Psalm 31:21

"Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me."
Psalm 31:21

When I think of the ways the Lord shows His love for me, I am overwhelmed. Why would He choose to bless me and show His love to me? Surely He doesn't have to do either, but out of His goodness, He chooses to do both!

I love how the words "wondrously" and "steadfast" are used in this passage of scripture. Steadfast = unwavering, loyal, faithful, committed, devoted, dedicated, dependable, reliable, steady, true, constant, solid, etc. I can't think of any better kind of love. 

He chose to bless me with more than I can even recall (which is pretty wondrous), but I sense His blessing and love in my life everyday. And I am determined that when you are grateful and look for God in your everyday life, you will find Him. After all, He's always been there, patiently loving us.

When you find Him, there will be no room for bitterness or resentment; only room for a heart overflowing out of His steadfast love and blessings. Choose Him. Choose blessings. Choose steadfast  love. I promise you, you won't regret it!

Birth: Making All Things New

The birth of my son was a beautiful experience for me. I know it's messy and uniquely different for everyone, but we can all agree that the whole process and birth experience ends in a beautiful result.

Isn't it much this way with us as we became Christians or as we constantly are changing. As we grow, the growing experience can be messy at times. We will have to hear hard things and do difficult tasks to grow and love Jesus more. God didn't intend for it to be easy, just as He didn't intend labor to be easy.

Think about anything beautiful that grows--plants, crystals, animals, schools, families, etc. When schools grow, it's also quite a process. First there's overcrowding before hiring more teachers due to the budget. It may take criticizing parents and taxpayers to get this to happen.
It takes time and patience before more teachers are approved to be hired, then are finally hired. Kids have to be split up from their previous classes, which is tough on some. The teacher has to take over well after the overcrowding began, but I know we would all agree that it's better this way even if it is hard.

When families grow, it's more of a joyous event, but it does lead to some challenges. The new sibling(s) may experience feelings of inadequacy or jealousy, which may lead to less than desirable actions. For the parents, it requires more planning and much more energy to have multiple children. Finances will have to be managed and meal planning is more challenging. But in the end, we have a growing family and we would rather have it this way.

Sin is messy, but when you give it to Jesus, he can turn your messy, difficult life into a beautiful one that is redeemed by God's unfailing love for you. The process of giving Jesus your sin will be a challenging one. Yes, there's a tough road ahead, but I promise you, it's worth it! God doesn't promise to give us more than we can handle on our own, but He does promise to be with us every step of the way. If we rely on Him and His grace, we won't be overwhelmed or burdened by anything in our life. God is a God of new beginnings.

So what can you give God today so He can give you a new beginning?

"And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”"
Revelation 21:5

Seth

Our lives have dramatically changed over the past (almost) 4 weeks. On August 14, 2013 at 12:40 a.m., our little miracle, Christopher "Seth" was born, all 6 pounds 1 ounce and 18 inches. Like many others would say, it was a bit hectic leading up to our son's birthday.

My water broke around noon (at a friend's house nonetheless) on Tuesday the 13th. I called Christopher who works 45 minutes away so he would begin to head home. After I got home, I had to pack. I had plenty to do and no time to do it. I had plans to run errands that day. I had plans with a friend. I didn't plan on having a baby a week and a half early. To say I was scared and anxious is an understatement. I was so excited to meet my son, but I questioned if I was ready to be a mother. God has an amazing way of encouraging and reassuring us. He graciously gave us a son and perfectly timed his arrival.

God cares so much about each one of us. So many things that happened during labor and delivery point me to that fact. He cares about the big and little things alike. He cared enough to allow my water to break when I wasn't alone. He cared enough to allow my own doctor to be on call at the hospital and for her to deliver Seth. He cared enough for my labor to be a euphoric and wonderful experience. He cared enough to allow Christopher and I to become parents to a healthy and incredible baby boy.

We feel like God gave us Seth's name. Seth is a Hebrew, Biblical name that means appointed. We believe that Seth is appointed by God to do great things with his life. We so look forward to continuing on our journey of parenthood with our sweet baby boy. We are so in love with our tiny little miracle and we can't wait to see all that God has planned for his life.

Announcement!

God has been so good to us! We are so grateful for what He's done. My last post was written as I was looking for something to hope in. I was struggling to believe in God's promises for our lives. I heard this verse recently and it is so comforting if you're in a place where you're struggling or in a place where you have nothing but hope. 


"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." (Hebrews 10:23)


Sometimes I still have doubts and worries, but this verse helps to squash my fears and trust in God and His promise. 


Over Christmas break I was not feeling like myself. I was feeling sick and tired and couldn't figure out why. I decided to take a pregnancy test on January 1st (the day we got home from visiting our families). To our surprise, it was positive! We didn't tell anyone about it because we wanted to wait for our first ultrasound. 


