Ok. Admit it. That title piques your curiosity. Grin.

So yesterday I had my annual OB/GYN visit. Now before you think that is TMI and decide to bail on the rest of this blog post, rest assured. I feel absolutely no need to give you any of the details about the OB/GYN part of the visit. Mum is the word on that part. But, I do have a great story to tell about catching babies, and I can tell it without using the word stirrups.

So, as I said, yesterday I had my annual OB/GYN visit. I did the obligatory weighing in and then I was walked to a room at the end of the hall, handed a gown and sheet, and given the infamous “It ties in the back” directions from the nurse who promptly leaves the room. Thank goodness for at least some modicum of dignity.

I follow the nurse’s instructions and find myself seated on the examination table waiting for the doctor to come in. After waiting about five minutes, I hear my doctor’s voice in the hallway saying, “I’m going to go catch a baby.”

I’m going to go catch a baby.

Seriously. I’m in the last place on earth that I’d like to be… and I’m wearing a hospital gown… and she’s gone to go catch a baby. Like how long will that take?

Surprisingly enough, not long at all. 42 minutes to be exact.

I don’t know about you, but I was impressed. Even more so when the doctor waltzed into my exam room without even a hint of a flushed face and said, “Hey, Trae. Sorry for the slight delay. How are you today?” Thinking I surely must have heard another doctor announcing she was going to go catch a baby, I gently inquired. Nope. Sure enough. She’d gone to catch a baby. In 42 minutes. And then she handled my appointment like clockwork, and I was out the door in 22 minutes.

And all this got me to thinking… not about how hospital gowns ought to be outlawed or even about how speedy a 42-minute delivery is… but about catching babies. Well, really I know absolutely nothing about catching babies. Really what got me to thinking was my doctor’s comment about catching babies.

Now before I go much further, I need to issue a disclaimer. I adore my OB/GYN. She is a precious woman and an awesome doctor. She is kind and compassionate, and she is extremely competent. She’s taken excellent care of me for many years. And, if that’s not enough, she’s the mother of four adorable children, and I know she has a heart for God. What I am about to share in no way should paint her in any other light. I have no idea how many deliveries she has done, but I bet it’s a pretty high number. Delivering babies for her is probably like running to the grocery store for me. Well, actually since I don’t go to the grocery store, that’s probably a bad example, but you know what I mean. It’s just another day at the office. She’s so experienced that she doesn’t have to give the process of delivering a baby a second thought.

But, I have to be honest and say that after I giggled out loud about “catch a baby,” I got to thinking. How often do I approach God’s presence in my life  with that same routine “It’s just another day” mentality? Without ever giving the blessings and miracles He showers on me a second thought?

A baby is no small miracle. In fact, in response to the question, “When have you seen God?” I often reply, “When a baby is born.” Something about the miracle of life. It’s not routine. It’s not ordinary.

But then again, neither is the sunrise.
Or the tender tulips sprouting in my yard.
Or the very breath I breathe.

But so often, I miss these little glimpses of God that are present in every single day. And even worse, I fail to recognize His mighty hand at work in my life and express my sincere gratitude. I’m too wrapped up in me… my wants, my needs, my priorities.

Oh that I might not miss a single opportunity to see God… that every day I might have thousands of answers to the question, “When have you seen God?”

He is always there. If I’m not seeing him, it’s probably because I’m catching babies instead of gratefully acknowledging God’s presence and abundant provision in my life.

“Always, everywhere God is present, and always
He seeks to discover Himself.”
A.W. Tozer