New Grandbaby

Yesterday I had the privilege of helping to bring our fifth grandchild into the world. For the second time, my daughter-in-law asked me to stay in the delivery room. She always worries about my son and how he will stand up as he participates. This time she was right to worry. After no sleep all night and nothing to eat, he was a bit pale and shaky as time went on.

I took over for him just as our little grandson was beginning his entry. I watched the doctor as she pulled him toward her and lifted a beautiful little baby into the air for mom to see. "He's perfect," I said, "just perfect."

We all shed tears of gratitude and joy at this wonderful little miracle.

This morning, I was reading in Romans and this passage jumped out:

"From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God." (Romans 1:20)

I've always thought that when people see and realize all the intricate details of that little miracle put together in nine months they couldn't possible deny God's creative hand. But then this morning, I wondered, what if I had not been able to say, "he's perfect" at that moment I saw him yesterday? Not all babies are "perfectly" formed.

I puzzled over this a while. Why is such a little word with such depth and often anguish. I prayed and as I did, I discovered that God makes everything perfect--to his purpose. Why is answered with "Because I am and all that I do has purpose for my perfect will."

Our imperfection is that we do not seek to accept, we do not trust, we do not acknowledge that he can take what we might discount or discard and in using it for his purpose, make it perfect.