Dayenu!

She is here!

Our precious gift from God is here.
Nora took her first breath on March 5. My overwhelming love for her came instantaneously. We are so incredibly blessed.

This is a very personal post that I felt compelled to share.

While I labored the night before I sat up reading a fascinating book called "Sitting at the Feet of the Rabbi Jesus" by Ann Spangler & Lois Tverberg. I am learning so much about our Lord and prayer through this book. One thing that really struck me was the traditional Passover song Dayenu (or Dayeinu). The word means "enough for us." As the book states, the idea is that if God would have stopped at any one, his people would have been completely satisfied. Here is a sample of the prayer/song:

If He had rescued us from Egypt, but not punished the Egyptians, it would have been enough! (Dayenu)

If he had punished the egyptians, but not defeated their gods, it would have been enough...

If he had given us the Sabbath, but not led us to Mount Sinai, it would have been enough...

If he has led us to Mount Sinai, but not given us the Torah, it would have been enough...

If he had given us the Torah, but not brought us into the Land of Israel, it would have been enough...

How much more, then, are we to be grateful to God for all of these good things which he has indeed done for all of us!! 

 The book challenged me to write my own stanzas considering God's blessings in my own life.
This was a perfect time to focus all my prayers and energy on the blessings that God had given to me.
Here is some of what I meditated on:

If He had given me Jason, but not blessed us with children, it would have been enough...
If He had given us one healthy baby, but not healthy twins, it would have been enough...
If He had given us healthy twins, but not provided us with the incredible support to help us, it would have been enough...
If He had given us two healthy daughters, but not given us an opportunity to have more children, it would have been enough...
If He had given us this pregnancy, but not given us exceptional doctors and nurses, it would have been enough...
If He had given us exceptional doctors and nurses, but not a perfectly beautiful healthy baby girl, it would have been enough...
If He had given us a perfect baby girl, but my recovery was complicated, it would have been enough...

How much more, then, are we to be grateful to God for all of these good things which has indeed done for Jason and me! 

It was especially meaningful for me as I was praying this prayer because I had not yet seen that I had a perfectly healthy girl & a typical delivery/recovery. I was putting my trust in God, telling him that what I had been given was already enough. God blessed me in that moment and brought me peace in my moments of anxiety, pain, uncertainty, and anticipation.

I hope that this inspires you to come up with your own stanzas for this prayer to thank God for all the blessings you have, and to put your full trust in him for the future. I hope that this prayer helps you come to a place that whatever God offers you, it will be enough.