With Arms Wide Open

I’ll never forget the moment I learned I was going to become a father.

I was coming down the stairs, getting ready for breakfast before a long drive to work, when my wife gave me a quick hug and kiss and slipped something into my shirt pocket. I looked down and saw what it was: a positive pregnancy test.

Oh my God.

We hugged again, we laughed, we cried—overwhelmed with joy.

So many thoughts flooded my mind. But what I remember most clearly is this: I wanted to do everything I could to encourage this new life—to help this child embrace life with open arms.

I immediately thought of a song I loved—“With Arms Wide Open” by Creed—and played it on my drive to work.

Well, I just heard the news today
It seems my life is goin’ to change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face

Life can be hard—intimidating. We face loneliness, failure, regret. We wrestle with our own flaws, difficult people, and challenges that often feel insurmountable. And yet, we sense something else too: possibility. An awareness of what could be, if we had the courage—or the help—to step forward and embrace it.

With arms wide open under the sunlight
Welcome to this place, I’ll show you everything
With arms wide open

Of course, I wanted to protect my child from the dangers of the world. That instinct came naturally. But just as strong—maybe stronger—was the desire to help her see the good in it. To trust that life, even with all its difficulties, is something to be embraced. That joy is not only possible, but perhaps the purpose and meaning of life.

Well, I don’t know if I’m ready
To be the man I have to be
I’ll take a breath, I’ll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we’ve created life

To be honest, I didn’t know if I was ready. I didn’t know if I was a good enough man to lead, to guide, to set an example. The weight of it forced me to look at myself more closely than I ever had before. And what I saw was this: I had let fear shape too much of my life. I had allowed my sense that the world was dangerous and unpredictable to hold me back—to dampen my willingness to fully live.

Meeting my wife changed that. The world I had once approached with caution and suspicion began to look different. Not harmless, but not hostile either. Instead, it revealed itself as something far richer—filled with meaning, blessing, and the possibility of good. More good than I had ever allowed myself to imagine.

If I had just one wish, only one demand
I hope she’s not like me, I hope she understands
That she can take this life and hold it by the hand
And she can greet the world with arms wide open

More than anything, I didn’t want my child to be held back the way I had been. I wanted her to know that life is not something to shrink from or hide from. That you can be open without being naïve. That you can embrace life fully without living in fear.

Because the truth is, we are not alone. God holds us in His hands. He is with us in the low moments, encouraging and sustaining us, and also prodding us to seek the good. When we trust Him and follow where He leads, fear loosens its grip. We begin to see more clearly and live more freely.

This openness to life changes everything. It has changed us. And in ways seen and unseen, it is already finding its way into the lives of our three daughters.

The miracle that turned our lives around does not end with us. It continues. God’s love casts out fear as surely as light overcomes the night.

Every single day, the light returns. And we are invited, again and again, to meet it, with arms wide open.