How He Loves Us

While I was preparing to share a word from the Lord at my friend Nicole's shower last week, He brought me to a precious verse that speaks so clearly about the kind of parental love He gives us and He has for us.

"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 3:17

It's a verse I've heard many times, it's even been set to music and is one I can remember word for word because of that.  In context, it's a verse that speaks beautifully about the coming hope we have one day, when the Lord will gather His people after He removes his hand of judgement and He himself will live among His people again.  But after reading it and re-reading it and praying through it, He helped me draw out some further truth that I hope will bless you like it did me. I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who needs to be reminded today of how great the Father's love for us is...

Because I was preparing for a baby shower and because I've been thinking back to a year ago, when I was just days away from welcoming our little Carter into the world, the Lord reminded me of the precious instincts He gives us when we become parents. 

When that sweet baby enters this world and pierces your heart for the first time with cries of fear and agitation, no one has to teach you to fall in love with them.

"...He will take great delight in you..."

As we catch our first glimpse and reality hits us squarely in the depths of our hearts, the tears flow, the heart swells and the world stops.  In the hours and days that follow, nothing else matters to you but that little life cuddled up in your arms.  To delight in them is as natural as breathing.  Every little finger and toe, a work of art.  Every noise or sound, music to your ears.  This tiny person is yours, given to you by the Almighty God, entrusted in your care for a lifetime and as you wrap your mind around the miracle of it all, He gives us JOY like we've never known.  He does it because it's an emotion we need to love our children, it's a way that we provide comfort and stability for them, and it blesses us too.

  But more than that, I think He gives us the ability to delight in our children, so that we get a taste of how He delights in us.  Because He does delight in us (Psalm 147:11, Psalm 149:4)  And He wants us to know and believe that He does.  Plenty of people will be disappointed in us, will get let down by us or just won't like us.  But Jesus isn't one of them.  He takes great delight in His children...

"...He will quiet you with His love..."

When I became a Mom for the first and second time, one of the sweetest things was knowing that no one else could quiet my baby like I could.  As they filled the air with those newborn squawks and squeals, my head immediately turned to to where they were and without a moment's hesitation, my feet took me to them.  A gentle cradle, a warm embrace and whisper of "Shhh, shhh, shhh...I'm here, it's ok, Mommy's here" would quiet them right down.  No one has to teach us to bend low to our babies and pull them close.  Out of the resources of our love, we know to scoop them up and speak over them bringing them comfort and establishing that trust between us.  How do we know to do that? 

As we act out an instinct that is God given, He provides for us and for our children but He also reveals one more aspect of who He is.  He shows us that just as we struggle and cry and fret, He wants to quiet us with His love too.  Isaiah 40:11 tells us that He is like a shepherd, carrying his lambs close to His heart.  Psalm 116:1-2 reminds us that He hears OUR voice.  When we cry out to Him, He turns His ear to US and listens.  And when He thought of us and made Adam in the garden, He came down to us, stooping over the dirt and gathering it to form man, before He bent over and blew life into us (Genesis 2:7).  We quiet our babes with our love, because that's how He quiets us too.  He demonstrates His love to us in so many ways...

"...He will rejoice over you with singing."

One of the best surprises of parenthood, is the ability you never knew you had to look at your children and feel such pride and joy that you want to burst into song!  I can only equate this to feeling like a Disney character, namely like Giselle from Enchanted.  As a pot that is boiling often runs over, so does the emotion of a parent.  With joy, we sing silly songs with our kids.  With love, we sing lullabys over our kids.  With pride, we shout songs of victory when they obey.  Being a Mom or a Dad requires a willingness to sing.  Not because it is or isn't your best strength but because it makes your kids smile or unwind.  For their benefit and yours, you sing over them. 

And so it is with the Lord.  To think that the Creator the universe, the Infinite, Sovereign God who holds the planets in place and hangs every star is also aware of YOU, is incredible.  But to think He also sings a love song over you, because of you, is tender.  As we obey Him and honor Him, He rejoices over us.  As we become the people He created us to be, He sings with pride over us.  The One who gives us a song to sing, has been singing over His cihldren for generations. 

