Chicks are so cool.

When I was 7, my friend Luke had a chicken coop in his yard and I got this great idea. I had seen enough of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood to know how the world worked and I was determined that I could raise a chicken of my own and take care of it. Numerous school assemblies had convinced me that I could do anything I set my mind to, so I decided I would give it a shot.

Having no idea how the whole fertilization thing worked, I took an egg from the coop and brought it home. I knew that the basic idea for incubation was to keep the egg warm until it hatched, so I tucked it under my comforter and started envisioning my future as a chicken foster father.

Thanks to my short attention span, within hours I felt something crack and realized I had laid down on the egg and was left with a room that smelled like failure and rotten eggs.

I figured out later that it takes more than good intentions to bring a new life to birth. Still, there’s great wisdom in God’s design that men don’t bear children. Our bodies are impressive in different ways, like our ability to grow sweet mustaches and the power to make that farting sound by sticking a hand into an armpit and quickly lowering and raising the arm.

The Miracle of Life

I’ve been thinking a lot about the miracle and mystery of life because my wife Courtney is a few weeks away from giving birth to our first child – a little girl. Every week we get updates from this cool site that tells us how the baby is developing throughout the pregnancy.

I can’t get over how amazing it is that Courtney’s body has the ability to grow a human being inside of her, to nourish the baby and send the right chemicals and nutrients to promote growth till the baby is strong enough to live outside the womb. And then after the superhuman task of giving birth, Courtney will be able to provide food for the baby from her own body. I am in awe, and words seem so insignificant as I try to thank her for doing everything to provide for our little girl.

Thank You

As a man, I can’t even comprehend what women go through in pregnancy and childbirth. I can’t pretend to know the difficulties and pains that women endure throughout their lives as they deal with cycles and changes. But on behalf of humanity, let me say thank you. Thank you for the miracle and beauty of your womanhood, because without you none of us would even be here.

In the news, we hear a lot about women’s bodies and it’s pretty sad to hear so many people talk about the great gift of womanhood and fertility like it is some disease to be avoided at all costs. I realize that men have far too often used sex for their own pleasure without any sense of responsibility for its consequences. Contraception may seem like a self-defense from the countless men who have misused sex, but it’s ultimately a sad rejection of humanity’s greatest opportunity to image God and bring new life into the world.

I want more for you

Women, you deserve so much better. You deserve to be honored and treasured as living, breathing miracles that reveal God to the world in a way that men never could. Scripture says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and your bodies reflect God’s glory and his life-giving power in such an amazing way (1 Corinthians 6:19).

As our due date gets closer, lots of people are asking me if I’m nervous about being a dad. I’m really not that nervous, and it’s not because I’m confident in my own ability. I just know that Courtney is incredible, and as long as she’s involved, everything’s going to be fine. As she’s sacrificed her sleep, her comfort, and her love for sushi in the past nine months, Courtney has taught me how to love without counting the cost. I can’t thank her enough. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a little bit terrified to be a dad. It’ll definitely be an adventure to raise a girl as I learn to be more sensitive and try to grow in my appreciation of princesses, fashion accessories, and boy bands.

And last but not least, I’m grateful that God chose to let Courtney nurture and grow our baby girl. Given my track record, I shudder to think of the outcome if I was given that great task.