A Shower for Femto...

This morning I had the honor and privilege of giving a devotional at Elsa's shower here in Bloomington.  Her friends and hostess Carol were wonderful, and it was a lovely time.  Following are the notes I spoke from.

What a joyous occasion this is: and I feel particularly blessed to be here for this shower, and to join in celebrating God’s goodness! Many years ago, when I first discovered that I was expecting my first baby, my husband and I began praying not just for that un-met baby, but for that baby’s spouse and children. We prayed that God would provide a remnant to serve Him always from among our family until He returns, and so, after more than 23 years of praying, we discovered that the spouse we had prayed for was Elsa. And now, as the fruit of more than 27 years of praying, and as a living symbol of God’s amazing faithfulness, this new life is entering the world.  This is a time to rejoice in the God who answers prayer!
 When that first baby of mine was born, Elsa’s husband Ben, we used verses 3 and 4 from Psalm 127 on the front of the birth announcement we sent to family and friends.  The whole psalm is just four verses. Let me read them to you. Psalm 127:
 Unless the LORD builds the house,
   those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
   the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
   and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
   for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
   the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
   are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
   who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
   when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
 There are many exciting times ahead of you, Elsa, and this psalm addresses many of the things that motherhood will bring your way.  Each of us who become a parent for the first time discover that we have a God-given capacity to love that is deeper than we ever thought possible.  We also find our hearts can be more crushed and broken than we ever thought possible.  We discover new heights of joy in our children, and often more depths of sorrow.  We are amazed as our children show child-like faith, and discouraged as we see our own sin become their sin.  We have hopes and dreams for our children that overcome us and that can overcome them if we are not careful.
  But the first thing I encourage you to remember as you encounter these strong and amazing emotions of motherhood, is that this baby is not really yours at all.  This baby belongs to the Lord, and you will only be entrusted with this little one for a short time.  Unless the Lord is building your house, and building your family, you are laboring in vain. Give this baby to the Lord every day, beginning right now.  Remember that God has dreams and hopes for this child, and give him or her to the Lord over and over again, and wait patiently for God’s dreams to be fulfilled..
 One of the great temptations that comes to every mother is anxiety and worry.  We worry about health and development of our baby, about intelligence and education, about acceptance and opportunity, about our own loss of freedom and independence, about a million different details concerning this little child.  But when we worry, we are denying that this child belongs to God.  No matter how hard we work to bring about perfect opportunities or friendships for our children, or try to protect them from danger and evil, the plan of God is truly perfect for their lives.  If we labor day and night and let anxiety rob our sleep, we are usurping God’s place, and laboring in vain again.   As it says in verse 2 of Psalm 127:
It is in vain that you rise up early
   and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
   for he gives to his beloved sleep.
As we depend on God, we learn to release our anxiety and trust Him with these precious little ones, who belong to Him and are beloved of Him.
  Verse 3 of this psalm, possibly the best known in it, tells us that children are a heritage from the Lord.  They are our heritage that comes from the Lord, but more than that, they are His heritage: they belong to Him, and your first responsibility as a mom will be to teach your child about Christ, and to show him or her what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.  This baby will learn everything you show her—those things you try to teach, as well as those things you would rather she never saw in you.  I challenge you, Elsa, to watch your walk with the Lord, and live it out before this little one in faithfulness.  Be his example of how a child of the King behaves, and set carefully chosen priorities in your family that will always remind him that he is a heritage from the Lord.
 Verse 4 tells us that children are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.  As you train this child to be a follower of Christ, she is a weapon you send into the future.  She will begin at your side, but she will fly forth and go places you have never been and will never see.  Never forget that you are preparing a warrior for Christ, to stand for Truth in a broken and hurting world, and to speak love and redemption there.  But for our children to perform that task, we have to let go of them, and let them fly as the Lord has ordained them to go.  The real job of a mother is to put herself out of a job, by remembering that she is training the next generation of Christ-followers. And loving this baby with a whole heart will mean sending him or her out from you to follow Christ’s calling.
 So, Elsa, I will be praying for you as you embark on this great adventure, as I’m sure every lady here will be.  We will rejoice with you when you rejoice, and weep with you when you weep, and we look forward to watching God’s plan for your family and this little one.  May God indeed raise up this child to be His always, and may there never be a day that this child does not know and love Jesus as his savior and Lord.  And may this be one of many little Finnegans to be Christ followers!