by Bethany Lethbridge
I am currently in the third trimester of my second pregnancy and, minus some discomfort that comes with carrying a little one in the womb, I am feeling really good. However, this is not something I could honestly have said a little over a month ago. During the earlier stages of my pregnancy, I allowed myself to relax in terms of my diet and indulged more than I should have. But hey, I was pregnant, I was eating for two as the old adage goes, and cravings were meant to be satisfied. I was eating what I wanted, when I wanted, however much I wanted, but I wasn’t feeling good. I was feeling sluggish and was probably in the worst shape of my life. Satisfying my desires in the moment brought about short-term gratification but never benefitted me in the long-term. Thankfully (I can say this now), this all came to an abrupt halt when I received the results from a gestational diabetes test. As it turned out, my sugar levels were high and the result was positive. I have gestational diabetes. Receiving that result was not the most pleasant news to hear but it was sorely needed. That test result gave me the needed strength to change my ways; After all, my health, and the health of the baby I am carrying, depend upon it.
Now, more than a month into my diagnosis, I am feeling so much better than I have in a long time. Although I am pregnant and carrying a lot more extra weight, I am feeling lighter, more energized, and happier. Some of the things I used to eat/drink, no longer appeal to me in the same way; I used to love Tim Horton’s iced capps, they were my drink of choice, but now I find them way too sweet.
This test result, which I would initially have considered to be a disappointment, has actually turned out to be a divine appointment. Yes, it has caused me to be a lot more strict in terms of my diet and what I can and cannot eat, but it has been such a blessing and has actually brought about a sense of freedom. I feel as though I have my health back.
In life, we will often encounter disappointments. Things rarely go the way we envision or would like them to. Although that can cause frustration in the moment, usually when we look back, we see that the disappointment brought with it a blessing. The blessing is not something we see at first. Usually, it is unearthed as we walk through the trial.
Thankfully, we do not walk through life’s trials alone. We have the most faithful and steadfast companion who walks alongside us and gives us the strength, daily, to keep putting one foot in front of the other. As written in Psalm 68:19,
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”
I love that! DAILY! The Lord daily carries our burdens. There is such peace, comfort, encouragement, and strength to be drawn from that passage. I am so thankful that we serve a God who walks with us daily. In moments when I am feeling weak, or wanting to satisfy a little craving, I remind myself of the truth found in Psalm 46:5 which says,
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day God is with us daily, right from the break of day, and He will help us.”
Our disappointments are often divine appointments from the Lord. They are an opportunity to seek Him, to rely more heavily upon Him, to fully realize our need for Him, to trust that He has the best plan for our life, and that He will use everything we go through for good. Our God has never failed us and He never will.
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