Father of Lights

I never really think about how quickly your world can be changed, whether through incredible gifts or hardships. In a whirlwind of emotion, activity, prayer, and thought, Laura Kate Wiley made her way into the world yesterday (Monday, May 12th 2008) at approximately 1:46pm, weighing in at 7lbs.12oz. and creating quite a stir among nurses, doctors, and other newborns in Covenant Lakeside's Labor & Delivery Section, not to mention her family and families loved ones. And now, as I sit here and look out across Maxey Lake (is that its name?), baseball parks, and a pre-summer thunderstorm-esque cloudbank rolling across Lubbock's skyline, and then back into this hospital room that has been our family's sanctuary for the past day and a half at the two most important and beautiful women in my life, I praise my God. I praise Him and my heart cries out from within a resounding "THANK YOU, LORD!!!" for these precious gifts of love in family and friendship.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

James 1:17

A lot of my posts over the last few weeks have focused on this struggle that Carrie and I have endured on over the course of these last few months, in preparing to leave our jobs and follow the Lord to the mission field. This means stepping away from family and friends here in Lubbock, away from the church that has been a home and an employer for the last three years, and away from really all that we have known. Yet, tonight, I can see that this is one of those "perfect" gifts that the Father of lights has given to my family.

I have such a great gift in my beautiful bride, and another great gift was given to me earlier this week. The Father of lights has been the one who has opened my eyes to how incredible these two women are to me, and how my life will be focused on serving them. He is unstoppable in completing His will, and this is such a blessed part of that. 

My prayer, for Believers everywhere, is that the Father of lights might give us the eyes to see when He is raining down His blessings on us, and we brightly and joyfully give Him praise for what He has done!