Just a quick note to say that both Mommy and Baby are doing great! Thanks for the continued prayers and the awesome emails I've received from so many of you. You mean the world to me and I appreciate your friendship!
The past week has been one of adjusting to a new baby. All you parents out there have gone through this self-training regime which includes learning feeding schedules, performing diaper checks/changes, and asking each other strange questions such as "Is he still breathing?" and my personal favorite, "Should we let him sleep or will he be up all night?" It's a strange time, but it's also a fun time...
Anyway, since I was off work all last week, Marci and I spent our time efforting through this list of baby stuff, along with watching a lot of basketball on TV. We watched about four different conference tournaments, saw our beloved Wildcats get sacked, and as you can imagine, we'd had our fill of basketball by Sunday. While searching the 177 channels for something else, we settled on the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance". I had been wanting to watch it because it's about golf, but I soon became enthralled in the storyline because of it's spiritual undercurrent.
Matt Damon plays the part of an ex-golfing legend named Junuh that's lost his swing and pretty much gives up on everything in life. He has checked out from everything and everyone and turns his back on the world after a bad experience in WWI. Bagger literally materializes out of thin air and walks into Junuh's life one night. Long story short, Bagger guides and teaches Junuh how to get it all back. They go through ups and downs, highs and lows throughout and at the exact moment when Junuh decides he can't do it because he's not strong enough, Bagger tells him:
"Yes you can... but you ain't alone... I'm right here with ya... I've been here all along... Now play the game... Your game... The one that only you was meant to play... The one that was given to you when you come into this world... You ready?... Strike that ball Junuh don't hold nothin back give it everything... Now's the time... Let yourself remember... Remember YOUR swing... That's right Junuh, settle yourself... Let's go... Now is the time, Junuh..."
Parenting is hard.
Life is hard.
Being a child of God is hard.
We all face our share of trials and I've wanted to give up more than once and take the easy way out. When I look back on the times I've wanted to quit, I realize that those times were when I tried to do it on my own rather than with God. Just like Junuh was his own man, I could write another book about how pride has blinded me, and every other man on the earth. But then there's Bagger, calling to Junuh and letting him know that He's been with him since the day he was born, even if he didn't realize it. AND, there is no one else on earth that can do the job Junuh was picked (called) to do.
I don't know why things happen the way they do. But, after what Marci and I have faced lately, I realize that God's ways are higher than mine, and I can't comprehend them. I've also realized what suffering feels like. I've never hurt like I did the day Rylan died and was brought back by God as he guided the hands of the Doctors and nurses in the NICU. But I know that my pain that day was only a very small, pin point sized sample of the pain and suffering Christ endured for me.
Looking back on what I've refferred to as "The hardest day of my life", I now see that just like Bagger Vance was there with Junuh, the Holy Spirit was right there with Marci and I. He held our hand, cried with us, and guided the medical team as they saved our baby's life. He comforted us and took care of Will through this scary time. He never left us, not once.
Obviously, God has a big plan for Rylan and it's something he was born with that only he can do. And, the fact that our son Will saw these events unfold and will grow stronger because of them, has done nothing but reinforce the fact that he is also tabbed by God to play a big part in His plan. This foreshadowing of events in my son's futures makes me eager to see the whole game play out.
Now play the game Will and Rylan... Your game... The one that only you were meant to play...
The past week has been one of adjusting to a new baby. All you parents out there have gone through this self-training regime which includes learning feeding schedules, performing diaper checks/changes, and asking each other strange questions such as "Is he still breathing?" and my personal favorite, "Should we let him sleep or will he be up all night?" It's a strange time, but it's also a fun time...
Anyway, since I was off work all last week, Marci and I spent our time efforting through this list of baby stuff, along with watching a lot of basketball on TV. We watched about four different conference tournaments, saw our beloved Wildcats get sacked, and as you can imagine, we'd had our fill of basketball by Sunday. While searching the 177 channels for something else, we settled on the movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance". I had been wanting to watch it because it's about golf, but I soon became enthralled in the storyline because of it's spiritual undercurrent.
Matt Damon plays the part of an ex-golfing legend named Junuh that's lost his swing and pretty much gives up on everything in life. He has checked out from everything and everyone and turns his back on the world after a bad experience in WWI. Bagger literally materializes out of thin air and walks into Junuh's life one night. Long story short, Bagger guides and teaches Junuh how to get it all back. They go through ups and downs, highs and lows throughout and at the exact moment when Junuh decides he can't do it because he's not strong enough, Bagger tells him:
"Yes you can... but you ain't alone... I'm right here with ya... I've been here all along... Now play the game... Your game... The one that only you was meant to play... The one that was given to you when you come into this world... You ready?... Strike that ball Junuh don't hold nothin back give it everything... Now's the time... Let yourself remember... Remember YOUR swing... That's right Junuh, settle yourself... Let's go... Now is the time, Junuh..."
Parenting is hard.
Life is hard.
Being a child of God is hard.
We all face our share of trials and I've wanted to give up more than once and take the easy way out. When I look back on the times I've wanted to quit, I realize that those times were when I tried to do it on my own rather than with God. Just like Junuh was his own man, I could write another book about how pride has blinded me, and every other man on the earth. But then there's Bagger, calling to Junuh and letting him know that He's been with him since the day he was born, even if he didn't realize it. AND, there is no one else on earth that can do the job Junuh was picked (called) to do.
I don't know why things happen the way they do. But, after what Marci and I have faced lately, I realize that God's ways are higher than mine, and I can't comprehend them. I've also realized what suffering feels like. I've never hurt like I did the day Rylan died and was brought back by God as he guided the hands of the Doctors and nurses in the NICU. But I know that my pain that day was only a very small, pin point sized sample of the pain and suffering Christ endured for me.
Looking back on what I've refferred to as "The hardest day of my life", I now see that just like Bagger Vance was there with Junuh, the Holy Spirit was right there with Marci and I. He held our hand, cried with us, and guided the medical team as they saved our baby's life. He comforted us and took care of Will through this scary time. He never left us, not once.
Obviously, God has a big plan for Rylan and it's something he was born with that only he can do. And, the fact that our son Will saw these events unfold and will grow stronger because of them, has done nothing but reinforce the fact that he is also tabbed by God to play a big part in His plan. This foreshadowing of events in my son's futures makes me eager to see the whole game play out.
Now play the game Will and Rylan... Your game... The one that only you were meant to play...
