Today is my birthday.
This morning, I woke up feeling a deep sense of gratitude that’s hard to put into words. It came over me in waves.
A wave of gratitude for the morning kisses from my husband and our dog.
A wave of gratitude for the breath in my lungs.
A wave of gratitude for the gift of simply being alive—no matter how hard life can be at times.
A wave of gratitude for how God has brought me out of my darkest moments and into His light.
As I was driving back home after dropping my husband off at the train station, the song Miracle Child by Brandon Lake came on Star 99.1. I had heard it before but never really paid attention to the words. This time, they hit me like never before:
"Death, where is your sting?
My Savior's word is final.
I am resurrected,
Blood-protected,
I am a miracle child."
This led me to 1 Corinthians 15:55-58, which says:
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
The words “But thanks be to God—He gives us the victory” hit me so hard I couldn’t help but cry.
Yes, my mother couldn’t have children, and by God’s grace, she became pregnant with me. In that sense, I am literally a miracle child. But that’s not why those words affected me so deeply. They touched me because I reflected on the past three or four years and how grateful I am that God saved me.
I am so thankful that He broke the hold of shame over my life and freed me from the enemy’s control. For so long, I felt like I was experiencing an internal kind of death. I would close the door of my room and sit in complete darkness, weighed down by depression and anxiety, trying to find relief in ways that only made things worse.
"Death, where is your sting? My Savior’s word is final."
Today, I feel a wave of gratitude because His word is final, and He saved me. Even though I am still on this journey—learning, growing, and repenting daily—this walk is different now. I walk with purpose, responding to the One who calls me.
These past few years have been transformative. Yes, there are still wounds that haven’t fully healed, and there are things I don’t yet understand. But one thing is certain: I had one foot in the grave, and today, I am alive.
To whoever is reading this, please know that there is no sin He cannot forgive. There is nothing you could ever do to make Him stop loving you. No matter what’s been said about you or to you, open your Bible and read it. Inside, you’ll find the greatest love letter ever written—from God to you.
I encourage you to listen to Miracle Child today and reflect on how the Lord has kept and carried you.
With love,
Brenda
