OYFT Gedian

Our First Year Together

A 12-MONTH JOURNAL FOR YOU AND YOUR NEWBORN

by Joseph Graves

Our First Year Together
A 12-month journal for you and your newborn.

© 2016 Color Canvas Media

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New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copy-
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tional Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of
America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Special thanks to my wife, Allyssa, and my mother, Rebecca,
for being the two most important women in my life. You are
a delight. Thanks to Brittany Peterson and Hattie Assan for
helping make this journal possible.

For John and Brianna Graves.

I still remember the papier-mâché G.I. Joe fort my dad
gave me for Christmas when I was child. Since then,
we’ve exchanged all kinds of homemade gifts, from
homemade board games to hand-painted crafts. My fam-
ily has a long tradition of creative, hand-made Christmas
presents, so when Allyssa and I drew the names of my
brother and his wife Brie in my family’s secret Santa, I
knew we needed to make something special for them.

As it turns out, Brie was pregnant at the time with their
son Gedian. He was expected to be born near Christmas,
and so logically, many of our gifts centered around the
anticipation of his birth. We bought a few things from
their registry, but we wanted to get something for them
that was original. After talking with other new mothers,
we realized that everyone wished they had written more
in their journal during their first year together and yet
they also said they didn’t have any time to journal. This
predicament set me on a journey of designing a journal
that would be useful, simple, beautiful, and yet doable.

I had long been fascinated with the number of birth sto-
ries found in the scriptures. It seems like so many of
the important characters had their start in the womb. As
such, I thought to myself: what if we grabbed all the

birth narratives we could find in the Bible, and we came
up with some kind of devotional for John and Brie’s first
year together with their little one?

The idea took off from there, and it wasn’t long after we
started piecing this together, that we realized we were
onto something special.

I’m happy to let you know that Brie and John opened an
early version of this book on Christmas morning and Brie
nearly burst into tears. This journal was forged out of or
love for family, and we hope as you work through building
yours, you will experience that same kind of love.

From our family to yours,

Joe and Allyssa Graves

This journal belongs to ______________________

parent(s)

in honor of ______________________

child(ren)

born on ______________________

date & time

at ______________________

location

given by ______________________

To my dearest Gedian
Someday I might share these thoughts with you.
Until then, I’ll write.

All my love,

Introduction

“You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Psalm 139:13 NIV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born
I set you apart…”
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

Love precedes life.

The love of God begins before our life began. Before we
were capable of knowing God, God knew us. Before we
were capable of loving, we were loved. The benefits of
faith precede our ability to have faith and extend to even
those who do not yet know what it means to believe.

I have no doubt you hope to raise Gedian in the faith. But
its true that the discipleship can being long before he is
able to respond in faith. If you hope to raise Gedian in
the Lord, there’s no reason you can’t start today. But how?
Well, one way is through prayer and reflection. Hence,
these pages.

What follows is a simple journal, divided into twelve sec-
tions for each month of the year. With each month, we
included a short scripture reading and devotion. Each
reading and devotion reflects on one of the many birth
stories found in the scriptures.

As you celebrate your first year together, we hope that
scripture meets you in these moments and that you see
the connecting threads between your experiences and
what God has shared with us in His word. If nothing else,
consider this: the most significant leaders and characters
in the Bible—even Jesus—each began their stories as ba-
bies. Our hope is that the same can be said of your little
one.

We know that the first year is often the craziest, so you
might be wondering: How in the world will I have time
to journal? That’s a fair question. What’s great about this
particular journal is its flexibility. While you can journal as
often as you want, you won’t be expected to journal daily.
Instead it’s divided into 12 sections so that you can do
monthly “check-ups”.

We recommend on the birth date of Gedian, each month,
that you take out the journal, read that month’s devotional,
and then check in. Ask yourself: What has happened over
the past month? Did we experience any significant mile-
stones? What has God been teaching me? What about
my faith am I most excited to share with you someday?
In the same way that you document your baby’s growth
milestones, you’ll be charting your own – reflecting on
your spiritual growth because of this little person sitting
in front of you.

Doing a monthly check-in will give you a chance, later
on, to quickly read over the exceptional, beautiful, and at
times painful, journey of your first year together.

Month 1: Isaac

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time
next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was be-
hind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah
was past the age of childbearing.
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out
and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say,
‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too
hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next
year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 18:10-14, NIV

SOMETHING TO LAUGH AT

In many ways the story of Abraham and Sarah is the story
of God’s people. Abraham and Sarah became the parents
of God’s holy nation. Becoming the parents of God’s
people was a huge responsibility, and of all the people
who could have done it, they were truly unlikely candi-
dates. They were too old–they were old enough to be the
grandparents of God’s people, not the parents! So when
God tells them that they will become parents, it’s so unbe-
lievable that Sarah laughs. She couldn’t help herself.