As I pondered these three basic instincts of a parent, I caught a greater glimpse of my Father.  He instituted the family, He designed the order we should follow as He builds them, and He creates the precious babies whom we are charged with raising and nuturing and protecting.  But in His great mercy and wisdom, He didn't do it without giving us instructions to follow and an example to experience. 

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save..."

He is with us.  As I encouraged my friend Nicole, He is with us in the labor and delivery room.

  He is with us with when that little baby won't stop crying and you've tried everything.

He is with us when your family leaves, your husband goes back to work and these little people are depending on YOU.

He is with us.

(Isaiah 41:10, 13-14; Isaiah 43:1-5, Joshua 1:9)

A year ago, I was overwhelmed. 

I knew in my heart the Lord was with me, but I was desperate for Him to show me that He was mighty to save.  I knew He was my Faithful Savior and I trusted Him for my eternal salvation, but I needed to know that I could call on Him for daily salvation too.  Not because I doubted a salvation that reconciled me back to God through Christ Jesus, but because of my sin that so easily entangles me, I knew I had to get out of bed every day and function.  I knew that I couldn't do this last year alone.  I knew that Travis and I couldn't survive in our own strength, either.  But as we've watched the seasons come and go, and as those little itty bitty people have grown right before our very eyes, I'm assured that the Lord MY God is with ME, and yes, He is MIGHTY to save.  In every way.

"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you.  Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress." Isaiah 33:2

Being a Parent makes me love and appreciate and marvel at the love of my Father and they way He displays it.  Tenderly, personally, faithfully...He loves us.  He loves me.  He gives us instincts and His Word to help us, to provide for us, to make our lives better.  But that isn't His ultimate goal.  His ultimate goal is for us to KNOW Him.  To have a relationship with Him.  To reflect Him.  To trust Him. 

I love that He's impressed that on my heart this week. 

Remembering those newborn days and looking forward to the days ahead...

I hope you feel loved today. 

If you don't, you can.  He offers a love that compares to none other. 

It's found through salvation in Jesus alone and it's your's for the taking.  Don't waste another day wondering if you are loved.  You are.  My prayer is that you will be encouraged in His love today or be willing to receive it, if you haven't already.

In the words of the David Crowder Band,

"Oh, how He loves us, Oh...

Oh...

How He loves us, Oh, How he loves..."

I Heart Fall.

Saturday was just one of those days...One of those golden, picture-perfect Fall days that I've tucked into the depths of my heart as a gift from the Lord.  One of the family traditions I hope we always continue is an annual trip to the Apple Orchard.  I'm not kidding when I tell you it's one of the highlights of my year! 

The kids had such a good time and so did Travis and I.  We kind of decided to go last minute because we wanted to take advantage of a warm, sunny day and I'm so glad we did.  I had "picture opportunities" on the brain, so fair warning, I did not disappoint myself!  I took 150 pictures and picked 30 to share with you .  Excessive?  I don't care.  I loved the whole day and night!  Last year we stayed home because I was due any day with Carter and just couldn't imagine all the walking.  Two years ago we took Ava, who was just 6 months old!  I can't believe that was 2 years ago...

So this year, with 2 kids in tow, the blessing was not lost on me.

Travis and I did this kind of thing for years before we had kids.  I love those memories with him and I'm grateful we made them, but so often I would look at all the women who had their arms full of babies and strollers and wonder, "Will that ever be me?"  Four years ago, I was only weeks removed from a miscarriage.  I was reeling with grief and disappointment and honestly I just wasn't sure how much more  I could take.  We had been trying for a baby for years and finally I was pregnant.  And then I wasn't. 

What I couldn't see then in the midst of my pain, was that the Lord had this day, already planned for me.  He had my best in mind and He had Ava and Carter in mind.  He knew my arms would be full one day, but not until the time was right.  Seeing these two little people is seeing God's faithfulness and His character on display.  I just love Him so much and days like this just make me want to throw my hands up in praise.

He has been good to me.

So here are some of my favorite memories from our day...

Saw this old truck when we arrived and knew it was a great picture spot!

My new favorite picture with my little Ava Page.

Checking out the goats! 

Does this kill you like it does me???

Look at those little jeans, side by side. 

Carter was so thrilled that was tall enough to stand and look over that fence board.

That hat.

So hoping we're going to get a second year out of it.  I love it on her!

And then there's this little heartbreaker.

Can you stand those eyes and that little chin???

