life and hope

The other night I was visiting my daughter and son-in-law and meeting new grandson, Andrew, for the first time in the hospital.  As I approached the maternity ward, I found myself in a group of young people who were being given a tour of the hospital as they are walking through their first pregnancies.  I listened to the seasoned nurse as she briefed the couples on all the services they would expect to encounter in the delivery and newborn care process.  The nursing staff inside the ward were upbeat as they directed me to my daughter's room and I was impressed with the kindness and helpful attitude of the nurse who tended my daughter.  It occurred to me that a hospital is a place where most people are hoping to make the best of a bad situation and the hope is for healing...but the maternity ward is a different kind of place.  This is the entry gate for new little people as they make their first appearance on the planet.  It's a place that represents optimism and hope.  It's refreshing to realize that in maternity wards all over the world God is repeatedly showing that He continues to hold out the marvelous gift of life and the awesome potential of new life for new generations of people.  So, while it can become possible for some of us to grow weary of life's battles and feel a bit beaten down by its storms and trials, we also can take heart that the God of Life is still very much in the business of creation, growth and restoration (that all begins anew with each tiny baby). Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." blessings (with thanks for that very special Christmas baby), Rob Smith