I know this post is a bit pre-mature. With Thanksgiving at the door, an Advent post might seem hasty to some. But here’s the deal I made with God several months ago. He challenged me to spend my words as they come. Not to hoard them or store them up for a better day; that better day is today. Tomorrow is not promised to me or to you. Thus, I give you this post as it has arrived. I didn’t intend to write it; it simply wrote me and will probably end up being the family Christmas letter this year. I’m not sure I will be able to improve upon it in the days to come. May these simple thoughts be a point of beginning for you as you ponder the sacred worth of a Bethlehem pilgrimage. They are my gift to you. Peace for the journey, friends. Walk it well and find your Peace.
I had one of those rare moments yesterday. A moment that spins golden and breathes pure. A moment that is often easily missed if eyes and minds are focused otherwise. Fortunately, my eyes and heart were prone for the whispers of a better focus—
baby girl, asleep on the couch.
She really isn’t a baby anymore. She is six years old, but as my only “pink” in line behind three “blues,” she will always hold the title as my baby.
She barely noticed and continued with her ruffled breathing for the better part of an hour. I simply listened and held and prayed and cried some tender tears for the moment. It won’t be long before my cradling of her tiny body will be beyond my reach. Literally. But her heart? Always within reach. Always fit for my cradling, my holding, my praying, and my tears of celebratory and unwavering love.
She’s a gift to me. I never imagined her. As a single mother of two young sons, I never imagined much beyond my survival. But then Billy. And then the gift of a third son. And then a friend who jogged by my house one afternoon. She didn’t normally stop mid-jog, but that day she did. I answered her knock, and she boldly proclaimed to me that God had strongly spoken a word into her spirit while passing my house. God would give me another child. I laughed and said “thank you”… sort of.
I wasn’t planning on another child. We were working on sealing that deal when I began to notice a shift in my body. Something was going on. Baby girl was going on and, now, six years down the road, I am the better for plans gone awry. Plans that exceed my wisdom, my desires, my focus and my calendar. God interrupted my life with Amelia, and my heart (already so full to the brim with love for my family) ripped open once again to receive the gift of a daughter.
There was room enough to love a little pink, and just yesterday, I was reminded of the sacred privilege that I’ve been given to be her mother.
She’s growing so fast. So good and so full of fresh perspective. I see her take to her Jesus even as I took to him at her young age. She exceeds the Christian talk. She’s walking her Christian talk. And last night, as witness to the stirrings of her heart, she made a picture for me. It reads,
“I love Jesus. Jesus is the star. Jesus is the best! He rocks. He is the baby. He is the son of God.”
In her tiny, fragile, six-year-old way of understanding, my daughter weaves a pretty stable theology, don’t you think? It speaks of her love for the baby who shines as the Star of her stage. Not just any baby, but God’s Son who came to rock the world with his “best-ness.” Amelia “gets” her Jesus.
Her words are simple. Her faith is growing, and her heart remains, for the most part, untainted by the world’s insistence to the contrary. There will come a day for hurts … for her questions and for some unbelief. But right now, Jesus rocks. He’s the best thing she’s got going on, and she isn’t afraid to allow him some praise via her pen.
She’s teaching me … to use my pen to script his praise. It’s not always easy to be taught “faith” through the simple of a child, but I think, perhaps, our propensity toward making faith a difficult road could use a swift and prolonged detour to a couch and to the whispers of a younger season when innocence ruled the day.
There’s too much crowding in our lives, friends. We are concerned about a great many things while neglecting the tender pull of our heart strings. We long for life to sing its beauty, but rarely are we willing to pause for a listen. Beauty has never been absent. She has always been singing her song. But us? We have perfected our absence. We choose it every time we decide…
on busy over the best.
on chaos over the calm.
on computers over the couches.
on schedules over the sacred.
We miss the loveliness of a moment because moments can sometimes breathe so singular. So set apart and so seemingly unnecessary as it pertains to the whole.
Shame on us for not thinking that a single moment can change everything.
