Crowd Surfing

I know I've said it before, but I am so very blessed to work with an amazing group of women at the Pregnancy Care Center.  We had our annual volunteer appreciation brunch Saturday morning, and it was such a great time of fellowship.  We spent a couple of hours just really appreciating and thanking our tireless volunteers who are truly the heart of our ministry.  

Our nurse manager, Kelli, was unable to be at the brunch because her dad has recently become very ill with cancer.  He is going down hill fast and they just called in hospice this past week.  It has been great to see the love, prayers and support we have all pitched in on her behalf as she is going through this difficult time.

And I know very well how great an assett that support is.  You may remember, right after our ultrasound with Whitney that showed some concerns, it was Thanksgiving.  I didn't go back to work for a couple of weeks because we had already planned a trip to Cincinnati to visit family.  But, during that time, while we were waiting for answers and praying for healing, the women I work with signed up to be on a continual fast.  One dear woman even fasted and prayed for us ON THANKSGIVING!  

It is ultimately Christ who gives us strength to continue a pregnancy in the midst of a fatal diganosis.  But I believe that in situations like that, the reality of God's people being His hands and feet is more palpable than ever.  Some of my fellow baby loss moms found their support from their church leaders; others have found the support needed to carry a baby with an adverse diagnosis from their family, friends, doctors, etc.  I can't say that a lot of support came from my church leaders, I can tell you that without the women in my work community, carrying Whitney would have been a lot harder.  (I actually call it my work/faith community, because it is a Christ-centered environment, filled with women of the Word and wisdom.)  They were and still are a critical part of this journey we are walking in life. 

Galatians 6:2 says:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

The women I work with truly "get" this verse.  In the past two years, our staff has experienced a lot of loss, some traumatic situations and tense relationship-- just in our personal lives... not even talking about the life or death situations we encounter on a daily basis in the counseling room.  

Back to what I was say earlier about Kelli... since she was unable to attend the brunch, she sent a little message that we read.  In this note, she talked about the "Footprints in the Sand" poem.  The gist of the poem is that in the difficult times, God is not only with us, but he is carrying us in His arms.  Kelli expressed her heartfelt thanks for the support we, at the PCC have been giving her, and that she pictured us "crowd surfing" her to throne of God... raising her up with our hands, carrying her in one of the toughest seasons of her life.

I love that... as Christians, that's what we are supposed to do!  God calls us to bear one another's burdens, and sometimes, that means carrying a brother or sister when they can't walk themselves.  In a group setting, I imagine that would look a lot like crowd surfing.  :)