Pinned

You never really know who is praying for you, or for how long.

Last week Joey (Andy's youngest brother) came down to hang out with Andy and I for an evening of his spring break.  I will take this moment to give a hearty "Go Cougars. . .University of Souix Falls!" to support Joey as he continues to do football things in the great midwest.

Joey brought down a gift from the Hlushak fam for my birthday.  Don't sweat it.  No need to frantically sign into facebook and check when my birthday is so you can write "HB" on my wall- my birthday was in January.  You already missed it.  I guess you could wish me happy, um, well shoot, Leap Day is done too.  (And just to stick up for the Loveland Hlushaks, my surgery kind of threw off the whole timing of gifts.)

Tucked inside the birthday card, among all the sweet birthday wishes, was a tiny token with this note:

"When Andy was born, Gramma Stowe gave me this pin to wear.  I wore it several times, then put it away to save it for the woman he would marry one day.  I have prayed for you since you were a tiny thing.  You were cherished by us long before we knew your name, because God knew and I knew He would protect you and guide you and bring you to Andy and he to you. . . I love you, Lauren, and I am so very thankful you are Andy's wife!"  -Mamma H

Precious.  To be thought of, prayed for, long before my name was ever known.  It's a small reflection of God's love for us.  Just this morning I read in Ephesians 1:4-6 that "God chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

That means that before you and I were ever created, God knew he would have to rescue us from our darkened hearts.  Yet it was according to his pleasure and will to form our bodies and give us physical life so as to adopt us as his sons and daughters, all through the death and resurrection of his beloved Son.  In love God created us.  In love God saved us.

You, my friend, are deeply loved.  You were loved before the first tree ever blossomed, before the first bird ever sang, before Adam and Eve ever walked on this earth.

I find the "I love Andrew" pin and story even more endearing because just a few months ago I walked through the surgical waiting room past all the anxious hearts and staring eyes to greet my family on the day of my surgery.  My dad stood up and pinned proudly on his shirt was a Lauren pin that adorned diaper bags and baby things so long ago.  He pointed to it and smiled.  No words were needed.  Threaded among the beads that spelled my name were the invisible prayers of my mom and dad.

A few days after surgery my dad passed the pin on to Andy.  "It's yours now. . .she's yours."

So now I have an Andy pin and Andy has a Lauren pin.  Symbols of our parents prayers unknowingly given to each spouse reminding us of how powerful and good is God's enduring love.

May we have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18), and may we never cease in prayer for one another (Ephesians 6:18).