Going Somewhere?

My family and I have been traveling a ton lately and love to use the super fun road application, Waze! It is updated in real time and warns you of upcoming traffic, hazards, red light cameras and even police officers.  It also has a friendly interface ... like an updated PacMan game.

Yesterday, we were heading south on the Florida Turnpike from Disney, the application took us down one road, made us flip a U-turn and head back in the opposite direction for a mile or two, because there was an entrance to the turnpike at a specific exit.  A little while later into the trip, it suddenly rebooted and changed our course because it found another route that was a few minutes faster.  It is super smart technology, updated constantly by other Wazers in the area.

As I listened for what the friendly voice was telling me to do next, step by step, I thought of my relationship with God.  I am ALWAYS asking for direction.  "What should I do about this?" or "Do You want me to walk in that seemingly open door?"  Sometimes He lets me see the whole picture and how long it will take to get there, and sometimes it is just one command at time.  Sometimes it can be a long stretch before I hear a command. I can even be on a direct course and then suddenly have my course adjusted!

I frequently question commands. It is my way of processing the new information.  I desire to know the whole plan, step by step and can get anxious when it changes or is unfamiliar.  Voices go through my head "I thought we were going to do such and such and now You are sending us there?" or "This doesn't look like what I thought it should?"

LET GO... NO AGENDA!

Eventually the LORD brings me to that place of sweet surrender.  He reminds me that I chose to give Him my whole life,  every part of it a bond servant to Him.  If He steps in and changes my course or gives me directions I don't understand, it is because He knows what lies ahead in the road. He even knows what WILL lie ahead in the road...He has a path laid out for me and I need to trust and not grow anxious double checking/questioning His direction.  Whatever He asks of me, pales in comparison to what He did for me...He is trustworthy!

Is there an area in your life that you are finding difficult to trust Him completely? Go back to the cross.  What He did there PROVES both that He can be trusted and He is worthy! 

Going Up?

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I remember being in Woolworth’s Department Store as a little girl.  There was a toy department, a clothing department, fabric department and lawn department too!  My favorite area was the Soda Fountain.

You would sit in a chrome-trimmed booth or at the ice cream counter.  It was there I would order a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup.  I loved getting a scoop of ice cream in the metal serving dishes that had been kept in the freezer.

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There was one part of Woolworth’s I still remember fearing, the escalator.  Now why would a kid be afraid of the escalator?  I would always opt to walk the large staircase between the “up” escalator and the “down” escalator. 

I remember one particular time I was at Woolworth’s with my Grandpa. We were in the lawn and garden department.  Grandpa invited me to go with him to the Soda Fountain to get an ice cream.  As much as I wanted an ice cream, I realized the escalator stood between the lawn and garden department downstairs and upstairs where the Soda Fountain was.

I remember my Grandpa holding out his big hand to me.  I can see him now saying, “Can’t you trust me?”  My heart sank with fear and with sadness that I didn’t feel like I could.

How often do we see our children wrestling with, “Can I trust you?”

This week I have felt like I’ve reached out my hand to each of our children in an attempt to get them to believe me.  Believe I know better or trust me that I am considering their good. Believe me that even though they don’t know what I am trying to lead them to it is better than where they are.

We need to set the bar high.  Believe our children will trust us.  Believe our children will believe us.  We need to also recognize they may lack the communication skills to say they are frightened or embarrassed they do not want to trust us.  It is vital we make the relationship with our children paramount.

Within the context of relationship they will see we can be trusted.  They will believe we have their best interest in mind.  Our children can trust us easier if we have laid the foundation on relationship.  Within a relationship our children believe they can trust us.  They will hold our hand as we take them on the escalator leading to something better, something they will be glad they trusted us for.

How much more our Heavenly Father reaches out His hand to us?  He knows we are scared.  He recognizes our lack of understanding. He has a proverbial ice cream waiting for us, we need to grab His hand and take the escalator!

