Renee Andrews's Blog - Posts Tagged "baby"
Merry Christmas!
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 (NIV)
About eighteen years ago, a homeless woman walked into the emergency room of an Atlanta hospital in labor. Shortly after, she delivered a baby girl. She said she wanted the child to have a better life than what she could provide, and she specified that she wanted the baby to be raised in a Christian home. A social worker from the Christian foster agency Agape met with her in the hospital and learned of her wishes. She held the baby before she gave her to the social worker, named her little girl and told the baby that she wanted her to have a good life, a life in the Lord.
That precious baby was born with a mother’s hope that she’d be raised loving her Lord and Savior. And then God blessed our family by putting that sweet baby in our home when she was merely two days old.
When I think about her mom showing up at that hospital in labor, I think about Mary arriving at the inn in Bethlehem. She and Joseph wanted their child to be loved. Christ’s Heavenly Father also wants His child to be loved.
Today, on Christmas, remember the birth of our Savior. Remember how precious it is to raise a child to grow up loving Him, knowing Him, adoring Him. Even though her mother couldn’t take care of her child physically, she took care of her spiritually by placing her in a Christian home. She knew how important it was for her little girl to know her Lord.
Faith Step: Today, while the world celebrates the birth of our Savior, take a moment to explain the miracle of Christ’s birth to a child. Raise your children the way that mother wanted her child to be raised, loving Our Lord! Merry Christmas!
Mondays with Jesus 2015
About eighteen years ago, a homeless woman walked into the emergency room of an Atlanta hospital in labor. Shortly after, she delivered a baby girl. She said she wanted the child to have a better life than what she could provide, and she specified that she wanted the baby to be raised in a Christian home. A social worker from the Christian foster agency Agape met with her in the hospital and learned of her wishes. She held the baby before she gave her to the social worker, named her little girl and told the baby that she wanted her to have a good life, a life in the Lord.
That precious baby was born with a mother’s hope that she’d be raised loving her Lord and Savior. And then God blessed our family by putting that sweet baby in our home when she was merely two days old.
When I think about her mom showing up at that hospital in labor, I think about Mary arriving at the inn in Bethlehem. She and Joseph wanted their child to be loved. Christ’s Heavenly Father also wants His child to be loved.
Today, on Christmas, remember the birth of our Savior. Remember how precious it is to raise a child to grow up loving Him, knowing Him, adoring Him. Even though her mother couldn’t take care of her child physically, she took care of her spiritually by placing her in a Christian home. She knew how important it was for her little girl to know her Lord.
Faith Step: Today, while the world celebrates the birth of our Savior, take a moment to explain the miracle of Christ’s birth to a child. Raise your children the way that mother wanted her child to be raised, loving Our Lord! Merry Christmas!
Mondays with Jesus 2015
The Lord looks at the Heart
“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
As we sat in the waiting room for labor and delivery, I listened to a woman sharing the news of her grandchild’s birth on the phone.
“He has ten fingers and ten toes. He’s absolutely perfect!”
I glanced to J.R., sitting beside me, and then to the other family members sitting with us and waiting for the birth of our third grandson. I know J.R. heard the comment and thought the same thing I did, but I am not certain whether our other family members heard the statement, and I didn’t point it out at the time.
Everyone was very sensitive to the topic then, because our grandson had yet to be born; however, from the ultrasounds that had occurred in the preceding months, we knew that he was missing at least one digit on his right hand. Now, I know the lady wouldn’t have ever made the statement if she had known, but even so, it stung.
Her grandson was absolutely perfect, she said. But all I could think was…
So is ours.
Ten fingers and ten toes doesn’t equate to perfection. In fact, one of our dearest friends was born without arms. But when I look at Mr. Dean, I don’t think about his disability. And when I look at our grandson Ryan, now three years old and thriving, I don’t even notice the difference in his fingers. He’s adjusted very well and uses both hands fine, even hitting a baseball on one of our recent trips to see him in Tennessee. But the main reason I don’t notice anything different with both of them is because I’m not looking at the outward appearance. I look at them…and feel love. I look at them…and see their hearts.
