SAVED BY A BABY
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Debbie McIntosh should have been home on March 2, 2012—along with her daughter, Angela, and her son-in-law, Adam. As it turned out, had they been at their house in northern Kentucky, they would all be dead. Instead, their lives were spared—spared by a baby boy.
Angela, who was five days late giving birth to her first child, went into labor early in the day. After rushing her to the hospital in Edgewood, Kentucky, the family anxiously awaited the arrival of their little bundle of joy. Then disaster struck. A tornado hit the town. In the midst of Angela’s delivery, patients were moved to the hospital basement. With large hailstones striking the ground and tornado sirens piercing the air, she delivered a healthy boy. Aedan Douglas entered the world at 4:44 p.m. His mom, dad, and grandma welcomed him with loving arms.
The next day Debbie returned to her property and found her former home reduced to a six-foot pile of rubble. Gathering a few items that remained, she sobbed over her family’s devastating loss. Then she recalled the incredible joy of the new life of her grandson, and a stunning realization struck her. Little Aedan’s birth saved the entire family’s lives.
It’s hard to contemplate such a scene, isn’t it? Imagine delivering a baby boy in the midst of such chaos. Imagine a woman experiencing the anguish and struggles of childbirth while being denied the opportunity to deliver her firstborn, a son, in a suitable place. Imagine being forced to give birth to this child at a site totally inappropriate for such a critical moment. But what strikes me most is the realization that the McIntosh family were all saved by the birth of this baby boy. No, I’m sure we cannot imagine such an event ever taking place. Or can we?
I recall the story of a baby whose birth saved not only the lives of one family but also brought salvation for all humanity. In Luke 2:30–32, the prophet Simeon held baby Jesus and declared, “I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations” (NLT).
God’s blessings transcend every situation—no matter how heartbreaking, no matter how difficult—whether it’s a baby who saves his family or a baby who saved the world.
Principle: Jesus was born to save all humanity.
Ponder:
Put yourself in Debbie’s place. How would you feel, realizing that in the midst of devastating loss your life was saved by the birth of your grandson?
In the midst of loss, how can you allow Jesus to heal your heart?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Romans 8:26–30.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I welcome you into my heart once again during this Christmas season. Even in the midst of losses I may experience, fill me with a sense of gratitude for your arrival.
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