Oh Baby: 14 Devotions for New ParentsSample

Your Child is a Gift From God

Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in My name welcomes Me. MARK 9:37 CSB

In some ways, life gets more complicated with a baby. Free time is no longer your own. Logistics and schedules become a way of life. But in other ways, a baby changes everything for the simpler. There’s something downright spiritual about snuggling a newborn asleep on your chest. And you have no choice but to go at the speed of your baby’s development—with eating, with diapers, with tummy time and rolling over and giggles and all the milestones we’ve been trained to look for. With a baby in the picture, we begin to see life in its infancy again. When everything feels new to us, and everything is new for the tiny human we’re in charge of, we somehow begin to unhinge from habits and expectations. Our world gets a little smaller—at least for a while—as we focus on what’s right in front of us.

There’s no mistake that God has designed babies to need us for absolutely everything. He surely knew, when He organized life, that adults would need to be shaken out of their know-it-all stupor from time to time. He knew that we would need to be reminded to slow down and see the simplicity of pure trust. Because babies grow, they become more independent, but they still turn to their parents for help and support. They instinctively know that they need Mama or Daddy and can count on them. And as we watch our little ones discover our love for them, we get to relate it to God’s love for His own children.

God loves children. He feels very strongly about them—about protecting them, guiding them in His way, and loving them with His whole heart. When He entrusts us with a baby, He gives us a part of Himself. So when we sit with our babies, we would do well to marvel at what He’s given us: the proof that He loves us beyond measure and thinks a lot about our ability to care for what He cares so strongly and passionately for.

Prayer:

Father, Your love for me is overwhelming, and I can feel it through the gift of my baby. I commit to loving this child as purely and as deeply as I possibly can, shepherding this gift You’ve given with my whole heart.