This Week: In everyone you meet this week, look beyond the superficial and see the real person beneath. Look at others the way God looks at us, so that you aren’t noticing anything…but the heart.
Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year
Renee Andrews
We love because He first loved us...
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
(Written by our youngest son, Kaleb Zeringue.)
Thursdays are my weekly marathon. I wake up, drive to Birmingham, spend a few hours there, drive straight back to Gadsden (an hour one way) to eat lunch and then head to the gym and coach until it's dark outside. Then I head home and rest.
The past two weeks I have had new motivation and anticipation for arriving back home. It's this little guy, Konrad Asher Zeringue, born June 8th.
What has he done to warrant such affection? To capture my thoughts and imagination all day on my busiest of days?
He has pooped on himself, every day since I met him, peed on me countless times, grunted so loudly in his sleep that he wakes me and his mom up. He really likes to grunt. He also throws both of his arms up when he sleeps, cries for me and his mom when we are right next to him, stares at me blankly as I desperately try to be the first one to make him laugh, makes hilarious faces when he sees sunlight and, most importantly, he's MY SON.
Such is the way with God, I think. We try so hard to impress God and earn his love and affection, but all the while, we are pooping everywhere, grunting in our sleep, crying when we don't feel Him or hear His voice (even when He is right next to us), and looking at Him blankly when we don't understand Him.
Konrad has not earned my affection, yet he has all of my affection and favor and love because he is my son. In the same way, you and I have not earned God’s love, but we have ALL of His affection and ALL of His Favor and ALL of His love…because we are His Sons and Daughters through the holy adoption that took place when Christ went to the cross and died for us.
This Week: If you have a baby in your home, pay attention to how many times he or she needs you on a daily basis. If you don’t, offer to babysit for a friend, so you can be reminded of how needy that little person is. Then imagine yourself as God sees you…as a child needing our heavenly Father. Praise God that He loves us even when we’re as needy and as messy as that precious (and sometimes needy and messy) bundle of joy!
Renee Andrews
(Written by our youngest son, Kaleb Zeringue.)
Thursdays are my weekly marathon. I wake up, drive to Birmingham, spend a few hours there, drive straight back to Gadsden (an hour one way) to eat lunch and then head to the gym and coach until it's dark outside. Then I head home and rest.
The past two weeks I have had new motivation and anticipation for arriving back home. It's this little guy, Konrad Asher Zeringue, born June 8th.
What has he done to warrant such affection? To capture my thoughts and imagination all day on my busiest of days?
He has pooped on himself, every day since I met him, peed on me countless times, grunted so loudly in his sleep that he wakes me and his mom up. He really likes to grunt. He also throws both of his arms up when he sleeps, cries for me and his mom when we are right next to him, stares at me blankly as I desperately try to be the first one to make him laugh, makes hilarious faces when he sees sunlight and, most importantly, he's MY SON.
Such is the way with God, I think. We try so hard to impress God and earn his love and affection, but all the while, we are pooping everywhere, grunting in our sleep, crying when we don't feel Him or hear His voice (even when He is right next to us), and looking at Him blankly when we don't understand Him.
Konrad has not earned my affection, yet he has all of my affection and favor and love because he is my son. In the same way, you and I have not earned God’s love, but we have ALL of His affection and ALL of His Favor and ALL of His love…because we are His Sons and Daughters through the holy adoption that took place when Christ went to the cross and died for us.
This Week: If you have a baby in your home, pay attention to how many times he or she needs you on a daily basis. If you don’t, offer to babysit for a friend, so you can be reminded of how needy that little person is. Then imagine yourself as God sees you…as a child needing our heavenly Father. Praise God that He loves us even when we’re as needy and as messy as that precious (and sometimes needy and messy) bundle of joy!
Renee Andrews
