God's Postal Service

When we lived in New Jersey, everyone at our church knew how much we love snow. Still do. We made it known that we prayed for snow, despite the constant objections from those who do not like snow. We had our confirmation class pray for snow at the end of each session. They loved it—after all, snow equals snow days. Shortly after we moved to Wisconsin, New Jersey got the snow we had prayed for.. lots of it. I don’t recall the amounts, but it was just what we wanted—except we were in Wisconsin, where we did not get as much! Go figure. A friend from NJ called me one day and asked, “Did you inform God of your change of address?”

I think I need to send God an “I’ve moved” postcard today. As I sit and watch God answer my prayers—in others’ lives—I wonder if He’s a bit confused. I thought God’s postal service might be a bit more reliable than the US postal service.. and in my experience, the latter has certainly messed up, but they’re human beings working the system… God is God!

People tell me… there’s a reason… you’ll look back on this and be thankful…. Everything will work out… I know, I know, I know… it’s probably all true. The jury’s still out, though. Because through the pain of watching my prayers be answered in others’ lives, I forget that God supposedly has a good plan for me. His track record with the infertility and even adoption stuff hasn’t been the best, lately. Meanwhile, others get the answers to prayers I’ve been praying for years… and they don’t even have to wait. It happens immediately and, in some cases, without even asking.

I realize that my life has answers to others’ prayers—my single friends, for instance. And that’s not fair, either. None of us want a perfect life, free from problems. We’re more realistic than that. But when God seems to answer our prayers in others’ lives, we simply aren’t sure what to think. It feels as though God has forgotten us. Especially when it happens again and again.


I know God hasn’t forgotten. In fact, God has blessed me again and again over the past 30-something years… a loving husband and families, incredible friends, my dog, a church, a home… Thank you, God! And I know I’ll be a parent someday. Life’s cruel and painful reality is just hard to deal with some days, and this is one of those days. So in case God has temporarily mixed me up with someone else, I’m going to go write him a few postcards.