Wednesday, August 11, 2010

How Great is Our God - Sing with Me!


It's not about me. Whatever "it" is, it's definitely not about me. Life, worship, power, fame, adoration, strength - I am not the focus of any of it. And boy, has this become evident to me this week.

I have a friend whose baby was born two days ago. She is a beautiful, chunky-cheeked, dark-haired little thing who was not expected to survive outside of the womb. The prognosis was grim. And every single ultrasound confirmed that prognosis. She just wasn't developing in a way that would allow her to survive. Her chest was too small for her lungs to develop. She had no muscle tone. Her bones were too short. And that was that.

Furthermore, this friend gave birth to a baby girl a few years ago who had the same condition. That child only survived a few precious minutes. So we all knew what was going to happen this time. We didn't do a baby shower. We didn't talk about the child's future. We just prayed and prayed and prayed for her parents. We accepted what we knew would happen based on our experience.

BUT WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!! Our God doesn't act based on our experience. He is not restricted to only perform miracles for which we ask. His power is not limited by medical science, by us...by me. He is wholly independent of me. He does not need me, my approval, my instructions, or my pleading in order to act on my behalf - or my friend's.

Yes, God loves me and has fully paid the price for me to be His. He does hear my prayers and generously answers. My relationship with Him is deeply personal and intense. But the God who created the universe does not need my permission. Whether I choose to serve Him or praise Him does not change who He is. He just is.

So, with great humility, it is my privilege to pray for my friend's daughter. That precious baby's health is still precarious. But her bones are developed and she is breathing on her own. On her own!!! And with a renewed awe of who He is, I am praising the God whose "ways are above my ways and thoughts are above my thoughts." Amen.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Ode to My Boys


Ode to My Boys
Stinky and sweaty and sticky and sweet
Dirty fingernails, grubby feet
Three little guys consume all my day
"Mommy, I'm hungry. Mom, can we play?"
A trail of tractors and blocks in their wake
And train tracks and dump trucks and Legos and cake
Yes, cake.
For wherever my boys are, I'm sure to find food
And wrappers and crumbs, and things left half-chewed
For they're growing, I tell you, too fast for my liking
Their shoes are a'shrinking, their pant legs are hiking
They eat and they grow and they then eat some more
I'm known by first name at our grocery store
That store.
They wrestle, they tumble, they tug and they fight
Competitive critters, from morning 'til night
Kicking at balls and swinging foam swords
They grunt and they laugh and they growl and they roar
All the while watching to see that I see
Their young macho conquests performing for me
Just me.
'Cause they love their momma, they all tell me so
(I hope this is something they never outgrow)
They're learning their manners, their math and their chores
To stick up for each other, to follow the Lord
Courageous and true men their wives all will find
Someday far from now, but today they're just mine
All mine.