I have been thinking about this child you are giving birth to, and wanted to share a few thoughts. As I think about the new “child,” or “idea,” coming into our midst, I remember something Mary Baker Eddy wrote: “The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 15).
So how do we get to know this child beyond what we see in the “pre-birth” photos you sent us? What is her true—and ongoing—identity, which moves beyond counting days and months till she “appears”?
To me, the new birth Mrs. Eddy refers to means that each child of God—each one of us—has a spiritual identity that we can claim. Our family may some day marvel at how this child looks like you or Dad or Aunt so-and-so, but what about the qualities she expresses? These qualities are her distinct and only identity—completely recognizable right now. We can know that, and keep knowing it.
