly will guide and lead us to do the right thing. To love when we can choose to turn the other cheek. Love—it’s his trademark and design for our lives because he created us, and we belong to him.

“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 NLT).