A birthday message to my boys: Collin, age 3; Connor, age 1
My dear, sweet, silly, and above all precious boys,
Happy Birthday to you both!
I planned to set aside a day every year to write to you individually
before your birthday, but it hasn’t worked out exactly as I planned. I won’t make excuses. I also won’t dwell on the undone, because I
have learned that God has a way of orchestrating EVERYTHING, even the flops and
delays and not-good-enoughs, for his glory.
It just so happens that today is two days before Easter (yes
Collin – it is your birthday cake that is in the oven today), and my message
for you both this year is an Easter message.
My children, I will let you in on a secret. Life is like a series of Easters. You will have seasons of triumph, seasons of
betrayal, seasons where the very hands of God wash your feet, seasons of
cross-bearing, and seasons where God and his promises seem fraudulent, false,
dead, crucified. There will be moments
when it seems that the darkness has won.
My darling boys, we are all human, and your emotions will
tempt you to believe that the season you are in is the only season. But it is not. Because always, always there is the resurrection.
When you are tempted not to believe this, look around. Nature, the seasons, our life spans, the
birthing process . . . everything is designed to reflect this truth. Resurrection is printed on your soul’s
DNA.
So when you make decisions, my children, make them with this
truth in mind: the resurrection is
real. Joy will come in the
morning. New mercies await around each
corner. Love can be beaten and nailed to
the cross, but in the end, it will triumph.
What does this mean? YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ACHIEVING
YOUR OWN HAPPINESS. Don’t be fooled –
you will never sustain any lasting contentment based on your efforts. You are simply responsible for beholding the
resurrection with eyes and hearts wide open, witnesses to grace, recipients of
love. If you do this, joy will find
you. Loving kindness will find you. Purpose and peace will find you.
And your heart will be glad.
What bigger prayer could I have for your lives? What bigger hope?
When the darkness descends, keep your eyes open.
Hope is on the way.
I love you, my children, always and forever.
Mama
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