Back to our story and we wanted to share something that Debbie wrote a few weeks into her stay at the Mother & Baby Unit (September 2014). Its a poem (and Debbie has never written a poem even to me during the time that I have known her) and is based on the following verses:

¹⁷ ‘He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. ¹⁸ He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. ¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. ²⁰ He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

2 Samuel 22:17-20 (also Psalm 118:5, Job 36:16)

A change of Perspective by Debbie McClure

We sing “You give and take away”;
Yet what does that look like?
We like to receive,
But we don’t like to lose things.
Yet where is He in the emptiness?
Surely giving and losing go hand in hand?
You take away so You can give more.
You remove things to make us stronger;
You give and take away so we can change

We can easily cry “God is good’
But when we are distressed, what do we cry
We read of powerful enemies, deep pits and dark places,
Yet have we ever been there?
Do we trust God enough to take us there,
And bring us out to a spacious place?
Do we believe that he delights in us so much,
That He will take things away for our good?

Yet here I am, in that place.
Completely at His mercy,
Trusting His wisdom,
Following His leading.

He has taken away my self-confidence,
And left me meek.
You have stripped away my pride,
And left me humble.
You have reduced my knowledge,
And left me subject to the wisdom of others.
You have removed my strength,
And made me gentle.
You have taken away my control,
And left me dependent on others.

Yet You are my God,
And I am Your child.
When the future seems hopeless,
You are the only hope.
You will bring me out into a spacious place;
You will rescue me,
Because You delight in me.

Written September 2014 and reproduced with permission