Leslie Corbell: [00:00:00] Hello, I'm Leslie Dudley Corbell. And I'm Diane Doucet Matthews, welcome to the Mind of a Child.

We are so glad you joined us for today's episode. 

Diane Matthews: It is almost Christmas. Can you believe this? 

Leslie Corbell: Yes, 

Diane Matthews: you can, because it's my favorite time of the year. This is true. We're sitting right now in Leslie's home and it is beautiful decorations everywhere. Christmas, Christmas lights. Um, have you finished all your Christmas shopping?

No, I have not. I've made lists. I've made lists. I've thought about it. You've thought about it. That's me too. I've thought about it. So today we're gonna talk about new arrivals, bringing babies home. And of course we know that very close is when we celebrate Jesus. So about 2000 years ago, Jesus was born and we know a lot of you may be bringing your babies [00:01:00] home.

Soon. And what kind of preparation there is for that. Do you just prepare your home or should we prepare our heart? And what does that look like? 

Leslie Corbell: And I think that's just such a beautiful way to think about how do we prepare our hearts for the rival of Jesus. Mm-hmm. And for the rival of our child. Yeah.

What are some things a mom might do? She prepares to bring her new baby home. Well before we 

Diane Matthews: go through this exhausting list that could feel that way. Hopefully you're in a community of believers that will, you know, throw a shower too for you and help you prepare and will do these things for you. And I was, I.

Very blessed to have a group like this. I did not have family here, but I did have some, some great friends that prepared and helped me think through this. What about you, Leslie? Did you have help? 

Leslie Corbell: I really didn't. Okay. I had moved to a new town. Okay. Shortly, um, after I had my [00:02:00] child. Were you in a church? I joined one uhhuh.

We joined one shortly after we moved here, 

Diane Matthews: but it probably wasn't long enough to really develop that. Hadn't developed enough community yet. Yeah, so that really makes a difference. So if you, when we read through this list, don't feel like you have to do it all, you know? So start off with preparing for needs, you know, cooking and freezing things for the future.

If you have a little extra space in your freezer, that's always helpful. I bet that would've been so helpful. Well, you know what? One, one little shower that some close friends gave was just frozen nine by thirteens of. That's great. Casserole and things that I could take out and just add to. Yeah. I mean, which is such a great idea to do for other people that you know that are pregnant though.

Yeah, that is a great idea. 

Leslie Corbell: How about baby proofing your home? Yes. Yes. 'cause your baby will be crawling. 

Diane Matthews: Not immediately but quick. But, and another thing to think about is the people that are gonna come over and visit you, they may have kids that are crawling and going around the house, and you might be sore at [00:03:00] first.

You're not gonna be able to jump around and move. Right. So, 

Leslie Corbell: um, just to prepare, go ahead and take care of it. That's right. This next one, when Diane suggested this one, because she wrote this one down. I didn't write this one down Funny. Diane wrote this one down, and it is to deep clean your home. Oh my goodness.

That just sounds so overwhelming to me. It says, have it done before your. Eighth month of pregnancy. Oh my goodness. So yes, if you have friends that can come over and help you. Well, and I did have 

Diane Matthews: some friends that really did come over. Okay. So my third child was a month early and we had just moved and we were adding on and it, I was so overwhelmed, it was ridiculous.

And they did come over and clean because we did have people coming to stay and help. 

Leslie Corbell: But what a great gift to do that. Oh, yes. During that eighth. Month because it's gonna be so hard to do it once you have 

Diane Matthews: bring the infant home or you know what you can do if you have somebody that is cleaning your house, you can pay for [00:04:00] them to go to somebody's house if they approve to go and help freshen up the house for 'em before the baby comes.

Yeah. So it's so nice to have a clean house. It 

Leslie Corbell: is. So yes. If you know someone who's expecting, that's a great way to help them out. Yes. Another one is, 

Diane Matthews: um, clean out your refrigerator in your freezer. Uh, I'm laughing because you know, I mean some of this stuff, but if you, if this is your first child and you have all this extra energy, uh, what do they say that nesting the last trimester, you have this nesting energy you can go through and get this stuff done.

