CHRISTCOMMUNITY CHURCH

Dad’s thoughts…

In the first few days of life there are a number of ‘firsts’. First meal, first bath, first dirty nappy… However the one which really stood out to me as a brand new father was the first time Lily fell asleep. Lily arrived almost 3 weeks earlier than expected and so it wasn’t until an hour or two after the chaos of the birth that I finally had the chance to reflect on the tiny miracle with which God had blessed us. Carly had just drifted off to sleep for a well earned rest and our baby girl was delicately perched in my arms. As she lay there, gazing at me with those big innocent eyes I felt an intense desire to pray. I remember asking God to bless her by opening her heart to know Jesus. I also prayed for His wisdom, love and graciousness to flow through Carly and I to our daughter. As I spoke to God I realised that Lily was slowly falling asleep. Her first ever sleep… in the arms of her father! All at once I was struck by the enormity of being a Dad. It was now Carly and my responsibility to care for, to nurture, to discipline and to love this little girl. At that instant I was more thankful than ever before that in God we have a loving father who is both an example and confidant to guide us and lead us through all of life’s challenges, including fatherhood! So I gladly join Joshua in the great refrain: “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15).

Mum’s thoughts…

After 3 years of Peter telling me that I don’t cope well with change, I think I am now ready to admit to it. To be honest I’m glad Lily came 3 weeks early because it didn’t even give me a chance to start thinking and stressing about giving birth – suddenly I was in the middle of it and there was no going back. What followed was a whirlwind of moving from one step of the process to another. It wasn’t until that first evening, after our family had left and we were trying to get to sleep that I started to reflect on what had just occurred. I suddenly realised that this new baby was completely dependent on me – I was her life line, her source of food and comfort. Thoughts of ‘I can’t do this’ and ‘I’m not ready’ filled my head. But just as I had earlier in the day I turned to God and remembered that just as Lily was dependent on me, I was completely dependent on our heavenly Father. And no matter how under-prepared I felt, He is completely dependable, loves both me and Lily and would give me the strength to be all I needed to be for her. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed as much as I have in the last few weeks (feeding an infant every 2 to 3 hours gives you an amazing amount of thinking time), but I feel secure in the knowledge that I am not alone and don’t have to worry because “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)