Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A Baby Changes EVERYthing!!!


This boy.

He’s pretty special.  (of course! I mean all created in God’s image are!)  There is a song often played at Christmas time that says, “a baby changes everything.”  So true.   I am confident that he has had an  impact from the moment of his birth.  I believe he still impacts his dear birth mother, I know he has left his impact on Mother’s Choice staff and volunteers in Hong Kong and I can see glimpses of his impact in eastern TN.
He’s been home ten month. Ten months!!!  The same amount of time that a babe grows in its Momma’s belly. That’s really not all that long and yet already the impact of Brody’s life on others is evident.  Let me share.
Just this past month, I had a stranger come to me at the hotel we were staying at and say her dear friend had the same ear malformation as Brody.  She shared with me her friend’s triumphs and remaining challenges.  She cheered Brody on for the great progress he has already made.  She said he encouraged her. She felt if Brody could do so well in such a small amount of time , maybe that would encourage her friend.
At another community event, another stranger came to me and said she “knew” Brody.  She said her coworker (who attends church with us) often shares Brody stories and triumphs.  She commented on what an amazing boy he is….she had never met him before and could not have imagined how unlimited Brody’s abilities are. 
Brody has frequent contact with his speech therapist and social worker.  I can see the dynamic impact our little two year old has on them as well.  One does not quickly forget Brody’s tenacious approach to challenges. 
A friend of ours was recently getting to know a new friend of Asian descent. He said he couldn’t help but share about Brody, his personality and how he has changed his family. 
And then there is his Momma.  Whew!! Is he ever helping to change me and I am praying it is for God’s glory!  Since Brody has been home I have felt like the Lord is taking a scouring pad to my heart, rubbing away the selfishness, pride, and distractions: refocusing me on His eternal kingdom.  In Brody’s short ten months in my arms he has taught me SO much about grace, selflessness, survivorship, belonging, and mostly Christ’s love.  Christ’s love that does not see our faults, our disabilities, our outer blemishes but that looks at the heart.  Christ’s love that is not self-seeking, jealous, easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs.  Oh how thankful I am that God saw fit to entrust these three precious ones to Travis and I.  What a wonderful challenge parenting is that grows us and teaches us so much about our Father.
So yep! A baby does change everything. We continue to pray that our three children will love the Lord “with all their heart, all their mind, and all their soul” because love changes everything.

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