Thursday, November 7, 2013

The following is a letter that I wrote to Solomon about a week before he was born. I tucked it away and came across it the other day. After celebrating his first year of life, I think it is fitting to post it now. 



Dear Solomon,

You will be here soon and there are many things that I want to make sure you know, and I don’t want to get caught up with the silly things and ignore what is really important.

The first thing I want you to know about is your name. Solomon was a good king who honored God. He was selfless and thought of others before himself. God granted him wisdom, and continued the succession that led to  Christ. We want you to remember that as you carry that name.  But there is another, much deeper reason why we have decided to call you Solomon.

You have an older brother, Joshua Jr.  He was called to leave this earth before he took a breath. God used him in mighty ways and the Lord was gloried through his very short life. At his funeral, your dad read a passage from the bible, and we put that same verse on his tombstone:

But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?

I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” 2nd Samuel 12:23

King David said that to his servants after his infant son died. He praised God in the death, and knew that we serve a God whose ways are good. Your dad and I were sad when your brother died, but we also knew that God had a plan. We didn’t know that part of that plan would be you. We were very surprised when we found out you were coming and even more surprised when we found out you would be a boy. Once again, God led us back to His word.  Just like in King David’s life, God brought us joy in the midst of sorrow. The very next verse in that passage shows that after David honored God in the death of his son, God blessed him with another son.

Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 2nd Samuel 12:24

You were bestowed a strong name with a lot of meaning, carry that with you and know that even your life is ordained. We couldn’t have had you without losing your brother.  Even when things don’t make sense, always know that we serve a perfect God and His ways are good. You are living proof that God's plans never end in heartache!

Probably the hardest thing that I pray for you is that you grow to be a mighty man of God. The reason it is so hard is that I know what that will mean. That means that your life will probably be harder than those around you. You will face trials and hardships that will make you broken and hurt. And as your mother it will hurt me to not protect you from that. One thing that I have learned is that an easy life does nothing for us. Trials are hard, but that is what leads us to cling to God. In those trials we get the best blessings and learn the greatest joys. Each struggle you have will make you a bit stronger, and I pray that God uses each and every instance that he places in your path as a means to draw you to Himself.

I would say that I am sorry you don’t have a big brother to watch out for you through this earthly life, but I am not sorry for that. You have been chosen to carry that role in our family and be the big brother to your future siblings. One day, at the glorious Resurrection, we will bow before a Holy God with a perfect plan and understand it all. Until then, my son, continue to endure. It will be worth it. We are promised that.  

Lastly, and this is the most important thing that I want you to know. Knowing God is all that matters. As your mother I don’t care what you accomplish for this world. I don’t care what possessions you acquire. None of it matters, absolutely none of it. Please don’t get caught up in this world, because it will be over too soon. You dad and I pray every day that God draw you to Himself and save your soul. We pray that more than we pray for your health or physical well-being, and even then we pray that for His glory and not our own. God means more than anything, more than family, more than education, jobs, or money. Knowing Him is all that matters.

Christ took on the punishment we should have when he came to this earth to save us. Even you in my womb will be born in sin. None of us are worthy, but we serve a Holy Savior. Being a child of Him is all that matters.

I pray that I honor God while bringing you up, and it is only by His grace that I do so. I love you so much and am so thankful to be able to witness the life that God has set before you.

Love,

Mama

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