Angie R. Cox

wife | mom | church planter | social worker | blogger

Lesson #387 In the Classroom of Life

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Okay-387 is just an arbitrary number. I’m sure there have been thousands, but you get the point. We’ve all learned so many lessons, many of them “the hard way”. I don’t like learning “the hard way”, but for some of us it’s the only way we’ll learn. Well, some lesson’s God is allowing me to learn by His grace.

Life has changed significantly for the Cox’s over the past 6 months. We went from one very well behaved, sweet as pie, 8 year old girl (who’s pretty self sufficient) to having a baby. While were so grateful for our little Sam-we’re starting over! We had forgotten how life is with a baby in the house. We went from a two income house-hold and me pursuing my passions as a social worker to me, staying at home and homeschooling Ella. We moved from Arkansas to Southern California and both took on new and very different ministry roles. Could we have packed in any more change (I did change my hair color-it seemed appropriate)!

What God has taught me through all of this change is … drum roll please … while my surroundings, ministry, roles, income, passions, church, home, and yes even hair color has changed … He has NOT changed. He is still good, merciful, faithful, just, holy, and loving. His mercy’s are STILL new every morning. He’s STILL in control and HIS plan is perfect. His word say’s “I the Lord, do not change” (Malachi 3:6). What a faithful promise!

Don’t misunderstand-I believe God uses change in OUR lives to grow us, to use us for His purposes, to reach an ever changing world. He desires change in our hearts-He uses the word transformed several times in scripture to describe who WE should be “in Christ”. But I’m so thankful that the God of Abraham, the God who created me, is still the same.

He’s changing me-some day’s I look at my life, who I’m becoming and I hardly recognize myself-it’s a good thing. I’m hoping that I get this lesson right.

Sam

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Who would’ve thought that I could love this little man so much? I tell Ella all the time, “Momma’s got a new man”! I’m in love with a fat little bald cutie named Sam. He is my absolute delight. What’s even greater is sister and daddy are equally taken.  Brandon has said many times who would’ve known this little boy would be such a heart breaker to us. I can’t tell you how many countless hours we’ve all spent gathered around him, making faces, laughing, smiling and kissing on Sam.

I have laughed on many occasions when people have asked me “is he a good baby”? I wonder what are the options in answering that question? Have you ever heard someone answer “no, he’s a bad, bad baby”! All baby’s are good-but I must say Sam is sweet natured with a few quirks! He goes to sleep angry but wakes up happy; he loves getting a bath but hates being dried off. We spent the first few weeks of his life holding him ALL the time-even at night-now he won’t let you rock him to sleep. Of course we love him, quirks and all.

He is a long awaited gift from the Father and we are thankful for every day with him. He has been healthy and a delight to the Cox and Kirk families. Best of all he has made one little lonely girl the happiest big sister around. For years with every prayer out of her mouth, Ella asked God to “give us a baby”. God’s timing is always perfect and Ella is at an age where she is able to enjoy Sam in a way that she may not have been able to at a younger age. She delights in him-her heart is bonded to his and I know they will be life long companions.

Sam is more than we could have ever hoped or dreamed of. Scripture is clear that as much as we love to give our children  gifts; how much more the Father wants to lavish his blessings on us. Sam is clearly “heaven sent”!

The Three Muskateer’s . . .but wait, weren’t there four?

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Baby SamOn April 12, Samuel David came into the world and into the Cox family. On April 11, Brandon, Ella and I spent our last night as a family of three. For almost 8 years we have been a trio, the 3 Muskateer’s, the parent’s outnumbered the children-everything was about to change. As excited as we were to welcome our little man-their was a certain sadness about the reality that we would now have less time and attention to shower upon our Ella-she has been our absolute joy and loving her as been as natural to us as breathing. As we said good-bye to life as we knew it-we journeyed through the next few days believing and experiencing that God’s plan was to multiply that joy for all of us through the life of Samuel David. “God has done great things for us and we are filled with joy”-Psalms 126:3.