Gifts from God
by Tori Ritter
God’s gifts truly come in all shapes and sizes.
I am so grateful for my life.
I have been abundantly blessed.
When I was born, my family was attending a Catholic church. I was baptized there as a baby, but we later moved to a Baptist church. First Baptist Groves became our home, and there I was baptized with my mom and my brother at seven.
In middle school, I attended Hot Hearts and chose to rededicate my life to Christ. I felt like at that point I made the decision on my own to follow Christ instead of just following in my family’s footsteps. That began my walk with Jesus.
I grew up knowing that I wanted to marry someone who would sit next to me in church, and I found that in my husband, Jensen. He has been my steady and constant reminder that God is good and in control.
We got married in 2018, and that year was tough.
We started having issues and I started asking questions.
Did we make a mistake? Did we get married too fast?
I knew that instead of asking questions, I had to pray.
During a worship night at our church, I was praying for Jensen, for myself, and for our marriage.
I was asking God for help, guidance, grace, and strength.
He looked over at me and said, I can feel you praying for me.
In that moment I was reminded that prayer is powerful,
and God works for our good.
What a gift.
Then, God really solidified the message that He was sending me.
Our preacher had been sitting a few rows up. He left his seat and walked directly to us. He said that he didn’t know what was going on, but he felt like he needed to pray for us. We needed those prayers and I needed the confirmation that God was working. He not only showed me, but He went above and beyond.
While I was praying for our marriage, we were also trying to get pregnant.
We both knew that we wanted kids, so we started trying right after getting married.
After over a year of waiting, we went to the Center of Reproductive Medicine. The tests showed that we both had issues that were preventing us from having a baby. We immediately started medicines and treatments to prepare us for IUI.
I remember wondering if I was going behind God’s back by using medicine to alter our situation.
My mom reminded me that God gifted people to work in healthcare and find cures.
I held on to the desire of my heart and trusted the process.
We took one step at a time.
We did our first attempt at IUI, but the first cycle failed.
We had one more shot at IUI before starting IVF.
When we went to do the second attempt, our numbers had tripled.
The second IUI worked and I had an amazing pregnancy.
That was a gift from God.
Noah was born shortly after the country shut down during Covid-19. While others were scared and isolated, we were welcoming home the boy we wanted for so long and waited for. We were nervous and scared, but we wanted to be brave and strong for our boy. We wanted to enjoy every second with him, not spend it worrying or stressed.
I think that time together grew our faith more than we realized.
We learned to be brave and faithful in times of uncertainty.
We learned to lean on God and each other.
We learned to be a family.
It was another gift from God.
Shortly after Noah was born, we decided that we wanted to find a church home as a family. I had grown up at Groves First Baptist, but as our family grew, our desires did too. Our aunt invited us to church at Encounter one Sunday, and we have gone ever since.
God placed us perfectly in a church home surrounded by family and friends.
That church has been another gift to us.
Since starting at Encounter, we have grown, invested, and continued to grow our family,
watching God provide, give, and guide us every step of the way.
The doctors had been very clear that if we wanted another child we would have to do IUI again,
but that wasn’t the case.
Four months after having Noah, I got pregnant with our miracle girl.
When God wants something to happen, nothing stops Him.
Yet again, a gift from God.
As if her miracle birth wasn’t enough, God did even more.
I was in Hobby Lobby one day while I was pregnant and a man stopped me. He said that he wanted to pray for me. He ended our conversation by telling me that my daughter would be an evangelist. I believe that was from God. My miracle girl, destined for mighty things.
2020 was our greatest year.
I started it pregnant with the boy we worked so hard for and ended it pregnant with the girl who defied the odds.
Throughout my life, God has given graciously and blessed us richly.
During these past few years, God has done exceedingly more.
He has gifted me with a life that I dreamed of.
I can’t understand why, but I know that He deserves all the glory.
Glory because of Who He is.
Glory because of the promises He keeps.
Glory because of the sacrifices He made.
I think back on all the gifts God has given me and I see three truths:
He finishes what He starts.
…be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
He cannot be stopped.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—
who can change his plans?
When his hand is raised,
who can stop him?
Isaiah 14:27
He does infinitely more.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20
No matter what season you’re in, know that God is good and wants good for you.
He will complete the work He has started in you.
He will keep every promise that He has given you.
He will do it because He loves you.
I have been gifted with experiences and encounters, a husband, children, a church home, family, and friends.
I have been gifted a story that doesn’t come from heartbreak, hurt, ashes, or tragedy.
I have been gifted a million different gifts in a million different ways.
I see Him everywhere. The more I look, the more I see Him.
Showing grace generously. Loving me endlessly.
Providing. Guiding. Giving.
Above all, I have gifted eternal life and everlasting hope,
because Jesus loves, died for me, and saved me.
Every gift I have been given I will use to honor Him, because He is the ultimate gift.
