Saint Jude

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." (James 1:17)

So, I received the letter today that every church going parent fears. To quote, "What an exciting and challenging time to be a parent as you anticipate your little one going to the Worship Service soon!" Wow. Did I just read that right? This means that in August, just before I package my oldest, Jacob, up for kindergarden, I will spend a Sunday wrestling TWO little boys in "Big Church". Jude will be four, and when your child turns four at our church they begin to attend the worship service with their family. I called my husband and told him the news of our future church excperience. He sounded as shocked as I felt and I settled into a moment in the kitchen to imagine Corey and I taking turns dragging boys down the aisles of First Baptist.

It was in that same moment that I was reminded of another heart stopping moment in our family...my surprise blessing of Jude. Not many parents plan to get pregnant when their first child is a mere 6 months old, and having children as close together as we do was certainly not in the plans...Jude was a shock, a reminder that the plans of men and women can fall apart so quickly and life takes a turn that you never expected and you are thrown into a place where you are available (and vulnerable enough) to experience one of God's many surprise blessings. And Jude has been every bit blessing!

Jude was sick for just about the first 2 1/2 years of his life. He was tested for everything from parasites to cancer, from celiac disease to cystic fibrosis. It was an emotional rollercoaster that took me to places in my faith that I was scared to ever walk and have no desire to walk again, but I got to know my savior more deeply than I would have ever planned, and I hugged and kissed Jude more because of it. Jude is a bottle rocket of energy that surprises most everyone he encounters, but Jude has been more non-stop fun than most people could ever plan on becoming. Jude is extremely small for his age and in that tiny package you will find the loudest most contagious laughther, joy and smile. He is the child that makes you hold your breath at the Spring Choir performance and in the end will shout the lyrics to most of the songs, get in the car afterward and tell you, "Mommy I was so excited!" He is. Jude is just excited to be alive, and he honestly makes me more excited than I would be if God had not suprised us with him.

So I have decided to joyously anticipate this August when two boys will sit with their mom and dad in big church. I know that God will surprise me again, and make me laugh some too, as Jude will teach us something new and exciting about worship. I have a feeling Jude might have a new take on when to stand, sit or clap. He might have volume control "issues" if he gets too excited, or give honest answers to rhetorical questions. I may even feel a touch embarrassed here and there, but in the end, I have this feeling that God will be sitting on His throne smiling at one of His children so unbelievably taken with and taken away by the chance to worhip Jesus that he just cannot contain himself. And we will all be better for it.