Single moments are the stuff of eternity. Single moments shape and sharpen and hone a heart for hugeness. Single moments breathe with the promise of a grander epic. Single moments collect and gather to form a destiny that exceeds the temporal and the seen.
I had one such moment yesterday. A single pause that spun golden. I held a child in my arms and knew that my life has been and will always be better because of the holding.
Over 2000 years ago, there came a moment that spun golden for another mother and her child. Months earlier, a friend of sorts stopped by her house and spoke a word of witness into her spirit.
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” (Luke 1:30-33).
A single moment. The stuff of eternity, and we are all the better for the holding of the Child.
In just a few weeks, we’ll relive that golden moment. Some of us travel to the manger with our reluctance. Some with our desperation. Some with our baggage. Some with our eager expectation, and a few rare of us, with our peace. We pilgrim to Bethlehem for various reasons. But for one little girl named Amelia, and one big girl named Elaine, we’re walking to the stable for one reason alone.
To glimpse God’s best. To witness the Son who has rocked our worlds with his arrival into our hearts. To give our Star the stage that he deserves and to applaud his performance with our hearty “hallelujah’s” and our grateful “amen’s”.
His name is Jesus, and he’s never too old for our cradling, our holding, our prayers, and our tears of celebratory and unwavering love. May your couch and your deliberate pause therein capture the glimpse of God’s best in this season.
Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel.
Copyright © November 2008 – Elaine Olsen. All rights reserved
PS: Here are the winners for John Eldredge’s Epic. Now before you applaud me for my benevolence, realize that I’ve found a great new discount store in my neck of the woods that carries an awesome selection of books with rock bottom prices. I mean can you say looowwww? Anyway, I went in there yesterday to secure a few more copies and ended up buying what they had left. Eleven. Yes, that’s right. Eleven winners. Actually, twelve, but said preacher man stole a copy! I allowed Miss Pink to pick and here are the results. I’m not going to “link” your name (honestly, too much work for me, and I’m exhausted).
Beth E., Joanne Sher, Technonana, Laura, Denise, Sita, Susan, Lynn B., Stone Fox (Heidi), Sheryl, LauraLee. Congrats ladies. Email me your snail mail (full names please) even if you think I already have it. It will take me a few days to get everything in the mail, and if I see anymore at my new favorite hang-out, I promise to pick up some additional copies. Whew. Love you all! ~elaine
How sweet! If we hadn’t had special needs children, I might have tried for #4 to see if I could have gotten a girl. Ah well. God’s plans for us are always the best. I’m glad you have your sweet Amelia!
Hugs,
Betsy
Oh! I am soooo excited. Thank You! I am so in love with my boys. I sometimes selfishly wish I could stop time right now and leave them just as they are without all the “wordly” sins to tempt them. But God loves them, I love them and they love God. I know they are safe in his loving arms and mine. Blessings my Friend!
I love you too!
As always Elaine, this is a treasure. The pull on my heart strings right now has been to the many – the worry, the unknown, the uncertainty and the fear. A “single moment” ushered in anxiety, but thank you for reminding me that another “single moment” brings peace. His peace. The peace of a child resting in her Father’s arms.
Congrats to all the book winners. Know little “Miss Pink” was God’s hand in the choosing.
Joy
Usually one to be militant over the “intrusion” of Christmas before a Thanksgiving prayer could even be offered, I’ve found myself craving it this year.
Needing it.
And I don’t mean the commercial intrusion, but the quiet reflection, the mental “Bethlehem pilgramage”. In short, I’ve been needing me some Jesus in the way that we can only find Him when we’re quiet.
“Couched”.
This letter should be mailed, untouched, friend. And it’s not too early. Just as God intended, it’s right on time.
xoMelinda
Single moments are the stuff of eternity
I love this sentence. So many times we waste away or ignore the moments that could change our lives! We should love for those moments. A profound statement.
Well, you’ve already gotten my waterworks going this morning. :o) Reading about your daughter and being able to cuddle her just touched my heart. My “baby boy” still sits on my lap occasionally, but it’s only for a moment or two…any longer, and his 250 lb. frame would cut off the circulation in my legs!
