What I Learned About God From My Three-Month-Old's Storybook Bible

I don't know about you, but when I read the Old Testament I get confused. There are so many things about God I do not understand and so many theological concepts I cannot comprehend. As I have been reading lately, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, I have felt discouraged at my lack of understanding.

This morning, as I sipped coffee and read The Jesus Storybook Bible to my three-month-old, who by the way does not understand what I am reading, I was brought to tears as I read aloud from the page that followed the story of Adam and Eve:

"God loved his children too much to let the story end there. Even though he knew he would suffer, God had a plan--a magnificent dream. One day, he would get his children back. One day, he would make the world their perfect home again. And one day, he would wipe away every tear from their eyes.

You see, no matter what, in spite of everything, God would love his children--with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

And though they would forget him, and run from him, deep in their hearts, God's children would miss him always, and long for him--lost children yearning for their home.

Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: 'It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you! And when I do, I'm going to do battle against the snake. I'll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness you let in here. I'm coming back for you!'

And he would. One day, God himself would come."

My three-month-old smiled, though he did not understand. I smiled too, with a tear running down my cheek, as I was reminded that each piece of the Old Testament points to the Savior who would come and fix the brokenness. And not only am I delighting this morning in a greater understanding of God from a children's Bible, but I am encouraged in a season that is both heavy and difficult for some very dear friends. That Jesus DID come and that Jesus WILL come again.

Because as my three-month-old's Bible says again, "I'll get rid of the sin and the dark and the sadness...I'm coming back for you!"

Thank you, Father, for greater understanding of you, for comfort for the down-trodden, and for Christmas, the coming of your Son. Three beautiful things I am thankful for today.

Eager Longing

Because I am crazy and tend to seek out pain (not really), Beau and I chose to do natural birth with a midwife. It was obviously the most painfully brutal and incredible day of my life. My labor was a bit unique, as my midwife later told me, because I labored for 48 hours. Apparently that is a little longer than normal. ;) In the middle of the pain several thoughts ran through my head. Thoughts of God's hatred for our sin, which is why there is pain in birth in the first place. Thoughts of how Jesus "endured the cross...for the joy set before Him." I was reaching for all I could to encourage me to keep going.

Four days after Haddon was born, I wrote down the story of his birth, the mental pictures I took during the whole process, pictures of pain and suffering, pictures of my husband looking on in concern, pictures of utter dependence and hope. I am going to share with you the very end of it.

"My husband and I later reflect on some of the mental photographs we have both taken, and he tells me what was going through his mind during the laboring process. He tells me about Romans 8:

'For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.'

My heart is stirred within me. I hold in my arms the prize, the hope, the reward that has come at the end of long groaning and deep pain. And I think of this world. I think of the laboring that is still going on, in creation, in my own heart. The very reason things in this world are broken. The purpose behind pain. And so my heart is torn. For in my left hand I hold my baby, the treasure at the end of my groaning, and in my right I still see cracking and bleeding, for with it I still labor and know that the ultimate reward has been won, but has yet to be seen.

So I rejoice. And so I also long and continue to labor as I attempt to wait patiently for the adoption of the children of God, and for the redemption of our bodies.

I lay in bed now, with my son sleeping on my chest, this joy, this prize I have longed and waited for, and I think on when Jesus said to the beloved disciple in the book of Revelation, 'Surely I am coming soon'. And with one last prayer before falling to sleep, I look to Jesus with longing as the disciple did and whisper aloud, 'Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!'"

My Favorite Picture of All Time of My Two Favorite People

"I Just Love Him!"

So maybe his hat is a little too big for him, but I just couldn't resist. Besides, the tight hats take me like 15 minutes to get on his head.

In the words my husband uses about 254 times a day, "I just love him!"

Four VERY Important Lists

Four VERY Important Lists:

Eight Things I Will NEVER AGAIN Take For Granted After Being Pregnant:

1. Tying my own shoes

2. Sleeping on my stomach

3. Getting out of bed without needing a crane

4. Shaving my legs

5. Getting my feet into shorts/pants without falling over

6. No pain in my ribcage

7. Coffee

8. Diet drinks

Five Things All New Moms Should Know:

1. Carrying 20 pounds inside of you is far easier than carrying 7 pounds outside of you in an awful plastic infant carrier-car seat-thingy. (I have blisters on my hands, and my forearms are more sore than they ever were from personal training.)

2. A "quick store run" can now be compared to a 2 week vacation in terms of packing a bag, making sure everyone is fed and has pottied, and the need to stop for drinks and snacks on the way.

3. EVERYTHING hurts for awhile. All body parts. None are excluded.

4. Babies pee everywhere, on everything, all the time.

5. Babies have no social politeness in terms of holding certain noises in public places.

Two Things That Would Make the World a Better Place:

1. Drive-thru service at the post office.

2. Parking lots with spots for mothers of young children, or at the very least give us a handicapped sticker!

One Thing I Learned Today:

1. The USPS (United Stated Postal Service), aka the Post Office, does not send packages FedEx. Go figure.

Haddon Nathaniel's First Pictures

Thanking the Lord for our precious baby boy. He is so good and gracious and has given us such a wonderful gift in Haddon Nathaniel.

(Thanks also to Julie Birdseye for taking Haddon's baby pictures! Check her out at http://birdseyephotographyblog.com.)

A Morning Prayer

This morning, as I was reading Elisabeth Elliot's daily devotional, I found this prayer that has been an encouragement and blessing, a cry of my heart today:

"Lord, break the chains that hold me to myself; free me to be your happy slave--that is, to be the happy foot-washer of anyone today who needs his feet washed, his supper cooked, his faults overlooked, his work commended, his failure forgiven, his griefs consoled, or his button sewed on. Let me not imagine that my love for You is very great if I am unwilling to do for a human being something very small."

Love you guys.