Friday, November 5, 2010

Birthdays

My oldest blessing, McKayla celebrated her 11th birthday yesterday. She was born in the wee hours of the morning, so the night before her birthday as I kissed her goodnight, my mind traveled back to that hospital room and the hours of waiting for her arrival. I will never be able to describe to her how greatly her arrival was anticipated by so many who loved her before they ever met her.

I thought of how small she was, how helpless she was, and how much she has learned since that first time I looked upon her little face. We rejoiced with each milestone along the way. Her first smile, sleeping through the night, rolling over, her first laugh, sitting up, crawling, her first steps, her first words. Then there was learning to tie her shoes, her first day of school, the day she was saved, the night she was baptized – baptized by her very own Daddy. There will be many more milestones to come and each will be a time of rejoicing accompanied with bittersweetness because she is growing so fast and becoming someone we are very proud of.

Not only do we celebrate her birthday on November 4, we also recognize another day on the calendar as her birthday. She was saved - birthed into the Kingdom – on August 6, 2008 making that day a special birthday as well.

Do you remember your “birthday”? I can assure you there is Someone who does.

He remembers the hours waiting for your birth, He has celebrated and rejoiced at every milestone. He kept a record of all your firsts. He remembers how helpless you were and how much you had to learn when He first looked upon your face as His child. He has watched with each passing day as you have learned something new, eagerly waiting to take you on your next journey.


And He is proud of who you are becoming.


When I think of how much I love my children, my eyes can’t hold back the tears and my heart swells with so much love it aches. God is love (1 John 4:16), so I can’t imagine how He must ache when He thinks of you. I can only feel love with my heart, but since He IS love, He must feel it with His whole being, and what an ache for you that must be.

When was your “birthday”? Let’s celebrate those “birthdays” today by telling each other what that day was like.

Here’s my “birthday” story:

I was “born” in July of 1985 in a very small church. I shared with my parents the agony I had been going through each Sunday during the invitation at church. It truly felt like a war within me and I didn’t know what to do with it. My parents, thankfully, called our pastor, Rev. Roger Joseph, who met us at the church to have a little chat. That little sanctuary became a delivery room that evening. The following Sunday, July 21, 1985, I was baptized. I remember my mother buying me a new white dress and I remember the pastor sharing something special with the congregation as I stood before them. He and several others had just returned from a trip to the Holy Land. As a souvenir, he brought back a bottle of water from the Jordan River which he used in my baptism. He baptized me with water from the same river where my Jesus was baptized and I have never been the same. God knew I was into “details” before I knew I was into “details” and He put that detail into my story before I was able to appreciate it, so it has been a gift that has kept on giving.

Now, tell me your story.


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2 comments:

  1. I was born in March 2006, just a few short years ago, but it wasn’t a healthy birth. I was born with problem breathing.

    I was born in 2006, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 during my Emmaus walk when God took me off the ventilator and I began to truly breathe. It wasn't until that weekend, when the Great Physician took me off the machines, and breathed His breathe into me, that I began to truly learn how to live and breathe on my own. A year and a half later, I am able to walk.

    Do you remember when your kids first started to walk? They would take those first few wobbly steps, and get so excited... then fall. I remember with my kids, how I would stand just a couple of feet in front of them, with my arms stretched wide open, motioning them to come to me. If they fell, I would reach down and pick them up, and encourage them to try again, and come to me.

    That’s what God is doing in my life. Taking those steps towards Him. I imagine at this stage of my life I am just a toddler, still trying to get my balance, trying not to fall. But just ahead of me, I see my Father with His arms stretched wide open, ready to catch me, pick me up, tell me that “it’s ok, that He loves me. Get up. Try again. I’m here”

    Some of us had a painful experience at birth. Some have defects and trouble breathing like I did. Some are born perfectly healthy. One thing is certain. The birth of our children is something we never forget. Imagine how God must rejoice at the birth of all of His children! Amazing.

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  2. WHEN I WAS A CHILD I REMEMBER THE POUNDING IN MY CHEST AND THE VOICE IN MY HEAD, "JUST TAKE THAT STEP TOWARD THE ALTAR" AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT 8 I DID THAT ONE SUNDAY IN MY FAVORITE GRAY SHOES MY NANNY HAD BOUGHT ME, (I REMEMBER THAT ABOUT THAT DAY, THEY WERE SPECIAL :)), AND WAS BAPTIZED SHORTLY AFTER...I GREW UP...WOBBLED THROUGH MY LIFE HERE AND THERE...I ALWAYS HAD JESUS IN MY HEART AND I THINK PEOPLE KNEW THAT ABOUT ME, BUT I KNEW I WAS LETTING HIM DOWN..SO I GAVE HIM A LITTLE HERE AND THERE TO TRY TO MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER...IN OCTOBER 2005 I WANTED TO GIVE JESUS ALL OF ME AGAIN...I REDEDICATED MYSELF AND WAS BAPTIZED AGAIN AND HAVE BEEN TRYING DAILY TO BE CLOSER TO HIM! :)-
    APRIL

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