Worth It

Today is my son's 8th birthday.  This makes today also my 8th birthday since I got a new identity that day: Mama.

Over the past few days, I've been thinking about those events surrounding his birth and the emotions surrounding them - fear, anticipation, uncertainty, joy.  This morning, a new thought occurred to me.

During Nathan's birth, I was injured pretty badly.  I will spare you the details (and myself the embarrassment), but let's put it this way: while new Moms are usually out of bed (either by choice or by insistence of the nurse) not long after the birth, I was still in the bed, hooked up to most everything, two days later.  What happened wasn't anyone's fault, and thankfully Nathan wasn't hurt in any way.  It was just one of those things.

The recovery wasn't fun, and while I have long-since healed, I still deal with some consequences from time to time.  But you know what?  He was worth it.  Absolutely worth it.  If I had it to do all over again, I'd - well, I'd have a C-section.  :-)  If that wasn't possible, though, I'd go through it all again without question.

Every now and then, most often when I'm thinking about my children, it's as though God clears His throat to say, "I've been trying to tell you this!"  It happened again this morning.  I understood more clearly than I have in a long time that Jesus, if given the choice, would do it all over again for me, without question.  Yes, the pain He endured on Good Friday was indescribable (not even in the same universe as labor pain), but He has no regrets.  He thinks I was worth it.  Absolutely worth it.  Ungrateful, wretched sinner me.

He feels that way about you, too.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  ~Romans 5:8 (NASB)

I love you, too, Nathan.  Thank You, Jesus, for the unspeakable gifts of salvation and motherhood. 

When God Spoke ... and I Misunderstood

Twenty years ago today, I was a 20-year-old co-ed at Auburn University.  I had a small group of close friends including the two pictured with me below, was active in my church, and was just generally progressing through my courses.  The guy I thought was going to follow me to Auburn didn't.  A couple of crushes from my freshman year had come to nothing.  And while the Summer after my freshman year turned out to be the unexpected Summer of Two Boyfriends, neither one had proven to be long-term.

This was during the time when Evangelism Explosion was all the rage in Baptist churches, and Lakeview Baptist in Auburn was no different.  I had attended the orientation meeting for EE a few months prior but felt that the Lord was not leading me in that direction (which was pretty surprising at the time).  However, in January the classes started up again and, with a lot less on my plate for that term, I sensed the All Clear to go ahead with the training.

I showed up to the meeting all alone.  While there, I learned that everyone would be assigned to a team of three people.  My name was called out by the leader.  "Laura, you'll be with Russ and David."  I had no idea who he was talking about, so I went around the room asking, "Are you Russ?  Are you David?"  Eventually, I found them.  (David is on the left, Russ is on the right.)

After some brief introductions, the three of us headed out to Russ's car.  He had already been trained as a leader in EE, so David and I were about to get some on-the-job training in visiting some students who had recently attended a service at Lakeview.  Before heading out, Russ prayed.

Now, I have to tell you that I am not one of those people who go around saying "God told me this" or "God told me that."  Gentle Spirit nudges, yes.  But an actual voice, no.  This was different.  While Russ was praying, I heard - as clear as a bell - "Laura, I'd like you to meet your One" (because, like all good church girls, I was looking for The One, and God, being omniscient, knew the terminology that I used).  I actually opened my eyes to see if anyone else had heard what I heard.  Nope, just me.

Now, there were two guys in the car with me, but it didn't occur to me to ask God which One He was talking about.  I naturally assumed that He must mean the one praying.  (To date, Russ is the most awesome pray-er I know.)  So when I got back to my dorm room, I told my roommate, the girls pictured above, and my mother (on the phone), that I had met my One.  "What's his name?" they asked.  "Russ Lynch!" I answered.

Note: my married name is Laura Baggett, not Laura Lynch. (I've always thought the double L thing would be fun.  Also, I once had a crush on someone almost exclusively because of his last name.  Seriously, don't you love the sound of Laura Heatherly??  But I digress....)

I've written more about The Rest of the Story here and here, if you're interested.  Also, I never did complete that story, but I'll do that if anyone seems to care.  It's really a pretty unique love story involving tragedy, triumph, and a little black dress. 

So, as my 7-year-old son put it last night, today is the 20th Anniversary of us Being Met.  I've been reminded by my husband on several occasions that I said, more than once, "Please don't let me marry that boring David Baggett!"  But these past 20 years - including 15 years of marriage - have been anything but boring.  I love you, David, and I'm so grateful that God assigned me to your team, both then and now.

40 Things in 40 Years

So tomorrow's the big day - I will be 40 years old.  Wow.  Typing that kind of reminds me of the first time I said out loud, "I'm pregnant," to the appointment-maker at the obstetrician's office.  She asked me if I was sure.  I told her I had 4 positive pregnancy tests.  She chuckled and said, "Bless your heart."

