prologue: isaac's birth story

Here is what I know so far:

We get what we need, whether we want it or not.

***

My dad loves to tell the story of how, on my first day of kindergarten, when the teacher called for everyone to form a line, I stepped up and began bossily arranging my fellow pint-sized classmates into order. My dad gestures broadly when he recounts how I would grab their shoulders and line them up straight.

I'm a smidge embarrased for that well-meaning but totally oblivious little girl. Mostly because all these years later I still recognize parts of myself in her self-assured playground tyranny.

She was in charge, in control and in pursuit of perfection.

Fast forward twenty years and you'd find me in a career that made it kosher for me to (nicely) boss people around. Event planners are a tightly wound bunch, obsessed with control, details and perfection. Is it any wonder that I thrived in that job?

Clearly, I was doomed from the start - before sperm met egg, before I tossed out my birth control pills, heck - even way before I ever set eyes on my husband. My tightly monitored, immaculately organized fate was sealed and I had no idea.

***

I thought I understood why I named my son Isaac.

I've come to believe there is another, less obvious reason - unknown to me at the time we gave him his name, but slowly revealing itself as our life with him unfolds.

In the days after he was born, the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac was constantly on my mind. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. To let him go, no questions asked, no answers provided. To relenquish his hopes and plans, his dreams and expectations.

With unshakeable faith, Abraham placed it all on the altar.

To the parents of Isaac, God says:

Let go. My ways are higher that your ways. Trust me instead.

***

Here is my pregnancy story, Isaac's birth story.

A story about fear, a story about love,
And a story about how I got what I needed.


Click here to read the next installment: Isaac's Birth Story: Part One

17 comments:

  1. so true, so true. well said.

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  2. Such a great beginning. I'll say it again, your writing is spellbinding. This reads like the start of a really good novel. Can't wait to read the story!

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  3. Ooh, can't wait to hear more. Yes having kids make you rethink a lot of things, especially control and perfectionism.

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  4. Wow, we named our son Israel for many reasons but didn't realize how perfect it was till we were sitting in the NICU. One of the meanings is contender-couldn't be more fitting for him!

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  5. marisa, thanks for the comment on my blog. so glad you said hello and that i could consequently discover yours. you write SO beautifully.

    also i've always loved the name isaac... and just reading through your posts makes me even more excited to be a mother someday.

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  6. I enjoy your writing so much! Perhaps it is something about our personalities that meshes, perhaps it's your frugality with words and carefully crafted sentences, perhaps it's because you (like me) are friends with your husband and have a small son. Perhaps it is a mix of them all. Looking forward to reading more!

    btw, I love the name Isaac.

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  7. *sigh* I love your writing. So much. I am hankering for the story. (as a fellow control freak, I hear you!)

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  8. you really are so poetic.

    would you mind emailing me since I don't have yours? I have a quick question: delightfulblog@gmail.com

    thanks!

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  9. I am really glad you stopped by on my blog. I love reading words you've written, they are so comforting. Thank you.

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  10. Wow. I have just read most of your weblog before I realized that it's three in the morning. Your way with words is lovely.

    Thanks for finding me so that I could find you!

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  11. i am captivated. on the edge of my seat. i can't wait to hear the next installment of this story.

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  12. So true! I am constantly amazed by all the times in my life when God gives me something I don't want—and it turns out to be exactly what I need, at that moment, in that instance.

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  13. Can't wait to read the story! Had a comment from you on my blog (back in Sept). Just noticed it! thank you :)

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  14. To echo what everyone is saying, you write beautifully. You're so honest and open with your emotions and that makes you such a pleasure to read. Thank you.

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  15. wow, i really appreciate all the feedback on this post! i always say that i write for myself, so to know that other people like to read what i write is humbling + encouraging.

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  16. This is beautiful. I want to sit here and keep on reading. You have wonderful writing. I'll definately be back to read more. I'm glad you stumbled upon my blog so that I could find yours.

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  17. I loved part one so much, I had to go back and read the prologue. Can't wait for the next installment!

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