Just so darn cute!

This morning my husband made a comment that was so fitting for this blog.  It was a Glimpse of Heaven.  He asked "I wonder if God gets this uncontrollable urge to stoop down and kiss us?" 

I totally got it.  As a mom who is head over heels for her son, I often have this overwhelming urge to hug him or kiss him. When I say often, I mean every day, sometimes every hour, when I'm going through photos or bragging on Caleb to Pen, or sitting here writing this post.  I can't stand it, he's just so darn cute. So precious.  I think Pen's even worse than me.  For him, the urge is pretty much constant.  It's actually rather comical to watch. The neighborhood thinks so too! :) 

We look at Caleb and just can't stand it! He must be hugged, kissed and cuddled. He doesn't have to do something extraodinary. He is extraodinary. No bias there. Caleb is simply extraodinary. God made him and God makes nothing ordinary. 

So if I can't help but reach down for a quick kiss or cuddle, God certainly feels the same way.  He loves beyond measure.  He knows more than any how truly extraordinary His creation is.  He knows that we are beautiful, that we are precious, a masterpiece.  He creates only beauty. Well, maybe he made an exception for spiders... and snakes... and sloths... and West Texas... hmmm.... Despite my opinions on some of the particulars of His creation, He did say "It is good" for them all.

At the risk of sounding completely corny, I wrote a song for Caleb when he was tiny. I remember holding him one night, thinking, I should sing him a song of my own, not borrowed words but my own! So I started singing and this is what came out....

"I love you. Oh yes, oh yes, I do. Oh don't you know I love you. Oh yes, oh yes I do."

What can I say? I was overwhelmed with love :)  I should've copyrighted those lyrics before going public with them, huh! In truth, it was all I could come up with, all I could think about when I was attempting to express my thoughts to Caleb. I have tried adding more to the song since those early days of no sleep.  To this day, I have not been able to come up with anything else. What else is there to say? They are the perfect lyrics!

The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.

               Zephaniah 3:14-17

I like the thought of God reveling in the preciousness of Caleb. And I'll admit it, I like the thought of God reveling in the preciousness of me too, not because of something I've done but because I am His. 

He is singing over Caleb, over me, over you.  And maybe He's got this irresistable urge to reach down to hug and kiss you right now.  He just can't help it.  You are His baby girl, His baby boy, His child.  You are just so darn cute!!

The Next Generation of Salt and Light

It's so easy to worry about our kids. I'm not wild about what our current culture practices.  It concerns me that these practices are effecting the next generation, Caleb's generation.  These little ones are all learning from us.  When I look at us, I am not that impressed.

Will Caleb find friends that are being raised to know God, to hear God and to follow God?  Will he find a wife that puts Him first, that seeks Him in all her ways? 

Couple these questions with my general observations and things don't look too promising.

BUT

There are shining lights.  The salt of the earth has not lost its saltiness. (Matt 5:13-16)  I'm learning to focus on those beautiful examples.  I get emails from close friends, sharing their news of a growing family and I think "Praise God."  There is a child that will learn well from his (or her) parents.  The light in Caleb's generation is growing. Does that sound a bit selfish?  Hopefully it just shows that I recognize the need for His people.  Those who rely on His wisdom are needed in our businesses and our government, in our classes and on our playgrounds, and certainly to take on the role of mother and father. 

These moms and dads will not just be a treasured gift to their children as they serve.  They are a treasured gift to fellow parents as they serve.  I am so grateful that there are many moms and dads who are truly seeking God in how they raise their kids.  I see them teaching God's Word to their children when [they] sit at home and when [they] walk along the road, when [they] lie down and when [they] get up (Deut 11:19).  They are teaching me by the way they interact with their own kids, how they instill His Word in them, and how they seek His help through prayer. 

These things have been on my mind a lot in the past months.  I have heard from many close friends who are expecting their own little ones.  Women who truly seek Him, who live their lives for Him, who aren't perfect, but place their imperfections in His hands.  These women are beautiful mothers. They will be beautiful mothers. They have chosen husbands who will be wonderful fathers. Their little ones (and future little ones) will be blessed beyond measure.  I am thrilled for them, excited along with them, and so so grateful for them. 
 
And my son will be blessed because of them.   This world will be blessed because of them.
 
So there is no need to worry.  I present my petition to God and He answers every time.  He is shaping and preparing a multitude of parents.  He is raising a generation of little ones that will know His name and even more, they will know Him. Caleb will have friends, family that knows He is real. 

There are so many reasons to become the salt and light of the earth.
 
I so hope that I am shining His light all my life, of course for Caleb's sake, but also for the sake of others.  So that their children can have a good friend in Caleb or maybe so that a girl out there can have a good help-mate in Caleb, so this next generation can know that He is.

Thank you moms, thank you dads, thank you grandparents who let your light shine before men.  [I have seen] your good deeds and [I] praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)