Facebook.

How did we ever survive without facebook? How did we get along without daily updates on what everyone we know is doing? Whether they are good friends or just acquaintances. How else can we pry into lives of people we don't know or see pictures of our favorite people?

I have especially loved facebook since I moved to Guatemala. I am able to catch up on what others are doing. And see pictures of how everyone is. Somehow it is so much easier to write a message on facebook than to actually write an e-mail. Weird.

Anyway, I was stalking people on facebook this a.m. and a friend who I met while I was in Haiti had linked a note written by someone in her family. Not sure what the relation but he and his wife had just had a baby. But there was a problem. With her brain. With her breathing. With seizures. Being a NICU nurse, I could read a lot between the lines. I could look at the pictures and understand what I was seeing. And right now it isn't good.

This is such a hard time for families. I have stood by many families and not had the words of encouragement that I wanted. I didn't speak to them of Jesus and His healing power. Or His love. Or His control in this world.

I have learned so much since being down here. I don't ask the "why". Why were my kids abused? Why did that little girl die of something that would have never been an issue in North America. Why are kids hurting and starving and no one helping? There is no Why. God is in control. And we don't understand why it is all happening. But we don't need to.

Now it is very easy for me to write this. I am not very closely and personally affected by any tragedy. There are definitely serious things that I deal with, but I deal with them by the grace of God.

This dad has a very strong faith. He wrote of John 9 and the story of the blind man. And how no one knew why he had been born blind since birth. Doesn't that sound terrible? Not being able to see all of your life. And then Jesus healed him completely. And He said "this happened so that the work of God may be displayed in his life".

This tells me that this man and his wife have great faith. Would I see that in the middle of that kind of tragedy?

Then I was reading farther down his wall. Many, many people had posted that they were praying. Prayer is such a powerful thing. And then I came upon a post were someone had just left a quote from the Bible.

Psalm 139:13-18 "13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand."

I cried. It was so beautiful and moving. God saw this precious girl as He was forming her. She is fearfully and wonderfully made, just as she is. He loves her. She is His precious daughter. It was such a beautiful reminder. This little girl was NOT a mistake. She may struggle in her life. And her parents will struggle right along with her. Or she may be completely healed. It is not up to us. We just have to trust the God who put us all together.