This morning, I had a baby.
Our son, Shepherd, was born via cesarean section.
It’s the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hospital.
And the first time I’ve ever had major surgery.
A lot of firsts happened today, and I feel like a trooper in my family.
The lives of my husband and I are now changed forever.
I want to talk to the internet for a minute about the power of ONE. (Yes this was pre-written. I’m not in the hospital writing this lol)
…………………………………………………….
Our son has not yet grown up.
We do not know what he will become.
We don’t know his personality traits.
We don’t know what his beliefs will be – only what we hope them to be.
We don’t know if he will be a world-changer, a local legend, or even if he will be a law-abiding contributor to society.
But despite these unknown details of what he will become, I still believe in the immense power of ONE person.
…………………………………………………….
ONE man was raised by a Christian family and used his life to bring the gospel to more than 215 MILLION people.
That man was Billy Graham.
-and he lived very close by.
…………………………………………………….
ONE man was raised by a father that opposed slavery due to his religious beliefs.
That man was Abraham Lincoln.
Our 16th President who later signed the Emancipation Proclamation that ultimately put an end to the American Civil War. This affected the lives of millions of people and countless generations.
…………………………………………………….
Another man; however, was introduced at a young age to antisemitic ideas.
That man went on to obtain the power to act on his ideas in 1933, and eventually, became directly responsible for the deaths of over 6 million innocent people.
That man was Adolf Hitler.
…………………………………………………….
In the Bible, Romans 8:7-8/12-19 says the following:
For scarcely for a righteous man will ONE die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die; but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Wherefore, as by ONE man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned, for until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
For if through the offence of ONE many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by ONE man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by ONE that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by ONE to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by ONE man’s offence death reigned by ONE; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by ONE, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of ONE judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of ONE the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by ONE man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of ONE shall many be made righteous.
…………………………………………………….
Think about how many people’s lives are different now because of just one person that entered it somehow… Think about your own life.
Also, think for a minute about the people who have made your life more difficult.
Think about people you have come in contact with for a fleeting moment in time… maybe someone you saw struggling on the street… Maybe it’s a person smiling in the midst of living with a severe disability… Maybe it’s a friendly cashier you encountered when you were having a bad day… (I remember one time, I had an encounter with a bank teller that simply told me out of habit to have a nice day, and it made me cry – because I was so broken down by something that had happened recently, and it made me feel good inside that someone cared enough to tell me that.)
ONE person can make your day, or break it oftentimes. How many times have you been at work, and then your boss walks in and is hard on you… or that coworker that drives you up the wall locks-on and seemingly does everything they can to make you miserable? On the flip-side, how many times have you been at work and that buddy co-worker comes in your office and is just so encouraging?
…………………………………………………….
This is why becoming a parent is the most important job in the universe. What we choose to implant into that kid’s life makes a difference in the larger scheme of things of how the world turns out… We look around today and wonder to ourselves, “Why is the world so bad?” … It’s because people didn’t see value in the SINGLE life, and that mindset multiplied over and over again. You have come too late to tell me that our society today in large cares about the life of every person… If that were the case, then tell me…
- Why are millions of babies aborted every year?
- Why are people taking to the streets in protest about whose life matters and whose doesn’t?
- Why are many people being discarded into long term care facilities when they have family at home that are capable of caring for them?
- Why don’t doctors recommend treatments past a certain ages?
- Why is it that we are so divided right now during this pandemic (Covid-19)? I’ve heard people say, “WELL, they had pre-existing conditions.” Does it matter that they did or not? As if the ‘weak’ are being weeded out…
We, as a society, have somehow allowed the attitude of “one life doesn’t really matter” to creep in and wreak havoc…
I do not agree with this mindset at all.
And I don’t want my son to either.
…………………………………………………….
So… the birth of a baby isn’t just a sweet event…
The birth of one can change the world.
-and if not the world, the course of generations.
Who knows the plans for one life but God?
“The power of one man or woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society.” – Jack Kemp
campbellrewritten.com 