I always told myself that one of these days I would use this photo blog to capture a moment beyond my sweet baby William... and it looks like today is the day. Although, I thought it would be pictures of Steven's business or an anniversary celebration or something besides a video of just ME (how narcissistic can I be?!?!)... but alas, here we are.
Our Thai teacher, Khru Som, is going to have her first baby at the beginning of December. So, we decided it would be fun to throw her a baby shower with all of her previous students. Since this isn't a typical thing you do in Thailand, we were excited to introduce her to this fun American tradition. Gifts, food, games and friends... what more could you want? :) But as I started thinking through the party, God kept putting it on my heart to share a little devotional with her. In Thai. (What?!?! No, God. No way... that would be so embarrassing.) But the more I told myself "no way", the more I felt convicted that this is what He was asking me to do. Having just transitioned into motherhood myself, I sensed that God was asking me to share what I've learned through the process.
So, even though I still felt completely ridiculous doing this in Thai among my peers (those are always the hardest people to speak in front of), I determined in my heart and mind that I was going to honor God and Khru Som with this devotional...however messy it turned out.
And you know what? I actually don't remember what I said that night or how I even said it. It was kind of a blur. All I know is that I felt God's presence with me along with an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for the work He has done in both Steven and I since coming to Thailand. It's been quite the journey. And He has been faithful.
So, here's the short devotional. Khru Wan, Khru Som's mom, asked that I record it for her. Apparently it blessed her heart and she wanted to be able to share it with other family and friends. I felt foolish recording it (and now for posting it), but I wanted this in our "Sauder Snapshots" to serve as a reminder. A reminder of how far we've come (and how far we still have left to go), but also of how good God has been to us. What a gift He has given us in allowing us to be here, learning a different language and culture, sharing our lives with such beautiful people. I'm humbled to be a part of something so miraculous. Thanks for choosing us, God. And thanks for choosing incapable, screwed up people like us to manifest your glory.
English translation:
I had this idea of sharing just a short devotional with you tonight. My hope is that you would remember this long after you've had your baby... In America, when you're at a baby shower, everyone talks about their birth story or what it's like trying to raise a child. But, I just want to take this opportunity to share with you something that I think is much more important.
You already know this, but I just went through this experience not too long ago. I knew that becoming a mom would be hard, but it was harder than I expected. For the last twenty some years, I have only had to take care of myself. If I wanted to sleep, I could sleep. If I wanted to go out, I could go out. But having a baby changed everything. In one day, I was suddenly responsible for another life. And unfortunately, you are going to sleep a lot less than you did before and you won't feel like yourself. Sometimes, in the beginning, you'll feel like a crazy person.
BUT... (and praise God there's a BUT!)
But, all your sacrifices will be worth it because of how much you love your child. You will learn and experience a love that is so incredibly deep. Every mom here understands this. It's a hard thing to understand before you become a mom, but when you first see your child's face and hold him in your arms you will experience this incredible love. This love is a whole new kind of love.
And it doesn't stem from anything that he will do. Because in the beginning all he'll do is eat, sleep, poop and cry. But you will love him because he is your son. He doesn't need to do anything to earn your love. We love our children because they are ours.
We are really excited for you to experience this kind of love. But more so, once you understand a mother's love, you will better understand the love of God. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." This verse means that just like you will love your son, God loved His Son, Jesus. But because God also loved us, God allowed His Son to suffer and die on the cross for us. God did this because our sin had separated from God. Because God is holy, He could not be in relationship with something unclean. Just like water and oil... they cannot mix. BUT... Jesus was the only person without sin. And therefore, Jesus died to take the punishment for us. Now we can have a restored relationship with God because Jesus took our sin and paid the price for us all. This is the greatest love of all.
So, every time you see look at the face of your child, I wanted you to be reminded of two things:
1) God loves you so very much. God sacrificed His Son so that you could have a relationship with Him.
2) God loves you like He loves His own Son. If you believe in God, you are His child. Just like you love your son, you don't have to do anything to earn God's love. God loves you simply because you are His.
