You would think that after living this life for the past 40 years I would stop being surprised by it, by how the pieces of it are delicately interwoven, how God has planned out every little detail, but I’ll admit. I’m still caught off guard by it. I still shake my head with a mix of both disbelief and utter amazement when yet another thread is bared in the storyline of my life.
Although my survival, in and of itself, is a miracle, it’s all of the “little things” in my life, and I’m sure, yours, that show the continued handiwork of God in our lives and world.
From discovering that I lived in the same city as my birthfather years ago, to giving birth at the same hospital where my life was supposed to end, from attending the same university my birthmother had attended when she was pregnant with me and at which my grandmother was an Associate Dean when I attended it, while I was still unaware of both of these connections to it, and truly everywhere in between, there are threads upon threads that sew together the story of my life, patching up the holes of brokenness and devastation with restoration and reconciliation. And, in my opinion, God also sends messages about love and hope for us all.
God has a plan and a purpose for each and every life, not just mine. He has a plan for you, too.
And there is always hope.
There is always more planned for us than we can even begin to fathom for ourselves.
Although we may sometimes be caught off guard by His plans, the threads of life He has sown, and the messages that He gives us each day, there are times that His point is glaringly clear, even if we first miss the message.
Case in point: that photo of my footprint that you see above? I have looked at that photo dozens of times over the years. Dozens! My footprints were originally taped together into a collage with photos from my days in the NICU. I had traced over what I thought was their every detail, time after time, as I tried to digest everything that I could about my life. Yet, there was something I missed, until someone pointed it out just recently.
In my footprint, she could see the image of an angel. Do you see it? Although I was both dumbfounded and yet unsurprised by this discovery, (because I’ve come to recognize and appreciate that this is exactly what God does), when I looked at it with her perspective, what I saw was the image of a woman holding a child.
A woman holding a child!
I don’t contribute that to my brain just seeing what it wants to, either. There is clearly an image there, and although I missed it for years, I know it’s no coincidence that someone saw it and pointed it out to me now.
Now that I know my birthmother carried me in her heart for decades, being unaware that I had survived.
I know, of course, how my adoptive mom carried me in her arms, loving me into the woman that I am today.
I know that many nurses held me in their arms long ago and still carry me in their hearts today.
Now I know how many women in my birthmother’s family carried me in their hearts when they couldn’t hold me in their arms.
And of course, the title of my book that was released in 2017 talked about all of these very circumstances of my life, the many people that have carried me over the years, most importantly, God.
And no one but God could have written this story of my life, weaving it together into the beautiful masterpiece that it is.
As shocked as I was to see that image in my footprint, I really am not overly surprised. God’s message has become louder and clearer to me over the years, and this is just yet another echo of it.
God had a plan for my birthmother and I to be united. And as many times as His plans were thwarted by others, His plan ultimately prevailed.
My birthmom can now hold me in her arms, not just her heart, like this very image in my footprint shows.
How blessed I am to be held in the arms of my mom and my birthmom, and in the hearts of so many!
As you go throughout your day today, keep your eyes, ears and heart open for what messages God has for you. What is He trying to remind you of or communicate to you that you’ve been missing? Or maybe you’ve simply doubted?
Leave a comment or drop me a private email at: info@melissaohden.com with any messages you finally see clearly for the first time or finally accept as His words for you!
Don’t miss out on the message He is writing, even when it appears that everything is a mess.
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