All three of my children were unique when they were first born and how they developed.
Michael would smile in the hospital every time he would hear my voice. I’d be across the room and say something, and Michael would smile and try to find me. The nurses kept saying that it must be gas. They couldn’t convince me. I saw with a proud dad’s eyes; That boy was smiling!
Nathan was 10 lbs. 8 oz. when he was born. What made him seem even bigger was the fact that all the other babies born that day in the hospital were in the 5 lbs. range. They looked like tiny chickens next to the turkeys in the grocery store freezer. The church had given us literally over a thousand diapers all of which were for normal sized newborns(10lbs and under). None of them fit. The women’s shelter got the blessing of those gifts, and I went to the store for ones that fit over his thighs.
When Ruthie was born, she cried every time anyone held her, except Wendy. We had lots of grandma-types in the church try to hold her. Ruthie would start crying the second she’d left her mother’s side. Then Wendy would take Ruthie and instantaneously Ruthie would stop crying. It happened so many times that the joke at church was that Ruthie was attached to Wendy with Velcro at the hip!
You and I have another baby in our arms today, baby Jesus. What are we going to do with baby Jesus?
Is baby Jesus looking for our voice of unconditional love across a crowded world? Will his birth inspire us to provide justice to the needy? He’s not just someone you can put down; Can you welcome his attachment to you in your heart and soul? I can’t wait to see how this new year develops.
Shalom,
Paul