The Tip of the Iceberg

Being a mom, I have had a few experiences where I have been simply overwhelmed with love for my daughter.  Times when I am struck speechless by the wonder and beauty that is my E-bugs. (Dads, I am sure you have had these experiences as well!) 

The most obvious was the first time I laid eyes on her.  As you may (or may not) know, my pregnancy was not exactly ideal.  I suffered some pretty nasty all day sickness for the first 14 weeks.  Then experienced the joy of sciatica from 16 to 22 weeks.  Just when I thought I was finally done with all the pain and terribleness... I had kidney stones that hurt so bad I started having contractions (not once but twice! at 23 and 25 weeks) and spent the last 11 weeks of my pregnancy in excruciating pain.  Needless to say, I was very overwhelmed when I finally got to meet this amazing little body (who did quite a number on mine!). 

She was so beautiful and perfect (all parents think that, right?)! 

There have been many other times.  Nothing extraordinary, normal kid stuff.  Like the first time she giggled, or the time when she spent 30 minutes taking weeds out of one bucket and putting them into another. Or even just last week, when she marched on over to our neighbors strawberry patch, picked a few berries, plopped and chowed down! 

The amount of joy and love that this one little person has invoked in me is absolutely astounding. 

As I sit in the moment, overwhelmed with love, I imagine God whispering in my ear... 

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg as to how much I love you."1

 Wow! 

Lord, as we go through our daily lives help us to recognize your great love for us, through our love for others.  Thank you for loving us more than we can even begin to fathom.  Amen!



1 - Ortberg, Nancy. Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns. pg 5

Oh How He Loves Us...

I was walking through the dessert line today at the fellowship meal, following our outdoor church service, when a thought struck me.... 

How He loves us!  

To explain... I have been reading Nancy Ortberg's Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey Through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns in preparation for the Moms' Bible study, which is starting up this week.

In the first chapter, Ortberg briefly talks about God and our food.  She says...

"Whenever I ate a good meal, preferably one that I did not have to cook, I was struck by the gratuitous nature of the God who made the colors, flavors, and textures of avocado, red pepper, and tilapia.  He only needed to make the food nutritious and caloric.  Everything we eat could simply taste like bread and milk, and functionally that would be good enough.  There is really no need for the variety and taste sensations that we experience when we eat, but God created them anyway."

 She goes on to say,

"Steve Evans, a noted Christian philosopher, says that perhaps the best proof for the existence of God is banana cream pie."

To Steve and everyone out there, I say...  the best proof of God's existence is Millie Groff's angel food cake!     

Lord, thank you for giving us food, not just for sustenance, but for our pleasure.  Thank you for all of the wonderful flavors and textures that you have added to our food, just for our enjoyment.  I pray that as we savor our delicious foods we are reminded of our Creator God, and his great love for us.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good!"

Psalms 34:8

May you never look at your food the same way again!