Thy mercy, my God is the theme of my song;
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue
thy free grace alone from the first to the last
has won my affection and bound my soul fast
Without thy sweet mercy, I could not live here...
sin would reduce to utter despair
but through thy free goodness my spirts revived
and He who first made me, still keeps me alive
I have listened to this song a thousand times in the last 10 days...begging for His goodness and mercy. The Lord has heard our cries and answered our prayers. Lilah sleeps peacefully as I write. She is beautiful and her life is more precious and fragile than I could have ever imagined. We have been dealt some terrible news over the course of this nightmare, and we are brokenhearted. We have wept until the tears dried up and wept again. My darkest fears for my children never came close to this. I could write forever, using every synonym for pain and sadness....and yet, there is incredible hope.
God has filled our hearts with promises from His word and we claim those for Lilah. We do not know what the future holds medically. But we do know that she is a child of God, He loves her deeply (far beyond we ever could), and He holds her tightly in the palm of His hand. Lilah is a good and perfect gift and we are honored to be chosen as her parents. We know the Lord has plans for her life, however long it is, and has already used such a tiny baby to change hearts.
There will absolutely never be enough words to thank every single one of you for your commitment to pray for our daughter. Lilah's life, and our life, has been changed by it's power. We have experienced His love through you, the Body of Christ, in such real, tangible ways. We have felt His spirit in the room with us during even the darkest hours. God has taught us that He is good, loving, and full of mercy. And, He is continuing to teach us about trusting Him and finding peace.
Disolved by thy goodness I fall to the ground
and weep for the praise of the mercy I've found
16 comments:
Dear Burches, I am so glad that you are home. What a relief that must be to everyone. I will continue to pray for Lilah and that our God will continue to uphold you. Your precious Lilah is beautiful and she is blessed to have such great parents. May God continue to pour His grace out on you all - Gayle Myatt
Gina- my heart aches for you as a fellow mother and a friend. But I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity to follow your journey and pray for your family. Your faith through this crisis has encouraged me more than you know. I was reading yesterday about faith, and was so encouraged by Hebrews 10:19-23;35-39. You have been an example of these very verses. Thank you!
I'm glad you guys are back in the comfort of your own home. We will continue to pray for Lilah.
Oh GIna, what beautiful words. I am so thankful that Lilah has been entrusted to you and Paul. I know you will be glad to get home, am praying for a smooth transition and some rest. I am so proud of you and thankful for your friendship. Thank you for being so honest through this, it has been a blessing to be able to walk alongside you. I love you.
Lizzy
Gina & Paul,
So glad to read that you are at home, your daughter "Lilah" is absolutely gorgeous! Gina...to read and feel your faith has truly inspired me. We will continue to prayer for your family.
Bless you,
D.Kaiser
Gina - you are such a wonderful role model as a mother and Christian. Love you! I am so happy that you all are home now.
Dearest Paul and Gina,
It is true the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. Your entry last night was so honest and beautiful; it is obvious the Lord is covering you with His presence and His nearness. Know we are praying for all of you--confident that His mercies and new every morning and He will give just what you need when you need it.
I pray His perfect peace will be with you.
much love,
Sal C and Corey C
Gina,
I discovered this blog this summer and thought this particular entry (link below) might resonate with you. It is about how wonderfully mysterious is the concept of 'bearing one another's burdens'.
http://voiceoftheorphan.typepad.com/weblog/2008/02/bearing-one-ano.html
I hope it will encourage you. We continue to pray.
Love,
Beth H.
I read Psalm 51 today and every word just made me think of you all and this struggle and just how awesome it is that you are finding your strength in our sweet Jesus and that He is who He says He is...the Great Healer and Great Comforter
Paul, Gina, that you have opened your hearts, your lives, your highest hopes and deepest sorrows to the rest of us is being received as a sacred gift. To be trusted to care and to understand--and then to pray with you--is a gift we are privileged to receive. Then it becomes our sacred gift to you to be faithful in support and prayer. Little Lilah has all the love her little spirit can receive. She has, even as you do, all the prayers a little one can receive. God's peace be with you each day, one day at a time.--Sandy Foster
Paul and Gina,
my heart has ached and tears have fell thru this. I can only imagine. I am so proud of you both, your faith, strength and love through all of this has been a witness to many. I am also amazed that we can stay posted and connected electronically (thanks elizabeth too) Your willingness to share this part of your life has much improved my feeble prayers. Go Lilah!
Gina,
I am so glad you you were able to return home. My prayers for Lilah continue... You, your sweet little Lilah, and your family have all been through so much these past 11 days-I'm sure words can't even begin to describe, yet your strength and faith continue to amaze me! May God continue to watch over you and your beautiful family.
Love, prayers, and a big hug,
Julia
Paul and Gina,
you all could not have been a better choice in parents for sweet Lilah.
We are praising the Lord for your homecoming, and will continue to pray for a healing heart for Lilah.
we love you all, and are honored to be your friends.
I am so thankful. I pray that going home will be a sweet time for y'all! My prayers are still with you daily!
Dear Gina,
Glad that you made it home and I hope Lilah is comforted by her surroundings. You and your family are continually on my heart and in my prayers. May the God of HOPE keep you and comfort you.. his mercies are new every morning and his love never fails, he is the same always and forever. You and your family and friends have inspired me and challenged my faith. Love in Christ- Christy Bonifacio
Gina, your faith and honesty in expressing your feelings have brought Frank and me both to tears. So glad you are home. We are praying for you all as you get used to life at home again--that you can rest well when you need to, that Lilah is comfortable and her heart will be healed, that Garrett will stay healthy and will adjust well to any changes that need to be made at home, that you and Paul will feel complete peace as you trust in the Lord together to care for these sweet babies He has entrusted you with. We love you and are also so priveleged to be your friends!
"Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might." Psalm 21:13
We are so glad she's home. Still praying for you all. Much love,
Martha & Simon
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