where waves grow sweet

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:4 NASB

Thank you for your very kind response to my post about yesterday’s accident. I felt loved and encouraged. All is well. Cole popped a few advil and seems to be recovering from the jolt. The puppy, who was lounging comfortably on the backseat, is her normal peppy self. The baby appears to be just fine. I quit my moping and had a lovely day. John hammered out my hood when he got home from work and then took a long walk with me to a favorite restaurant (Zov’s…. mmmm). I am choosing to set aside any fear of poor driving choices, continue to do my best, and ask God for protection and wisdom each time I slide into the car. And, like this morning, I will gladly accept any offers John extends to drive Cole to school.

As I announced unceremoniously yesterday, I’m pregnant! Though we’ve known for six weeks, we are still having trouble wrapping our minds around the thought. It is joyful, exciting, and quite surreal. The baby is due at the beginning of October, five days before Cole’s 17^th birthday. Needless to say, it’s been a while since I’ve done this pregnancy thing. I’d forgotten the crazy things that happen to your body as it yields itself to create another. But, as I near the end of my first trimester, I feel slightly energized and increasingly hopeful about the things to come.

At six weeks, I had an ultrasound to verify the implication of the plus signs lined up on the counter in my bathroom. When the doctor identified an indiscernible speck on the screen as my baby, my heart melted. I put the ultrasound photo on the fridge and gazed at it several times a day, overwhelmed with love for this tiny bean of a person.

Baby Luker at 9 weeks

At nine weeks, we had a bit of a scare which resulted in another ultrasound. I couldn’t believe the change that had occurred. The baby, now resembling a gummy bear, had a distinct head, body, and the cutest little limbs you ever saw. That ultrasound photo quickly replaced the first in its proud fridge position and tickles my heart every time I see it. Of course, the growth displayed in the next ultrasound will astonish and delight yet more, and it will go on and on until I’m holding a sweet little baby in my arms. And then the whole process will begin again.

What it really got me thinking about is the way the Lord sees us. To him, our existence melts his immense heart. He gazes at us. He loves us. He is proud that he made us. He isn’t disappointed when a truth conceived in our hearts is but a speck on the screen; when our six-week old ultrasound bears no resemblance to a real baby. He is excited about the seed – the start of things – just as he is excited about each stage of growth. He will care for us, delight in us, and do everything in his power to keep us on track for the birth of what he is forming in us, which will be complete and perfect, lacking nothing.