How Prayer Saved my Life

We left the posh, urban, Portland restaurant where we had spent a few hours giggling and sampling elegant desserts in a tizzy of excitement. We laughingly traversed potholes in patent leather heels and dressy wedges to the safety of our cars. A gaggle of girls celebrating the impending marriage of one of our own. The excitement was palpable. We each delicately piled into one of two cars, taking care not to catch a heel or tear a garment. Earrings glittered, a variety of fragrances perfumed the air. Life was happening, and we relished every bit of it.

I found myself in a car with one of my former high-school friends and a gal I had only just met though she was one of those people whom you meet and feel you have known a lifetime. We would follow the car ahead of us back to the hotel where we were staying the night, and where some of our husbands anxiously awaited our return. We got along famously. The energy of the night bubbled all around us and we conversed in like manner. Our excitement quickly turned to concern when the car we were following zipped out of sight and we missed the exit we were supposed to take. One of the gals nervously called a friend in the other car to retrieve instructions. But the night was dark and we felt we were in a maze in the midst of Portland’s highway hell. “Should I turn here?” Jessica asked. No, I think we should go left, I answered. Truthfully, I had no idea. It was just a gut feeling. Suddenly, the car started to slow down until it eased to a full stop. We were on the most right-hand side of the highway, but there was no shoulder to pull onto. I looked behind me. We were just ahead of a curve in the road, so oncoming drivers did not see us until they were right behind us. I heard a stream of honks as a parade of cars narrowly missed us by as little as ten feet.

One of the girls started crying as the onslaught of potential collisions streamed ever faster. It seemed increasingly inevitable that we would become victims in a fatal way. And so, we prayed. The Lord gave me boldness and faith in that prayer I never knew I had. God, it is not your will for us to die tonight. Give us wisdom to know what to do and keep us safe in the midst of this impossible situation. Protect us from all impending harm and we will put our trust in you. Amen. After I said amen, God gave me clear instructions on what to do. First we called 911 who sent an officer to find us. Then, in the blackness of the night, I spied a patch of land we could safely escape to past the guardrail. Amazingly, we had stopped in the only place with such an area available. For miles ahead and behind us, that side of the highway was nestled directly next to overhanging rock cliffs, which due to their flatness would have been impossible to scale. We scrambled out of the car and hopped over the guard rail. Initially, we stood just a few feet away from the car, but I knew that we needed to get as far away from the car as possible in case of flying debris. So, we moved away as far as we could and waited. An officer came about 30 minutes afterward. 30 minutes. It took him a while to find us because we didn’t know where we were, so we could not give clear directions to the dispatcher. In that time, we saw countless cars come within feet of hitting our car. It seemed impossible that none of them did. But that’s what God does, the impossible. Not only did he save our lives that night, but he kept the car safe as well. He took care of our every need.

Two and a half hours later, the tow truck came. We piled in and huddled together, grateful for the warmth of the cab. Three hours after the ordeal had begun, we met the rest of our party at the hotel and finished celebrating. A feeling of awe swept over me. Here we were, safe and whole, celebrating a wedding when things could have been very different. I can think of one word to describe what had happened. It was a miracle. 

God saved my life that night. And he continues to answer my prayers and do the impossible. I would be honored if you would share a testimony of how God has answered one of your prayers! Let’s grow in faith together. ” Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

Thanks for reading!

Tara

 

Some call babies parasites- here’s what they don’t know

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, nothing ever could have prepared me for what it would be like to be a mother. I remember when I was nine months pregnant, watching little feet press into my belly so hard that I could see them from the outside. At the time it was the closest I could get to spending quality time with my little guy, to watch and feel him move and to sing to him hoping he was listening. Now at ten months old he is tearing everything apart. He unwinds the toilet paper, pulls my books off the shelf, tries to get into the garbage, pulls my hair, pulls everything! Sometimes it is exasperating trying to keep a little one out of danger, out of messes, out of, well… everything. I was told to expect messes; that’s not what surprised me. Today I had a moment, something I can never easily forget. We were playing in a rose garden and my son looked up at me with such a look of playful curiosity. But that wasn’t all that was there… there was love in his eyes. Surprised to see such sweetness expressed by a ten month old, it threw me for a loop. I have been caring for this baby ever since I first learned I was pregnant. I have read baby books, restricted my diet, gone without sleep, changed diapers, cleaned up throw up, and cleaned up endless messes. There are those who say it’s not worth it. I’ve even heard people call babies parasites. But they don’t know what I know, what every mother knows… It was and still is all worth it. Now, instead of feeling my baby from the inside I feel his feet pressing my tummy as he snuggles in close during his nap. When he’s tired or feeling lovey, he nestles his head into my shoulder. He smiles when I kiss him good morning and laughs when I chase him. I can’t go anywhere in the house without hearing little baby knees and little baby hands padding after me. And all I can think when I turn around and see that handsome little guy staring up at me is, there’s my heart on the floor. I have never been so smitten.