You know, clean out your refrigerator, make extra space. 'cause people are gonna bring over some food hopefully for you. Yeah. 

Leslie Corbell: And I think this is good too, is to make a care basket. Mm-hmm. You know, just kind of set yourself up already with the diapers, baby wipes, things like that, that you know you'll need at a station.

Yeah. Kind of determine where that's gonna happen. Where are you gonna change the baby and where do you need your things and 

Diane Matthews: yeah. But if you have the basket, then if you happen to be in the living room or the kitchen or another bedroom, you can carry that basket wherever you go. I [00:05:00] liked having it even with the grandkids.

Now I have a little basket that I can take wherever I go. 

Leslie Corbell: Get all the baby's clothes washed and dried. Mm-hmm. And already freshened up. 

Diane Matthews: Yes. Of of course, purchase and install your car seats. 'cause those are not easy to do. They seem to get more and more complicated and I think about packing that bag. 

Leslie Corbell: Yes.

Oh my goodness. I look back at my pictures and I'm in my hospital gown. I don't know if I was just too tired to change after the delivery or if I didn't take something with me. So I think, you know, just having something comfortable. Yeah. That's easy to put on, that you won't mind putting on for pictures.

Yeah. For visitors. Yeah, for and something for the child. Yeah. They're gonna come home in. It's just a nice little touch to add and it's so fun to think about 

Diane Matthews: different people with different extremes of thinking through this. You know, some people have their bags packed, you know, a month before and have everything picked out to the tea and other people's last minute throw stuff in and you know what, the [00:06:00] baby's gonna be fine no matter what, and you will come home.

So don't stress about these things. We just thought we'd throw those things out there just so if one of these strikes you fancy, just yeah, get it done before it helps. 

Leslie Corbell: Again, if you aren't the one that's expecting and you're listening and you know a friend who is expecting, you know, these are some ways you can serve them.

Yes. And just what a beautiful expression of love that is too. But how did you all celebrate Christmas and this arrival of Jesus? Oh, 

Diane Matthews: well, probably just like so many, but one thing that comes to mind that I think was, was pretty special for our kids. 'cause our kids, you know. Children do not like birthday parties.

So we would have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve night, and we decorated the cake to present the gospel. So the first layer was red, like a red velvet cake, the blood of Christ that it was, uh, his blood that. Cleansed us from our sin. And then the second layer was [00:07:00] green, but it wasn't a spearmint flavor.

It was just pretty green. And that was just, uh, forgiveness, freshness, his everlasting love for us, his eternal love for us. You know, that green picture and then the icing was white, pure white that he washed as white as snow. 

Leslie Corbell: That is fun. We didn't do that, but we really tried to. Experience teach. Talk about the Christmas story.

Mm. And so one of the things that when I was little, my cousins and my brother and I, we would get this big hunting flashlight and we'd do the Christmas play, we'd read the story and act out the Christmas play. And then when my children were little, of course we would go to church to the Christmas Eve service.

Mm-hmm. And the candlelight service. I love the Christmas Eve service with the candlelight and just the beauty that that brought, it really captured, I think, the awe and the wonder of the waiting and the coming Messiah. Mm-hmm. Baby Jesus. Yeah. And so that, that was just so special to us as a family. And [00:08:00] another thing that we did when my children were little, we always had a Christmas pageant at church.

And so I directed the Christmas pageant, and it was really more of a Christmas tableau. Mm-hmm. And so we would have the children dressed up in the costumes and we'd read the scripture. And as every, as the events happened, the, you know, the animals would come on stage whenever the shepherd verse came up.

And then we would sing a carol. We would sing a carol that went with each part of the tableau as well, and Madeline would always be the donkey. Oh, that was her favorite part. And so she'd wear the little donkey outfit. What was Hans's favorite? Hans would be whatever. He would be a shepherd. One year. She was a wise man one year, so he was quite content to just.

Be up there. And he was pretty young when we were doing this as we prepare for the coming of Jesus and for Christmas Day. Mm-hmm. And one thing we wanna do is read the Christmas story 'cause there's so many good memories and it really does tell you the stories, just which is the primary reason we're celebrating Christmas.

