Devotionals

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God’s Sense of Humor


“So God created people in His own image, God patterned them after himself male and female he created them all.” Genesis 1:27 NLT.
I just want everyone to know that God, just as some of us walking on planet earth, does have a sense of humor. Let me explain. Early on in our marriage, my wife and I were blessed with two wonderful children. Our son, Bob, being born first, had made his way through high school and was working and going to college part-time. Our second born, Annie, was having and exciting senior year of high school. Throughout that year it seemed like every weekend, we were heading out on another college visit. Annie had always been a very good student and college was always in her future.

One day I came home from work to grab my lunch. I was blessed to have a job as an elementary custodian, at a school that was across the street from our home. On days when I did not like what was being served in the cafeteria, I had the privilege to walk across the street and grab what ever looked good in the refrigerator. As I entered the kitchen, my wife greeted me.

“How’s your day honey?”

“Just fine,” I said, “But I will be glad to get home this afternoon and spend time with you.”

I reach into the refrigerator and grab the fixings for a sandwich when she hits me with the news. News that I never thought I would hear in my lifetime. You know the kind of news that rocks your soul!

“My pregnancy test was positive this morning,” she said with a stunned look on her face.

I was speechless; I did not know what to say. I placed the sandwich fixings back into the refrigerator, grabbed my sandwich, told my wife goodbye, and walked across the street to finish my day. Cleaning the cafeteria was the last job of the day. As I scrubbed the tables, I thought about what my wife had just told me. Our son was twenty and our daughter was eighteen, and God was bringing another child into our family. So many thoughts entered my mind over the next two hours before I made my way back home.

How did this happen was of course the dumbest question that entered my mind. Wondering what people, thought about a man in his forties becoming a father came in a close second as far as dumb thoughts went. Sure, I was not as old as Abraham or even Adam, but I knew people would talk. This normally does not bother me but for some reason all I could think about was walking into the butcher shop and having the lady behind the counter tell me how cute my granddaughter was. In my mind, I could see myself asking the butcher lady why she thinks this is my granddaughter. Is it because I have a few gray hairs I ask, not giving her time to speak, I tell her I will never shop here again and stomp out of the meat market pushing my daughters stroller as fast as humanly possible. I then think how much healthier we would all be if maybe we all turn vegetarian. That would be the easiest thing to do since I would never shop at the butcher shop in town. Then reality kicks in, what am I thinking. Maybe the butcher lady will not say anything at all, I guess I will have to wait the nine months out and see.

I get home from work and find my wife in the living room. She is sitting there and just looking lovely. She smiles at me, gets up to give me a big hub and kiss, and takes my hand.
“Let’s sit on the couch.”

“Sure,” I nervously say.

“How was your day,” she asks.

“Very dull until around lunchtime,” I respond.

“Can you believe it,” she screamed, “we are going to have a baby.”

“I know,” I said trying to capture her excitement, “ I was worrying about that empty nest syndrome thing when Annie goes to college.”

She sat there looking so radiant, “God will take care of us, do not worry.”

That afternoon Annie came home from school and we sat her down and told her about the news. I thought she might think this baby thing would steal the spotlight from her accomplishments, being her senior year, but did I ever underestimate my daughter.

“Really.’ she said with a smile, “I have been praying for this. I have always wanted a little brother or sister, and now I am going to have one.”

The months seemed to drag on as my wife’s midsection grew with one of God’s miracles. Friends and family flooded God’s throne with prayers for the wellness of both mom and baby. With mom also in her forties, every precaution was used to guard against any problems. Then the big day came. We made our way to the hospital with my lovely wife in labor and me being as nervous as any expectant father could be. I felt helpless as a man could feel as my wife experienced labor pains that the nurses said was off the charts. We did our breathing and luckily for me, our daughter was there in the room to help. The machine my wife was connected to started to beep and the nurse walked in. Fear hit me like never before.

“What is it, “ I ask the nurse.

“Her blood pressure is very high and that is slowing the baby’s heart rate,” the nurse replied, “Could you two step outside a minute.”
My heart seemed to stop with those words as my daughter and I walked into the hall. We walked down the hall to the waiting room to find the grandparents, my wife’s parents, Mamaw and Poppy, my parents, Nana and Gaga, the kids Aunt Penny, and big brother Bob.

What is the matter I hear someone ask as I looked across what seemed to be a foggy room?

“Laurie’s blood pressure is very high and the babies heart rate is going down,” I say, “ please pray.” The nurse walks out of the room and looks at me, time seemed to stop as her mouth slowly formed the words, “You can go back in the doctor has been called.”
My daughter and I walked in and found more machines surrounding my wife and a neo-natal incubator sitting in the hall by the door. Pray was all I could do, as my wife seemed to be in so much pain. The doctor and nurses came in the room several times to check on my wife. The time came and the baby was crowning. With me on one side, and our daughter on the other, my wife gave it her all and delivered a beautiful healthy baby girl. With ten little wrinkly fingers and ten toes, a little button nose, and a baldhead, God had blessed us again with a healthy baby girl.

Azileigh Rebekah was born on that cold November day to parents who could not have been any prouder if she had been their first-born and twenty years younger. At that moment, seeing the miracle of life for the third time, I could see the light of God shining through with all His majesty.

Almost five years later, I do not see myself as a middle aged father worrying about being mistaken as my daughters grandfather, I can see God’s sense of humor. I can just imagine the smile that crosses God’s face as my daughter shows me His creation through her eyes.

“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded, they will put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:3 NLT.

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