Dear Soren,
You are growing into a delightful little boy. Two years has gone by so quickly and you're not my little baby any more. So on your birthday, I want to write out some of my hopes and prayers for you. You are a precious gift to your Daddy and me. From before you were born, I was talking to God, asking Him to give us the wisdom to raise you and to parent you, to help guide you to be the man that God created you to be.
I never imagined how special you would be in our lives. You bring so much joy and laughter into our house. You encourage me to keep learning and to keep being refined by the Holy Spirit so I can be the best mom to you that I can be -- because you deserve it. God put you in our lives and us in your life for a reason. God has plans for you, plans with hope and purpose. And I cannot wait to see how you will grow into those plans.
Soren, you are smart. You pick up on things so quickly and have such a desire to learn. I know that will be an important quality as you continue to grow. I pray that you will always have such a curiosity about the world, that you will always want to keep learning. Because it can only make you a better man, it will only help you to delve more deeply into Scripture, to study and learn God's Word. It will help you become a person who asks questions and seeks answers, a person who understands the importance of always learning. I hope that you will always have the love of reading that you demonstrate daily at the age of two. It's a gift to love reading and you will gain so much intellectually and spiritually as you read. I hope that you will always pursue reading and knowledge.
You are a funny boy and I hope that your sense of humor will always be a part of who you are. You can make yourself laugh and you make us laugh daily. You have a spirit of fun with your curiosity. You encourage others to play, to laugh, to enjoy each moment and I'm thankful for that. And I know it will continue to draw people to you as you find such joy and fun in life. I'm so thankful for you and your laughter.
Your spirit is gentle and kind. You have a sensitivity and quietness about you that astounds me. It is my deepest heart's desire that these qualities will remain a part of your character as you grow. I am encouraged by your love for songs that glorify God; you seem to have an astute insight into what gives God honor and a desire to remember the verses and the songs that help us to do that. It is so exciting for me to see your heart for God even at the age of 2. I know that God loves a heart that is tender like yours and I look forward with great hope and joy to how God will use you, with your sensitive and kind spirit, to be a light in our world, to touch the hearts of other people.
Soren, I am so proud of you. And I always will be. You are becoming a special, sweet little boy. You are teaching me so much, you inspire in me a desire to deepen my own relationship with Jesus, so I can in turn tell you about this Jesus that I know and want you to know, also. My hope is that you will be a boy/teen/man who faithfully loves and obeys God, who is compassionate, loyal, a person of integrity. A person who seeks knowledge because it brings you joy and greater understanding. A man who is thoughtful, loving and fun; honest, considerate and kind; a man of peace, patient and slow to anger. I pray these big things for you, because I know that God desires them.
I pray for your safety, your intellect, your spirit. I pray for your friendships, your future wife and your relationship with God. I pray that you will passionately pursue Christ and the life that He has for you, that you will live boldly for Him and bring Him glory. I pray that I will have the courage and faith to let you be the man that God wants you to be and to follow where God leads you.
I love you Soren. I treasure each day I get to spend with you. I cherish the funny things you say and the silly things you do. I cherish the things you tell me with great seriousness and the hugs and kisses that you so willingly give me. It is my hope that big things are in store for you and I am proud to be your mom.
Happy Birthday, Soren. I am blessed by you and I love you. Keep laughing, keep loving, keep becoming. Seek God always, with your whole heart and life. This is my prayer and dream for you.
Love always,
Mommy
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Heartbroken
I have been meaning to write for weeks about our family's mission statement. Months ago, Erich and I prayed about and discussed how we felt God was calling our family to live in our neighborhood, community and world. We found a verse, and then a theme in Scripture that resonated with our gifts and desires. I blogged about it. We talked about how to act on it. And then life got crazy and we haven't pursued it much since.
But I've been thinking about our calling again, as a MOPS project we have coming up involves a plaque with our statement. So in trying to make our 3 verse mission statement concise enough for a plaque, I've come up with: "Be a lamp on a stand...Keep open house...Be generous with our lives." I still don't know what exactly that looks like in the context of our young family -- a new baby on the way turning our home, time and life upside down. But I am refocused to figure out the next step towards which God is calling us -- that first step of obedience that will result in a second step and on to a life living it out.
Some of this focus has come from my renewed passion to live for and like Jesus that has come as I've committed to regularly spending time in the Bible and prayer. And yesterday at church, I was reminded how important it is to be heartbroken. For my heart to break for people who don't know Jesus the same way His does. To love people with the overwhelming love that Jesus does. We had a special guest for both our Sunday school hour and the sermon time. During Sunday school, he showed a video of his band's performance, where at one point a scene is acted out where a woman is abused and this guy David, portraying Jesus, carries her out and weeps for her. He is feeling her pain, her brokenness. And it hit me. I have in many ways hardened my heart against that kind of compassion. I hear the reports on the news, I hear of struggles people I am distantly connected to are having and it makes me sad momentarily. But my heart doesn't break. I am not regularly asking God to give me His love for the people who are different, who are hard for me to love.
