Two by Two: Parties say, "I love you!"

Inspired by the Bible story, my cousin Missy went over the top with a Noah’s Ark party for her daughter's 2nd birthday. She snagged a refrigerator box (the ark) from a local appliance store and rearranged her living room furniture in order to accommodate the ark plus a group of six active toddlers. The night before the party, she covered the entire ceiling above the ark with dark paper to create the illusion of a storm.

In the brightly-lit kitchen, however, a beautiful rainbow cake served as the centerpiece on the table. She enlisted the talent of her former high school art teacher to paint a wall-length mural for the backdrop. Party favors included plastic animal figurines (two of each!) as well as a children’s book about Noah’s Ark, which Missy read aloud as the children enjoyed their refreshments.

When I was telling a friend about Missy’s creativity, he commented rather cynically, “That sounds like a woman with too much time on her hands.”

I quickly replied, “No, that sounds like a mom who loves her little girl.”

A lot of trouble? Yes.
How 'bout inconvenience? Of course.
Time-consuming and even frustrating in all the details? You better believe it!

But isn’t that what love is all about? And isn’t taking these extra steps, these measures that go above and beyond, what shows our kids how we really feel about them? And then, won’t they be that much more inclined to understand and acknowledge how God feels about them?

Maybe a two-year-old doesn’t understand. But a 16-year-old certainly does.

Think relationship. Think investment. Think eternity.

Because we know God has a plan for our children’s lives and we know He is the hope for their future, Christian moms should give the best parties ever. Make your child’s next birthday party an invitation to a real celebration!