This week has been a challenging one in our home. The nasty cold and sore throat has passed along to our poor little babe, who despite feeling icky has been such a sweet boy. I know he feels really poorly, and it breaks my heart that there is so little I can do for him. He has also reverted back to waking up every hour and a half, which I'm hoping is due to this yucky cold and will pass as quickly as it came. Either way, although the sleep deprivation is tough, it gives me more time with this precious little gift, and I really do my best to love every moment.
It was a little tough to document the week due to the little bug being shared around, but despite the yuckiness, this week has had its share wonderful moments and memories. This week Micah was dedicated to our Savior, and thankfully I was able to snap a few pictures of that special day. Our prayer for Micah is that he will grow up knowing and loving Jesus, as his Lord and Savior. That God will draw Micah to himself and that we can parent him in a manner that demonstrates the gospel to his heart in tangible, evident ways everyday. We pray that Micah will know how deeply loved and cherished he is by us, his parents, and by his Heavenly Father, who will never fail him, leave him, or forsake him. Below are a few pictures of his dedication day.
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| "A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014." |
"If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church... At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, 'He is no fool who give up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.' Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field... Giving up what you cannot keep does not [necessarily] mean giving up your home, or job so you can go serve somewhere else. It is giving up yourself. Lay yourself down. Sacrifice yourself here, now. Cheerfully wipe the nose for the fiftieth time today. Make dinner again for the people who don't like the green beans. Laugh when your plan are thwarted by a vomiting child. Lay yourself down for the people here with you, the people who [may at times] annoy you, the people who get in your way, the people who take up so much of your time that you can't ready anymore. Rejoice in them. Sacrifice for them. Gain that which you cannot lose in them... A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive." (John Piper)
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