Persnickety Perfectionism

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10

1…2…3…I blew in his face and dunked him under the water, and he tried his best to swim to the wall. He emerged somewhat confident, but mostly exasperated because he hated swim lessons. Yet, we went two times a week, and each time he would mostly cry and swim a little. One day, I noticed that his tummy looked a little swollen after swim lessons, so I pushed it and…blah, water came spewing out of his mouth! Oh my goodness! My little Mikey had been swallowing the water instead of holding his breath. So, we decided to take a little break from swim lessons. 

Yet, I still felt the pressure. Mikey was only two at the time, but everyone (or what felt like everyone) insisted that he needed to know how to swim. Forget that most of our generation didn’t know how to swim until school age or later—this new little generation needed to swim before they could walk…or so it seemed. The truth is, our culture insists that kids do a lot of things on their own from a very early age: go to sleep on their own, become potty trained, learn to swim. Yes, all of these things are good things, but we must ask ourselves “why” and “how”. Do we want our kids to be whole and strive for excellence in all they do, or are we raising a new generation of stressed out, perfectionist kids?

The truth is that the dangers of perfectionism are far too costly and the rewards far too shallow. So, how do you know if you are a perfectionist? If you are constantly comparing yourself to, competing with, and criticizing (outwardly or inwardly) the other women in your life, you may be a perfectionist. If you are constantly focusing on what is wrong with yourself and others, you may be a perfectionist. If your husband can never do anything right, you may be a perfectionist. If you are not okay with your son or daughter NOT being good at something that YOU think they should be good at, you might be a perfectionist. 

If you are panicking because this may be you, don’t worry! As a recovering perfectionist with occasional relapses, let me lovingly say that there is hope…more than that: there is GRACE.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

The answer to our perfectionist tendencies is almost so simple that it is hard to accept: we were never meant to be good at everything. Our kids are not called to be good at everything. We are not called to be just like the other moms we know. We are not called to be just like our own moms. We were made to be the wife and mom of the husband and kids God gave us. So, given these precious and challenging responsibilities, God calls us to do our best, knowing that we would not be the best at everything. 

However, God knew we would struggle with the feeling of not being good enough, so that is why he told us that his grace would be sufficient. We were always meant to walk in His strength and not our own. We are called to listen to His voice, and block out the traffic of noise around us—each book or person telling us we should be parenting our kids some other way.

So how do we drown out the conflicting voices around us and jump out of the race to be the best mom with the best kids? Practically speaking, here are a few things we can do to maintain a sense of calm and balance:

1. Accept that you, your husband, your kids, your friends, and your neighbors all have weaknesses. Know that God’s grace is sufficient and then give them and yourself the grace to grow up and become more mature. Recognize that maturity is a process, not an overnight thing.
2. Accept God’s forgiveness and extend that forgiveness to others. What a humbling thing it is to have to apologize to our kids when we make a mistake! But God uses that to show them that we all fall short of his glory and that forgiveness is available to all.
3. Be transparent. We do not have to know the answer to everything. We may have some practical parenting advice of things that worked for our family, but we should also be transparent enough to let others know that we have made mistakes.
4. Speak the truth in love, and realize that advice and/or opinions are not necessarily truths…they may just be your personal convictions. If the Bible doesn’t directly speak to the issue, then it is OK if you and your family disciple your children differently than the other couples you know.
5. Pursue Excellence, not Perfectionism: Give it everything you’ve got, and then let it go. Don’t dwell on what you could have done better. Learn from it and keep moving forward. Stop looking back!

So ladies, let us test and examine ourselves, give it our best, and release it all to God. For His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in our weakness. Because Christ’s love is perfect and I find my strength in him, I don’t have to be perfect and neither do you.:)


Dear God,
Thank you for loving me and accepting me. Please help me to rely on your strength and not my own. Thank you for making me unique. Please help me to stop comparing, criticizing, and competing with the other moms around me. Help me to accept my husband, kids, and myself just as we are, and may we all have your grace to grow. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Verses to Consider:

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” 2 Samuel 22:31

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

*** Side note: This is a repost of a blog I wrote almost 2 years ago. My oldest Doodlebug is almost 6 now, and he loves to swim! He became comfortable with the water in his own time. :)

I Will Always Remember...

