Last weekend I got to be a part of one small day, a few short hours in Avonlea Powell's life. She was dedicated at Remedy Church last Sunday and it was a great time of rejoicing over her life. The doctor's told Brian and Melissa that she wouldn't make it to birth, or if she did, she wouldn't make it but only a few hours after birth. Being born with Trisomy 13, she still isn't completely out of the dark, but she is alive. She's healthy and beautiful and we got to go to her baby shower last Sunday, something that was never planned because of her diagnosis before now. All day I would look at little 3 week old Avonlea and just say "What?" in wonder at God. Our church is praying like crazy that she makes it to her first birthday, and I'm liking her chances.
Back in the fall, my best friend Erin had a diagnosis very similar for their girl, Hope, but she didn't make it out alive after giving birth at 22 weeks. This sounds kind of weird to say, but I've never grieved for a friend like I did for Erin the day I found out she had died in the womb. I had never felt weight like that for someone else before. I wake up every single morning to proof of God's faithfulness, but in the moments when Erin was sending text after text of bad news, I said "What?" in wonder at God. How could He let that happen? My best friend, who is one of the most gospel-loving people I've ever known was going through the worst moments in her life for what seemed like no good reason.
So I've felt two very contrasting sets of emotions over two friends in the past eight months. One little girl got to live, and the other one didn't. That afternoon at the baby shower, Phud read Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God has chosen Avonlea to live for a purpose, while He chose to take Hope for a purpose. And it's all good. Not because He is a God who just gives good parking spaces and helps us pass our tests, but because He's sovereign and sees the whole picture (a better one). And what He chooses to do has nothing to do with us. We'll never work hard enough or fail bad enough to make God decide to work in the ways He does. We don't earn anything that happens to us, good or bad. Melissa's Dad told us that day that someone who has been following Avonlea's story through Melissa's blog and on Facebook said in a comment: "I think Avonlea is leading me to Jesus." The lives of these two little girls sure has gotten me closer to Jesus, it has strengthened my faith in Him and in his really good work. A reminder that we are ALL put here on loan to God. Jesus uses life for his good purposes no matter the length of time we get here on Earth and that's awesome. When I still think about my friends who lost their Hope, it just sucks that they didn't get to keep her. But the Lord has just as many plans through Hope's life as he does for any life: for good.
Check out the awesome life of Brian, Melissa, and Avonlea : www.lovingavonlea.com
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