Fast forward a couple weeks to the weekend of January 19th. I began having some complications (cramping and bleeding). I went to the doctor to get some blood work done on Friday but wouldn't find out the results until Monday. I also had a scheduled ultrasound Monday to see what was going on. That weekend was one of the most emotionally difficult few days of my life. I spent most of it crying out to God. I believe that Friday was when I wrote my last post. I spent time praying but mostly grieving for the loss of a child I never knew but desperately longed to know. 


Chris and I went to the doctor Monday morning when I was expecting to hear some bad news. I was desperately trying to be content with whatever happened, but I had a little inkling of hope that things might work out. The nurse previously told me that if my hormone levels weren't high enough, they wouldn't perform the ultrasound. Luckily my hormone levels were very high. 
The ultrasound began, and to our surprise, we saw a baby with a heartbeat! Chris and I looked at each other in shock and awe. Shouldn't I have expected God to do something amazing?! I didn't trust Him, yet He was faithful to us despite our doubt and unbelief in His promises. I felt God tell me that I needed to trust in Him and His promises. Whenever I feel that sense of worry or doubt, I try to trust and remember in God's promise for our family. 

I am currently 23 weeks pregnant and am due on August 24th. We're doing great and he is progressing well. He's already an active little boy. I'm looking forward to having some time to get our home prepared for the arrival of our little guy throughout the summer. Though part of the pregnancy has been difficult, I wouldn't change it. It has caused me to be grateful for the everything that goes along with pregnancy: the weight gain, the aches and pains, the sickness, the baby's movement, the constant trips to the bathroom, etc.

We can't wait to meet our little boy and begin growing our family! We hope you'll join us in praying that we will raise our child to love the Lord and trust in Him at all times. We pray that we will be Godly examples that constantly show Jesus's love.

"May all that I am praise the Lord. May I never forget the good things He does for me." (Psalm 103:2)

Promises

I was reading Jill McCloghry's (from Hillsong) blog today. She endured incredible loss and extremely tough circumstances, yet she still chose to worship God and trust in Him. He is faithful. His timing is ALWAYS perfect. He is close to the broken. He is close to the seeking, and He is after the deepest part of your heart. God is far greater than our circumstances. I'm claiming this verse as a promise for my life. 


"See! The winter is past, the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come my darling; my beautiful one, come with me. " Song of Songs 2:11-13

Future and Hope

Many times, when we look at ourselves, we don't see what we can become. But when God looks at us, He sees what we can become by His grace. I often only see what I am currently, and it's usually a pretty negative perception of myself.

When Jesus first saw Simon, whose name in Greek means "reed", He changed his name to "Peter", which means "rock". But did Peter instantly become someone with the characteristics of a rock - solid, stable and unshakable? No, for a long time, he continued to act like a reed that bends every which way the wind blows.

Once, when Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he took a bold step of faith and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Then, as he was walking on the water, he saw the boisterous wind, got scared and when he began to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:28-30) Another time, he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." (Luke 22:33) Then, a few hours later, he denied knowing Jesus not once, but three times. (Luke 22:54-62)

Yet, throughout his reed-like behavior, Jesus kept calling him "rock" until one day, how Jesus saw him began to take root in him. That day, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter stood up to preach and 3,000 people were saved! (Acts 2:41) Peter had indeed become a rock, a pillar in the early church.

That was how Jesus transformed Peter. And that is how God wants us to change the people and situations in our lives.

God did not tell us to call those things which exist as they exist. What is the point of stating the obvious? It is not going to change anything. No, God tells us to call those things which do not exist as though they did, and they will! (Pastor Joseph Prince) Look at Abraham's story...


That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. (Romans 4:17 NLT)

Abram was given the name Abraham by God. Abraham means "the father of many nations," but Abraham wasn't a father. Therefore, he was mocked and rejected by others because his name didn't tell of his current state; it told of his future. Though others may not have seen it, it didn't seem to discourage him enough to not obey God. So when God tells us what He believes about us, don't let others discourage you enough to turn from God and to not believe His plans for your life.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

How Will You Be Remembered?

I was reading Pastor Perry Noble's blog today, and I wanted to share a question that shook me. He was talking about all the political division and drama going on in our country right now. Our two presidential candidates think they will be elected/reelected by how much they slander the other person. No wonder America is so divided! In this post, he had a question that made me stop and think - not about any presidential candidates, but about all of our lives.

"Will history remember you because of what you were against or what you stood for?"

I read this and thought, "Wow. How many times have I been more focused on what I've been against rather than what I stood for?" That's not at all how any of us should live.

I serve a God who says, "If I'm for you, then who can stand against you? (Romans 8:31)" And since that's our God, why should I even focus on what I'm against? God will take care of all of that as long as I focus on what I'm for. So much peace comes with this. When I stop focusing on all that I am against, God's peace will overwhelm over me.

During this busy season of life and all this political drama, I'm going to focus on who I stand for, and it's not any political candidate.