Seek First- Introduction

This month, I am trying something new!  Last month I had the privilege of speaking several places on the topic of “Partnering with the Potter.” Simply put, “Partnering with the Potter” means acknowledging that God has uniquely created each child He’s gifted to us. Our job as moms is to join God in the amazing task of “calling out the masterpiece” in each child. In attempt to walk alongside the many moms who have let me know this “call” is the desire of their hearts, I am going to post a devotion each day of March. I wrote this parent resource years ago as the cry of my heart. This particular daily devotion series is built on the idea that if we as parents SEEK FIRST the kingdom of Heaven, our children will see authentic faith. As we fill up on the Word of God, our children will get the blessing of receiving the “overflow” that comes from a life energized by Jesus Christ.  May these simple devotions draw us each closer to the Potter’s heart as we celebrate the UNIQUE lives He’s entrusted to our care.

                                                   Day One:  Introduction
                               Unique…From the Moment Life Began

“Do you want a chance to peek through God’s eyes for a moment?” I asked our befuddled children as their Daddy oozed a cold clear gel onto my slightly protruding stomach and flipped the switch on a machine that looked strangely like a small television. A mysterious scavenger hunt had led us here, to an empty clinic room, in the quiet of a summer’s night in June of 2006. A family picnic at the park had quickly turned into an adventure as I had given each child a type-written riddle and a small gift wrapped in tissue paper. A package of tiny white socks had accompanied the cryptic message about two little feet that would soon run across the backyard. A vinyl baby bib had preceded the note about a new mouth that would join our mealtime “chatter and chew.” And a Bible marked to Psalm 139 had served as the finale reminding our children of God’s wonderful works. The gift-wrapped clues had seemed obvious to me, as I sheltered the twelve-week-old fetus in my womb. But our unsuspecting children remained confused as we flipped on the ultrasound screen and Rob moved the probe over my stomach.


“What is that?” their Dad asked as a wiggling grey shape appeared on the screen. The kids stared mystified. Then the baby’s tiny arm moved as if he were waving hello.


“It’s a baby!” seven-year-old Luke whispered with astonishment. His eyes moved from the screen to the sight of his dad’s fingers resting on the ultrasound probe atop of my stomach. Suddenly, my firstborn made the connection. “It’s OUR BABY!” he declared loudly while his sisters clapped their hands in glee and I blinked back unexpected tears. Then for a moment, we all gazed upon the handiwork of God dancing across the miniature screen. And I whispered, “Isn’t it fun to look through God’s eyes?”


Later that night, as I tucked my tired children into bed, my five-year-old daughter Lizzy said to me, “Mom, it is fun to see through God’s eyes. But it would be more fun to read His mind! He already knows WHO our baby is.”


And so He did. From the moment of conception, God knew that the unexpected gift of our fourth-born was a little boy with a shy grin and a contagious zest for life. He knew that Joshua David was the brother for which my eldest son had steadfastly prayed for five years. He knew that this little boy would capture his sisters’ hearts and offer his Daddy a second chance to enjoy fatherhood with a newborn. God knew already as we peered at the gray blob of life on that ultrasound screen that this one little boy-created and chosen by Him-would bring a certain mother to her knees in prayer and would deliver unsolicited joy to our entire family.


Yes, God KNOWS. He knows the shape and the story of our lives long before we take our first breath. As King David so eloquently penned in Psalm 139:15-16: “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”


This week, as you seek first, celebrate with the Author of Life the story that He has been writing from the moment of conception! Because His story is your story and His story is your children’s story as well.

Today’s Treasure:  We are the clay and you are the potter.  We all are formed by your hand. -Isaiah 64:8