Using Your Gifts
A few years ago, I took a class on Call. I realized more of what “Call” meant and what gifts God gave me. I always knew I was called to work with children, but I also learned that listening to God is a gift!
Years ago, a month and a half into my marriage, I got sick with a stomach flu that never ended. I was pregnant. That had not been in our five-year plan, as we were 21 at the time, and we were scared, but we knew God had a plan.
I was sick my entire pregnancy and was then diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 26 weeks. In week 28, my blood pressure reached 220/180. My eyesight nearly disappeared, until I could only see stars; I had migraines; and I retained so much water my mom thought I looked like a Macy’s balloon. All I knew was that I needed to have that baby—I wasn’t worried about him being premature.
The doctors advised me to hold off two more days, and to have another set of steroids injected for my baby’s lungs to mature, as statistics showed that premature boys at that gestational age didn’t usually survive.
Throughout the day, I could hear God’s voice, making it known that my baby needed to be delivered that night. Everyone in my family but Kevin wanted me to reconsider, but he listened to me and trusted God, even when others were strongly suggesting holding off the two more days. That night, Kyle was delivered by Caesarean and very much survived.
During the delivery, they found a blood clot that went from me to him. My doctor was amazed, because if I had listened to her and waited two more days, we both would have died. If I hadn’t listened to God, neither Kyle nor I would be here today.
Kyle was born 12 weeks early. He was only two pounds! He looked like a bird with no feathers, his head was the size of an orange, he couldn’t cry, he couldn’t breathe on his own, and I had to unstick his ears from his cheek as he didn’t have cartilage yet. The doctors told us he probably wouldn’t live, that he might be blind, deaf, or in special ed. I never worried, because God had told me everything would be fine.
For years, when Kyle seemed ungrateful or would complain about something, I would tell him to be thankful for his life. God wanted him on earth for a reason. After taking the call class, I realized that God has each of us here on earth for a reason and I needed to live my life out for Him.
During this Christmas season, take time to listen to what God wants from you and what you can do for others. What gifts has God given to you and how are you using them to make them Christ-centered?