Lessons From The First Born

Ever have those moments where a realization of reality hits you in the face? The first time I remember it happening was with my first born. I was pulling out of the driveway after visiting a friend and I looked down at my passenger seat. There sat a pair of shoes we had bought him for the winter. So adult looking, yet tiny.

 Man child. I was the Mommy to another little person. A person completely dependent upon me. I was responsible for teaching him and guiding him. Encouraging him in the Lord and raising him up. Holy moly, y'all. I think it was one of those 'gird up your loins and prepare for battle' kind of moment. I knew there was so much adventure ahead of us and a huge learning curve. Hold on tight.

That little man child has taught me a lot about myself. I am forever grateful. He is brave. I have to remind myself to allow him to be brave, daring, bold.  As a mommy, it's my tendency to remind him to be careful and take care of himself. And yes, it's my job to guard over him. In the end, it's the Lord's job to protect and guide him. He has recently been experiencing some fear when it comes to storms, mostly the sound of thunder. I comfort him as much as humanly possible. In the end it's the Heavenly Father that protects him and provides a peace to his soul and a guidance that foresees far more than I will ever be capable of. The mornings that he wakes up and proudly announces to me that he heard the 'boom boom rain' and Jesus kept him safe and brave are moments of sweet victory. And we celebrate. Not only is he brave, he's so kind and compassionate. Whenever I'm having a hard day, he notices in a way that's very unique to him. He'll come touch my hand, hug my neck, kiss my cheek, or simply throw himself onto my lap and with a sigh say 'I love you so much, Mama.' He called me Mom the other day for the first time. Slow down, buddy. You don't need to start that until you're around 8 or so... ;-)

My first born has taught me so much. From my labor and delivery to our 3 years of raising him thus far- he has demanded the persistence and pressing in of faith that we all need along our walk with Christ. Their hearts are worth it. My Joshua's heart is worth the extra effort. Your heart is worth the extra effort. Would Jesus have lived a magnificent life, died a horrible death, and been raised to life eternal you weren't? Press in and watch Him meet you. 

Lord, help me to show him your majesty and thank you for our beautiful victories. Thank you for simple, child like faith as seen through the eyes of our precious ones. Be brave, be bold, be persistent in your pursuit of Jesus with faith knowing that you will always find Him, and He will always meet you where you are. 

Joshua 1:9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁹ Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

A God That Never Sleeps

I have been amazed the past few weeks at the generosity of God. My prayers have been pitifully simple. Beautifully simple. One day, things just felt like they were completely falling apart around me. All I could muster was "Jesus, help." He brought a continued flow of peace, understanding.

I think it's quite profound that we can approach God with boldness and in our own simplicity he meets us, in his absolute holy power, with gentleness and blessing. Not even one single groan or sigh falls short of the throne of the Most High God. Being a parent has a wonderful way of helping to put things in perspective when it comes to the way that the Father cares for us. If my child is restless in the middle of the night, I know it. If they move around and groan in their sleep, I move in to check on them. Touch their forehead, move them back to their pillow and cover them back up. Not even their unconscious unrest will escape a mommy or daddy.

As imperfect as we are as humans, we still would offer even our physical bodies up for our children. Yet He is divine and His love is perfect. And He never sleeps. I can rest easy tonight knowing he's there to comfort and move me back to the cool side of my pillow when I'm in need. :) Happy Tuesday.

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. (Romans 8:26 AMP)