Carter looks so much like my nephew Dominic here and like Travis and his sisters.  He is definitely taking after Trav's family!

Kids for sale?  Only when they're naughty :)

I took at picture of Ava in this spot when she was 6 months old and it's probably in my top 5 pictures of her.  Ever.  I so desperately wanted the same picture of Carter but he was all about going anywhere but there.  He was moving so fast I barely caught a glimpse of him :)

I did manage to get this one to sit still and smile!

A profile shot was as close as I could get, but I wasn't sad.  I love that little profile!

And I love this little nut too.  She was loving that window!

Pictures like this one make me fall in love with this guy all over again. 

So glad he asked me to marry him :)

This cracked me up.

This orchard has a scarecrow festival and lots of people enter and compete.  This was someone's take on Hulk Hogan and I thought it was hilarious.

There were also some traditional scarecrows for all you purists out there.

Carter was missing his nap, but he was so good trying to hang in there.

He's always up for some cuddle time with his Mommy, thankfully.

I even got some cuddles out of both of them!

Ava had her eyes on this little train from the minute we arrived and her sweet Daddy happily went with her.

Around and around they went :)

After the kids played a little bit, we took off for the orchard and the pumpkin patch.

We went on a tractor ride to get to the pumpkins, which was the hightlight of the day for Ava.  She looks so serious here, but she was really just out of her mind excited!

And Carter just soaked up the chance to get some more snuggles.

Ava found the perfect pumpkin and was very proud that she was strong enough to pick it up and carry it.

And Carter approved of the pumpkin we picked for him.

My favorite shot of the day.

My two little loves.

It was a precious first orchard trip for this little guy!

And also for this little gal.

So crazy to think she was only 6 months old the last time we were here! 

She saved her biggest smile of the day for dinner.  When she successfully stacked 6 coffee creamers on top of the ketchup bottle.  Which made the whole table proud and rounded out our perfect day at the orchard :)

These are the smiles of two grateful and contented parents. 

We had such a great day with our kids at the Orchard, but even better, we have such a great God. 

In the words of my handsome husband, "Happy Fall, y'all!"

Thinking Pink!

This is my sweet friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby in just a few weeks!!  On Saturday I got to help throw a shower for her and it was so much fun.  She is a treasure to me, we've been meeting together for a couple of years now.  We started meeting after we both went to a luncheon with older women and younger women.  Guess who was the "older woman" in this scenario???  ME!  And I'm so grateful the Lord has brought us together for this season in our lives.  There is something so fun about watching someone become a Mom for the first time and standing by them with encouragement and support.  We've prayed for this little girl for a long time and I just can't wait to meet her soon!!

We've also bonded because we are both Iowa girls :)

Her Mom and Grandma both drove up for the shower, which was fun for her to be able to introduce them to her Minnesota friends.

I was busy this week doing things like baking and cutting out circles.

Lots and lots of circles!  Ha ha!

Cupcake circles and Menu circles...

Although I was kicking myself for not getting a picture of all the food before we ate it all, this is what we had...So yummy on a Saturday morning!

I also made some blocks that turned out pretty cute and were super easy.

It's pretty hard to screw up a baby shower for a little girl, everything is also so cute together!

This was my favorite craft of the week :)

I found the idea on etsy and just made my own version of it.  I love how it turned out!

I mean seriously.

How cute is that???  This is why I'm always a fan of finding out the gender of your baby!  It makes the gift giving so much more fun :)

The upside to buying too many mints is that I had plenty to snack on in Church today!

I also roped Travis into helping me ice 3 dozen sugar cookies at 11:00pm the night before! 

He is a good man people, a gooooood man.

They are baby rattles but I do realize they also look like upside down snowmen.

That's what you get for making creative decisions late at night :) The dots seemed so cute at the time, but in hindsight, they make the perfect face...

Oh well.  They tasted good so all is forgiven I think! 

We had a precious time celebrating Nicole and her little girl.  I'm so glad she'll be staying home with her too because I'll get to see her more often now!!  I currently have the baby bug, but I attribute that to a friend who is about to give birth and the reality that my newborn will be 1 next week.

 All this baby stuff makes me very excited to throw baby showers for my sisters someday!!  Stacie and Jennie, you better get going before I have another one :) 

Just kidding of course.

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