Hope Anne

Hope Anne

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me
my petition which I asked of Him." I Samuel 1:27

For those who already have heard, you are probably expecting me to go on and on about Hope Anne, my first grandchild, born yesterday afternoon, 18 1/2 inches long, 5 lbs, 2 oz of incredible cuteness. I'm going to do that later, but what has struck me the most so far is the overwhelming sense of how precious each life is and of what I can only describe as the "miracle of life".

That from the smallest of beginnings in the womb of a mother, a baby can grow and develop is nothing short of a miracle. David did a pretty good job describing it when he said in Psalm 139:13-14 "you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made". And that God can say to each baby "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you" - the knowledge that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for that life, for each life, is a gift and a wonder beyond description. David went on to say in Psalm 139:16:

"All the days ordained for me were written in
your book before one of them came to be."

Knowing that Hope Anne, as tiny and helpless as she is, is precious not only to her parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-grandparents.....okay, I'll stop now) but also to the Lord of whom David said "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!" is both indescribable and incredible. Hope Anne is a reminder, with all the freshness of a new baby, that each life is to be valued and appreciated and treated as precious. The differences between us must take a backseat, the petty squabbles must be put aside and we must treat each life, each individual, each product of the same miracle of life as Hope Anne, with the dignity, love, value and respect intended by our Creator.

And as a warning, there might be a few more "Hope Anne" devotionals along the way, her first words, her first steps, her...........................

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church