Mary

I don't know if she is the best example given in the Bible, but I have always been impressed by the humility of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

The angel Gabriel comes to Mary and says to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God." To this unbelievably and life-altering news, Mary replies, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word."

I have always wondered whether she said this with trembling lips, or if she had full confidence and peace at that moment. I am inclined to believe the first - but nevertheless, it represents great faith and humility on her part. She was a young girl, engaged to be married. What a self-centered time that can be for a girl! In the midst of perhaps the happiest time of planning in her life, she is told that her life will never be the same. Granted, it was an esteeming position to be placed in by God. But probably not very esteeming in the eyes of those she lived near, and to her friends. It had the potential to ruin her relationship with Joseph, apart from the fact that God intervened. She could even have been stoned for the sin of fornication. Yet she accepts this message from the Lord with a resigned spirit, ready to fulfill God's will for her life.

I wish I approached the small "bumps" in the road that God places in my life with such faith and humility as Mary!

Question?

Who do you think within the scriptures displays the best visual of humility to God? And Why??
(This goes with out saying but nonetheless it must be said... Our Lord is the ultimate display of all things He has called us to.)

God is STILL good

So, I am a bit overdue with this email, since some of you already know of Evangeline's diagnosis. She does indeed have CF. It's a bit less of a shock than with Ada since we have an idea of how it will effect our lives, but still a "surprise." Nonetheless, God is STILL good. We confess it was not easy news to hear, but it makes Romans 8:28&9 something we cling to even more. When we first heard of Ada's diagnosis our pastor in Indiana sent us a beautiful letter with the lyrics of this hymn at the end which sums it up well.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way His wonders to perform;He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skillHe treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,But trust Him for His grace;Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,Unfolding every hour;The bud may have a bitter taste,But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan His work in vain;God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

God in His mercy has even given us a glimpse of how we (Markes and I, just think how He might plan to use this in our daughter's lives...) He is glorifying Himself in this event. We shared the news before our church in the form of a testimony and saw people who are not normally "open" people just come up to us in tears. I also used the opportunity to send a letter to my family in order that they might see how we have attempted to process the news in a biblical way. Some of my family has rationalized it, others played the odds (that Evie couldn't have it, after all it was only a 12% that we'd have 2 children ith CF), and others still hope in science for a cure (not that we don't pray to that end). None of these are dealing with the news in a way that acknowledges that our 2 daughters CAN have CF and God can STILL be good. Please pray that God would use this to draw our families to faith in Christ and recognition of their state before a Holy God.

Psalm 31:19 How great is Your goodness,Which You have stored up for those who fear You,Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men!

Pray also that we BE those who fear God.