Then, to find out I won one of the books. I’m pleased beyond words…and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Please read my latest post, Urgent Prayer Request, and place this beautiful little boy (and his family) on your prayer chain(s).
Thanks, again, for everything. Most of all, thank you for being so in tune with the Holy Spirit, and for sharing your thoughts with us.
Blessings…
It’s been the moments in my life that have made the most endearing memories. Not only with family but also moments with God, when He reached down and whispered in my ear something I needed to hear in that moment in time. blessings, marlene
What a special moment God gave you with your sweet daughter, Elaine. You were right to capture and cherish it. The years fly by so fast. My girls are now both in their twenties. But I still cradle them in every way I can!
Thanks for the precious reminder to not let our schedules and to-do lists keep us from missing the truly important moments. I needed that today!
I enjoy when you share the stirrings of your heart that come from with-in your home. Beautiful and priceless.
Love,
Yolanda
May God bless you richly, Elaine for sharing these thoughts. I am so happy you did not wait to pass them along. They have stirred my heart and brought me joy and direction this morning. Whatever you do, HOLD ON to the precious drawing – I have a similar one scripted ten years ago by a chubby little hand that now drives a car!
My heartstrings strained a little more than usual with this post. While you enchanted us with Amelia, I thought about how my own parents must have felt when, at 42 and 46 they discovered a Kathleen was in the works. How they loved me! Thus I know in some way how Amelia must feel (or will one day). Her greatest gift apart from God’s love is yours. Priceless!
Precious seconds. They count on eternity’s time clock in some mysterious way … I am certain!
Kathleen
Elaine, all I can say is… thank you. Blessings in abundance to you, my precious friend and sister in Christ. Thank you.
Lisa
it any wonder Psalm 127 proclaims…children are a reward (or gift in the NASB) from Him?? Praise the Lord for beautiful, worth-living moments filled with wonder. Thanks for sharing, Elaine!
BRAVO, Elaine!
R&B
While I don’t have the blessing of a child in my home, I do understand those “detour moments” when I find myself “couched” and savoring the quiet, singular seconds of life. Those are the times I find myself enveloped in peace and comfort, like a little girl wrapped with her well-worn security blanket. This year my heart is yearning for more “couch” time and my prayer is as I enter this special season of Christmas I will be able to hold tender the Christ-child in my heart feeling His warmth and heartbeat in my soul. Blessings to you! Denise
Oh, Elaine…
What a precious baby girl. She is beautiful, and the pics of the two of you together just warmed my heart. She has a heart for Jesus, just like her mommy!
BTW…am I the Laura that won a copy of epic? Yippeee! I’ll send you my snail…
BTW, you are tagged at my place! 🙂
Beautiful, Elaine! (The story, the writing, the daughter, the mother, and the Son of God!).
If we had been given a second child, a second daughter, her name would have been “Amelia Anne”, so I am in love with your Amelia already! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your precious and sacred time with us … and for reminding us to choose the same.
A single moment changed eternity. Oh, Amen!
What an incredible post! And what a darling lil pink one you have there!
Thanks so much for the giveaway prize!
(First of all – SOOO excited to see I’ve got a book coming my way!!! Will send you my snail mail forthwith)
This is a wonderful, thought-provoking, and encouraging post. It is so easy to dismiss those “single moments,” or ignore them so we can get on with our lives. Thank you for reminding me to appreciate them.
Elaine,
Have had a busy weekend…but so glad I decided to pop by!
Aren’t those moments ‘eternal’? How precious. Thank you for sharing that. Makes me want to hug my boys every minute..cept they’re..ummm…boys, right…ah well!
ANd, what a pleasant surprise to see my name in the draw! Wow..thank you, my dear sister..cause that is exactly what you have become to me..blessings,
Sita
Oh Elaine-those moments are so so dear. I am working a second job on the weekends until my husbands unemployment ends. It is easy for me to do as a nurse but my youngest who is nine commented today that she misses me and wants me home. Crushed me. Though Joe is so so good for her, she needs me and my heart longs for those still moments like you had. Thanks for sharing sweet friend.
