In a recent revelation on a day gone by… I remain faithful and in complete awe of God’s power and His plan.

In 1998, I was stationed in Korea. One day, I was shopping at a “white elephant” sale. There were crafts for sale made by the people living at a local retirement center which, by the way, is supported by our base chapel.

My wife was pregnant at the time, so fortunately, there were several infant things to choose from. (Come to find out, the elderly around the world love children.) Something caught my eye… I saw a pair of infant slippers I just had to have. As I was getting ready to pay, something said to my heart, “Grab another pair.” I didn’t think much about it… it seemed insignificant at the time. I do remember thinking, “One pair was enough…but why not…this was easy after all… it was a charity deal!” So I grabbed another pair.

Soon thereafter, my wife (and I) had a miscarriage. This is the kind of event that leaves one questioning God. Mind you, I am good at asking God questions but I don’t demand answers…God always has a plan , and it is always better than mine. Troublesome as it was to deal with lost hopes, dreams and desired blessings from God, we remained yet faithful.

To preclude any painful reminders for my wife, I put away the two pairs of slippers in a box.

A year or so later, I opened this box and remembered the significant loss of our baby, and the seemingly insignificant events of the time gone by… specifically, when I was deciding to buy the second pair of slippers.

You see… some 14 months after our miscarriage, my wife and I were blessed with another pregnancy and delivery. I must say that I look at the slippers differently now. God blessed us with the birth of the most beautiful boy I ever saw… and God then blessed us two minutes later, with his equally beautiful twin sister.

(Dear God… No more questions on the slippers… faithfully and gratefully, John )

John Gage is the author of “Moved” and “God Spoke to Me”, which can be found in our archives. John is a Christian; devoted husband; proud father to four children; hobbies are church centered.John also works with senior high school youth and helps out with two fellowships, is a Major in the USAF, and considers himself a new and very novice writer.

John.Gage@HILL.af.mil