Six years ago today, we welcomed our fair-haired, blue-eyed little boy into our family. He was an easy baby, cried little, and eventually, played peacefully on his own for long stretches of time. He has always been his own person. Rarely does he follow the crowd (the crowd, in most cases, being his older siblings). He is the child who will turn down more dessert if he’s full, who asks to do extra math work, who volunteers to help Tim with projects.
He is very much a boy in his interests (at least, stereotypically). He is happy to do anything physical. He would rather weed a garden than read a book. He can run farther and faster than his older brother and sister (and without once complaining about how tired he is). He is fascinated by electrical and plumbing and tools and projects. He is (sometimes impatiently) waiting for the day when he can play baseball, and has a general love for sports. There is a bull-in-a-china-shop quality to him which, when combined with an insatiable I-wonder-what-will-happen-if… kind of curiosity, has resulted in a long string of broken or damaged objects and countless reminders about gentleness and not throwing in the house and just.don’t.touch.
On the flip side of all the masculinity, though, is an incredibly sensitive and thoughtful and attentive little boy. From the very beginning, he has been our child who thinks long and speaks little; the one whose ability to notice details is remarkable; the one for whom every word or action sinks in deeply and is long-remembered…whether good or bad.
He is quick to put others before himself, even when it’s a struggle. There are times when he is visibly wrestling with the choice to be selfish or giving, and he almost always chooses to sacrifice his wants to bless someone else. It amazes me how consistently this is the case, and each time, I am reminded anew of the precious heart God has given this little boy of mine. I am certain that this heart is integral to God’s plan for his life and we pray often for a refining and shaping and strengthening to take place – that the love of God would be poured out through him; that he would be a willing vessel, submitted to Christ in all things.
It is a joy to be Nathanael’s mom. I love seeing and thinking on the things that make him unique and special and wonderful. We are blessed to be celebrating his life today. Happy Birthday, Bug!