St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across waters to create many ripples.”
This illustration of St. Teresa was demonstrated recently on The Patrick Madrid Show when Patrick read an e-mail from a listener named Gloria. Gloria had heard a past show in which a woman who went by Cindy called in because she was 4 months pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Cindy was concerned about her age, her other children, her finances, her marriage, and many other challenges that a new baby might bring.
Eventually, Cindy called back with an update. She told Patrick how overjoyed she was to have her daughter in her life, and that God doesn’t make mistakes. It was this story that Gloria referenced in her letter to Patrick. She wrote:
I heard that caller – the woman who was pregnant and not happy. I found her story so moving, and now I find myself in the same situation. I have two older children who have just started college, one who just started high school, and one just finishing elementary school.
It took me eight years to complete prerequisites and complete nursing school, and I finally got my Registered Nurse license. I was so excited about finally working where I can help my aging parents and help my husband who has supported us all this time. We have used NFP for 10 years, after our last child, and I never thought I would end up pregnant at 43. I am scared of all the complications I could be facing, and I’m upset that all my future plans will have to change now.
I feel like I’m slowly falling into a deep hole of depression. I can’t stop crying and I pray that God gives me some understanding of this, because at the moment I don’t get why this has happened. My husband is not happy either. We are both concerned about our age and how old we will be when the child is needing us. Please help us make sense of all this.
– Gloria
Just as after Cindy’s call Patrick received a flood of listeners who shared their stories about unplanned pregnancies, after reading Gloria’s letter Patrick received yet another flood of calls giving encouragement and hope to Gloria – including a call from Cindy herself!
Cindy – who shared that her real name is Estella – called in to tell Gloria, “I get it. … I understand. And believe me, it is God’s plan. And God’s plan is always so much better than ours.”
On her decision to have her daughter, Estella told Gloria, “I wanted something to go wrong up to the minute that she came out of my body, and I regret it. I look at her and she is such joy, such an angel, she couldn’t be more perfect in my life. She completed it.”
When Estella first called in, she needed hope – and she received it from Patrick and her fellow listeners. And because of that hope she not only received the blessing of her daughter, but the ability to bring hope to others like Gloria. Thank you Estella and all our listeners for creating ripples of hope that are changing lives and changing the world!
Please join us in praying for Gloria and all women who are facing unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. May the Lord give them hope, peace, and many blessings during this time.
Listen to the full conversation below:
The Patrick Madrid Show airs weekdays from 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. Eastern/3:00 – 6:00 a.m. Pacific on Relevant Radio® and the Relevant Radio App.