There was no denying the truth of those pregnancy tests (which were joyful, by the way), and there's no denying that a person born on November 1, 1973, will turn 40 years old on November 1, 2013.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm totally stealing an idea from my sister who wrote 35 things she had learned before her 35th birthday.  Here are 40 things I have learned in my first 40 years:

1.  Very few people - including myself - look best in light pastel colors.  Or mustard yellow.
2.  Hair color and wall paint are the two best kinds of therapy.
3.  Homestead Resort Tea Room Cream (at Lowe's) is the most awesome paint color.  It's one of those rare yellows that is cheery without being obnoxious.  (See #1 and #2).
4.  Weight Watchers.  "Because it works."  It's not fast or flashy, but it works - when I stick to it.
5.  Although I wish I could speed up my decision-making, I can't think of a single deliberated choice that I now regret.
6.  Proverbs 31 doesn't mean what we think it means.  This post has been revolutionary for me.
7.  Most adults who hate math developed that feeling at some point in elementary school.  I shudder to project the future effects of Common Core.
8.  I don't really love math.  It's just something that has always come easily for me - well, until graduate school, but that's a whole other post.
9.  I have decided to stop reading student evaluations.  It's always  lots and lots of "She's awesome!" followed by that one disgruntled "She's the worst teacher I've ever had!"  Guess which one sticks with me....
10.  Online learning is not for people who "don't have time" for regular classes.
11.  When in doubt, buy the one with the middle price.  The cheap one will fall apart.  The expensive one usually isn't worth the extra money.  One exception to this: toilet paper.  Never skimp on toilet paper.
12.  My bottle-fed babies were/are healthy and highly intelligent.  This is solely by the grace of God, not by the particular protein they consumed.  If you don't believe the Mommy Wars really exist, try mixing up a bottle of formula in a Moms Group.
13.  Garnier Age-Defying BB cream is great stuff.
14.  I love my crockpot.  In fact, I have two of them.
15.  My best crockpot tip: Cook up a bunch of chicken breasts all day or overnight, shred it up, and freeze in 1 cup portions.  Then you're ready for all sorts of other recipes.
16.  Jane Austen is awesome.  I have no idea how I failed to discover her writing until I was 33 years old.
17.  Sometimes it takes a Mr. Wickham to open our eyes to a Mr. Darcy.  (See #16.)  This certainly proved true in my life.
18.  I'm comfortable teaching a large group of people, and I'm comfortable being a wallflower.  Small groups are extremely challenging for me.
19.  Sleepovers are never fun after midnight.  Anyone who has ever attended a Lock-In or watched Gremlins knows this to be true.
20.  I much prefer to shop alone - or, on rare occasions, with my mother.  The same goes for cooking.
21.  The Bible really is living and active.  I'm still learning new things.  This is because the Author attends all of the readings.
22.  Only marry someone who is your best friend.  Romantic feelings will ebb and flow.  Marry someone whose company you prefer above all others'.
23.  I don't understand people who marry their opposites.
24.  I'm still trying to figure out what Biblical submission really looks like.  Neither extreme has worked out very well.  It's probably like Andy Stanley said about something else entirely (not a direct quote), "It's not a problem to be solved but a tension to be maintained."
25.  I still don't really feel like a grown woman.  However, I did come close one time.  It wasn't after I got married or after the births of my children.  It was the first time I put a garage door opener in my car after we bought our first house.  For some reason, in my mind, garage door opener = grown-up.
26.  One of the biggest challenges in homeschooling: pencils.  Mechanical leads constantly break.  Good sharpeners must be hiding out with the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot.
27.  The best parts of homeschooling: reading aloud to my children, hugs, individualized pacing, and field trips.
28.  Your identity - how others view you and you view yourself - will change multiple times.  Case in point: my childhood friends might be very surprised to know that the vast majority of my friends of the past few years don't even know that I can play the piano.  
29.  All people are basically the same, wherever you go.
30.  Wherever you go, there you are.  You can never expect a new location to fix all of your problems.
31.  Moving is ALWAYS a big ol' pain.
32.  It takes about a year to feel at home in a new town.  A new house takes about a month - at least.
33.  While others' opinions should often be considered, they're not as important as I used to think.
34.  Going contrary to your Mama's opinion does not get easier with age.
35.  Everyone should keep a gratitude journal.
36.  Football atmosphere is always better at an SEC school - even Vanderbilt.  I expected Georgia Tech games to feel like Auburn games.  I was wrong.  And the University of Washington is not even in the same league when it comes to fan enthusiasm.
37.  Facebook and texting are the best things ever for introverts.
38.  I'm so glad I was alive and cognizant during the 1980s.  Music, hairstyles, the President - all awesome.
39.  You will become like the people with whom you spend the most time.
40.  Never start a sentence to your husband with, "My mother thinks...."

So, what have you learned in your x years?  Agree or disagree with any of mine?  Anybody else got a "momentous" birthday coming up?





This post may be linked up to one or more of the following blog parties.  Check them out! Monday: Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie Wednesday: Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family Friday: 5 Minute Friday at The Gypsy Mama, Company Girl Coffee at Home Sanctuary, Pieces of Amy Other days: A Wise Woman Builds Her Home