I can’t help but imagine Sarah as the lovely, grandmotherly
type who laughs at the silliness of ridiculous situations.
I can imagine it now: a young child goes up to a grand-
mother tugs on her apron, and asks: “Why don’t you have
a child, grandmother?” The grandmother, far too old
to give birth, with a knowing gaze warmly laughs at the
child’s innocence.

I like to think that Sarah laughs like this. I’m not sure it
was unbelief as much as disbelief. Could God do the im-
possible? Sure. But the very nature of the impossible is
that it feels very impossible until it happens. It’s so terribly
impossible, that when people suggest it, it seems kind of
funny to think about let alone envision it actually happen-
ing. This story teaches us that learning to laugh at the im-
possible is a healthy discipline. While she laughs, God has
plans that are so big and impossible and beautiful that no
amount of laughter will keep them from becoming reality.
God is not threatened by our laughter.

As you spend your first year together, I’m sure there will be
times when life feels impossible. Surely, there will be times
when all of life might seem to fall apart. It’s easy to become
overwhelmed. You might even feel like unlikely candidates
to raise such a precious child. You might feel unworthy, un-
wanted, or completely lost. My prayer for you is that your
frustration moves from tears to laughter. God can do amaz-
ing things when life feels impossible. When that happens,
choose to trust God, and instead of walking away in unbe-
lief, laugh in disbelief, and see what God can do.

The first month is often categorized by sleepless nights. While awake,
often at strange hours, what do you tend to think about? Do you find

yourself praying for anything in particular?











Month 2: Ishmael

The angel of the Lord also said to Hagar:
“You are now pregnant

and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,

for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;

his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her:
“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have
now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:11-13, NIV

THE PROBLEM CHILD

The circumstances surrounding the birth of Ishmael were
more than complicated. Hagar was a slave, given to her
master by his wife, with the hopes that he might have a
child through her. She becomes pregnant, but this compli-
cates things even more as she attempts to run away from
it all. Then, in the midst of this turmoil, God shows up.
God speaks to her, but the prophecy regarding this child
wasn’t what any mother would hope to hear.

It is said that this child will become a wild donkey of a
man, and will be against everyone,

and will live in hostility toward all. It’s a brutal thing to be
said of a child not yet old enough to do anything but cry
and sleep. Nonetheless, he would be a problem child. He
wasn’t the first, and he certainly was not the last.

There is no doubt that at times our children will disap-
point us. Our children will rage against us, our families,
and the world. It’s bound to happen. They will all be a
“problem child” at some point in time. While we hope our
children grow into people of integrity, we all make mis-
takes. There will be times when you have to watch Gedian
struggle through immeasurable difficulty. There will be
times when you are disappointed in Gedian. There will be
times when you wish you could step in and change things
in their life.

Hagar named her son Ishmael because this name means

“God hears.” Amidst everything that was happening and
all that would eventually happen, this child would be a
constant reminder that God heard her. That God saw her
pain, her suffering, her isolation. The peace that Hagar
felt in those moments traces back to the truth that God
was ultimately in control of Ishmael’s future. The burden
wasn’t hers to bear alone. Yes, she would have a problem
child, but God would be with her the whole way.

If you ever get discouraged, distraught, or feel some kind
of disappointment as you watch your little one grow up,
remember: God is the God who sees you. If we believe
God sees us and if we believe God hears us, then we know
that God can do something to redeem us and redeem our
difficult situations.

God sees you; so you can relax. God is ultimately in
charge. You don’t need to try to control the situation or
the outcomes, because God knows and loves you and He
is in control. In those tough moments, remember that Je-
sus teaches us:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest.

Matthew 11:28











Month 3: Jacob

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was child-
less. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became
pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said,
“Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
The Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 25:21-23, NIV

FAMILY PROBLEMS

This mother is carrying twins, and while this would be excit-
ing enough for any mother, these twins are jostling within
her, to the point that she’s getting concerned about it. The
word here for “jostled” literally means “to crush.” It’s typi-
cally translated “break, bruise, crush, discourage, oppress,
or struggle together.” Those are rather violent words to be
describing something that is happening in the womb. God
goes as far as to compare this quarreling to the fighting of
nations, and as the twins grow up, they will bring that reality
to fruition.

Jacob, in the line of Abraham, in many ways represents the
nation Israel. Right from birth, Israel is known for the fights
they will have with neighboring nations. And yet, political
wars are not the only kind of wrestling that Jacob will be
known for. Jacob would wrestle with his brother, and his
people would wrestle with the world, but he would also
wrestle with God.

