For My Niece (Things I learned from the delivery room)

Sometimes God gives us gifts that are difficult, but that does not mean they are not gifts. Selah's entrance into this world was not an easy one. It was long and dramatic (those of you who know her mother are not surprised by this). It was a gift that was not exempt from pain and even heartache, but it was, in fact, a gift.
As Sarah's labor progressed, we knew good things would come of it (babies typically do come from these things), but it was hard. It was hard to see Sarah in that kind of pain. It was hard to know that the pain wasn't coming to an end anytime soon. It was hard to imagine that Selah would be so wonderful that we wouldn't remember the experience for the pain, but for the reward.
Life is kind of like that, for those who follow God. Sometimes He gives us trials that seem unbearable. But the end result... is greater than we could possibly imagine. Because the end result is life. Life that goes on. Somehow His promises are proved true and He is proved faithful.
We never realize this during the hard part, even when we try. But He is here. He walks us through. And he showers us with unfathomable goodness.
Selah is a miracle. God chose this time to bless Tim and Sarah. He gave them a wonderful pregnancy. But as we awaited her arrival in the delivery room, we understood the hard part. This gift wasn't perfect or how we would have chosen it to be.
Selah arrived via C-section late Friday night, after a long and grueling labor. We wanted a natural birth. We wanted to share the experience together as sisters, along with our mom and Tim's. We understood this was a gift, but could not deny that it was a trial.
When I saw Selah for the first time though, I kind of understood. I saw a glimpse of the reward - of the life that goes on. And of God's greatness that I can't fully understand.