Peek A Boo, Pink or Blue?

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Everybody loves a baby in some form or fashion. You don’t even have to know the child, but their chubby face – or even a picture - will almost always bring a smile and a cooing “Aw” to express our wonder at all their cuteness! Little fingers, little toes. Soft skin and fuzzy hair. Such fun little packages to cuddle and adore!

Before I get too carried away and ignore the flip side of life with a baby, I must also acknowledge that babies are a lot of hard work. Dirty diapers, spit-up, fevers, belly pains and sleepless nights are all more common than not. Babies are utterly dependent on their grownups and aren’t afraid to cry out loudly to get their attention!

Baby days are pretty much behind me - unless I sign up for the nursery at church! I thank God that He brought me through all the unknowns of carrying, birthing and raising three little girls. There is absolutely no way I could have done it on my own. In recent years, I’ve lent a helping hand to care for and love on our grandbabies, and I’ve certainly done my fair share of diaper duty! At this stage of life, it is more common to be notified of an impending ER visit for stitches or a mother’s cry saying, “Prayers please. One has a fever, and the other one just threw up.” Parenting never ends.

For one young couple in our church, the journey is just beginning. An ultrasound picture assures this mom-to-be that there is life growing within her. She is bursting with anticipation and excitement while dreaming of the years ahead. We even got our first invitation to their ‘Gender Reveal’ party! The soon-to-be-dad has no anxiety over the upcoming disclosure, but simply stated that “Healthy is all I want.”

The Psalmist captures the treasure God has given us in the gift of life in Psalm 139. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (13, 15-16)

Whether the party reveals that a little boy or a little girl is on the way, the gift of life that God has given to this young couple is so very priceless. Bundled in pink or blue, babies remind us of our own humanity and the incomparable gift God has given each one of us in the gift of our own life. Even when new life is unexpected, there is a sense of awe that can't be ignored. The miracle of life never gets old!  

God created each of us in our mother’s wombs just as He created this new little life which will soon be revealed. God knew all about his – or her – days way before even one of them came to be. Just like with you and me! It is simply amazing to think that the God of the universe loves and cares for each of us so intimately. And, He too hopes that we will grow to be ‘healthy’ in our love and knowledge of Him. What a precious and priceless gift we have been entrusted with!

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (14)

When is it the last time you took time to praise God for His wonderful handiwork in your life?
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