Welcome Elsie Rose!!!

A while back my Uncle Johnny started blogging about how his new granddaughter, Khloe, has changed his life. Inspired some by that and some just by the overwhelming feelings of being blessed far beyond what I deserve, I thought I would get some of my thoughts/memories of the weekend of the birth of my daughter down here on e-paper...

1. Human life is incredibly precious. The love Carrie and I immediately felt for that little girl was and is amazing. What an amazing thing to watch your daughter enter in to the world, who is created by and in the image of the creator. She (and every other human being) has amazing value because of that. What a gift!


2. My wife is even more incredible than I knew before. I knew she was a strong woman, but she went through incredibly intense and fast labor without any narcotics or an epidural. It killed me to watch her in so much pain, but she never gave up and the reward for us was so great. Thank you Lord for giving me a strong woman who loves you and so admirably and honorably brought my child in to this world!

3. Carrie and I have incredible families. I know a lot of couples who dread spending time with family. The only thing they dread more than spending time with family, is having both sides of the family around each other at the same time. This could not be farther from the truth for Carrie and I. Our families were so supportive of us and so considerate of each other, consistently putting the other family before themselves. This helped make this time even more special for Carrie and I and we are so thankful that all four new grandparents (and one very proud new aunt) were able to spend that time with us. God blessed us with amazing, godly families.

4. My sister-in-law should become a videographer. She caught every precious moment from that time on video. Her instincts were amazing, and I pray that God grows me and gives me a heart to serve other people in such an innate way in the same way Jessica does. Thank you for that and the other countless things you did to help my wife during your time here. It did not go unnoticed!

5. God brings amazing good out of amazing hardship. I can't imagine being in as much pain as Carrie was in in those hours leading up to Elsie's birth. It had me fighting the tears back to see someone I love so much hurt so much. Then, all of a sudden, the tears changed from pain to joy when Elsie joined us. In the same way, the God-Man, Jesus Christ humbled himself in coming to earth, living a perfect life while under the same temptations we go through and then died the death that we deserved to die and bore the wrath of his Father for sins he didn't commit. It was the most horrible moment of injustice in human history. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God," John 1:12. Through the most incredible injustice, God brought the most incredible grace for those who repent of their sins and worship Jesus as God., and it took something that great to save a sinner like me (or any of the rest of us). I got to see a small glimpse of God bringing good out of pain through the birth of my daughter. A moment I will never forget.