I've seen a miracle!

I will never tire of witnessing the amazing miracle of birth!

It's that moment when the reality of the past nine months hits you and there's a new little person in this world.

Have you ever thought about it? Christ tells us in John 3:3 that we must be born again if we want to see the kingdom of God. I don't know about you but I've always thought of that as that "moment" of birth.

But there is nothing about birth that really happens in just a moment.

Conception happens in the blink of an eye, but the love and caring that brings two people together as man and wife, according to God's perfect design, is a process. Once that child is conceived, he must grow nestled within his mothers body for nine months; wrapped up in a cocoon of warmth and love and caring with his every need provided to him through his mother's body.

The time has come. Labor begins. For some (for me!...and for my best friend!) the process of labor is not measured in hours but in weeks of prodromal labor followed by several hours of intense labor.

Then comes the process of pushing the baby out of his warm and cozy home. There is a point of pushing that is wonderful, it's almost over and the baby will soon be in my arms! But pushing is also the most painful part. And there is the bittersweet aspect of letting go of this little one who has been protected for so long. There was a moment, as my friend was giving birth, where she stopped and placed her hands on her tummy and closed her eyes. For just a moment it was as if she was saying goodbye, or perhaps hello, to the little creature living inside of her.

So why is it that when I think of being "born again" I think it should be some instant miraculous change in my life? Something that should have happened in the blink of an eye and didn't. We are all in process...and we are all in a different stage in the process.

There is a period of time, I think, when God holds us in the protective palm of his hand... and a period of time when God pushes us out of our comfortable nest and into the cold dark world. I think that might be the hardest part for him, the most painful part...the bittersweet part of letting someone go and waiting to see if he will choose to return to you. But if a baby stayed in his mother's womb forever, he would die...and God's children, without the freedom to choose to follow Him would never truly live. God endures the pain because He loves us and because He knows what we need to grow.

I got to witness a miracle today. It made me smile.

As you work through the long process of being reborn, remember that you too are a miracle.

Enjoy the journey!

The Baby needs a Bath.

This is a devotional I wrote for my best friend's baby shower. We actually had a baby "bath" and included bath items for mom and baby and diapers. It was a lot of fun. It made me incredibly nervous, actually, I'm not good at throwing parties...thus the reason I've never been very good at Mary Kay or Creative Memories or any of those other types of business.
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Why a BABY BATH??

What do I think of when I think of a new baby boy coming into our lives?

I think of dirt.

I think of skateboards and basketballs and bruised knees…

I cannot help but think of a certain little boy who came to me once crying because his nose hurt, and when I asked him why, he tearfully replied “I put a stick up it!”

They say that Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails…that’s what boys are made of….
And it’s true!

Boys love anything messy, anything they can touch, feel, play with, or better yet taste! No matter how disgusting!!
Boys love to experience life with every ounce of their being…What a wonder! What a blessing!

There is a new wonder and blessing coming into your life soon and as we take a moment to celebrate that wonderful life we might wonder what this little creature will be like…
He’s already given us a few scares…and there may be more, I don’t know one of your children who hasn’t visited the ER at least once.
He’s already given us joy.
He’s already been an answer to his daddy’s prayers.
He’s already given us love.
Soon he will be giving us cuddles and kisses…and we can’t wait.

You have given him a strong name.
Michael – Who is like God
William – Valiant protector
And our prayer for him is that he will fill those shoes. That he will be a Valiant protector of the faith that you and David so amazingly live out everyday of your lives. That he will be like our loving Father who loves us with an everlasting love.

So, someday, in the not so distant future, when Michael comes in from the backyard covered from head to toe with mud (and he will) stop for just a minute to remember that he, who is like God, was pausing to consider the wonder of creation and exclaim with enthusiastic gusto “IT IS GOOD!!”

And then you can throw him in the tub!

The Ache Inside

I have this anxiety living inside of me.

I'm not sure where it came from or when it came. I'm not sure what causes it. It may be stress...I'm wearing a lot of hats right now. I'm finishing a class, I have finals next week. I just threw a baby shower for my best friend, and if you know me at all, hostessing isn't a gift I possess, it's a challenge I overcome. But the shower went fine, and I'm doing well in my class. So why this anxiety?

I wake up in the middle of the night after dreams of fighting with those I love. I had a dream last night that every single person I went to with my pain said I was over-reacting and to get over it. I woke up at 4AM in tears and frustration. It perplexes me.

I wonder how Daniel would interpret my dreams? He lived through the pain of being abandoned, left to die by his own brothers. I wonder if he ever felt this searing fire of anxiety rising up in his chest...like a lion about to pounce?

Fear is a strange bedfellow, especially when you're not sure what it is you fear. It haunts you in the quiet moments, and strangles you in the midst of a crowd.

But fear is not of God. Perfect Love casts out fear.

God's love is perfect. God loved ME and YOU so much that He sent His only Son to take our place on the cross.

I may feel anxious.

I may wake up in the middle of the night again with terrible dreams.

But I CHOOSE to hold onto the promise of Perfect Love that casts out fear and be anxious for nothing but in all things, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving for an amazing God who formed my innermost being I will cling to my Heavenly Father who loves me...

And casts out my fear.

My Best Friend's Baby

My best friend is about to have a baby.

Seriously, it could happen any minute.

I remember waiting for that moment when my babies would decide to be born. It was an excruciating time of not knowing, expectation and unending patience. She's tired of being pregnant and I don't blame her one bit! But, babies come when babies come and short of surgery there's not much to be done about it. So we wait, and we try to be patient. We try to imagine what it will be like to hold this precious child in our arms. Then we wait some more.

Every child adds a new dimension to our lives, making it shine in a new way. It's like having another facet added onto a gem making it sparkle just a little bit more.

My friend's life is about to have some sparkle added.

I, for one, can't wait.