CALEB, Numbers 13

The boys get bigger, the toys more complex, but Caleb's birthday gift reminded me of all those years when a new lego was the ultimate fun. Be on the lookout for some awesome gopro videos. On a more serious note, this child has worked 17-plus years of faith challenge into our hearts, as we held him with open hands even before he was born. Perhaps the decision to stay in Bundibugyo with a strong history of preterm labor and loss (and realizing that faith did not equal an outcome of my choosing) was the hardest, but only the beginning, of a process that will leap forward as he leaves home this year. In my chronological Bible-reading plan for the year, February 28 takes one to Numbers 13. Yes, on Caleb's birthday, the story of Caleb. Really.

And so once again the reminder that this young man is very much like his namesake. Tough. Quiet leader. Can-do. Brave. The type that would go into enemy territory if asked. And mostly the type that would not be influenced by the majority opinion. Caleb stands on his own, and has no qualms to make his own way apart from the crowd. Tonight was a small gift, a fire, good food, a fun gift, time together. In the light of impending graduation and continental separation, we all pause to soak in the goodness of a birthday, and the wonder of a great young man.