Where’s your “baby”?

Baby out the window...into the bushes

Where did I put my baby? A question Matthew will ask himself a few times a day. I have written before about how Matthew has a fascination with babies. He likes to look at the little toes and fingers, then eventually chew them off…fake babies, not real ones. Matthew has an assortment of babies, some small, some large and some are…just pieces. Matthew is perfectly content with one arm of one of his babies. It brings up visions of the movie Toy Story and the neighbor kid named Sid. This past week as we were moving our piano away from the front picture window Matthew had perfect access to the window to open it the full 4 inches, a safety feature I had to rig for his own safety. He took full advantage to toss one unsuspecting baby on the bushes below. I was not just a drop-and-run, it was a toss to the side and back for a perfect landing on an over sized yew.

Matthew has quite a talent for placing his babies just where he wants them. He also has a perfect recollection of where they were put after just a little thought. If we retrieve one for him we need to show him that we have it so he will not pester us to take him to the spot of the last deposit. I need the same drive to remember where I put my “babies”.

That incident made me think of the “babies” in my life. I am not talking about my kids but rather the projects, dreams and goals that I have set in my minds eye. Where have I put my “babies”? Have I put them on the shelf, or like Matthew, have I thrown them out the window and onto a bush in the yard? We all can come up with excuses…I could fill a legal pad of just my own. Those are questions that I have been asking myself and determined to answer after returning from a writing conference a few weeks ago.

This baby, missing one eye, was placed in the track of the slider door by Matthew

I have been writing this blog now for almost two years. There are many reasons I began a blog. The main reason was that I have been encouraged by many to write a book of the stories that we have accumulated over the years with Matthew and have shared at various bible study groups and civic groups. Doing a blog “makes” me have the discipline to actual write and put something out there are least once a week. Second, this is a journal of what is happening in my life both spiritually and personally. I thank all of you who read this, comment and encourage me as I bare my soul each week in a lesson.

My “baby” is to take the now nearly 75 stories and begin to put them in a readable book form. I could use your help with this. If you have a particular story that has touched you or one that you think has to be in this first book please let me know. I am stepping out into uncharted waters for me. There is a little fear of rejection, fear that no one will buy the book, fear that people don’t want to hear another “feel good” story.

I was looking back at my posts and wanted to re-share something from the book by adventurer and mountain climber Eric Weihenmayer. He has, among other challenges in life, climbed the “Seven Summits”…the tallest summits on every continent in the world, including Mt. Everest. A demanding and challenging feat for any climber. Years of conditioning, training, sacrifice and failed attempts were all a part of this journey to tame these mountians…what I haven’t mentioned yet is that Eric is blind…blind since his teenage years when an eye condition claimed his vision. Eric has to rely on other senses and on a fellow climber or two who are his “eyes” at times during the climb. This excerpt particularly struck me;

While facing the challenge of jumping across a river that had cut a path through the ice and scree path 10 feet deep and 9 feet across…”You just have to trust it” he was told by his climbing partner. Eric later wrote about this experience…”There are moments in our lives when we can move forward in small increments, increasing the challenge bit by bit, but there are other times when security is merely an illusion, when we must summon our courage, gather up our past skill, and proceed by the power of sheer faith.”  from the book Touch the Top of the World

This is one of those moments for me…to proceed by the power of sheer faith. Publish my book, tell the world about it, share Jesus, share the power of prayer, encourage others who are on a similar journey, let Matthew “tell” his story through us, be a source of encouragement to others.

I want to also encourage you to step out and proceed by the power of sheer faith. Pull your “baby” off the shelf, out of the bushes, out of the door jamb and dust it off. Is it a hobby? A book you want to write? A dream job you want to pursue? A relationship you want to strengthen? A business idea you have? A stronger, more meaningful relationship with God?

I have updated the “bookshelf” of a few of the books I have read recently to the right of this column…you may find something there that will help encourage you to get things started. I would love to talk with you if you need a “push” to get going.

 Many have asked if it is okay to share this blog about our Lessons from Matthew…not only is okay, but we emphatically ask that you would. We welcome any chance to show how good God is and how he is working through the power of prayer. You may share by using the link buttons below. I would also love the opportunity to speak and share Matthew with your group, small or large and share our family story. Check out the “Want Kevin to Speak at Your Event” tab at the top of this page.