Twelve years ago today, after four very easy hours of labor, our son, Caleb, came into this world. He was such a good baby – very sweet, slept a lot, really not any trouble at all. That’s pretty much the way the rest of his ten years went.
You know, life is really strange sometimes. When your child is born, you just naturally assume that you’ll never have to experience life without them. Little did we know, as we stroked his little head, that ten years was all we were going to have with him. I’m strangely comforted, though, in the fact that God knew. He had a mission for Caleb from the very start and knew that his journey would be shorter than most.
It’s natural for me to want to speculate about Caleb on his birthday or any random day, really. I want to wonder how tall he would have been now, how he would have liked middle school, if he would have had a girlfriend. But I’ve realized that there is no use in speculating. Caleb was never meant to turn twelve today. As hard as that is to swallow, God had a ten-year mission for him on this side of eternity. That’s all. We can “what if” and “how come” until we’re blue in the face, but the fact is that God has all of our days written out and that His plan supercedes all.
Our son’s life has and will continue to touch others. Whether it’s someone hearing of his faith or how God has sustained us through these events, God WILL be glorified in this situation.
Please don’t get me wrong, friends. My heart is breaking on this milestone day. I can’t put into words how much I miss my son. It’s just that eternity seems so close sometimes. My husband was with our son as he slipped from one side of time to the other and it doesn’t seem that far away (and at other times seems like an eternity in itself!).
(Joshua - 16 months, Caleb - a few weeks old; March 1995)I will say it again and again. Each and every day is a gift from God. He promised us that it would be hard, but with His strength to get through it. I see His love and compassion through so many thinking of us today – friends who have, in the midst of their own busy lives and schedules, taken the time to remember that today is a notable on for our family. For that, I am so blessed and thankful.
God is good, my friends. Please rest in that today.