I think I will always remember the day I took my sweet little princess to the pediatric cardiologist. We left the office praising God for his amazing work in her life. Although she has several small holes in the bottom area of her heart, she is a strong, healthy, vibrant little girl. We are so thankful!

As I shared a little while back, however, it was also the same day that we discovered that my husband had a heart problem called atrial fibrillation. From there we had  a series of doctor appointments, second opinions, medications, medical advice, and lots and lots of waiting. We were waiting to see which step to take next. Would God miraculously heal my hubby or would we need medical intervention?

I will never forget the look on my husband’s face when he told me the A-Fib diagnosis was confirmed by an EKG. More than that, however, what he said will be ingrained in my mind forever. It was if the Holy Spirit took hold of him and calmed his fears. The fear on his face melted away and was replaced by a firm resolve to hold on to his sovereign Creator. After battling with his own emotions of fear, he looked at me and said, “I am convinced that I have probably had this for a long time. Although the doctors are just discovering it, God knew the whole time. He is the one who has sustained me this far, and He will continue to sustain me.”

Following his lead, I decided to run with that peace that he was experiencing. In such a strange way it made such complete sense. There was no need to worry because I was not in control anyway, but GOD was always and will always be in control. It is a scary, but completely liberating feeling when we fully comprehend how “out-of-control” we really are, yet how in control God is.

I will not sit here and tell you that this process of spiritual refinement and growth through trials has been easy. It has not been (and it still isn’t), but God has been faithful to add to my character and my faith.

 I am so thrilled to inform you that after much discussion and prayer and discussion and more prayer, we decided that my husband would have a procedure called cardioversion to reset the rhythm of his heart…and it worked!!! PRAISE OUR GREAT GOD!!!

I look back and I am amazed at God’s faithfulness. I am grateful for his healing, and at the same time I find myself being thankful for the fruit—patience, peace, faithfulness, goodness, love, joy, gentleness, and more that HE has produced in our lives as we decided to trust HIM.

Ladies, I just want to encourage you to do three simple things in the midst of any trial you are facing—BIG or small:

1. Pray—this is your lifeline to the living, true God. It is your way to communicate your heart, feelings, concerns, frustrations, fears, and emotions to the God of the universe…and he will NEVER turn you away. Don’t be afraid to be honest with God; he knows what you are thinking anyway. He can perfectly handle anything you are feeling, and he wants you to cast your cares upon Him.

2. Read the Word—this is God’s way of speaking back to you. When the voices of doubt and fear try to crowd our thoughts, we can push them out with the TRUTH of God’s word. I often find that God’s word does away with a lot of grey in my life and makes things very plain for me—black and white. God’s word also provides me with comfort, strength, guidance, and peace when I need it. All I have to do is invest time in reading it and letting it sink deep into my heart and mind.

3. Serve others and pray for them in their distress. I often find that taking the attention off of myself and praying and serving someone else refreshes my soul in ways I can not explain. It gives me something good and trustworthy to do while I wait.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are faithful and true. You are with us even until the ends of the earth. When life gets tough and trials come our way, help us to hold firmly to our relationship with you. May we rest in your arms, delight in your truth, and hide in the shadow of your wings. Thank you that you are faithful to meet us right where we are. You never turn us away. You always have time for us. For YOU, we are eternally grateful and thankful.

In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonian 5:16-18

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Is It In You?

Have you seen the Gatorade commercial where the athletes are sweating this yellow, orange, and red fluid? The whole point of the commercial, of course, is that Gatorade will keep you hydrated in an athletic competition. When the going gets tough, the Gatorade gets to working. So, is it in you?

To be honest, I have never thought much about this commercial until the pastor at church yesterday held up a Styrofoam cup. He told the audience, “You don’t know what is in this cup. But if I test it, prod it, poke it, or shake it, you will soon find out.” His point? When we are tested by trials in this life, they not only produce fruit in our lives (perseverance, patience, stronger faith, etc.), but they also reveal what is inside us? They show us where we need to trust God more and grow up.