Jacob grows up to be a man who follows after God. Yet, it’s
no surprise that one of the most significant moments in his
spiritual life was a wrestling match. He didn’t meet God by a
river, or in a time of mediation, or up on top of a mountain,
or with a burning bush, or by the quiet waters, or in any
other pristine place. As it was foreshadowed in the womb,
he met God wrestling (Genesis 32).

From birth Jacob was a fighter, but that didn’t keep him
away from God. Jacob was a fighter, so God meet him in a
wrestling match.

Isn’t it great to know that God can meet us in a way that
makes sense to us? Your little one might not be a fighter,
but it’s safe to assume that he is unique in some way or an-
other. As you raise Gedian in the Lord, trust that God will
meet him in a way that is unique to him. In other words, his
relationship with God might not look like yours. It might
come out through art, scripture study, wrestling with tough
questions, intellect, silence, praise or something else entirely.
Raising Gedian in the Lord doesn’t mean forcing him to
experience God the way you experienced God. It’s about
teaching him to believe in a God who meets him right
where he is.

Before the third month is when you start to see Gedian’s personality
shine through. It’s by the third month that you might even see him
smile when he hears your voice. What does it feel like to experience

these kinds of milestones?











Month 4: Joseph

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her
to conceive. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said,
“God has taken away my disgrace.” She named him Joseph, and said,
“May the Lord add to me another son.”

Genesis 30:22-24, NIV

LIVE FOR OTHERS

Rachel had been waiting for some time to have a child of
her own. When she finally did, she named her child “Joseph,”
which means “may he add.” In other words, her prayer with

her first child was that he wouldn’t be her last. In a sense,
Joseph was named in honor of those who would come after
him. More specifically, Joseph was named in honor of his

younger brother, Benjamin. Looking beyond this mother’s
desire for more children, there is sense that Joseph’s name
was a beautiful picture of his life. He would be the begin-
ning of a family—not the end. His life would add more to
his family than just making way for more children. His life
wouldn’t be for himself, but for others.

If you’re familiar with Joseph’s story, then you know that
this becomes true. Joseph is sold into slavery by his broth-
ers, later imprisoned, and then miraculously finds himself in
a position of great power in the land of Egypt. It is from
this place that he is able to save his people during a time of
drought. Setting aside all his regret, fear, and bitterness, he
forgives his brothers and gives them a new chance at life.
The Lord used him to save those who would come after
him.

Like Joseph, we hope that our children will live a life that
is for others. Yet, also like Joseph, our children may first
endure trials. Our hope is that that through their life they
might live and be an example for those who come after
them—that their life will be a selfless one.
As you raise your little one, may you pray that they become
a Joseph—one who adds so much to those around them.

It’s often by the fourth month that you get to hear your baby laugh.
What was it like to hear your baby laugh for the first time?











Month 5: Moses

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite
woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that
he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide
him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with
bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the
reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see
what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her
attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the
reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the
child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one
of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pha-
raoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew
women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,
“Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daugh-
ter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give
you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When
the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she
took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I
drew him out of the water.”

Exodus 2:1-10, NRSV

LETTING GO

During this time, Pharaoh had created a law that all male
Hebrew children were to be killed. However, this particular
mother kept her child hidden from the authorities until she
couldn’t hide him any longer. In a last ditch attempt to save
him, she put him in a little ark, and sent him over the water
towards Pharaoh’s house. She was likely hoping her baby
would win them over, and they would choose to keep him.
And it worked! What followed was a string of events that
were no less than miraculous. While she didn’t get to keep
him, she did get to raise him.

It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to put my child in
a handmade raft and send him or her down the river hoping
that someone would have compassion and take the baby in
It’s impossible to imagine how Moses’ mother must have
felt. It’s as if you imagine your worst fear for Gedian and
then multiply that tenfold. Yet, in the midst of this terrible
situation, God reunites her with her child. It is not perfect,
but it’s better than nothing. It is almost bearable.

God has a strange way of making terrible situations almost
bearable.

My prayer is that you will never have to send Gedian away
for good. But it’s true that every parent, at some point, has
to send their child away, at least for a little while. When it

comes time to send Gedian away, whether it’s to the babysit-
ter’s house for the first time, to preschool, to kindergarten,
to their first sleep over, or to college—when you feel your
heart breaking into painfully beautiful pieces—remember
this story of Moses and trust that God has an amazing way
of making truly difficult situations almost bearable.

How has your little one changed the way you trust God?











Month 6: Samson

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the
Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel
of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless,
but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now
see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that
you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have
a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is
to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the
lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God
came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t
ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. But
he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then,
drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat any thing
unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb
until the day of his death.’”

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg
you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how
to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

Judges 13:2-8, NIV