The life and times of the Bakers...: July 2009

Well today my Sarah Jordan turns double deuces! I can hardly believe it. She is 2 mths away from being the exact age I was when I had her! CRAZY!! Now that makes me feel OLD! Where do I begin my tribute to Sarah - there is so many different directions I could go in, so maybe I will start from the beginning (I know you are saying YIKES!). I could write novels about her but I will "try" to keep it long - (you thought I was going to say short, NOPE) long is better then SUPER long so here we go....

Sarah was my born leader - not that every single 1 of my daughters aren't leaders because they are but Sarah really came that way. It wasn't a learned thing - she commanded an audience, was a pied piper - people would just follow her. I would tell her often, "Sarah, you better always walk close to the Lord because if you turn around you have an army following you". She came into the world at 4:08am to an audience then. At her birth was my 5 sisters, my future sister-in-law, my Mother and of course her Dad. They all witnessed the birth and it was a wonderful day. Little did I know that her 1st day would resemble so many more days - with everyone watching. So we welcomed #2 daughter - we lived with Grandma at the time so she had MUCH holding.

I have several "Jesus moments" with her in my Mothering history. I will never forget the time I walked in when she was 2 and she had got onto the counter in the kitchen, scooted over the toaster and then stood on it, and THEN climbed onto the refrigerator. THE TOP OF THE FRIG is where she was perched. I would say call the CPS but I remember not having my eyes off of her for seconds - she was FAST. That was only the beginning of Ms. Sarah and her active, active self. If there was something to climb, jump, crawl, run or sprint on - she was the 1. Her gift for having NO FEAR and I mean NO FEAR got her in trouble more times then I can probably count. Much of the time she weighed out if something was worth the spanking and if it was then she tried it.

Her years of sports began at a very young age. Because you see we had to get her training in how to land or she was going to get hurt. She started gymnastics at 4 and became the best at her gym - she went on to compete all over at meets. She started her softball career at about 7 and that sport took us ALL OVER the U.S. of A.! She was a natural athlete and my oh my was it FUN to watch her use her gifts. She was a stud at really anything she did. She is VERY humble but if you ask her she will take you to our local softball field where she has her name on 3 plaques for 2 state and 1 national softball championships!! Her basketball career was just as awesome. She was a point guard that her Dad often said - she throws the ball through a team of girls like she is threading a needle (whatever that means). She had an eye that could find a teammate and then effortlessly pass it to them. Her shot was a beauty and did I say she was TOUGH! She had the wind knocked out of her so bad in a basketball game that she still suffers. Her eyeball has been so red with blood, she could hardly see. She's taken line drives at shortstop that have left stitching marks on every part of her. She was and is tough!! She was our all-star in SO MANY WAYS!! What FUN years of sports they were. Her sports didn't stay in the gyms or on the fields. Her very best friend for YEARS was Zach - Zach and Sarah would rollerblade for days. They began to get into aggressive skating and I can't count how many prayers I have prayed while I watched her skate down a 1/2 pipe, jump the tallest ramp and skate so fast I didn't think her wheels could be touching the ground. OH MY a Mother's prayer!! She was and IS my little dare-angel!! She still has MANY things that she wants to do. I asked her recently if she thought age had started her to not be as daring and she said "probably not". HA! I think she still has many years of trying new things.

Then at 14 yrs. old we thought life had ended because Sarah came to Ray and I & said the UNTHINKABLE! I want to quit sports and pursue music! WHAT!! Are you kidding me!! Our Sarah, our STAR athlete, our GOD GIFTED star!! OH MY, someone go get the smelling salt because her Dad is going down. SO, being calm and cool, and after MANY talks we agreed that her heart was NOT in sports any longer and her heart was RUNNING for the 1 that had given her the ALL STAR quality, the 1 that had given her that natural ability, the 1 that we were convinced enjoyed watching her scoop up a line drive or sink a 3 pointer! It was Jesus that she was wanting to run after. Not a ball that gave her enjoyment but had no real eternal value. She wanted to devote her time to her youth group and begin to play on the youth band at our church. I tell you, life didn't end for us as her parents and they certainly didn't end for her - HER REAL LIFE - the purpose, the call & her DESTINY in life - was JUST BEGINNING.

Her 1 desire was and is to worship her King - the King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- JESUS!! Her heart is to worship the 1 that created the stars, that gave breath to the lungs that she sings with, the 1 that saved her when she was a little, little girl and the 1 that gives her eternal life. You see, around 12 that little pre-teen that had loved Jesus discovered that it was time to serve Him as HER Lord and Savior and not the Lord and Savior of her Mom&Dad. She began her journey of serving Him with her WHOLE heart. So the Lord began to stir in her a heart of worship and for prayer that has literally taken her ALL over the world!

I really can't tell you how proud Ray and I are of this REMARKABLE young woman. She is AMAZING in SO MANY WAYS!! If I wasn't her Mother I PROMISE you that I would think WOW, she is AMAZING!! She hasn't been the easiest of my 5 to raise from a parenting point of view because of this incredible will that she has. That will had to be steered many times but I would ALWAYS tell her that that strong will was going to be used to fight the enemy 1 day and I knew that this child would NEVER shrink back and she would always have victory over the enemy. That has come true many times over. From a very little girl that rode with me in a car as I explained to her that 1 of her good friends couldn't eat peanut butter because she was allergic and having my 5 year old look up at me and say, "oh Momma we need to pray for her" and I said, "yes shugar, we will" and then 60 seconds went by and that same 5 year old saying, "well let's get in agreement" - WOW, she didn't want a minute to go by that we didn't pray for that friend. That for me, as her Mom, was the BEGINNING of Sarah becoming a prayer warrior. She prayed and then I prayed in that car and from that day on we began to stir up that gift of prayer in her. If someone or something needed prayer - Sarah was the 1 who prayed. The girl LOVES to pray!! She knows her authority, she knows her rights and she has the faith of 10,000. I could spend DAYS sharing REMARKABLE stories about this woman that I have the AWESOME privilege of parenting. She is my hero in so many ways. We have had the privilege of serving God alongside of her for many years and she always teaches me something. There has been times that we have made VERY tough decisions with her and for her - but what a testimony she is. Some of those decisions have led to heartache for her and us but ALWAYS, always, always - she has trusted the Lord with her LIFE! What a testimony to her faith in JESUS!! I tell you I am a better person because of watching her unwavering trust in the Lord!

Ray and I are on a journey with her and we don't take that lightly. She is walking out this journey that we are beyond excited to see where it takes her. I can't hardly wait to see the man of God that He brings her - he will be AMAZING!! I can't wait to see her be a Mom 1 day because she will be INCREDIBLE!!

So Ms. Sarah - You are a woman of God that brings LIGHT to the darkness - You are a woman of God that prays prayers to the heart of God - You are a woman that loves Jesus with your WHOLE heart - You are my little woman that the Lord gave me 22 years ago and I thank Him EVERY DAY for that HONOR!! I love you with my WHOLE heart - I am BEYOND PROUD of you - I think you are SO BEAUTIFUL, inside & out and I THANK GOD for YOU!!!

Sarah recently sang and played at her cousin Katie's wedding (with Austin, Megan and Allyster). I thought it was fitting and I wanted to put it here because listen to the 1st words that she sings. I am running, running after you! That is EXACTLY what she is doing! This is a song that has really been Sarah's life. Running a race with bumps and bruises, turns and twists but she is running after God. I love that about her THE MOST!!!