Refreshment to keep going

I don't know if I've mentioned this yet or not, but Surfer reads me a chapter of The Chronicles of Narnia each night before we go to sleep. I usually fall asleep about halfway through, but still he reads. The Narnia series is, I believe, one of the best analogies for our life following Christ. Even though it is written for children, the way Lewis conveys Christ throught Aslan character impacts any age so beautifully.

Aslan, the Great Lion, who is good but not tame, isn't always present in each chapter, but his presence is conveyed in each situation. However, there are times when one of the Pevensie children is at their limit, or about to make a difficult choice, and all of the sudden the turn and see Aslan himself.

I saw Aslan yesterday. After a challenging day, Surfer and I were discussing IVF, the possibilities, and the circumstances thus far. While neither of us knows what the outcome will be, as we talked we were struck with the realization that at each crossroads, at each milestone, we have seen God's presence and provision. From healings to financial provisions; from amazing scheduling to a wonderful doctor - none of these things have been coincidences. Surfer pointed out that we can hope - in the Lord, who has been with us this far and will see us through.

It was not five minutes later that I recieved a phone call from a friend who's mom works around Doc at the hospital. She had just received an email from another patient of Doc's, who had delivered miracle twins after their IVF cycle and they were so thankful to the hospital staff and Doc for helping to make this all happen.

Ten minutes later, while talking to Mom on the phone, Mom told me about a woman she visited with at baseball practice who opened up to her about her story - that they had to do IVF for all of their children. Mom said that this woman could have written my blog postings for all the similarities of story and emotion.

All of this culminated to a grand feeling of direction: it's as if the Lord were standing there with us, saying, "Keep going, keep going - I am leading you on this path; don't give up."

I am so thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves us more than our dear earthly parents; He may not always be present, but we do know of His presence with us and when we need Him most, He knows it - and knows just the way to encourage us.