After
the shock and pain medication wore off it started to hit me that my
dream of finally being pregnant and having a baby had literally been
cut out and taken away from me. The day I had emergency surgery to
remove my ectopic (tubal) pregnancy a part of me died inside. It felt
like part of me was missing. A void and sadness began to fill my
heart. It felt like I had been hit by a tidal wave and the weight of
my grief was causing me to slowly sink into the depths of despair. Little did I know that a stranger with her own story of heartbreak
and healing would come to my rescue and throw my sinking heart a
spiritual life preserver.
I
was in a church meeting a few weeks after my surgery, which took
place shortly after my husband and I moved to Savannah. In the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) the first Sunday of
each month is centered around fasting and sharing our personal
testimonies with one another, mainly during the sacrament service
portion of our three hour block of meetings. During
the third hour, the women gather together for a lesson, which is
sometimes followed by an invitation for anyone present to share their
testimonies.
On this particular “Fast” Sunday, a woman I hadn't gotten to know
yet stood to share her testimony.
She
started by saying that she usually wouldn't share something so
personal but that she felt prompted to share her experience and that
maybe someone there needed to hear it. She talked about having a
miscarriage in Dec 2011 and about being promised by the Lord that she
would be blessed with a baby. She then shared that in Dec 2012,
exactly one year later, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Her
testimony that the Lord keeps His promises hit me like a ton of
bricks. I thought about my patriarchal blessing and how it says I
will be a mother. (For info about what patriarchal blessings are
click here:
https://www.lds.org/liahona/2015/02/patriarchal-blessings-inspired-guidance-for-your-life?lang=eng)
The
thought that the Lord will keep and honor this promise from my
blessing filled me with an overwhelming feeling of peace and comfort.
I knew everything would be ok.
This
woman probably didn't know at this time how much her testimony would
help another aching, grieving woman. She probably didn't know that
this woman would cling to her testimony and words in the following
months when the pain of losing a baby felt too hard to bear. This
woman probably didn't know that her testimony would be act as a
lighthouse when things looked dark and dismal. This woman probably
didn't know that by following that prompting she would forever change
another woman's life for good. Little did I know that two years later
this wonderful woman, once a stranger, would become one of my closest
and dearest friends.
I
love the quotes:
I also love the saying:
You
never know what trials or sorrow a person is going through. Although
we may not know what a person is experiencing the Lord does. I know
that He knows us and is aware of what we are going through. I know
that the Lord answers our prayers. I also know that it is often
through other people that those prayers are answered. You never know
just how much your kind word, your smile, or just lending a listening
ear can change someone's life. So if the Lord has prompted you to do
something whether it be to share your testimony, call a friend you
haven't spoken to in a while, or to simply do a kind deed for
someone... have courage and follow that prompting. You never know who
you may rescue, you never know who you may save.
(Highly recommend the following video of the song, "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy")
