Many years ago I had a miscarriage a few days before Palm Sunday. The sense of loss was profound, especially since I had not yet told many people that I was pregnant, and carried the grief alone. Yet the experience wove me closer to the suffering inherent to that juncture in history like no plush bunny nestled in plastic grass ever could.
But this Easter has already redoubled for me, even though it has technically not arrived yet. The words "great joy" and "rejoice" come close.
Our daughter and her husband are having a baby.
She held up a picture of the ultrasound, which offered a window into a life that is even now gaining momentum. A flurry of meticulously timed changes are swelling inside of her, even if she cannot name them.
For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works. Psalm 139
How is it that God is so magnanimous as to let us share in the creation of a human being? For people who have trouble letting their children crack eggs into the pancake batter, this is impressive.
Fearfully and wonderfully are not often linked in a single sentence. Yet here they are. There is material for fear, in inviting a baby into a world such as ours. Yet wonder is in great supply as well.
