On Being Parents
Suffice to say that Lee and I currently know little to nothing about being parents. We found out two days before Lee’s 30th birthday that our plan to start trying for a baby had succeeded in a big way and instead of the 2 years we anticipated waiting, we now had just 9 months til we would meet whoever this miracle would be. We were beyond ecstatic and more than likely a little shell-shocked but we were in agreement and on our way to our next big accomplishment and adventure.
God gave Lee a pretty clear word about our children early on in our marriage, so we’ve prayed for them specifically by name for some time now. We are so delighted to finally be able to realize God’s promise for our family begin to come to fruition. But you know what? Alongside the bliss of knowing there’s a life growing inside you, other factor’s begin to make themselves known. Factors such as all day morning sickness, the need for 20 hours of sleep a day, sinuses that freak out and allow you to only breathe out of your mouth, trying to fit into your clothes, raging hormones, remembering to eat good food when all you want is carbs and sugar, and, oh yeah, that debilitating fear that you will somehow ruin your unborn child’s life by the parenting decisions you make. I have been focused a lot on researching the first hurdle…you know, the actual birth, when I realized that while the birth will be a miraculous occurrence in Lee and I’s life, it will mark the beginning of the biggest changes for THE REST OF OUR LIVES.
Yes, our plan includes to read and research, but beyond all the book-learnin we do, the most important thing in our lives (and our hope for our children) will be their relationship with God. Allowing Him to have the ultimate control over our children, and knowing in fact, that before Lee and I were ever born that He already knew our children, knew the whole of their lives, their giftings, their choices. Our prayer for this child and the rest of our children is that they will have a relationship with Him and that it will be the most important thing in their lives.
I hope we can be the parents that they deserve. We’re already so in love with this baby that is currently only the size of a lime. Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to be the parents of whoever this child is going to be.