Five things I wish I’d known when I was pregnant

Two and a half months ago, my husband and I became parents to a beautiful, bright-eyed baby boy. Since the time we found out we were expecting until now, life has brought an unexpected mixture of emotion and adventure, and more tears of frustration and joy than we ever fathomed. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was absolutely clueless. I had no idea of what to expect. I had all of the books, I talked with seasoned mothers, and I frequented babycenter.com more often than the Rock goes to the gym. With so much material, I thought I was more than prepared for pregnancy and birth; however, there were some things that must have fallen through the cracks. Here’s a list of five things I wish I’d known:

1. Kegels aren’t for the gym

When I first found out I was pregnant, I talked with my girlfriends about exercises for pregnant women. Kegels came highly recommended. I had no idea of what they were or how to do them (for some reason I imagined they involved a kettle bell somehow), so I asked the personal trainer at my gym. She didn’t know what they were, so she asked another personal trainer, who also didn’t know (thank goodness!) I thought it was pretty weird that two personal trainers didn’t know how to do such a common exercise, but I was determined to figure it out, so I googled for answers. Helpful suggestion: If you don’t know what kegels are, don’t ask a personal trainer, google first.

2. Some people just don’t know what to say to pregnant women

For some reason, I expected coos of congratulatory phrases from family, friends, and strangers, all while I reveled in that “pregnancy glow.” However, this was not always the case. Some people questioned my dietary choices while others commented on my figure. I imagined I  knew what it was like to get cut off for drinking too much when I ordered a frappe at Starbucks and the barista said, ” you sure you haven’t already had too much caffeine today?” Later, when I was 41 weeks pregnant (yes he was super late!), and I decided to brave the church pews, one woman came up to me and said, “Girl, you are not small.” Frustrated with a late pregnancy, I felt like chuckling and crying all at once.

3. Pregnancy is a transition for husbands too

Early on in my pregnancy, I noticed my husband seemed to be having a hard time, and when I asked him what was going on, his answer surprised me. He said things had been stressful with all of the changes I was going through. After all, I wasn’t altogether my usual self, what with the morning sickness, moodiness, and tiredness. I had been so focused on getting through those first parts of pregnancy that I didn’t realize I wasn’t the only one transitioning. After an honest conversation with each other and a little bit of prayer, we were able to make some adjustments that helped us support each other through the rest of the pregnancy.

4. Its okay to have an epidural

There were many reasons I did not want to have an epidural. I had seen a video of the procedure being done and holy cannoli! Who in their right mind would want such a large needle being shoved into their spine so close to so many important nerves! Besides this, for some reason I felt that it was a cop-out. Women have been having babies un-medicated for thousands of years. God made our bodies to do this. I almost felt it would somehow be sinful to accept pain medication.

I started to consider an epidural when I went in for a 41 week ultrasound. They measured the baby, and using their measurements they estimated the baby weighed 11 pounds!!! Needless to say, I was pretty nervous at this point. I knew my mother had struggled through insanely long labors, and all of her babies were born at eight pounds or less!

When I finally went into labor, I decided to see how things progressed before getting an epidural. I labored for five long hours before I decided it was finally time. The pain was getting bad enough that I worried I wouldn’t be able to sit still if I waited any longer, and I didn’t want to regret not having done it when I’d had the chance. About 24 hours after I had started labor and 3 hours of pushing, our son was born. Our midwife said that most women would have had to have a C-section because of how big his head was. If I had not had an epidural, this most certainly would have been the case. All I can say now is, thank goodness for pain medication!

5. I can’t love my child the way he needs to be loved

This one came as a bit of a shocker. The moment my mid-wife placed Asher on my chest I was filled with such an overwhelming love for him. Since that moment, I have given him every ounce of love I have to offer, but it simply isn’t enough, and sometimes it may not be the kind of love he needs. One morning, as I was praying God showed me that I may love my baby, but what he really needs from me is God’s love; that perfect, all knowing, sweet, and never ending love. So, though I love my baby boy to the moon and back, I know it will never be quite adequate. The best thing I can do for him is to love the Lord, and to share the love he has given me.