That's right. And, and even think about the Charlie Brown Christmas [00:09:00] story. You know, the most, some of the most memorable parts and just the powerful parts of that little. Cartoon or when Linus tells the Christmas story. I know. And so just as many ways as you can to read that to your children and share that with them.

Diane Matthews: The real meaning Yes. Of the Of the whole season. Yes. Yes. If you do anything at all. So when we think back on Mary and Joseph mm-hmm. I would think that they really did prepare their hearts because of the angels visiting them and telling them in a dream and everything that was going on with them. And they knew prophecy, they knew scripture, so they had to be.

So excited, but yet maybe apprehensive and fearful of, um, being the parents of the Messiah. And so they're traveling so they didn't have time to prepare their home, so to speak. Their hearts, they did prepare. 

Leslie Corbell: Yes, preparing their hearts was really where, where the focus was.

Diane Matthews: And so, [00:10:00] you know, you think about us preparing our hearts and the four pillars, hope, peace, and the joy and the love is so rich in this story, just us reminiscing and thinking through just the Christmas story. Do you know the first time that they had the advent. Tradition was in three 80 ad I didn't know that.

That is so long ago. Mm-hmm. So, you know, people wanted to prepare their hearts. So let's talk about how we can prepare our hearts. 

Leslie Corbell: I'm really thinking about expectant moms and really what are some questions that they may have about this upcoming birth of their child. And so I did talk to one expectant mom and I just said, you know, what are some thoughts that go around in your head?

As you're thinking about your child and you know, this moment of pregnancy that you have, and I mean, she had quite, very quickly gave me quite a few thoughts that are in her head, and one was, how am I [00:11:00] going to do everything? How do I hold a baby? Mm. Will I be able to do all the things that I need to do?

How do I know what is something essential that I need, and what is something that's just trendy that people talk about? How do I do all of this? You know, she felt very encouraged when other moms who had recently had babies told her, you learn as you go. So I started thinking about that and as we're talking about Mary and Joseph, I thought the angels.

Mm-hmm. And about Gabriel going to Mary and what is one of the first things that wasn't the first thing that Gabriel told Mary. 'cause he first told her the Lord is with you. Mm. But then he says, do not be afraid. And I just think how encouraging that must have been to Mary. She was an expectant mom. And then how much expectant moms need to hear that today too.

Do not be afraid. Do not fear. Right. 

Diane Matthews: Not only for expectant mothers and dads, but for the world. Mm-hmm. You know, do not fear, and I know we've said this so many times, but in the Bible it says it [00:12:00] 365 times. So you could kinda say, God put it here in his word, one for each day. Because we're prone to fear.

Yeah. We're prone to be anxious and stress, so yeah. 

Leslie Corbell: Yeah, it's an important message as we're preparing for that baby, as we're preparing for Jesus to do not fear. Mm. And then as you were talking about the pillars of advent, then you can experience all of the joy, peace, hope, and love that there is in Christ.

Diane Matthews: Yes. I know you were talking just, uh, about Mary and the angel and even her prayer that she prayed, you know, just you talking through that she experienced hope. She experienced peace, she experienced, she rejoiced in her prayer. And this whole plan is from the love of God. So that's the whole message of Advent that you know, our saints of old, you know, in three 80 ad put all that together.

Leslie Corbell: Sit on that for a minute. If we look at Luke and it's chapter one, learn more about Mary and [00:13:00] about Gabriel going to talk to her with this message after he delivers that message to her. The first thing that she says is, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me, according to your word. Hmm. To me, there's such peace in that.

I mean, that was pretty big news that she received from Gabriel. 

Diane Matthews: Wow. That was like huge news. Huge. Yeah. But to 

Leslie Corbell: be able to accept the word of God. Mm-hmm. And accept his will and his plan, and be his servant to be living according to his word, there is great peace in that. 

Diane Matthews: Well, you know what? Christ coming to Earth is a message for us every day of our lives, right?

