Happy Birthday Mitchell!  It's hard to believe that our oldest son turns 16 today, where has the time gone?  I feel so blessed to be his momma!  So many things have changed since Mitchell was born, the biggest change, my parents are no longer here to celebrate with us.  They were so excited to welcome their first grandchild into this world.  I can still hear my mom's gasp of excitement as Mitchell arrived.  Both his grandma's were there to witness the miracle of his birth, and his grandpa's were in the waiting area close by.  What an exciting time!  I can remember having those terrifying thoughts of, "What the heck do I do now?  I'm not qualified to take care of this helpless baby!"  Here we are sixteen years later and I still have days that I wonder what the heck I'm doing.  Yet, God doesn't always call the qualified, he qualifies the called.  I'm hanging onto that notion!

I've been a mom for sixteen years and there have been days I clearly understand why some animals eat their young. We have had many ups and downs and we are still learning everyday.  I've made many mistakes, but thank God his grace is always sufficient, Romans 3:23-24  "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Each day is a gift a chance to extend and receive the grace of God. 

For several years Ken and I helped out with youth group at church.  One of our favorite lessons to teach the kids was about God's grace.  Ken always got a thrill of rigging the teams and the game so that a certain group of kids would win the game and then by extending grace to the losing team, they received the prize even though they didn't deserve it.  I can almost guarantee that most if not all of those kids learned what grace means. 

As I look with great anticipation to wrapping my arms around our Anna Grace, I have some of the same fleeting thoughts I had when Mitchell was born.  "What the heck am I doing?  I'm a momma to three boys, I not sure I know how to be a momma to a little girl!"  In the midst of those thoughts I can hear God's small still voice reminding me he qualifies the called.  So I continue to put my trust and faith in the creator of the universe, the Alpha and the Omega, the Great I Am, my savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ.


But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33