This last week we were blessed on Wednesday with the birth of our second granddaughter, Haley Grace.  She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 21 inches long.  She was healthy in all respects and both she and her mom are doing very well.  She is a perfect complement to her big sister Avery Elizabeth!  Haley and her mom were able to come home  Thursday night and my wife (aka “Nana”) and I were there to meet them along with big sister Avery who is 22 months old and excited to have her baby sister in the house.  She will have an adjustment period as she is used to receiving all of mom and dad’s attention but I know that with God’s grace it will all work out okay.

I am so excited about having another granddaughter!  I am so excited about all the wonderful things these girls will experience and accomplish in their lives.  The other night, we looked at Haley’s hands and feet and wondered if they would be the hands and feet of a doctor or nurse, a teacher or an artist, a homemaker or any number of other equally special and wonderful roles in life.  I remarked to her father that with these two girls I thought he had a point guard and a power forward in the house, a shortstop and second baseman.  I dreamed of the games, the recitals, the plays and the programs I would attend.  I dreamed of watching as these two adorable young ladies grow up.  Yes, I have plans for these ladies.  I have been making plans since before they wore born.  I have loved them and cherished them before their parents even decided on their names.  It is amazing the love, the care and concern a parent can have for their children and grandchildren.  It is reminiscent of the love that God has for us; a love that David describes in Psalm 139:13 -16.  David bows his head in amazement at the Lord’s love for him and says:

 “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”   Psalm 139:13 – 16

The Lord has uniquely crafted each and every one of us.  We are all special – all of us.  Just like that Oscar Meyer song, “Big kids, little kids, kids who climb on rocks.  Short kids, tall kids, even kids with Chicken Pox!”  All of us are special!  We are all indeed fearfully and wonderfully made!  The Lord created us, the Lord knew us and cared for us and ordained unique and awesome plans for every one of us even before we were born.  And whether we are doctors or nurses, teachers or an artists, homemakers or any other role, we are special because we are creations of Almighty God!  And He has plans for us!  There are awesome things the Lord desires to do in our lives.  Before momma knew our names, the Lord knew our name and everything else about us!  He knew all the good things, He knew all the bad things and yet He still loved us enough to send His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins.  The Lord has plans for us.  Those plans include knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Do you know Christ in that way?  Have you ever asked the Lord for forgiveness?  It is so simple and so easy to do.  It needs to be simple because all of us have sinned and that sins separates us from God. The bible says that whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.  When we do, we are forgiven and reconciled, put back in a right relationhip with God.   If you have never asked for the forgiveness that is found in Christ, why not do it today and fulfill that part of God’s plan for your life?

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com