Yesterday at my parents’ house, the Little Man was being very “talkie” and so his Grammie took the opportunity to try to get him to say “Mama.” He was staring very intently at her lips as she repeated it over and over, exaggerating the two syllables. Soon he was copying her, and this five and a half month old Little Boy has hardly stopped saying it since. All morning I’ve been hearing “Maaaa Maaaa, Ma mAAAA, Maaama…” Of course, I know that he does not really understand what his saying Mama means, but it still melts my little heart!

Sometimes the reality of the fact that I am this baby’s Mama stares me in the face and completely overwhelms me. He looks at me with such baby-love and trust, believing that I will care for him, love him and guide him. He doesn’t know my weaknesses or my fear of incompetance. He doesn’t know that his Mama is young and is sure that others are watching her wondering if she’ll be up to the task of raising him with his Daddy. He just knows that this is the person who loves him, feeds him, cares for him, holds him when he cries and blows the tears away. I know the truth, though. I know that this is an unbelievable responsibility God has given us. He has entrusted to us His little person and expects us to be good stewards with what He’s given us, not only in caring for him physically, but spiritually–leading him to Jesus. The enormity of it frightens me. It reminds me of how desperate I am for the strength of the Lord in this life long endeavor. In giving us this baby, God has given us the greatest means of drawing us closer to Himself. We see now, more than ever, how weak we are and how great God is. My baby… my blessing… It is all summed up when I hear his tiny little voice learning to mouth the word I’ve longed to hear. “Mama.”