How Beautiful

As many people know, tomorrow is Caroline's birthday.  She is 6 years of age.  As a parent, birthdays bring about much nostalgia and contemplation.  I can easily remember all of the emotions I felt on this night all those years ago.  At about the time I'm writing this, 6 years ago, I was being hooked up to an IV to begin the process of inducing labor.   Needless to say, I was battling fear.  You see, this wasn't my first time to go through that process.  The delivery room at the hospital was not necessarily a welcome sight to me.  I had known a great amount of pain, grief, and loss in that place.  Would all go well this time?    Many people were praying.  Many people had been praying since they found out I was pregnant nine months previous.

Among all those praying was a special group of women I like to call "Caroline's warriors."  I won't mention their names, but if they are reading this, they know who they are!!  These amazing women of God traversed with us in prayer on the cusp of our two miscarriages.  One of the women, after a time of prayer held me by the arms, looked straight into my eyes and said, "Kristin, the minute you find out you are pregnant again, you better call me!"  About 4 years after that conversation, I contacted her with the news.  Immediately this group of women began to pray.  They prayed for my health and the health of the life growing inside of me.  They battled on their knees for those months.  Once we knew we were having a girl, I passed the news to them, along with her name:  Caroline Elizabeth Hightower.  So, it was not surprising that soon after this, these women wrote letters to Caroline.  At one of the baby showers, these were joined by many others who wrote letters for our sweet daughter.  I left the shower with about 20 of them, and I immediately bought a lovely pink flower scrapbook to put them in.

I remember reading each letter and bawling my eyes out over how beautiful this act of love was.  This was the body of Christ in action.  How beautiful.  Inspired by these godly women, I have continued to write letters to Caroline, in hopes that one day, when she begins to face life's struggles, that these words of love and hope will inspire her to hold on to Jesus with everything she's got.  My hope is that through these letters, she will have yet another piece of evidence that He is real.  He is alive.  He is active, and He loves her so very much.

On every birthday, this group of women sends Caroline a birthday card.  They each write a special message for her and remind her of those who pray continually on her behalf.

Today, I felt like I was holding together pretty well, until I pulled the mail from our mailbox and saw the birthday card.  A deep emotion just washed over me and spilled out through tears that could not be held back.  I am confident that as long as these women draw breath, there will be an annual letter to Caroline.  Oh how beautiful is the body of Christ.  So, tomorrow, for the 6th time Caroline will open her birthday card from her prayer warriors.  This  time, she will be able to read it for herself. 

The depth of joy that I have experienced because of these women, and many other family and friends who have gathered around us and prayed for our family all these years cannot be expressed.  This goes deeper--because it is Christ in action.  Christ in us, the hope of glory!!

One of the things I have taught both of my girls from infancy is the truth about true beauty.   I am already writing letters to my girls about how the world views beauty, and how it is a false beauty--one that fades and decays and only scratches the surface of who a person really is.   They will be able to see, through the actions of women like our prayer warriors what true beauty is, and let me tell you "Caroline's warriors" are radiant.  Today, when I pulled that card out of the mailbox and saw who it was for and who had sent it, I was inspired to be beautiful like that.
Many little girls dream of being a beautiful princess bride.  To them, this is the pinnacle of womanhood.  I know it was for me, and I see it in my daughters.  The bride, walking down the aisle--her radiance takes our breath away.   What we forget, and what I want my daughters to know is that that moment is  a picture of a greater reality--the bride of Christ--the Church!

As Caroline opens her annual birthday card tomorrow, she is going to see this bride of Christ in action.  How beautiful.

Thank you to all who have prayed for us.  May your lives be truly blessed.  Please continue to pray without ceasing.  In doing this, you are tapping into eternity.  And for all others reading this--be a prayer warrior for someone.  It will change their lives in ways you would have never dreamed.

How beautiful the hands that served
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty roads and the hill to the cross

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sin and bore it instead
How beautiful the tender eyes
That chose to forgive and never despise

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ

And as He laid down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as he died
Willing to pay the price
Willing to pay the price

How beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes
How beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King
How beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