Ouch! I have to admit that a couple of weeks ago, I received some news that did not make me happy. In fact, it was messing up my nice little plan. More than that, I knew God could step in and fix my situation in an instant. Yet, he was allowing me to wait this one out. I vividly remember telling God, “If you are testing me to see what is really in me, then you are poking just hard enough that some junk is about to come out, and it does not look pretty.” I know. I know. How dare I be so brash with God! However, I figured that He knows my thoughts anyway; I might as well voice them honestly, yet respectfully and ask him to fix me. It was kind of like I was saying, “Lord, I had no idea that kind of junk was in there. I am trusting that you will help me clean this up. Better yet, I am trusting that you will uproot this nastiness of heart and replace it with something that truly pleases you.”

Martin Luther once said, “If it were not for tribulations, I would not understand the Scripture.” How true is that! If it were not for the messy, the painful, and the uncomfortable, I would not know God personally and intimately. There really are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. It is what made Job declare, “I had heard about you before, but know I have seen you with my own eyes.” Job 42:5

Trials and intimacy with the Father are also what caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to stand up to King Nebuchadnezzar and declare, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O King, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up.” Daniel 3:17-18 These three guys had the confidence that God could deliver them, BUT even if God said “no, not this time”, they still decided to trust Him.

That, my friend, is what God wants to do in my life and your life. He wants to get the junk out! He wants to replace our trash with treasure, so that we can receive the joy and crown of life that he promises to those who endure hardship faithfully. Consider James 1: 2-4; 12

                Consider it pure joy, my brothers [and sisters], whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking any good thing…

                Blessed is the man [or woman] who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God promises to those who love him.

So, is it trash day in your house? What is in you that God is trying to take out and replace with Himself? Let Him, and join me in asking for the strength to stand in our trials knowing that He is in control. Need direction? Join me in asking God for wisdom—to know what to do with the information we have. Importantly, stay in his word. Romans 10:17 declares, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.”

Let’s pray:

God you are so faithful to us. You love us so much! Help us to trust you even when this world gives us a reason to doubt your goodness. Your love for us is perfect. Help us stand up under trials. Help us to learn the truths that will set us free and be renewed inwardly as we trust in you. Help us have the faith to say, “Lord, we know you can, but even if you do not, we will still put our hope, faith, and trust in you.” We love you Lord. Please be our sustainer and our portion forever. Thank you for loving us enough to get the junk out. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

Ooooo...That's Ugly

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Look I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions’…So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.” Exodus 16:4; 17-18 (NLT)

My husband and I have been blessed to experience times of plenty, but we have also made some financial mistakes. We know the economy is bad, and that has contributed to some of our stress, but we also know that we are in a season of pruning…God is doing a work in us. We have changed up many things about how we live and spend money in order to be good stewards of all he has blessed us with. We have budgeted, made a plan, and implemented strategies of both Crown Financial and Financial Peace Ministries.

In spite of all that, no matter how much we save, is seems like it is eaten up by locusts. Seriously! There are usually just enough urgent, financial surprises that bring our balance back down to…well, let’s just say extremely dependent upon the Lord. My husband and I realize that God is doing something in our lives, and that he wants to teach us and draw us closer to Him. We have coined it our “Daily Bread Season”—we have enough to tithe, pay our bills, and satisfy just a few of our wants. Let me assure you, we are definitely learning about contentment.

So…just the other day, we were at Chuck E Cheese to celebrate a friend’s birthday with our oldest Doodlebug. He had pizza, his own Chuck E Cheese cup, and tokens. When the tokens ran out, he wanted more. However, I explained to him that he and the other kids had all run out of tokens at about the same time and that Mommy and Daddy were on a budget, so he should play in the little play gym or something. He started crying. He just didn’t understand why he couldn’t play just a few more games. After all, one of his really close friends was still playing. Well, after enduring his tears for a while, I looked in my wallet and found that I had a dollar on me, and he was able to purchase four more tokens. He got his way…this time.

