When I was a boy, there was a pair of robins that loved to nest in a nook in a downspout on one end of our house. This downspout was at a low enough angle that we could see the nest out of one of the windows. The baby birds were always fascinating to watch as they cried for attention and food. In short enough time, they were ready to fly out on their own. I have been reminded of this new life from time to time when I learn about local births in the Church. The parents and grandparents are happy; their family and their friends are happy for them. Everything about newborns is amazing, from their tiny little fingers and toes to how smooth and fresh their skin is. With time, people begin to notice what characteristics the new baby takes from the mother or from the father. I wonder how God looks at us sometimes. Does He have the same excitement for us when we are baptized as we do for a new baby? The parallels in many respects are similar. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—All things have become new!" (International Standard Version). As we watch a newborn develop over the years, we see the benchmarks of maturity—learning to feed oneself, to crawl, to walk, to talk, to dress and on it goes. Does God gain the same satisfaction from us as He sees us grow in spiritual maturity? I think He does. With Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, we have another year of benchmarks to achieve with God's help as a loving parent. In due course we will grow, and as we do, we will look back and wonder how we could have ever been so tiny, so fresh and so utterly unaware of our surroundings. Yet we will see so many occasions where God protected us, directed us, comforted us and cared for us. We have as much new life in the calling God has given us as a newborn baby has. What characteristics will we take from our Parent? What influence will He have on us? And what will we learn along the way? As a newborn will have a life full of choices, so do we, and God has told us what He would choose for us. Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us: "Let heaven and earth be my witnesses against you this day that I have put before you life and death, a blessing and a curse: so take life for yourselves and for your seed" (Bible in Basic English). Choose new life in God, and watch in wonder at what it holds. UN