Abundantly More

God is good, all the time. 

It’s been my theme from the very beginning, because it was something I had to repeat to myself over and over again. And when I was too weak to say it, God would provide someone else to say it for me.

Though at times I have wrongly doubted the goodness of God, or His love for me, I have never doubted His existence, or that His only son Jesus paid my debt on the cross. Here now, as I watch my baby boy sleep, I pray I will be able to nurture that conviction in my own child, so that he too may never doubt God and His great gift. I pray God would grant him grace and strength to believe that God is good, all the time. 

Though there are times when that feels hard to believe, there are also times it is so obvious and abundant that it feels overwhelming. 

Like how it feels right now. 

I prayed so much for a strong, healthy baby to be a mother to. God has given me that gift, and much more. Abundantly more. 

My mom had a terrible, stressful labor, so I wondered what mine would be like. It was beautiful, and my doctor said I could not have asked for a smoother delivery. God gave me more than I dreamed. 

Everyone said breastfeeding would be stressful, and warned me it would not be as wonderful as I imagined. They told me I’d just have to choose to stick with it. We took a couple of days to figure things out, but we quickly learned, and I love those moments together. God gave me more than I asked for. 

I prayed for a normal, healthy baby. Is he ever! Every checkup we hear things like, “He’s a very alert baby!” “He’s a perfect baby!” “You couldn’t have asked for a healthier baby.” “He’s developing ahead of schedule.” “He’s very strong.” On and on it goes. God gave me abundantly more than I prayed for. 

And these things are just a glimpse of all the blessings God has given me.

That doesn’t mean life is perfect. There’s still difficult things, like going back to the hospital to treat jaundice, getting colds, and the temptation to worry.

But with a God who gives us far more than we deserve, life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful. 

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

© Grace Baeten 2020