My heart is ready to celebrate Jesus this holiday…not Christmas. My heart craves to love and worship Him this year like we have never have done before. His significance just keeps growing more stronger with each day. That gives me such joy in all this chaos!
Blessings friend.
In His Graces~Pamela
Thank you for sharing with us such a precious moment. Yet life changing. How important that we just not go through the motions, but that we are affected by the little breaths all around us. Much Love.
There have been many times over the past 25 years that my Father God has taken me back to a Golden Moment in my life with my older son.. They most of the time make me smile but there are times that I cry.. I know it is just the Fathers way of reminding me that HE is at work in my son’s life…….. You see he only lives 3 hours away and he has not been home in 26 years now.. He has raised 3 children with out them knowing me and some days my heart aches…….. but then the Father gives me a glimpse into the years gone by and I am reminded that there is a bond between me and my son that no one woman can break…. I wait sometimes not so patient as the Father works in my son’s life…….. Thank you for your beautiful words…..
How awesome that our lives are woven together by “moments” – brief and sometimes insignificant at the time – but nonetheless monumental in the final product that is the fabric of our lives.
Thanks for sharing. Thanks for allowing this particular post to write you!
Blessings and hugs from the creek!
That was (and is) so beautiful, Elaine. It really speaks to me personally, as well. A while ago, I think I mentioned to you waiting on God for a promise in my marriage….that promise concerns a child. Children to be exact. Two boys. Elijah and Luke. It’s a good God story…I will share it with you sometime. We have been waiting 7 1/2 years for our promises….Common sense says, “Give up!” But faith says, “For with God, all things are possible.” 🙂 So, we keep waiting. And believe me, for numerous “physical” reasons, it will take a miracle to come to pass, but, that is just the thing our Lord is in to, amen?;)
God Bless,
Amy:)
Oh, you make me cry! Good tears; tears of gratitude and understanding. Thank you.
Congrats to all the winners of Epic. I’ve heard wonderful things about it and have heard snippets of a video. Good stuff.
Happy Thanksgiving, Elaine, and continued peace for your journey.
Blessings,
Melanie
What a tender moment with your baby girl. Though I can no longer cradle my boy in my lap, and though I need little prompting to stop and savor my time with him, your words settle with such sweet understanding in this Momma’s heart. How wise of you to capture such an fleeting privilege. What a precious gift she is!
Like others, I believe you’ve finished your Christmas letter…
Blessings,
Tracy
Oh Elaine this really really spoke, no shouted to my heart this morning. Just last night I sat on the edge of my son’s bed holding him after we had a fight. He is taller than me now at 6 foot so he had to lean down to lean on my shoulder as both of our eyes let the tears drop. It was precious and a few hours later while I was in the shower I cried hard as I was praying over my “little” boy. The boy who used to wrap his arms around my thigh and look up at me with his dark brown eyes.
This is a beautiful truth written on your blog today Elaine. Thank you friend.
Love you,
Lelia
Whahoo!!! Thanks Elaine, I’m so excited… I’m blogging This!!!
This is such a sweet post!!! As our children grow they become even more precious to us, if you can believe that!!
I love the way you write. It must be such a joy to your heart to know Amelia “gets” her Jesus. Thank you for this beautiful reflection.
Elaine,
I’m so glad you seized that moment the other day, thank you for this gift. I was so deeply touched by the moments you shared with us as you held your daughter.
I love when God speaks to you!
And then I won the book, oh my!!!!!!
Thanks so very much, I’m looking forward to reading it.
Blessings my sweet friend♥
A similar thing happened to me only it was a boy after three girls. A surprise bonus baby in every way and now my baby is 14 and taller than me! lol
Oh! This is so beautiful! What a God moment.
Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving. Also, I gave you an award over at my blog. I hope you’ll stop by when you have a chance!