This is why…

Shamefully, I can’t remember her first name but our husband’s teach Sunday school in the rooms next to each other on the third floor of the education building. I see her at least once a week and usually just smile and say hello.

This week we talked. She’s going through a rough time, pregnant but not knowing what to expect. Will it be a fourth mis-carriage, or will the hormone treatments that she’s taking for the first 10 to 12 weeks of this pregnancy make the difference? She’s miserable, she feels like she’s making her husband miserable and her son is confused but trying to understand as much as he can at 9 years old.

I did pray for her after we talked but not as much as I’d hoped I would. Then last night, I saw her as we were all leaving the church. I asked how it was going and she gave me a good report, that so far all is well. Until they hear a heartbeat she is unsure of what will happen. I tried to be encouraging but I don’t remember what I said. I looked at her husband and her son, they all seemed tired but there was a look of hope in their faces. She ushered me and and the stroller in front of her as I headed for the door and as I answered her question that, yes, we are feeling pretty good right now she said, “good, you are my inspiration right now.”

Boy that hit me hard! You don’t know what people are looking for, you don’t know that your endurance or simple smile might be just enough to do so much as inspire someone. I’m simply carrying a baby, but I’m suddenly carrying much more in my heart. This is why we endure the mornings, build our character at the cross and look for more than what we feel to bring us joy. This is why we have chosen a Savior who is more than an image or an emblem to look at. This is why our Savior is given the right to dwell within us, because we can’t be an inspiration on our own. He is my strength and my joy…He is my smile.