A TEST OF FAITH?

God works for the good of those who love him.
Sometimes it doesn’t seem that way, does it? When terrible or unthinkable things happen, do we sometimes wonder if we are being tested?

Years ago in the NICU where I worked, a baby girl was born without a brain. The condition is called anencephaly. It’s rare, and children born with it die, usually within a few hours. This little girl lived for a month. Each day we expected her to die and each day she didn’t. It was emotionally difficult to take care of her--for the doctors and nurses and especially for her family.

One day one of the younger nurses said to me, “Why is God doing this? Why doesn’t He just take her to heaven?”

Now, I was not the wisest or the most spiritual woman working there, but that day I believe the Holy Spirit moved me to speak. I looked at her and said, “This baby is with us because she is a heart tester. She’s an angel sent to earth to test for kindness and faith in the hearts of those who meet her.”

Dozens upon dozens of people cared for that child and for her family. How many of us passed the test? How many saw this flawed, doomed child as a child of God, and in our hearts we cared for her as we would Jesus if He was the one before us.

I don’t know, but God does.

Because our human vision is so narrow, so small, we can’t see the purpose God has for us or the reason behind the trials we face. We must let our faith carry us through the dark times.

Have you met a heart tester? Tell us the story.

Pat