My desire is that will change beginning now. Yesterday I was reminded of my need to ASK God to give me a piece of His heart. Loving people does not come naturally and I must be intentional and ask God to give me His compassion. And as God gives me His love for others, I will also be better able to "Be a lamp on a stand...keep open house...be generous with my life." And that's how God is calling me to live, like Him.
But I've been thinking about our calling again, as a MOPS project we have coming up involves a plaque with our statement. So in trying to make our 3 verse mission statement concise enough for a plaque, I've come up with: "Be a lamp on a stand...Keep open house...Be generous with our lives." I still don't know what exactly that looks like in the context of our young family -- a new baby on the way turning our home, time and life upside down. But I am refocused to figure out the next step towards which God is calling us -- that first step of obedience that will result in a second step and on to a life living it out.
Some of this focus has come from my renewed passion to live for and like Jesus that has come as I've committed to regularly spending time in the Bible and prayer. And yesterday at church, I was reminded how important it is to be heartbroken. For my heart to break for people who don't know Jesus the same way His does. To love people with the overwhelming love that Jesus does. We had a special guest for both our Sunday school hour and the sermon time. During Sunday school, he showed a video of his band's performance, where at one point a scene is acted out where a woman is abused and this guy David, portraying Jesus, carries her out and weeps for her. He is feeling her pain, her brokenness. And it hit me. I have in many ways hardened my heart against that kind of compassion. I hear the reports on the news, I hear of struggles people I am distantly connected to are having and it makes me sad momentarily. But my heart doesn't break. I am not regularly asking God to give me His love for the people who are different, who are hard for me to love.
My desire is that will change beginning now. Yesterday I was reminded of my need to ASK God to give me a piece of His heart. Loving people does not come naturally and I must be intentional and ask God to give me His compassion. And as God gives me His love for others, I will also be better able to "Be a lamp on a stand...keep open house...be generous with my life." And that's how God is calling me to live, like Him.
Friday, October 8, 2010
A few of my favorite things
Cuddling and snuggling and hearing, "I love you."
Pumpkins and blankets and crisp autumn mornings.
Freshly baked goodies that cheer up a room
These are a few of my favorite things!
Family and friends and the crunch crunch of leaves.
Slow lazy mornings and coffee or tea
Walks to the park with a slight cooling breeze
These are a few of my favorite things!
And it get to experience all of these favorites in one day -- today!
Pumpkins and blankets and crisp autumn mornings.
Freshly baked goodies that cheer up a room
These are a few of my favorite things!
Family and friends and the crunch crunch of leaves.
Slow lazy mornings and coffee or tea
Walks to the park with a slight cooling breeze
These are a few of my favorite things!
And it get to experience all of these favorites in one day -- today!
The Sweetest Sound
About a month ago, while I was backing out of Soren's room at naptime saying to him, "Sleep well. I love you. Bye-bye. Go to sleep. See you when you wake up," I could have sworn that along with his "bye-byes" I heard him say "love you." But, I couldn't be sure, so I walked out in the hopes that I would here it again soon.
I didn't, until Tuesday morning, when Erich was walking out the door for work saying, "Bye-bye, I love you." I heard Soren's sweet voice reply, "Love you." My heart leaped. Oh what joy! And when I put Soren to bed for his naps (sometimes more than once) I get to hear him say "love you" when I say it to him. And the best times are when he beats me to it and without echoing my own statement, he tells me he loves me.
Now, who knows if he is really expressing the emotion of love for me in that statement, if he's connected the hugs and kisses and times together with a feeling of love and an understanding of that same feeling. But to this mom's ears (and I know to all others, too) hearing "Love you" as I back out the door is just about the sweetest sound I could ever hear.
I didn't, until Tuesday morning, when Erich was walking out the door for work saying, "Bye-bye, I love you." I heard Soren's sweet voice reply, "Love you." My heart leaped. Oh what joy! And when I put Soren to bed for his naps (sometimes more than once) I get to hear him say "love you" when I say it to him. And the best times are when he beats me to it and without echoing my own statement, he tells me he loves me.
Now, who knows if he is really expressing the emotion of love for me in that statement, if he's connected the hugs and kisses and times together with a feeling of love and an understanding of that same feeling. But to this mom's ears (and I know to all others, too) hearing "Love you" as I back out the door is just about the sweetest sound I could ever hear.
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