Praise Him, He Doesn't Depend On Me

I've been on the painful side of things for so long that I find it difficult to come up with the right words to express my recent experience.
Praise God, He does what He does despite me.
I've been impatient and exhausted.
I've doubted and questioned, everything.
And He blessed me anyway.

I have said from the get-go, that my reason for coming forward with the past was my concern about the man's future grandchildren. I went and spoke with his wife and daughter, who were a surrogate family for me, trusting that somehow God would work it out.
Praises unnumbered! So often people never get to see results. So often people get it all thrown back in their face. So often things like this rip apart friendships and families.

So imagine my surprise when his daughter invited me to her baby shower.
And imagine the fear that rose inside and choked me as I held this precious girl for the first time. Oh how I prayed...armies of angels protecting her, surrounding her, armed and ready to chop off the hands of those who intended her harm. :)
Her name is Heaven spelt backwards, and as I stared into her eyes, I could see everything she stood to lose. Sobs welled up and stuck in my throat and I cannot for the life of me tell you one thing about gifts that were given, as all my attention was on this little gift from God and as I sat, I prayed. Now I will admit that after I arrived not many others got to hold that baby. Luckily I was quite late and they had already had a turn.
I could not for the life of me, put that baby down and I wondered to myself how I was ever going to leave that day. Well eventually it was time to feed her and since I could not physically help with that, I handed her back to her mom. I spent 5 hours that day with the man's wife, 2 sons, his daughter and granddaughter and they were loving and friendly, like the family I had remembered. As it came time to leave, I began to panic.
His daughter came over and put her arms around me and thanked me for coming and told me that she loved me and then whispered in my ear:

"Just so you know, we listened. And we're taking your advice. She will never be in my father's house alone."

Blinding light from the end of the tunnel. Instant weight loss of 100 pounds.

How many people get to look back at such a tumultuous time of nightmares and loss and say "Thank you God for bringing me through it Your way, it was worth it."?

Praise God. It was worth it.