Friday, April 16, 2010

Lessons from the piglet

In Tongan culture pigs are a very valuable animal because we need to roast one for every feast and celebration...sometimes for funerals we will roast a couple of giant male pigs to feed 200 people. If a family doesn't have a pig of their own to sacrifice for the occasion they must buy one and baby pigs start at $60 each. After a couple of years this baby pig can be worth $1,000.

'Osi decided we should start a small pig farm as an investment for building our house. So we bought a pregnant Mommy pig for a great deal. Much to our delight she gave birth to 10 babies!
Every day we have been feeding them coconuts and cooing at the babies as they romp around after their Mom. But then the unthinkable happened, we're not sure how, but the hefty Momma pig must have fallen on one of her babies and broken its back. Then the poor little helpless guy drug his feet and lower back behind him everyday, struggling to keep up with the others.
I cried, openly, several times watching helplessly as this small animal struggled to survive. And I began to pray for it. Everyday.
To make a long story short, several weeks later God had mercy on him and he healed right up. Today he is a perfectly strong, healthy little piglet, in every way comparable to his peers.
Then my baby Isaac came down with a cold, which quickly progressed to bronchitis. We brought him to the hospital and the Dr. said he could have pneumonia. He had such a hard time eating and breathing everyday and all night I hardly slept, just kept watch over him to make sure he was breathing. I was so scared.
Nothing is scarier than watching your own tiny helpless baby struggle to breath. It was paralyzing and I prayed so hard, cried, and poured out my heart to God asking him to heal him.
Then God reminded me of the piglet. And spoke to me so clearly, "Jenn to you remember that struggling little pig, and how I healed his broken back? If I can answer prayers and have compassion on a simple animal, how much more will I care for your precious baby?"
That is truth.
A week later Isaac was completely healed once again, and breathing soundly through the night.
Psalm 86:15 "But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."