Two

Attempting to light two candles, despite a breeze 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

A little over a week ago, we had the joy of celebrating Noah's second birthday.  It was a beautiful morning at a local park, spent with some close friends and family.  We enjoyed the swings, the slides, the cooler full of water and splash bombs, and the sunshine.  Noah helped me bake the cake the day before: a four-layer cake, comprised of yellow, blue, green and red layers.  For the week prior (and the week since), "Happy Birthday to You" was on the playlist of songs running through his little head.  (Since he tends to refer to himself as "you," the song works very nicely.)  It was a grand birthday indeed.

After the blowing out of the candles (with a little help from the wind), the eating of the cake, and the opening of the presents, it was official.  Our little guy was two.  He would now be referred to in years rather than months.  He would be a little kid rather than a big baby. 

What a strange thing to think about as a parent, that those two years of life are irreplaceable.  They have come and gone.  We have memories and photos and the future. A part of me mourns their passing, but I know that the Lord holds all these things in his hands.  I am so thankful to the Lord for the two wonderful years with which he has blessed our lives, stretched our minds and spoken to our souls through this little guy.  He continues to graciously give Noah health and joy; he continues to graciously draw Dave and me closer to Him and give us the wisdom we need to be parents in his stead.  For all of this, what more can I say than, "Oh give thanks!"

Noah living in the moment: cake!

Singing

Praise the Lord. 

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Psalm 147:1

A few weeks ago, much to my surprise and delight, Noah began singing along with me when I would put him down for a nap or to sleep at night.  For the most part, he will sing along with just the last word of a phrase, sometimes waiting for me to begin singing that word so he can remember what he's supposed to be singing.  He does have quite a nice handle on the wonderful monosyllabic la (thank you, David Crowder Band), and already knows how to sing "Oh Praise Him" by the same.


I have heard Noah singing to himself while in his crib, while playing in the living room, and while riding in the car.  He has the cutest "singing voice" I've ever heard, soft and a little raspy, but I'm sure I'm a little bias.


I wonder how much he knows about the Creator whom he praises.  I wonder if there is a place in his soul that feels complete when he says "Alleluia" along with the throngs in heaven.  Scripture tells us that all of creation praises our Lord (Psalm 148).  My heart is filled with joy to say that Noah is a part of that choir.

Rain

An old picture of Noah in the rain 

He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.

Hosea 6:3b

There's a wonderfully damp, pouring rain dancing on the sidewalk leading up to my front door.  I just got fairly drenched leaving work and walking the 30 steps to my car.  It's raining in Northern California.  And it's wonderful.


We've had an unusually dry winter so far, and we don't get any rain in the summer, so it's been a LONG time since we've had a downpour.  As a girl growing up in Missouri, I loved thunderstorms that would bring hard rains.  I look forward to the winter rains of this area: they clean the air, make the foothills of Mount Diablo a gorgeous green, and give people a reason to be thankful for the 300 days of perfect blue skies we have every year.


The rain is a wonderful reminder of the faithfulness of our Lord.  A passage that's special to my husband and me, Hosea chapter 6 likens the healing that comes from the Lord to that of the seasonal rains.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces 

but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”  (verses 1-3)

Indeed, the Lord disciplines us.  Especially during the season of Lent, it's easy to be aware of the punishment that our sin brings.  But the Lord is faithful.  He promises to heal us and restore us to him.  "On the third day," when Jesus rose from the grave, he finalized that work and promises that one day we will live in the presence of our Lord, by his grace.

Fearless

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

I had a professor in college who would always say that when God was trying to get a point across to her, she would hear it at least three different times: in the words of a friend, in a scripture reading, and on the radio, for example.  For me this week, it's been the topic of fear, and it's come to me in a sermon, during a Bible study, and in the attitude of my little boy.  And it's only Tuesday.

In church on Sunday, through the story of Ezekiel and the dry bones, we learned just how amazing the power of the resurrection is against our fears, that Jesus lives again to give us freedom to follow him as if we have nothing to lose.  Because it's true: we have nothing to lose that has not been lost, and regained, for us.  

During our Monday night small group, we discussed the power of our Lord, and what it means to truly "fear God."  In a posture of fear of the Lord, the fears of this world quickly fade to naught.  Fears that we have about our kids or about our jobs seem silly when we comprehend the amazing power of our God and the amazing love he has for us.

