Here is my grandchild!  Like the Job, of old in the Old Testament, I cry out,"Oh that marvel of conception as you stirred together semen and ovum--What a miracle of skin and bone, muscle and brain! You gave me life itself and incredible love."  (Job 10:10ff Message)Someone once said, "a baby is God's evidence that the world should go on!"  In such of world of fear, turmoil, disaster and ruin, we might think--- what hope is there for a child to be born these days?  We would not be the first to think such a thought.  Can't you imagine even in the days of Jesus--under Roman rule, slavery and economic oppression people might have felt similar?  I can.I believe that my grandchild will be part of God's solution to the world. Born to parents who follow Jesus, this child will hold the light within that will shed it's rays into the darkness of the waiting world. This child will be salt to a very unsavory place. This child will be a bearer of hope.That gives me hope not dread. It makes me want to live--to live even longer in my own life to nurture this life--to protect this life--to anchor this new life in love, awe and splendor.  More than that, this baby in utero make me pray more than I ever have in my life. Strange, isn't it? That a fetus would make one pray more--but I am not the first to pray because of a pregnancy. Joseph did. Abraham must have and the rest. Men of old, dropped to their knees by a baby.Baby Beloved, as I call you now.I find myself thinking of you all the time.Anchored within your mother's womb andYour father like a warrior to protect you.Grow strong in that safe, dark place.Be safe within and when you arrive,We will bid you safety, peace and grace out here! Your Papa! Stephen W. SmithAll Rights Reserved. Copyright 2012.