come & listen

As you can see by the lack of posts, our blog has been getting pushed down the “to do” list. I wanted to take a second, though, and share a really cool moment we had with little Shelby right after she was born.

Early in the afternoon the three of us were relaxing in the hospital room. It was really peaceful as there were no nurses or visitors around, the hospital was quiet, and the ocean view brought a sense of calmness and serenity. I was sitting in a chair holding our sleeping baby, and Lindsey was resting in the bed beside me. Our hearts were full with a unique joy that only a newborn baby can bring. We had some music playing softly, and one of the songs that came on was “Come and Listen” by David Crowder Band:

Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.
Come and listen,
come and listen to what He’s done.
Let me tell you what He has done for me.
Let me tell you what He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

As we listened to these words, we both realized that this was our invitation to our precious Shelby Grace. In bringing her into the world, into our family, we were calling her to enter into relationship with not only us, but with a loving God. Through our lives, our love, our words, little Shelby can listen to the story of a Jesus who pursues us, rescues us, then holds us close. A God who takes hurts, insecurities, and fears, and brings beauty and redemption. As her parents, we will tell her the stories of God’s faithfulness and nearness. Our relationship will proclaim the freedom and rest that come from knowing the One who has called us His children. By giving grace to each other, Lindsey and I will put God’s grace on display to our daughter in a way no one else on earth can. And our shortcomings and unhealthy patterns of relating, that still show themselves frequently, will point to a God of mercy, patience, and forgiveness.

The song then continued into the chorus, which is a response to who God is and what He has done:

Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.

With these words repeating over and over, we cried as we held our 8 lb. tiny bundle of God’s goodness. There was no other appropriate response but tears of praise. After the song ended, we prayed and thanked God for this new little life, and asked that He would reveal Himself to our daughter through us.

So, with Him and because of Him, we invite Shelby to come and listen, come and listen to what He has done…