Perspective

I was writing to a friend today and I thought I would share some of those thoughts here as well.

In one of my husband's sermons, he begins with thoughts on "perspective" - the lens through which we view the events in our lives - and how perspective changes everything. My perspective of this miscarriage was colored by two other events this weekend. The first was an opening announcement at the church service we participated in this weekend. Tragically, the pastor announced that a young married couple of their congregation, who were expecting their first child this month and whose baby shower was scheduled for this Friday, had discovered that the baby had died. They were on their way to the hospital to be induced and to deliver a stillborn child. As we prayed for this young family, my thoughts were "a miscarriage would be terrible, but it could be so much worse." And when my miscarriage began just a few hours later, I could not forget the young couple and the heartbreak they were experiencing as well.

The second event was an e-mail from a friend at our home church, sharing that she had miscarried on July 2 - the same day I began to miscarry. And again, rather than the focus being all about "me" I was burdened to pray for my friend who was experiencing this for the second time in just a few years.

These verses in 1 Corinthians say it best: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.