HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY
TO MY FIRSTBORN, "God has given", NATHAN!
THE BIRTHDAY BOY!
First of all, what a year with Covid hanging over our heads! But what another monumental year for you since your last birthday.
You celebrated your 1st wedding anniversary! Wow!
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| MOST ADORABLE COUPLE EVER 💞: NATHAN AND SARAH |
You became a lawyer officially on June 11, 2021!
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| CALLED TO THE BAR! NATHAN HENDERSON, ESQ. |
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| THE 3 FINEST GUYS ON THIS PLANET! |
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| THE LITTLEST MOM EVER! |
Nate, I honestly see you as one of the most gracious individuals I have ever met, and to think that you are my son, well, just wow! I remember Paul's wife Victoria saying that about you as well! All of my family members are drawn to you for this very reason. I love being around you, hearing you talk and sing. Love seeing you and your brother together. Love seeing you and Sarah grow together as a couple.
The modern secular definition of grace relate to a person's "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; or a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment", while the biblical definition has to do with unmerited favour.
Nate, when I think of you, I see how the favor of God has rested on you all these years:... Ontario scholar, wonderful friendships, amazing wife and in-laws, becoming a lawyer and getting a job right away...just a few of the many wonderful events in your life. I also see though that for many of these, you have earned them by hard work and determination, but it is God Who has given you wonderful abilities to do much and when you do them, you do with all your heart.
Yet, behind the scenes are events that you never voice: the betrayals, the rejections, the overlooking, the misjudgments, times of serious illness, the times of sheer overwhelm, the time of lack and discouragement, the weariness. Still, you show grace, a disposition of kindness towards all you meet.
As I was struggling to find His thoughts for you, I was doing my study on Galatians with Beth Moore. As soon as I saw this verse and the context of man's vs. God's approval, I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging, 'Nathan'!
Luke 2:52, the one verse in Scripture that described Jesus' life from the age of 12 to when He began His public ministry at 30: "...and He grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men." Yes, this was describing Nathan as well!
As Beth Moore puts it in her study, Faith Has Come, in your early years "seeking God's approval can simultaneously land us the approval of our favourite person or group of people", and it did for you. But our journey of faith continually leads us to the point where only God's approval will matter. Beth notes that as Jesus became more public, the more polarizing He became with His approval rating dropping tremendously among certain groups. Beth says, "During the final 24 hours of His life, God's approval was all Jesus had." Jesus never compromised on truth or grace and this led to His unpopularity with those whose hearts were exposed by His words and character. As you see what is happening in our culture now, you see that Christian values are being mocked and so are those who adhere to them.
As you look at your life of seeking Him now, you will see that God is testing any relationship that vies for His approval. Some can be and should be recalibrated, some not. For someone who has been a people pleaser, this will be a hard journey but a deeply healing and satisfying one as you discover a new freedom like Paul in being wholly bound to God's approval alone. Until then, you (like all of us!) will slowly realize how unhealthily bound you are to the approval of those who vie for His approval or authority in your life. You will, like all saints who mature in the faith, feel the loss of some of those relationships that can't be recalibrated, but like Paul, you will be growing in freedom and feeling a lightening in your spirit!
That will require the fruit of the Spirit of perseverance which you mentioned you needed in this year. Yes, I am so proud of how you persevered through the times of illness, discouragement, lack, uncertainty. This article by Michael Kelley gives some brief insights on perseverance using the verse people usually quote out of context: "For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Michael notes that while it does speak to providential care and hope, the broader message is about perseverance when you see what immediately precedes it: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place.
Michael says, "the bigger message is about perseverance. And that is a good message for us today. It’s not just a good message because it feels like persevering is the hard work of faith right now, given disease, shut-down, downturn, and all kinds of varying opinions about what should happen next. It’s a good message for us because we, as a people, are not very good at simply staying the course of faithfulness."
He makes 4 points about perseverance:
-Realism--perseverance is not about denying reality...there is another reality – a greater reality – that sits over and above our circumstances. That God is still the ruler. That He does in fact love us. And that we are, even now, His sons and daughters.
-Hope--perseverance is not just about sticking it out through hard times... it is the sure and certain promise that God will never leave us or forsake us and will, in His time, bring us safely home.
-Adaptable--perseverance is not the same as stubbornness...We are not just moving obstinately through life, but instead, we are free to take opportunities as they present themselves for the glory of God.
-Together--perseverance is not about a single person' will to carry on...as people of faith, perseverance is a group project in which we draw strength and hope and adaptability from one another. We help each other along the long road.
And as we do, we believe together, that though this road may indeed be long, that God is still good. That He does indeed have plans for us. That in Him, there is yet still a hope and a future.
So my dearest first born, thank you for your many thoughtful acts of kindness towards me and your Dad and brother this year, the way you want to celebrate our milestones with us. It moves me deeply as I feel so undeserving of this as all of your life you have witnessed the 'me' who had the tentacles of depression wrapped around her and was not 'present' so many times. But God graciously lifted you up and carried you. His favour on you has been unmistakable. Like your brother, you fill my heart and that of your Dad with such delight. I can only imagine that my delight is just a taste of what your Heavenly Father feels for you. Remember that when people display disdain for you as life goes on. Let His love satisfy you.
With the theme of perseverance in mind, here is The Battle Belongs by Phil Wickham:
When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You
My Blessing for you() comes from Colossians 2:6:
6 Therefore as you (Nathan) have (has) received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives (a life) that lead others away from sin], 7 having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude. (AMP)
6 And now just as you (Nathan) trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives (life) overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. (TLB)
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come before You with much thanksgiving for Your perfect gift of Nathan. While he was formed in the womb You knew him and had a plan and purpose for Him. Thank you for watching over him all these years and allowing me to be his mother. I come before You on Nathan's behalf as his mother right now and I tenderly bring to You all that concerns him this day, including his marriage, his health, a place to call home, his job and finances, his relationships, and I ask for Your Spirit to hover over each area of his life granting him wisdom and discernment, healing and restoration, a stable residence, a community in which he can both encourage and be encouraged. Father, I know that You have equipped him with Your power for all that You have allowed in His life, so help him to access that power. Give him a strong hunger for Your Word and yearning to spend time with You in silence. Refresh him spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally as he sets aside time for solitude and silence. Give him a heart of thanksgiving for all his many blessings and fill him with sheer joy. May he release any hurts he has suffered to you and may forgiveness be a part of his daily walk so he walks in freedom. Bind him and Sarah together with Your covenantal love.
As crises are a normal part of our journey, may he never doubt Your goodness and may that be a foundation when storms arrive, that You are good, that he is loved, that You are always with him. Thank You, Lord. In Your precious Name, I pray, Amen.
Love you, Nate!
Your Mom
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