Provider

I am a healthcare provider but there are times, such as this morning, when I am humbly reminded of who the true Provider is in this world.

Some women are surrounded by friends, family and supporters during their pregnancy, labor and birth. Others quietly ask if someone would be available to be with them during their labor and birth because they may not have anyone able to come with them. I answered yes, absolutely, to this question and then hoped that I would be on call when her time came to birth her baby.

Weeks pass and more time is spent caring for this motherbaby duo - and the hope continues to grow that I will be there for her. It's hard to express the feeling of connection and compassion for many women who trust me with their healthcare needs during their pregnancies, but it is definitely present with this precious woman.

As her baby's birth day approaches, she is amazed at how God is providing support that she didn't think would be possible, that she was afraid to ask for, being offered to her willingly. I am excited to know that I am on call when her baby's time comes. As he is close to making his debut, there are some concerns and I do what I can - pray that God will protect her and her baby and continue to encourage her during those last few moments before he takes his first breaths. He is soon swaddled in his mother's loving arms and I am thankful to God for providing safe passage. Later in the day I am told that she prayed for me to be with her when she labored. She tells me that the words I spoke to her during those final moments were the only words she could hear and that they were exactly what she needed.

And I am so humbly reminded that I am not a provider. I am simply a vessel for God to work through, for God to speak through, for God to provide care to women in those intimate, precious moments. And I am thankful and grateful and awed by our amazing Provider God!