Reality

As I was reading a very familiar passage in the Bible several weeks ago, something I'd never really focused on stood out to me... "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) As I felt the baby inside of me move around, I was reminded that we all need a Savior. Even this little boy growing inside of me. Right now, he is untainted by the world, but that won't last long. Precious as he may be, he will like all of us, choose sin. In the eyes of his grandparents (and maybe even sometimes, his parents), it may seem he can do no wrong... but undoubtedly, he will. He will break his mommy & daddy's hearts, and he will break the heart of God, but we will never stop loving him.

As I think about the mistakes that I have made and the hard lessons I've learned, I am tempted to want to shelter him from it all... to not let him fall into the same traps. But then how would he ever know his need for grace? He has been known by God long before he was even a thought in our hearts. God knows every step he will take, and yet He loves him beyond measure. He already had this little boy on His mind when He went to the cross. He died for him 2000 years ago. And as we look forward to his arrival into our family, we pray every single day that he will one day give his heart and his life to Jesus ... that he will know that his life is a gift from God and that no matter what mistakes he makes, we pray he will always run back into the arms of grace that will have been there all along. We can't make that choice for him, but we will do all we can to lead him to it.