Which brings me to Noah.  He is a daily reminder of a fearless life.  Yes, he jumps dangerously close to the edge of the bed, and yes, he climbs on furniture that probably can't hold much more than his weight, but I see a more important (less naive) measure of fearlessness in him.   He is not afraid to express himself.  He is not afraid to go after what he's passionate about.  He is not afraid to stand out in a crowd. He is not afraid to sing off key, look ridiculous, or try something new.  He is fearless in his pursuit to be the person whom God has created him to be.

God historically and daily provides for me, in unbelievable ways most of the time.  Why do I fear about provisions in the future?  God promises to lead his people, like a shepherd caring for sheep.  Why do I fear about which direction to take in my career?  God has won everlasting life for me and all who believe in his name, through the pain of the cross.  Why do I fear saying or doing something that might bring persecution?

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

The freedom of Christ in my life allows me to pursue the person he has made me to be with all my heart, fearless of the roadblocks or hurts that the world may put in that path, confident of the power and love of the One who is fearless in his pursuit of me.

Mine

Don't love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father.  1 John 2:15

I read this verse last night, and it hit me between the eyes.  I tend to be an anti-materialism person (I think I'm one of a handful of people who dislike Costco), but at Christmastime, it is so easy to get pulled into the swirl of stuff.  Everywhere I look, there are presents looking back at me: I could give that as a Secret Santa gift... maybe my godson would have fun with that... I can't wait to see Dave's face when I give him that. It's fun to plan and plot and shop and wrap and give, but too often, it becomes my focus at this time of year.


Noah has begun to realize the concept of "possession." He'll point to his coat and then to my coat, and over and over again. He'll point to his shoes and then my shoes. Repeat.  He'll point to his food and then my food. Repeat.  I think he loves to hear that one thing is associated with his name, and the other is associated with Mommy's (or Daddy's) name. If he knew the sign for "mine," I'm pretty sure he'd be using it by now.


How do I teach this little guy that the stuff he can hold is not really worth his grip?  How can I show him that love for God is so much better than love for the things that make him say, "oooOOOoooo"? I know in my heart that I must first learn the lesson for myself before I can think about passing it on to him.

Leaps

Either I need to begin writing more frequently or Noah needs to slow down his pace of acceleration.  What I mean is this: I feel like he has grown in leaps and bounds since my last entry, but it was only two weeks ago!

I have trouble wrapping my mind around all of the things he can do now that he couldn't do before.  Perhaps God has just given me a fresh perspective to see what an amazing creature a growing child is, but it seems as though he masters a new skill every day, if not more often than that.  This makes the days of waiting for him to roll over seem ridiculously irrelevant.  

He becomes more independent by the hour, it seems.  He's always enjoyed helping me cook, but now he's not content unless he (literally) has a hand in every step of the process.  I've noticed his ability to imitate for a while now, but recently it has transfered to a new level: like today he was stomping his foot while "singing," which my husband often does.  He no longer needs help getting down from his booster seat; he'd rather take 5 minutes to get off the chair himself than do it in 2 seconds with any sort of help.

I have to share some pictures of what we've been up to:

Playdoh

Raking the leaves 

Making cookies

It seems as though Noah's ability to soak in new skills and information is limitless, and even that seems to increase with each passing day.  It's a fun (sometimes daunting) challenge to try to stay ahead of him, or at least keep up with him. The "vastness" of the life of a toddler points me to the vastness of God's love.  As Paul writes in Ephesians:

"Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ" (3:8)

The boundless riches of Christ--wow!  Like Noah seems to catapult into something greater just as I think I have him figured out, so Christ's richness expands as soon as we think we've found the limit.  We can never stay "ahead" of God's love for us; it is impossible for us to even keep up with it.  It surrounds us and envelops our daily lives in a way that we cannot even comprehend. 

Imitate

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. 

3 John 1:11

Noah is constantly amazing me by the things that he imitates.  Lately, he has been pretending to "make soup."  We pour some cereal in a pot or a cup and he enjoys stirring it around with a spoon, saying, "Mmm!"  I often wonder, "How does he know how to do that?!?"  It makes me realize the power of my actions, in everything from making soup to writing text messages.

What a great reminder from 3 John to imitate that which is good instead of that which is evil.  In doing so, we can give our imitators an invaluable gift, a glimpse into the wonderful life that God desires for each of us.