by Tessa Miller
Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. (Jude 1:2)
In Fall 2015, Pastor Todd preached on Jesus feeding the 5,000. He shared how most likely we are all familiar with this story; however, he wanted to add some different insight that we may have not heard before. One of the things that he pointed out is that after all 5,000 people were fed and no longer hungry, there was still bread and fish remaining. There was not only enough for everyone, there was an abundance left over. Pastor Todd then shared that often when God answers prayers He does so in abundance. He doesn’t just answer our prayers, He does so in a way that is more than we could ever imagine.
I couldn’t help but think of my family, and how God has answered our prayers for another child. My husband Cory and I prayed for another child for many, many years. We were faced with unexplained secondary infertility and endured so many disappointing months waiting for God to give our son Jonah a sibling.
In those days of waiting, God showed us another way and led us to adoption. We adopted Ellie when she was 10 years old after she had lived with us for one year as a foster child. Our prayers had been answered and we had another child and she had a forever family. And yet, God was not done. He not only answered our prayers for a second child with Ellie, He then abundantly blessed us with two more biological children!
When I announced our miracle pregnancy with Hope, there was a collective sigh at the wonder of God. We found out we were pregnant less than two months after adopting Ellie. Therefore, there were lots of people commenting how God had blessed our family tremendously by answering our prayers after years of waiting. When we found out we were expecting a girl, God confirmed that the daughter named Hope that we had dreamed of for years truly was going to be a part of our family. It was as if a foretelling by God was coming to life. Our Hope was coming.
And then two years later when we announced our pregnancy with Gabriel, there was a collective awe at the abundance of God. I heard from so many people the amazement they experienced when they read our Christmas card announcing our pregnancy, and were blown away that we were expecting another baby. More than one person told me “my jaw dropped”. Gabriel was and truly is our sweet surprise miracle baby. And fun little fact, our “bookend boys” Jonah and Gabe are over 14 years apart! God writes the best stories.
My days are so filled now and I am reminded constantly of how God loves us so much that He not only answered our prayers, He did it in abundance. Each day, I have an abundance of dishes to do, laundry to remember, nails to clip, reminders to give, food to cut, and encouragement to share. This may seem like a lot of monotonous stuff to do for some. I choose to look at the little things that fill my days as constant reminders of God’s abundance. My dream has always been to be a mom. Not only did God give me the gift of a child 19 years ago, but I still have 14 years left before I am an empty-nester. That’s 33 years of full-time parenting! Another prayer He has granted me in abundance.
God has given far more than I could have ever imagined. Where do you see His overwhelming abundance in your life?