BUT just a little while later, he came crying to me again—his friend’s mom had just bought her son some cotton candy. They offered to share with my little guy, but he wanted his own. “What! You have got to be kidding me!” I thought to myself. I spoke to him about being grateful and being content with what we have, but he was just content to complain that day. (As a side note, I must admit that he must have been really tired, because he does not usually act so spoiled.) He cried a little more, and then figured he was better off partaking in the cotton candy that was offered by his friend’s mom rather than whining and crying to me.

Later that day, my husband and I spoke with our Doodlebug about being grateful and the fact that some kids never get to go to Chuck E Cheese, and he should be thankful for all that we do for him to make sure has fun experiences with his buds and as a family. Before I went to bed, I was reflecting on the day on what had occurred at Chuck E Cheese. I still couldn’t believe how ungrateful my son had acted, and then it hit me…God spoke to my heart and said, “Beloved, that is exactly what you do to me.” Ouch!!! You mean my attitude is that ugly sometimes too?! Unfortunately, yes.

Although my husband and I know God has us in a “Daily Bread” season for a reason, we (or at least I) sometimes complain inwardly or outwardly that I want more than that…I want a nice financial cushion for a rainy day…after all, that is what all the Christian books say I should have if I was being a good steward. Right?!

Well, I think biblical financial management is great. I would love to be like Joseph when he became the proprietor of Egypt and saved 20 percent of all the food in storehouses during the years of famine so that he and all of Egypt would be spared during the famine. Yet, after wrestling with God on this one, he has firmly spoken to our heart that that is not my season right now. After all, wasn’t Joseph in jail for sticking to his convictions just a few chapters before he was blessed with abundance?!

Bottom line, God was revealing some of the ugliness and ungratefulness of my own heart. I needed to learn to be content with exactly what he has given me. How about you? Is there anything in your life for which you need to be more grateful? Is your attitude looking kind of ugly? Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you know our needs (and our wants) even before we ask you. You have been so faithful in times past, you are faithful even now, and you will be faithful again. Help us lay aside our own thoughts and feelings in order to embrace complete trust, hope, and joy in you. Help us have clean hands, pure hearts, and right attitudes before you no matter what season you are allowing us to go through right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Dear brothers and sister, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James1:2-4 (NLT)

Second Chances

This blog post is written by a friend of my named, Julie. She and her family are going through a tremendous trial. Her newborn was born with certain complications and is unable to breathe or eat on his own. He has been in the NICU for about two months, but I know you will be encouraged by how she and her family are choosing trust in an ever-faithful God as they walk through their pain, fears, and heartache. Please lift this family up in your prayers. I know this blog post will encourage you, just as it has encouraged me. Please feel free to follow Julie and her family's journey with Baby Jethro at www.happyhomefairy.com.

When I was in 10th grade, I completely messed up a research paper that was probably the biggest grade I’d get in English class that year.

The teacher took me aside and gently told me the ways in which I had failed to complete the assignment and I began crying enough tears to fill a swimming pool.

But as I sat there with my cheeks all wet and thinking that I would never be asked to move up to the 11th grade, my teacher (who happens to be a famous author and blogs over HERE) said that she would let me have a second chance.

If I redid the assignment correctly, she’d toss the other paper and it would all be like a bad dream.

Second chances…

When we got pregnant with the Happy Baby one thing that kept marching through my brain was this thankful spirit that the Lord was giving me a second chance.

You see, with the Happy Buddy, I was a hot mess the whole first year of his life.

I fretted constantly about his growth (is he gaining enough??), his nursing (what if my milk supply dwindles and I have to put him on formula?!), his schedule (I can’t possibly go to church today because it might interfere with his nap), his health (did that stranger really just kiss my baby on the cheek?!), his pacis falling on the floor (I wonder what kind of deadly disease is now lingering on that MAM), his diaper rashes (should I be doing cloth diapers?), his first foods (is he going to die if I don’t feed him organic?), his sleeping (will he remember that we let him cry-it-out and hold it against us forever?), his playing (why hasn’t he rolled over yet? So-and-so-friend’s baby is practically walking already!), what kind of soap I used for his baths (I’d never read ingredient labels for soap until I had a kid)…

But then I worried about bigger issues, too (hello vaccinations). Almost to a point where I felt paralyzed by the fear.

