Whatever Is Lovely

Philippians 4:8 says, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Since February is the month of LOVE, I’ve decided to make my Sunday/Monday posts all about “lovely things.” Philippians 4:8 tells us we should think about “whatever is lovely” so that is what our focus will be.

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The single, most lovely thing I have ever known drifted into my life on January 29, 2005. Eleven years ago God blessed me with a daughter. I have to say, I love my two boys to the moon and back and would not trade the world or anything in it for them. I can’t take them to tea or to get their nails done, though. But I can sure take my girl for a day of spa-te-da, shopping, and girl talk.

She was born on a wintery Saturday. Ice, mixed with a little snow, I cuddled comfy in my hospital bed waiting for what would happen next. You see, the night before contractions had begun. So after finishing my baked spaghetti from Luigi’s (I wasn’t leaving until I had savored every last noodle.), we drove over to University Hospital as my contractions were five minutes apart.

Of course my labor stopped after a few hours but because of the weather they suggested (okay, insisted) that I stay.

So there I laid, my mother in the chair by the bed that Saturday morning, wondering what the day would bring. My doctor walked through the door, checked me (you know what that means, ladies) and said, let’s do this!

We headed up to the Women’s Center and readied ourselves for the arrival of one Miss Leanna Eloise Heider.

She graced us with her lovely presence around 2pm that day. Those eyes. That mouth. The nose. Her hands and feet. So delicate – a mere six pounds, ten ounces, she was tiny compared to the birth weight of her eight and nine pound brothers.

I beheld her beauty and thanked God for something so exquisite, so precious, so lovely and delightful.

As I lay holding her later that evening, I thought about all the things we would do and see and say one day – the tea parties, ballet recitals, girly birthday dresses, giggles and girl talk. The first beau, the first kiss, the wedding dress.

Lovely. Yes, so lovely. My plans for this magnificent creature were indeed divine.

But what happens when your lovely plans shift?

What happens when your lovely plans for your lovely thing changes course and the different happens?

Does everything change to loss or does the lovely become even more precious, refining you and your most treasured possession into something even more magnificent? I guess that all depends on how you look at things. It depends on what your perspective is and in whom you place your hope and trust.

We’ll explore this more next week, but until then …

• Think about your lovely this week. What or who is it?
• How is your lovely changing, growing, or maturing into something even lovelier?