Hope.

First of all, I've had two people in the last few days comment on my "bald" baby. 

Emma is quite fair I'll admit (and Josh laughed when I responded with that to the first "bald" commenter) and her hair is very blond, but still, there's hair hanging out there. 

Do I have anything against bald babies?  I don't think so. 

Would I buy her one of these if I really felt it necessary??

Of course.

Either way, the second lady said there's a good chance Emma would have curly hair because she's bald.  Good to know.  :)

Aside from silly baby anecdotes, I've been up earlier with Emma these days (she's taken a liking to 6am..) so I find myself watching the news and the Today Show.  While watching these, it's not long before I feel overwhelmed by the amount of terrible news in the world.  The devastating earthquake in Turkey, a missing baby in Missouri, and the chilling attack of a sophomore student on freshmen students right nearby in Snohomish.

I find myself becoming quickly weighed down with concern and fear and looming despair, especially now having a baby who will grow up in this world which is so desperate and broken. 

Today while I was journaling, I read this verse. 1 Cor 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

I don't want a security blanket to help placate me in the midst of pain, something temporary and fleeting to distract from rather than address the issues present around us.

2 Cor 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."

This is the solid truth I need in the midst of very uncertain circumstances.  I used to be bothered by the "light and momentary troubles" part of this verse because it didn't seem to be a strong enough statement to address the suffering people go through.  But as I thought about it today I considered the life of the author, Paul, and how much he truly suffered (prison, beatings, physical, mental and emotional fatigue in extreme measure), and yet he was able to weigh all of that in light of eternity.  His hope was not anchored in his own strength but in Christ's. 

I pray daily that Emma's heart would always be anchored in the Lord.  I realize I need to pray this for myself as well.  We can be swayed but cannot be overtaken when our hearts are securely grounded in Him. This is true, lasting hope.