Answering our Cry

I'm learning so much about God's love for us through being a parent. Another sudden understanding came recently.

Some time ago Cooper rolled from his stomach to his back. He did it several times over the course of a few days and then stopped doing it. I wasn't too worried. I figured he'd do it if he needed to.

About a month later, he learned to roll from his back to his stomach. Well, apparently he really had forgotten that he could roll stomach-to-back, and he didn't like being on his stomach. So he would cry. And Don or I would roll him back over onto his back. The process would soon be repeated.

I finally wised up. I knew he was physically capable of rolling onto his back, but why would he bother figuring out how to do it if we did it for him every time? So I put him on the floor and sat in a nearby chair and watched. He rolled onto his tummy and cried. I sat and watched. It hurt to watch him cry, knowing I could easily solve his problem, but I knew it would be better for him if I didn't. After a few minutes of crying pitifully, he did it -- he rolled onto his back. Within a couple of days he was rolling across the floor with no effort.

Sometimes we cry out to God to answer a specific prayer for us, and He seems silent. We cry and cry, pleading for the thing we want, until finally we figure out what we need to figure out. God was there all along, watching over us, but He knew we would be better off if we had to work a little harder to learn something, rather than having Him do it for us.

So next time you think God isn't answering your prayer, think of Cooper rolling across the room. Maybe it will all make a little more sense. ( :

Six Months Old

Wow -- how time flies! Cooper has now passed the six month mark and is growing by leaps and bounds. He has covered a lot of milestones in the past few weeks: first tooth, baby food, sitting up, and with rolling over both ways he has developed his own form of transportation: rolling across the room, so I am continually having to go get him and bring him back. I guess he's preparing me for the crawling and walking days ahead.
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Though he is keeping us busy, he is keeping us entertained too. Each day brings something new, and we're having a lot of fun finding out what it will be. The hugs, kisses, smiles and giggles are so rewarding -- what joy he is bringing to our lives!

Thankfulness

I wished a friend from my Bible study a happy birthday today. But I think that, rather than being happy, she is somewhat depressed because it is a "big one." (40, I assume) Well, that one has come and gone for me, but it made me realize that I really don't lament my birthdays anymore, not even the big ones. Since my friend Pam died of cancer at age 38, leaving behind 5 children, I know firsthand that none of us really knows how much time we have left. Every year, every day, every breath we take is a gift, not to be taken for granted. Now I am thankful for every birthday I have: another year to live, and now another year to raise my child and watch him grow.

So I encourage you, as I encouraged my friend today, not to dread your birthdays or even be depressed by them, but to use them as an opportunity to thank God for another year of life.