Sweetheart, You've Got Your Girl!

My obstetrician was going on a 2-week vacation right when my baby was due, and since he had been my "go-to" doc throughout my pregnancy, I didn't want to take a chance on him not being there for me. Doc told me the baby was "fully cooked" so "Let's help her make her debut on Monday", and that's what we did. Back in those days, most of us were "out" when the baby arrived, while the dads were in the Waiting Room.

When I woke up, my husband said, "Sweetheart, you've got your girl." Oh, the inexpressible joy that I felt. Of course, I would have had that joy if God had blessed us with another boy, but, I loved that God's plan was for this precious baby girl, born today, December 8th.

I'm celebrating that precious girl today because I've seen God's purposes for her life being fulfilled in some of the most miraculous and tremendous ways. For the first months of her life, she was a sick little baby with having many bouts of pneumonia and was eventually diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Not only did the enemy lose that battle, but he lost it in trying to steal our faith. She was ultimately healed, and my husband and our faith grew exponentially. "What the enemy meant for evil, God turned it for good." Genesis 50:20

She was a "Daddy's girl and she became his God-given "project". He understood right from the beginning that she was special, and that God was going to use her life in many ways. He was her sports, voice, stage and life coach. You think a Stage Mom is something. You should have seen the likes of his training and coaching our girl. So many times in tears, she'd come to me asking for my intervention with Daddy who was relentless in pulling out the best in her. "Practice. Practice. Practice" was his philosophy. He succeeded, and that little girl eventually knew no fear to be on the stage, to belt out another song on camera, to speak to huge audiences, and be with high profile people. But more than all of that, her name, Staci Michelle -- "resurrection life" and "close to God" have held true. She has brought so much life to us and so many others. She has led by example in integrity and character in business and life -- sincerely making a difference in so many people's lives.

I spoke at her surprise birthday party with close friends two nights ago and said, “Seedtime and harvest”. Her Daddy and I planted many seeds of faith into her from her very beginning – she knew that the enemy lost his battle on stealing her life at a young age and she has been giving him “hell” ever since with her relentless passion to change the world. Now, more than ever, it seems those seeds are producing a harvest beyond our wildest dreams.

As I'm typing this, I know I must sound like a proud and braggadocios Mom. In a sense, I am, because our greatest investment paid off. The time we invested into her -- through tears and time and finances -- paid off. I tell you this story -- celebrating this day and the precious life God gave us, but mostly to tell you, Moms and Dads, out there -- "INVEST in your kids. Take time to give them the best of you. Cultivate their talents. Speak into them that they can do and be anything that God wants them to be. Teach them about God and His faithfulness and absolutely knowing that "nothing is impossible with Him". What a payback for an investor! The payback of years of growth, rich rewards, paying forward to the next generation (their children and grandchildren) is the greatest reward. And the multiplied blessings of that investment goes way beyond our own family -- it spreads to others -- these seeds bear fruit in so many other people's lives. I promise you....after many, many years of investing into what matters most, it is worth every effort. Just imagine what your investment will reap in rewards.