My wife and I used to talk about how the birth of our first child changed things in our lives, even little things. We lived in the Twin Cities at the time, she was working and I was at seminary. Money was tight, but occasionally we’d splurge: we’d go to Dunkin’ Donuts for a coffee and taste treat, spontaneously, even at 11:00 o’clock at night or later. You can guess how a baby changed all that! Spontaneous gave way to planning. And if the night was kind, eleven o’clock meant precious sleep.
Having a child is a milestone that changes many things. Carefree, spontaneous times may get sharply curtailed. A door is closed to “the old” life. At the same time another door is opened to life previously unknown. Milestones like having a child are endings and beginnings. And God is there…helping us cope with the loss, giving us eyes to see the grace.
Milestones can be great moments of baptismal spirituality. We can mourn our losses, sometimes so little we hardly notice, other times wrenching. We can open the door of our hearts to the new, often eagerly awaited, still other times dreaded. But the God of death and resurrection who comes as Jesus is in all these milestones; and if we are baptized into Christ Jesus, we are joined to him with his pledge to bring us through the drowning waters, gasping our way into new life.
I remember milestones in my own life; why don’t you do the same as I compile my list:
• the first time I showed a Holstein calf at the Trempealeau county fair,
• going deer hunting with my father
• getting my driver’s license (after failing the test the first time)
• going off to Luther College
• getting married
• sending our five year old off to kindergarten….
• retiring just two weeks ago (I’m just starting to work on this one).
These can be ordinary or powerful moments in our life, fearful or exciting. My personal list is just the beginning of a sampling. How would you add to it? How did you experience God and God’s faithfulness– or not – in those times? In a future post, I’ll point us to a wise and wonderful church ministry that connects with these moments.
