A new reason to pray....

My blog is titled The Things I Ponder; and let me tell you for the past week I have been pondering something amazing! Last Monday morning I received a phone call from my daughter Ashley. This was no ordinary phone call, this phone call was about 8 days overdue. It was the phone call to inform me that she was in fact in labor. It may have been 5 am, but I was wide awake! Immediately I began praying for my daughter as the reality of the situation dawned on me...wow, there are no words.

So, as I said we prayed. This little one gave us lot of time to pray. Later that morning came a text from Ashley, they were going home to labor until things got more intense. Evening came, still at home, still in labor.  2:00 am...another text...going back to birthing center. 5:00 am transferred to hospital to better monitor baby...dilated to 3. The longer this labor went, the more people we had praying for Ashley. Finally just three hours before the new year (and my birthday) we get the call that we had been waiting for all day. Hearing my son-in-law announce it's a girl was the most surreal moment ever. 40+ hours of labor finally over, a new little life has entered the world. I was now a grandma to a precious little bundle. Her name is Elizabeth Mae, we call her Ellie. She is perfect. She is beautiful.

For 5 days now, I have been head over heals in love with this little girl. I haven't even met her yet and my love for her is deep. I keep imagining the moment my husband and I get to hold her (just a few short days away)...tears well up just thinking about it. Every time we are sent a picture of Ellie we stop and just stare in awe.

Today in worship as we were singing about His great name, I thought of Ellie. A new prayer for me will be for her to one day proclaim His great name! What an opportunity we have to pray for this little one, to once again see Jesus through a child's eyes.  I found this verse today that intrigues me for Ellie.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5.  As I read this verse I substituted it to read like this. "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Brenda and in your mother Ashley and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." I pray that Ellie will become a woman of strong faith, that her faith would be greater than mine or Ashley's; that Jesus would be her rock, her strength, her everything. 

So, at times I may spoil this little one with gifts and kisses and hugs; but I truly believe the best gift I can give her is to be a grandma who prays! And that is what I'm going to do!!!

And here is this precious face that has so captivated my heart...