Godstops

Alternately titled: I'm still alive and here's a really long post to prove it.

Some friends of mine and I are currently about halfway through Beth Moore's Believing God study. If anyone has done this study, then you know what I'm talking about when I say the word "Godstop." If you have no idea what I'm talking about, allow me to explain. Godstop is a term invented by Beth and used to describe those little (or big) moments when God makes his presence known to you. One of those things that you know is more than just a coincidence. The "stop" part is actually an acronym that stands for "Savoring The Observable Presence". The name is a bit cheesy, in my humble opinion; but, if you know anything about Beth Moore, you know her Bible studies have changed many, many lives. So I suppose she can be as cheesy as she wants. Anyway, at the end of each day of study, we are asked to record any Godstops we may have experienced during our day.

I guess I should also share with the non-Believing God studiers a little bit about what this study is about. The name of the study speaks for itself. Through this study, we are encouraged to take God at his word. We are called not just to believe in God, but to actually believe him. The study specifically focuses on believing five truths: 1) God is who he says he is; 2) God can do what he says he can do; 3) I am who God says I am; 4) I can do all things through Christ; and 5) God's word is alive and active in me. Okay, back to my post about Godstops . . .

Earlier this week, I took care of a sweet premature baby girl. Her parents had been trying to conceive for a long time and finally got pregnant. That pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Their second pregnancy also ended in miscarriage. Their third pregnancy ended in the delivery of twins who were much too premature to survive life outside the womb. Finally, at the end of their fourth pregnancy they were blessed with the delivery of this patient of mine, their "miracle baby", as her mom calls her. Though several weeks premature, this baby is healthy and expected to be just fine. As I was preparing her feeding that day, I overheard her mom sharing this amazing testimony of faith with her friend who was visiting. She told her friend that she prayed and prayed throughout this last pregnancy and she just knew God would take care of everything. She said she really wasn't even worried. "It's all about faith", she said. I was completely inspired by this woman's example of believing God in the wake of such incredible loss. She was a walking example of what I'd just finished studying - believing God can do what he says he can do. Godstop.

I was taking care of the same baby the next day, and--I know this is going to shock you--I took some pictures of her (we have a camera and a printer in our unit). One of them was quite cute, and I decided to be creative and decorate it in a scrapbookish fashion, as NICU nurses are sometimes known to do. Given what I'd previously learned of this baby's mother's faith, I went digging through our stickers in search of one that said "miracle." Almost immediately, I found one with a picture of a rainbow and the words, "God keeps his promises." How perfect and how Godstop-ish! Was Beth Moore in the NICU manipulating these events that so perfectly illustrated her points? Possibly. But I think she stays pretty busy, so probably not. Anyway, I also found a "miracle" sticker. I put them both on my cardstock/photo creation and it looked simply adorable, if I do say so myself. And I only forgot to feed two babies while I was photographing and stickering and cutting and gluing. (Just kidding.)

The following day, after I'd written the Godstop about my rainbow sticker down in my book, I looked at the next page and read the title of the next day's study, "By Faith Noah." Of course. What else would I be reading about? Godstop. I sat outside and did the Noah study (I was doing two days in one sitting because I was just a day or two or four behind), which of course included reading about God's promise to Noah and the rainbow. It had been rainy that day but the sun was shining as I finished the study. At this point I guess I was getting a little too used to all my Godstops, because I looked up in the sky and just knew I'd see a rainbow. Nothing. I did my journaling and silently prayed to see a rainbow (not because I really needed to see one, just because I thought it would be cool, given my previous Godstops for the week). I looked up again and nothing. I even walked around to the front of my house to make sure I wasn't missing a rainbow on the other side. Nothing. I ended that day rainbow-less.

Then, exactly 24 hours later, I was driving home from getting my hair done when it suddenly started storming and hailing so badly that I had to pull over. I sat in a gas station parking lot for about five minutes before the rain slowed down. And then this appeared. Godstop.

(Pardon the cell phone picture. I was too close to get all of it, but it most definitely had another half.)

At that point, I thanked God for always keeping his promises and for my abundance of faith-related Godstops and told him that he had really outdone himself this week.