Khru Som, this example is a small picture of God's great love for you. We are so excited for you to not only experience what it's like to love your child, but also what it's like to feel so loved by God.
Our Thai teacher, Khru Som, is going to have her first baby at the beginning of December. So, we decided it would be fun to throw her a baby shower with all of her previous students. Since this isn't a typical thing you do in Thailand, we were excited to introduce her to this fun American tradition. Gifts, food, games and friends... what more could you want? :) But as I started thinking through the party, God kept putting it on my heart to share a little devotional with her. In Thai. (What?!?! No, God. No way... that would be so embarrassing.) But the more I told myself "no way", the more I felt convicted that this is what He was asking me to do. Having just transitioned into motherhood myself, I sensed that God was asking me to share what I've learned through the process.
So, even though I still felt completely ridiculous doing this in Thai among my peers (those are always the hardest people to speak in front of), I determined in my heart and mind that I was going to honor God and Khru Som with this devotional...however messy it turned out.
And you know what? I actually don't remember what I said that night or how I even said it. It was kind of a blur. All I know is that I felt God's presence with me along with an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for the work He has done in both Steven and I since coming to Thailand. It's been quite the journey. And He has been faithful.
So, here's the short devotional. Khru Wan, Khru Som's mom, asked that I record it for her. Apparently it blessed her heart and she wanted to be able to share it with other family and friends. I felt foolish recording it (and now for posting it), but I wanted this in our "Sauder Snapshots" to serve as a reminder. A reminder of how far we've come (and how far we still have left to go), but also of how good God has been to us. What a gift He has given us in allowing us to be here, learning a different language and culture, sharing our lives with such beautiful people. I'm humbled to be a part of something so miraculous. Thanks for choosing us, God. And thanks for choosing incapable, screwed up people like us to manifest your glory.
English translation:
I had this idea of sharing just a short devotional with you tonight. My hope is that you would remember this long after you've had your baby... In America, when you're at a baby shower, everyone talks about their birth story or what it's like trying to raise a child. But, I just want to take this opportunity to share with you something that I think is much more important.
You already know this, but I just went through this experience not too long ago. I knew that becoming a mom would be hard, but it was harder than I expected. For the last twenty some years, I have only had to take care of myself. If I wanted to sleep, I could sleep. If I wanted to go out, I could go out. But having a baby changed everything. In one day, I was suddenly responsible for another life. And unfortunately, you are going to sleep a lot less than you did before and you won't feel like yourself. Sometimes, in the beginning, you'll feel like a crazy person.
BUT... (and praise God there's a BUT!)
But, all your sacrifices will be worth it because of how much you love your child. You will learn and experience a love that is so incredibly deep. Every mom here understands this. It's a hard thing to understand before you become a mom, but when you first see your child's face and hold him in your arms you will experience this incredible love. This love is a whole new kind of love.
And it doesn't stem from anything that he will do. Because in the beginning all he'll do is eat, sleep, poop and cry. But you will love him because he is your son. He doesn't need to do anything to earn your love. We love our children because they are ours.
We are really excited for you to experience this kind of love. But more so, once you understand a mother's love, you will better understand the love of God. In John 3:16 it says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son. That whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." This verse means that just like you will love your son, God loved His Son, Jesus. But because God also loved us, God allowed His Son to suffer and die on the cross for us. God did this because our sin had separated from God. Because God is holy, He could not be in relationship with something unclean. Just like water and oil... they cannot mix. BUT... Jesus was the only person without sin. And therefore, Jesus died to take the punishment for us. Now we can have a restored relationship with God because Jesus took our sin and paid the price for us all. This is the greatest love of all.
So, every time you see look at the face of your child, I wanted you to be reminded of two things:
1) God loves you so very much. God sacrificed His Son so that you could have a relationship with Him.
2) God loves you like He loves His own Son. If you believe in God, you are His child. Just like you love your son, you don't have to do anything to earn God's love. God loves you simply because you are His.
Khru Som, this example is a small picture of God's great love for you. We are so excited for you to not only experience what it's like to love your child, but also what it's like to feel so loved by God.
