Bedtime Story

Tonight when I was putting the girls to bed, I told them a story about a sad mama. This mama was sad because she wanted a baby more than anything else in the world. She prayed and prayed for God to give her a baby, but alas, her arms were empty. Years went by. The sad mama stopped going to church because it made her too sad to see all of the babies dressed up, or to hear the babies crying, or to watch the babies getting baptized. The sad mama cried, and prayed, and cried and prayed. "Please, God, give me a baby," she prayed. "Please, God."

Finally, after days, weeks, months, and years went by, the sad mama had given up. She didn't think that she would ever have a baby to hold and kiss and love. A giant hole filled the mama's heart...only a baby could fill it. The sad mama did other things to try to find a baby, but each time she tried to do it herself, she ended up with empty arms and enough tears to fill a bathtub (or so it seemed.) Finally, the sad mama decided to give it ALL to God. He was in charge. He knew her destiny. Whatever was meant to be would be; it was all in His plan. The sad mama vowed not to be angry at God, but to love him with all of her heart, even if she didn't get what she wanted. She went back to church. She thanked Him for everything she DID have. She prayed for a baby.

One day, everything changed.

God gave the sad mama her wish. The sad mama was no longer sad. She was the happiest mama ever! She called everybody she knew. "I'm going to have a baby! I'm going to have a baby!" After a few days, the mama went to the doctor's office, and the doctor used a special machine to see inside her belly. On the television screen next to her, the happy mama saw her baby...a round circle with a tiny, beating pulse in the middle of it. It was a beating heart! The happy mama cried tears of pure gratefulness. She had never been so happy! The doctor moved the machine a bit and suddenly the happy mama saw TWO round circles and TWO beating pulses. Two! The mama could not believe how blessed she was. She was going to have TWO babies.

Months went by, and the happy mama's belly grew bigger and bigger. She went to the doctor again, and this time he used his machine to show mama if she was having boys, girls, or one of each. Secretly, the happy mama wished for at least ONE girl, but she felt guilty even thinking it, because she was so grateful just to have babies in her tummy (not just one...two!) She didn't want to be selfish about her wish. The doctor moved the machine over one of the babies and said, "Congratulations, you're having a girl!" The happy mama became even more happy. She wanted to jump for joy, but instead, she allowed the doctor to move his machine to see the other baby. "Thank you, God," the happy mama whispered. When the doctor moved his machine over the second baby, once again, he saw a baby girl. TWO babies! TWO girls! The happy mama wanted to run into the streets (hospital gown and all) and yell and shout! She wanted to kiss the doctor, and the nurses, and the people in the waiting room. She wanted to sing at the top of her lungs. To keep her dignity, and not to embarrass her husband, the happy mama didn't do any of these things.

Instead, the happy mama said a long prayer, thanking God for knowing the desires of her heart and for blessing her with the greatest gift she would ever receive on earth. She vowed to raise her beautiful baby girls with all of the joy and love she'd felt in that hospital room.

Now, sometimes after a long day, when the happy mama is walking up to the front porch with her two six-year-olds in front of her (they are arguing over who is going to open the screen door first) the happy mama thinks, "Two, God! Two!" The happy mama says a big thank you to God for the beautiful ladies who make her life full. Nothing on earth is more precious to her than them.