Some things I've been pondering...

I read something cool this week about the word "compassion" used in the Bible. In the verse in Micah that says "He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." Apparently, the Hebrew word they translated as compassion there literally means "to love from the womb" and is often translated as mercy. The picture that this word paints then, is of the "tender love of a mother for her own helpless child", that kind of deep love that mothers experience even before their baby makes its first appearance from the womb. It's the same hebrew word used in 1 Kings when Solomon suggested cutting the baby in half since the 2 women were fighting over him. It says that the real mother "yearned with compassion for her son." I feel like i can really identify with that kind of love, and it makes me understand a little bit more the depth of God's love for us, after now having experienced that depth of love with Suzy, even when she was in the womb. I like that God has those feminine qualities, like a tender, loving mother. Now I'm not trying to get into the discussion about calling God "She", I'm just saying it's cool how God encompasses all the human emotions and traits, even the one typically thought of for women. Because really it's not like God has stolen our "feminine" traits, but rather we inherited those traits from him in the first place. It surely makes me more aware when I use the word compassion in the sense of me having compassion on someone else, because wow, that's really a stronger word than i always thought.


Anyways, this week we are going to the US Embassy to report Suzy's birth and get her passport and Social Security number so she can be an official US citizen. I'm excited about that, but also a little nervous because Elvis and I will be interviewed, and i have to prove that I lived in the US for 5 years, 2 of those being after my 12th birthday. I think we have enough documentation with school transcripts and diplomas (and I think my southern accent will help too), but I still get a little nervous so you guys can pray for this process, although I'm not as nervous as the numerous times we went to the embassy trying to get Elvis a visa. That just felt more like gambling. Anyways, i also have to write down every single time I've ever been out of the states...the location and the dates. Wow. I was filling in all the applications for this process, and there was one question that caught me off guard, even though it's a question we see a lot on any kind of questionnaires, applications, etc. The question asked me what Suzy's race is. Hmm. Good question. The only options were "Hispanic", "Asian", "African American", or "White". i think it's curious that all the other options point to an actual place, such as Asia, Africa, but white?? That's just a color! And would Suzy be considered "white"?? Or hispanic?? I just chose not to answer.

I'll leave you with these ponderings, and some cute pics of Suzy. =)