Happy Birthday Skylar Grace!

A conversation in the car this morning…

Sky: “I don’t want to listen to Veggie Tales today. Let’s hear something else.”

Me: “What should we hear?”

Sky: “How about some Black Keys? I love the Black Keys.”

Seriously, is she not the coolest three year old on the planet? She surprises us every day and brings so much life into our house. Today is her birthday, and in between working on her Dora cake and getting the food ready for her party tomorrow, I’ve been thinking about her birth three years ago.

I’ll never forget dressing her for the first time as we got ready to leave the hospital. It was just the two of us in the room. I zipped up her pink sleeper and looked into her dark blue eyes. She stared back into mine. And I thought, “Who is this little person and what will she be like?”

Right now Sky loves playing outside, making messes in the kitchen, Dora the Explorer, the swings at the park, popsicles, and bossing around her baby brother. But next year the list might be completely different. I didn’t know it would be this fun to watch her grow and change and learn things.

There is so much we want for our daughter. But one thing matters more than anything else. Just about every day I pray that Sky will grow up to be a woman of faith, with a heart that loves Jesus. I hope she learns that following God is not about being a good person or making all the right choices. It’s not about living a certain lifestyle or obeying a list of rules. It goes much deeper than that. It’s about letting the Holy Spirit open her eyes to the truth that Jesus died for her. Following Christ will cost her everything, but it’s the only way she’ll experience true life.

In a minute I’m going to frost Sky’s cake. I’m probably more excited for tomorrow than she is, though yesterday she repeatedly said, “Tell me about my birthday!” I’m excited for this next year and the years to come too. I hope we have many ahead of us. And I’m thankful to know that God and I both want the same thing for Skylar: a love for Christ that fills her heart, soul, and mind.

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” – Matthew 22:37