I mean, it gives us all those things. And 

Leslie Corbell: you mentioned this briefly, then Mary goes on to sing her Song of Praise and I think you mentioned that. Mm-hmm. And I don't know if we wanna read it right now. If you're ready, let's read it. Yeah, I have it been. So this would be Luke one verses 46 through [00:14:00] 55. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior, for he has looked on the humblest state of his servant.

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me Blessed for he who is mighty, has done great things for me. And holy is his name and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud and the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.

He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. She really expresses hope. Mm-hmm. Joy. Love, 

Diane Matthews: God's love. Peace. Peace. Yeah. That rejoice once again, all four pillars are 

Leslie Corbell: involved in that.[00:15:00] 

Just like Mary, we can have hope and, and you can have hope and all the blessing that God has planned for you. Walk in confidence. Christ, even 

Diane Matthews: when you don't know what's coming up. Because we have all his promises. Yes. So we do have his hope in peace. In Isaiah, it talks about that he is the prince of peace.

I love that section right there where it talks about all the names of God, and most of the time it's read. We read it last episode, but it also talks in the New Testament that the peace that passes all understanding. You know, when we're anxious, we can come to him and pray about it and be thankful about it, and he is gonna give us that peace that passes all understanding.

That is a mighty promise, and I have clung to that many, many times. Many, many years. Then what's the next one? 

Leslie Corbell: Joy. 

Diane Matthews: Joy. Joy. 

Leslie Corbell: I mean, I think that joy for me is being present in the moment and there's so many distractions and worries and things that can pull you [00:16:00] from that, but I think there's so much joy in that pregnancy, praying and getting that peace.

Holding onto that hope and just being able to ex just take it all in then. Mm-hmm. And just enjoy those moments that come to you and those little blessings every day as the child and you grow. Is growing. 

Diane Matthews: Is growing. Yeah. Oh, I love it. And when things do come up. That may want to steal your joy. 

Leslie Corbell: Mm-hmm.

Diane Matthews: Give those to the Lord immediately and just say, I just give them to you Lord. Mm-hmm. Help, you know, help me to see the joy in this. And it's amazing how he'll answer that pretty quickly. Yeah. The next one is love. I mean, where do we begin? God still live the world that he gave his only begotten son. So that we may not perish but have everlasting life.

That's a big gift. But when you think about that daily, he wants us to live a life of love. Love covers a multitude of sin, but even walking with a baby [00:17:00] in you, that that is a symbol of love, not only between you and your husband, but love. Of the world, you know? He said, go therefore and be fruitful and multiply.

I mean, that's his plan. 

Leslie Corbell: You're carrying out God's plan. And I remember during my pregnancies just, just having that overwhelming thought that I was not alone. Mm. Everywhere I went, everything I did, someone, someone was with me. That's so sweet. And it was just the thing about, that's great. You know, onion, you name your child and going to the grocery store, you know.

Madeline is with me going to the grocery store, Madeline's with me as I go to work out. You know, you just have that sense of company. Compan. Compan, yeah. Compan companionship. Compan companionship. Yeah. And that they can hear you. Yeah. Yeah. That's really sweet. So there's so much just love wrapped up in that.

So as we go on and think about Mary is where, you know, reflect back on Mary and her news and her journey. In Luke two 16 through 19, it really goes on to talk about how [00:18:00] Mary treasured, and this is after the birth. You know, Mary treasured and stored up all these things in her heart. I think about all the things that we then are able to, and she pondered them.

Yeah, I was gonna say she pondered that, that in one version it says she pondered them and we can ponder all these wonderful blessings that we're given in our children. Mm-hmm. And just what a gift that is.

As you ponder bringing your baby home, just take that moment to reflect on Jesus and the gift that He is, and the remarkable story of redemption that God has given us in Jesus and in the coming of Jesus in that little stable in Bethlehem. 

Diane Matthews: Lord, we thank you for your beautiful plan, the hope and the peace, and the joy and the love, all in this sweet story in Jesus.

And so it's in Jesus, his name that we [00:19:00] pray and hope in. Amen. 

Leslie Corbell: Thanks for listening. Check out our Instagram at the Mind of a Child Pod, or you can email us at the Mind of a Child podcast@gmail.com.