From Baby to Young Man

I am holding my new baby, reveling in his little fingers, his perfect ears, his fuzzy downy head. He sleeps, he eats, and does little else, and still I am awed by him. I am especially awed when he so quickly stops crying when he is transferred to my arms. What a responsibility I have! And still I wonder, "Where did this masterpiece come from? Certainly not from inside me!" I know this child is mine, and yet I have this feeling that he is not really mine at all. He is a gift sent from above (his middle name 'Matthew' means 'gift from God'), placed ever so gently in my arms for safe keeping. Aren't babies such a wonderful introduction to parenthood?

Contrast him with my oldest boy, who was once a seven-pound sack of potatoes himself and is now as tall as me. He longs to be with his dad and his friends more than he longs to be with me. He faces the temptation to be on the computer all day, or to be lazy and self-centered. And he will soon (sooner than I like!) start thinking about leaving home. I almost can't believe that thirteen years ago this Saturday, I became a mother for the first time. Never could I have imagined then the man that my baby would become. I only saw an adorable, kissable, helpless (but sometimes very loud!) little person. I didn't know (not exactly anyway) what my role in his life was besides feeding, cleaning, and protecting him. I didn't understand then what it meant to guide this little person to manhood.

This is one of the benefits now of being a 'veteran' mom. When I see my newest bundle of joy, I am able to see beyond the chubby cheeks, flailing arms, and the cries for attention. I see past my days of breastfeeding and my nights of interrupted sleep. This little person will someday need guidance in making wise decisions, will someday need lessons in self-control, truthfulness, and diligence, will someday actually seek out independence– step by step he will start walking his own path until the day he sets out by himself.

And this is my task as mom. Each of my children has his journey to discover. Whether the child is nine days or thirteen years old, I am helping him on that journey, which, with much prayer, will lead him to the throne of the One who made him.

Call the Action League! (or More On Superpowers)

It all started with my son's green hooded bath towel. He would run around the house with the towel flapping behind him, stopping every now and then to practice his karate moves on a pillow or his sister. I nicknamed the little boy 'Green Ghost', which he quickly and enthusiastically embraced as his alter ego.

Soon his little sister joined him in his game (maybe she was tired of being the practice dummy). Her towel had an octopus on the hood, so I called her 'Octopus Girl'. My husband designed superhero logos for them and drew cartoon versions of them, and the two loved being the heroes of their own adventures.

Now we have superhero names for all the children. Green Ghost, Octopus Girl, Flaming Marshmallow, the Climbist, Flying Cupcake, and Skygazer are all part of what we call the Action League. And I am Mega-mama, married to my ever faithful partner Dada-tron. We each have a t-shirt with our personal logo on it. We even have a theme song ("Call the Action League!") We don't have full-blown costumes (at least not yet) but the Action League is something that defines us and unites us as a family. When my sixth child was born at home, his siblings decided together that they all need to wear their superhero T-shirts that day to welcome him into our family.

But there is something more to the Action League. Just as the Avengers, the Incredibles, or the members of Big Hero 6 must learn to use their individual strengths cooperatively in order to save the world, our little band can do great things if we acknowledge and cultivate each person's individual talents and practice using them in ways to build each other up. As each child joined our family, he/she brought something unique to contribute to the 'team'.

So when my more serious child begins to get annoyed with his sillier sibling, I remind him that his sibling's silliness can be a gift to him. My husband likes to point out each child's strengths, not as a way of comparison, but to say, "God designed you to be you! He has a specific plan for you!" My artistic children are not artistic in the same way. My musical children are not musical in the same way. Even my husband and I are not musical in the same way! And that's just the tip of the iceberg! We choose to practice showing appreciation, rather than aggravation, for the differences that we each bring to the marriage. Even a simple "Thank you for doing that" can be so encouraging!

And here's my favorite part. (You knew it was coming!) My family is a constant reminder of how the body of Christ is meant to function: as individuals unified through ultimate grace, with one purpose– to glorify God– and one goal– to spread the Gospel of His love. The apostle Paul writes about this in three of his epistles:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them… ~Romans 12:3-6a 

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. ~Ephesians 4:11-16

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ~I Corinthians 12:4-7

(All of I Corinthians 12 is worth reading, especially in light of the fact that it leads directly into the famous 'Love Chapter'.)

So here's your assignment, if you choose to accept it. In your family, or your Bible study, or your circle of friends, or within your greater church body, how can you show appreciation for those whose gifts are different from yours? Is there any bitterness, envy, or annoyance that you need to confess? Any forgiveness or apologies that need to be given? And what is the action step you need to take from here in order to build up the Body in love?

How I Discovered My Superpowers

"This looks like a job for… Rita Baird!"

Okay, the truth is, I've never said that. And there is no Bat Signal illuminating the sky (I wouldn't see it anyway, since I prefer to sleep as much as I can when it's dark) or Jimmy Olson calling me on his signal watch (unless my husband changes his name to Jimmy and suddenly decides to get an iWatch). But when a friend needs a place to sleep, or a home-cooked meal, or a babysitter, or just some extra loving, my call to action is four simple words:

Sure, come on over!

It's your birthday? I'll whip up some chocolate cupcakes!

Your kids are here for a playdate? I can make cookies or popcorn.

Having a hard week? I'll double dinner and drop off a potpie and visit with you for a bit.

Who knew that under this ordinary-suburban-mom exterior were these amazing superpowers lying dormant all these years? 

Tsk, you scoff. That's not a superpower. Almost anyone can do that!

Which is true. My superpowers are not elasticity, invisibility, or telekinesis; rather, they are hospitality, flexibility, generosity, and a love for baking. But still, not everyone has those qualities! And there are plenty of things that I can NOT do. So while other people have their talents, I have mine, and I have recently realized that just because my talents are commonplace doesn't mean they are not special. With my specific God-given skill set, I can do all I can in the here and now to serve the people I come in contact with. The best part? I didn't need to be zapped by gamma rays (and turn mean and green) or get bitten by a radioactive spider (ew! and ouch!) to use my superpowers!

So, what are your superpowers? How has God uniquely shaped you? How can you use your talents to serve and build His Kingdom? Is there a step of faith that you have hesitated to take? Is now the time? 

"With great power comes great responsibility," right?