Our Decade Old Son!

It's hard to believe that Micah is 10 years old! I can still remember sitting in the theater watching "Remember the Titans" and leaning over to tell Bryan that we probably needed to head to the hospital soon because the contractions kept coming. We made it through the movie, though, of course!:)

Micah was born October 3rd...one year and one day after his older brother went home to be with Jesus. He was a tiny little bundle of perfect baby...and his weight of 6 pounds 8 ounces makes for a beautiful "life verse" (Micah 6:8):

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

From the time Micah was 9 months old until about the age of 5, he loved anything but kindness. He was a little boy full of anger and a desire for his own way at any cost. I remember him hitting me hard with his hands at 9 months old because the food on the spoon that I was trying to feed him was not what he wanted. He constantly had bruises on his forehead his first few years of life from banging his head on the crib because he was upset to be in bed. I could tell story after story...many I can tell with laughter today but there were many tears during those first 5 years. In fact, the tears came almost daily as my son seemed to be so much more than I could handle and I couldn't help but wonder if he would, sooner than later, disqualify his daddy from being in ministry.

I do not share those things in any way to make my dear Micah look bad or to take something as special as his birthday and turn it into a "bash session". But, I share what I share to say that God's grace is SO amazing(and if this is YOUR story right now with one of your kids...don't grow weary or lose heart...God is at work even when it feels like He is not!). Micah is not the same boy he was 5 years ago and I am not the same mommy that I was 5 years ago. We both have grown in the grace and knowledge of God and we both have been refined through the fire of trials.

I remember being on the phone with my mom almost 8 years ago, teary from another tough day of parenting my son and she said, "Kristin, God does not call you to produce fruit in Micah's life...that is His job...He calls you to be faithful."

Those wise words of encouragement still ring just as true today. I cannot produce fruit or change the hearts of any of my kiddos, that is for God alone to do. My job is to pray for them and faithfully train, exhort, correct, and teach them with all diligence and then find sweet peace as I rest and wait on God to do a work in their hearts.

I am so thankful that He has brought forth fruit in my son's life. Those who did not know him when he was young would never even imagine that he was what he was...and that is all the grace of God and the sweet fruit that He grows!

Back to Micah's birthday!:) Micah was blessed with an AMAZING gift ON his birthday! He and Samuel joined their friend Mark and his family to go and watch the Canuck's practice (yep...that's hockey!)! He was elated!!!! Aunt Kimberly made his birthday cake and we celebrated as a family when the boys got back from their big day out! He was so excited to open his gifts and it blessed my heart to see the intentional time he took to read his cards and to be thankful for the PEOPLE behind the gifts!




Micah,

Your daddy and I are so thankful for the gift God gave us in you! You are so passionate and so gifted in so many ways. Your love for learning blesses our hearts and we pray that God uses that knowledge to set afire your love for Him! We love to see you grow...in baseball, in patience, in playing the guitar, in loving your siblings, in self-control, in caring about others and in wanting to please the Lord! It's hard to believe you are a decade old...but we are so thankful that we get almost another decade of you in our home before you're "all grown up"!:)

Happy Birthday, dear son!