2021-07-08

By SQuire Rushnell

Lisa and her husband earnestly tried to have a baby. But continued disappointment raised questions. Was there something wrong? With her? Or her husband?

With so much uncertainty facing Lisa, she leapt at the opportunity to join a tour to the Holy Land in Israel. Frankly, it was a relief to leave her concerns--the inability to conceive--at home, 6 thousand miles away.

That is, until the day they were scheduled to take a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho: the bus broke down. They waited what seemed like hours for a replacement. And when they finally got underway, the driver announced that they were taking a back road with fewer rest stops. After awhile, Lisa became increasingly uncomfortable as the driver passed one rest stop after another, uttering “too crowded.”

When the bus finally did roll to a stop, Lisa was one of the first to bolt for the ladies room. The doors of the Men’s and the Ladies Rooms were distinguished by a picture of a man on one door, and a picture of a woman on the other.

She was relieved to exit the ladies room.  But surprised when she encountered a group of women giggling and pointing at the picture on the door while stealing glances at her. She looked. The woman’s picture was HER! What? How could that be?

Lisa’s memory flashed two decades earlier when that picture of her was used on a Red Cross poster. She looked around at the faces of others. Was this a joke? Nope. Just an inexplicable godwink six thousand miles from home.

On the plane back to America, looking at the picture in her hands, which the rest stop owner let her have, Lisa gave in to a new attitude of surrender--to let go and let God.  And guess what?  Within weeks of returning home, the doctor confirmed that Lisa was going to be a new mommy!

Lisa and Sandy Gilpin became the proud parents of a baby boy. They live in New York.

When you’re facing uncertainty--like Lisa--look for godwinks as signposts of comfort; that you’re never alone.  Let go and let God.

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