Reflections from the Delivery Room

On Thursday, January 28, I stood beside my wife, Brandi, in a hospital room as she gave birth to our second son, Asher Mark. For clarification’s sake, my head was buried into her pillow because I figured better for me to be present and alert than passed out from seeing too much. My stomach does not do well when my eyes have been over-exposed to too much blood and other body fluids. The word squeamish comes to mind.

Nevertheless, any parent knows the overwhelming joy of having a child. God has been gracious to us in that now we have two boys, both of whom are healthy and happy.
Now that some time has passed, I have been able to reflect on those events in different ways. God has reminded me of several things during these last days and weeks. Some of those things have been the joy of family, the care of the church, and the privilege of life.

Both my immediate family and my in-laws were present at the hospital the day of Asher’s birth. Their love has been unspeakably great. My sister, Stephanie, even drove to Chattanooga from northeast Pennsylvania where she attends school to be around for the birth. Our families have been an encouragement to us both in good times and in bad. And we are forever indebted to them for our spiritual heritage, which we will now pass on to our children.

We are also grateful for our church family. They were faithful to provide meals and other gifts to us before, during, and after our stay in the hospital. They truly are the hands and feet of Christ, Who is the Head of the body, His church (Colossians 1:18). They too have seen us through the highs and lows of life, and they continue to practice what is preached and taught from the Word of God.

Finally, God reminded me of the privilege of life. The blessings of my own life are evident, and I certainly am not worthy of them. But each life is precious in the Lord’s eyes, and Asher’s is no different. We have tremendous opportunities because of the life on earth that we have. Our goal as parents is to influence our children to love the Lord and serve Him. We want our lives to be living testimonies of God’s work. If our children learn this from us, then they too can pass it on to their children, and to their generation.