Second Annual LIFE Day

March 1, 2012

Second Annual David Nathaniel

LIFE (Leave an Impact for Eternity) Day

It is hard to believe that we will be celebrating David's 2nd birthday 10 days from now. Every time that I think of him or look at his picture, my heart longs to see him again. I am so thankful that one day, I will.

Over the next couple of weeks our family will be remembering David Nathaniel's small but powerful life by Leaving an Impact For Eternity (LIFE), and we welcome you to join us in our effort to bring LIFE to others.

Here are the details on how you can participate:

1. Sometime around David's birthday (March 1st), do something to Leave an Impact For Eternity (LIFE). It can be for a stranger, a friend, a family member, etc. You can do one thing, or several things. For some ideas, click here.

2. Come back to this blog and leave a comment letting us know how you celebrated David's birthday with us (tell us about your act of LIFE), or email me your act of LIFE along with a picture, if you have it.

The Biblical basis behind this idea is found in Colossians 3:12-14, which says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

When we, as Christians, “put on” this type of life, we are inviting the world around us to live a new way, an eternal way. The invitation is not to embrace a new ethic but to embrace Jesus that offers this new life (Col 3:1). So, in celebration of David’s Nathaniel's LIFE Day, our goal is to “put on” this kingdom of God mindset so that we might leave an eternal impact. For more information, please click here.

This year, our family will be loving our neighbors as an act of LIFE. David's birthday, March 1, will mark the 10th anniversary of the day that we moved into our home. During our 10-year tenure in this neighborhood, we have failed in many ways to share the love of Jesus with our neighbors. However, we have repented from this and resolved to be obedient to our calling as followers of Christ.

As a first step, we are reaching out to our neighbors by bringing each family some homemade goodies and attaching a note explaining the reason behind the celebration of our son David's life.

If you would like to spread the word about our LIFE celebration, please feel free to copy our invitation at the top of this post and put it on your blog, or link this page to your Facebook or Twitter account. Thank you for remembering the life of our son, David Nathaniel, with us.

A Valentine's Tribute

Two years ago, my husband Tommy hijacked my blog and wrote me the sweetest Valentine, just two weeks before our son David was born. This year, it is my turn to return the favor.

Dear Tommy,

We have been through so much together over the last 12 years. Law school, seminary, job loss, and losing David. Statistics say that our marriage should be over, but I say that we are stronger than ever. By the grace of God, we have emerged from the deep valleys as the best of friends.

The bond that we share has come at a great cost. Though we should not have been surprised at our suffering (I Peter 4:12), we were. As the trials of this life closed in on us, the heat became almost unbearable. At times, it seemed as though we could not withstand the Refiner's fire (Malachi 3:2). The process of our sanctification together has been difficult and painful.

God's plan for our lives was not the path that we envisioned when we said our vows 12 years ago. But God, in His infinite wisdom and immeasurable love, ordained each day of our lives before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). His kiss of affliction has made us what we are today.

Through it all, you became my rock and my safe haven. You led me with strength and tenderness. Your spiritual fortitude and unwavering hope in God nourished and strengthened my spirit. Thank you for recognizing the great importance of your role as my spiritual leader.

In my brokenness, I learned to lean on you, and you were faithful to hold me up. Thank you for loving me faithfully and sacrificially. Thank you for watering my soul with truth, cultivating God's work in my life, and honoring me as your wife and fellow heir of grace. You are truly a gift.

I love you,

Rachael