Happy 7th Birthday Nicole

My sweet Nicole....Happy 7th birthday!  You have been SO excited about this day as it has approached over the past few weeks.  You were excited to measure yourself in the morning to see how much you have grown.

You were excited to finally be seven years old.  One of the first things you exclaimed was "I feel more grown up!".  You certainly are my sweet girl.  You are a hard worker.  You look for ways to help around the house and do 'grown up' chores.  You love to decorate and make the house seem lovely and peaceful.  You love to create an environment and set a scene.  Often times, I will come down the stairs and you will have worked hard to set a beautiful (to you;) table or decorate the living room with blankets and pillows.  You take much pleasure in seeing other people happy.  You truly are a servant.

More than that though, you LOVE the Lord.  I think you love Jesus more than almost anyone else I know.  You have a sincere desire to know God, to read your Bible (you love to read Creation, The flood, and The Cross).  You actively pray and have been working lately on 'taking your thoughts captive'. 

A few weeks ago, there was a rather large bear on our street.  We later found out he was over 300lbs!  Daddy and I were pretty excited about it, but our excitement created fear in you and your brother and sister.  A few moments later you told me this..."mommy, I was really scared of that bear.  I was afraid it was going to bash the windows in the car and eat us up.  But, then I realized I wasn't trusting Jesus.  So, I started to pray and and ask God to help me trust Him.  I told Him that I know he created that bear, and he even knew that bear would be on our street tonight.  So, I told Him that I wanted to trust Him and not be afraid of that bear.".  Wow!  What a beautiful glimpse of your heart I received.  So, my sweet girl, I pray you will grow in your faith.  I pray you will love Jesus more and more each day.  Keep trusting in Him.  Keep following Him. He will not lead you astray.  

I can not believe you are already 7 years old!  You are a treasure and a joy.  But, it makes me sad how quickly this is going.  I only have 10 or 12 more years with you.  I want to take those years and make them memorable.  I hope you grow up knowing that your daddy and I love you.  I hope you grow up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  You are my sweet girl, who I will always love!

Happy Birthday!