The fear that I would make a decision and somehow ruin the Happy Buddy forever.

By the time the Happy Buddy turned one I looked back and felt kind of sick to my stomach that I had missed out somehow.

I had spent so much time being anxious that I don’t fully remember the moments where I just plain enjoyed his sweet baby-ness.

I could not wait to get a do-over. Another baby that I could say, “Eat artificially colored M&M’s and greasy pizza for all I care, just let me kiss those chubby cheeks a hundred million times a day.”

Naturally, when the Happy Baby arrived and before I could even kiss his precious cheeks twice the doctors were whisking him away uttering phrases like, “It could go either way…”, I had the thought What about my second chance?

And then the days turned into weeks and suddenly the fears I had about the Happy Buddy seemed kind of silly in light of the obstacles the Happy Baby was already facing at the beginning of his life.

Suddenly I didn’t care so much that the NICU uses Johnson & Johnson soap for bath times.

Suddenly I didn’t care so much when the doctor said they needed to start adding formula to my breastmilk because he’s breathing so fast and burning so many calories he needs the extra boost to help him grow.

Suddenly vaccinations seemed like a walk in the park when we were faced with the decision to put the Happy Baby on chemotherapy-powered drugs for 6 long weeks to try and fight this virus.

Suddenly the things I am anxious about are more about how no one is there to hold him in the middle of the night, respond to his every cry, stroke his hair back, turn his mobile on, or hold his paci in place for hours at a time just because it makes him happy.

And when I am with him, I study every single God-painted feature on his sweet little face is and consider how precious each of his tiny toes and fingers are.

I drink in his smell, thank Jesus for every diaper change, and cherish the feel of his peach-fuzzed earlobes.

I hold him and sing to him and find peace in the moment that is ours.

When I am with the Happy Baby there is no time to think about the long-term consequences of all that he’s endured the last 5 weeks.

Because I’ve learned that I have no control over the outcome of the Happy Baby’s life.

No amount of organic food I ate during my pregnancy could have made a difference in how the Lord designed the Happy Baby and this season of our lives right now.

With the Happy Buddy I had let my pride rule my faith – bearing this unnecessary, strangling burden for every single decision.

Jesus says parenting is a whole lot easier than that (check out Matthew 11:30).

Now don’t get me wrong.

I am not saying to throw all caution to the wind and let your child eat chicken nuggets, fries, and chocolate milk every day (although if your baby is in the NICU for an extended period of time, this action might be unavoidable), stay up late every night, and exist without any boundaries whatsoever.

I am also not bashing my sweet cloth diapering or organic-food-growing friends. I’d totally do cloth if I wasn’t so addicted to convenience and I try to buy organic whenever our budget allows.

You must find what’s best for your Happy Home (and never judge another Happy Home that may choose to do things differently than you).

What I am saying is that while making well-educated, prayerful choices for our children is super important (you can bet the Happy Hubby and I have been on our knees about every little thing we’ve chosen to pursue concerning the Happy Baby’s health), when we let ourselves be overwhelmed by the responsibility, we take our eyes off of Christ and the very fact that our kids are not our own.

They belong to Him.

We are not in control.

This is the second chance I have been given.

To choose to treasure the time I do have with my baby – however long it may be – and not be afraid of what the future holds.

Because He is God’s child.

A child who was fearfully and wonderfully made by the very hands of Christ, who had all the days ordained for him written in His book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139).

A child who is covered by the promise that God has good plans for his life – plans to prosper him and not to harm him. Plans to give him hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

And I’m pretty sure that whether or not he wears cloth diapers is going to change that.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the Lord and shun evil.

This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8

*Update – God has blessed us with good progress this week! The doctor took the Happy Baby’s Superhero Hat away (phew) and he is now on a high air flow machine. We are praying that he will be weaned of that soon. He continues to seem stronger each day – a credit to our great God. Next week they will repeat the swallow test to see if he is strong enough to nurse/take a bottle again (please pray for victory in that!). We are also waiting on some test results in order to move forward with a diagnosis. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and support. I am eternally grateful for the strength your faith has given mine!*