A New Mommy

It has been 8 weeks since I delivered our precious baby girl.  The time does sure fly by.  It seems longer than 8 weeks because I have carried her for much longer.  I wanted to share with you all what I have learned thus far in being a new mommy.  There will probably be many more lessons to learn as Cora grows older.  The list below is by no means in any particular order.

 

1.  Delivery HURTS! -- To all the women who gave birth with no pain medicine...I give you a big standing ovation.  When thinking back to the pain I remember why women have labor pains.  Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.  They both chose to eat the forbidden fruit and as a punishment for Eve....labor pains.  But what a gracious and might God we serve that while we still sin, He forgives us.  (I am still waiting for the day that I don't remember the pain.  I will say this, it was well worth every once of pain I had...epidural and all.)

 

2. Explosive Diapers Exist -- Now, I never doubted that they did.  I have heard some gross stories from parents about poo being up to the babies armpits.  I have yet to figure out how such a cute and sweet baby can make some of the nastiest, stinkiest diapers.  I'm not complaining, I feel blessed to be able to change my daughter's diapers, poopy ones and all.

 

3. It takes a Village -- Where or where would I be without the help of my husband, parents, sister, in-laws, and great grandmother?  Post-partum hit me the first night in the hospital when it was just my husband and I in the room.  (I sent Cora to the nursery at night to get some rest.)  The reality of having a newborn rely on you was overwhelming.  I prayed, and still do, that God will guide me decisions, emotions, and behaviors to be the best mother I can be. 

 

4. Sleep When You Can -- The advice many seasoned parents give to the new parents...sleep when the baby sleeps.  I would encourage this as well.  It doesn't take much to hold your precious baby and rock them to sleep as well as yourself.  There are many times that I would shut my eyes, hoping that Cora would follow my lead (instead, she would just stare up at me wide-eyed). 

 

5. Picture It -- While my baby is just two months old, her appearance changes on a daily basis.  I have so many photos of her already.  Take a picture, post it on Facebook (like everyone else who is proud of their baby), print it out, save it, or frame it.  But document the memories in pictures.

 

6. Pray for Them -- I think one of the greatest thing a parent can do for their child is pray for them.  Jason and I recently had Cora's baby dedication at church and we declared, in front of our church family, that we would be Christian parents.  This means that we must show Christ's love to our daughter, teach her about God and His sacrifice, take her to church, and love her unconditionally. 

 

Parenting has changed my life in two short months.  I know that I have a lot to learn.  I know that at some point in my daughter's teenage years my IQ will drop drastically and suddenly increase when she's around 18-20 years old.  I know though, that I must follow God's will for my life and for my daughters.  This means that I must walk close to Him. 

 

Dear God, I want to thank you for blessing me with a daughter.  I pray that you help guide me and show me the way to being a Christian mother to her.  Lead me.  I pray for all the first time parents and seasoned parents, that they will follow you as well.  In Christ Name I pray, AMEN.

Family Relationships In Christ (Part 3)

My apologies to those who have been waiting to read the last part of the three part series.  God has been working in my life and pruning away various aspects.   Not only that, but we have a new addition to our family--sweet baby Cora.  (I'll blog more about being a new mother and what God has taught me, as well as other lessons I've learned since the last post.)  But for now, back to about Family Relationships In Christ. 

 

The last of the three part blogs is about what children are called to do according to our Heavenly Father.  In the previous Family Relationships In Christ blogs I shared many different components that men and women are called to do.  Well, for children, there is just one thing.  The task is not simple nor easy to come by for some children.  We are, as children, called to obey. 

 

WOW!  Obey.  I can remember my mother wearing a t-shirt when my sister and I were younger that said, "Mother's of teenagers know why animals eat their young."  I will admit, I am a sinner.  I do not want to down play that by any means.  Romans 2:23 states, "For everyone has sinned; we fall short of God's glorious standard." Obeying my parents when I was younger and even today is challenging.  I have wanted to be independent...but often times I would simply be stubborn. 

 

Ephesians 6:2-3 tells us, "Honor your father and mother.  This is the first commandment with a promise.  If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth."  Having worked in a social work field, I know that not everyone comes from cookie-cutter backgrounds.  But I do know that while Jesus was on earth, He did not have a cookie-cutter stay.  Jesus endured many trials and temptations for us.  Jesus stayed close to God and sought after His will...thus succeeding in paying the ultimate price for our sins. 

 

My prayer, as a new mother, is that my daughter will walk closely with the Lord.  For when we do not walk closely with the Lord, we often stumble and fall down (not obeying our parents, lust, envy, etc.).  I'm not saying that walking closely with the Lord is easy, but the benefits outweigh the cost.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me.  I pray that as I continue to grow in You, that I may demonstrate this with my actions.  I pray that my actions towards my parents are honorable to You and to them.   Please forgive me when I stumble and fall.  Help me to raise up and walk strong in You when I do fall.  In Jesus' Name, AMEN.

Family Relationships in Christ (Part 2)

Part One of Three I shared with you all the importance husbands/fathers have in regards to building a strong family relationship in Christ.  This week, or I should really say Part Two, I will  be sharing the wife's role in reflection to the family.   Once again, the basis of this article comes from Brother Wayne Spivey's sermon on Family Relationships in Christ. 

"And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church.  He is the Savior of his body, the church.  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything." - Ephesians 5:21-24 (NLT)

In today's society, women are learning to become more independent.  We (women) are often either taught independence or are teaching independence in the home.  The message, "Women don't need men to support them" rings loud across the country.  Biblically speaking, this message is not what God has intended.  Please understand that I am not saying that women should not have their independence.  I have my Masters in Social Work, I will advocate for the rights of the people.  However, I am saying, that when it comes to family, women do not need to have the "independent" mind frame. 

Here is what the scripture from Ephesians is saying.  Wives are to....

1. Submit.  Good ole' Mr. Webster defines submit as, "to give over or yield to the power or authority of another."  Husbands are to guide their family according to God's will for the family.  A godly husband daily seeks to lead the family in Christ.  Women are to submit to the direction the husband is guiding them.  Submission is not to be expressed out of fear or in hopes of personal gain.  Submission is to be out of reverence of God.  Colossians 3:18, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord."
2. Pray.  For those women in a marriage when the husband is not leading them, you are to pray.  Prayer is more effective than words.  Pray for your husband to listen to what God is saying to him.  Pray that your husband will lead your family the way God wants him to.  Pray for salvation in your husband and your marriage. 
3. Encourage.  At times, this can be difficult.  Encourage your husband to do God's will.  If you continue to do God's will in your life, your actions, your words, your heart can encourage your husband to start following God's will again.  Do not belittle or cut your husband down.
4. Respect. Demonstrating respect to your husband is viewed by your children.  This is a great testimony that you can show to your children, that when I respect my husband, I am respecting the Lord.  Be a model for your children.

While the males are called to be the leaders of their family, wives are called to submit to their husbands.  I can remember during mine and my husbands pre-marital counseling talking out who is to be the spiritual leader of the house.  I understood what scripture was telling me, as the wife, to do.  However, after a few months of being married, I realized the importance of letting my husband be the spiritual leader. 

Wives and those soon to be wives, I encourage you to whole-heartedly accept the role God has called you to fulfill.  Be the encourager when your husband needs you to be, pray for him to listen to what God is telling him, respect his decisions, but most importantly, submit. 

Dear Gracious Heavenly Father,

My prayer today is that everyday I learn to submit to my husband.  I pray for my husband, his dedication to not only you, but to this family.  Please heal the families that may have lost their way when it comes to the their relationship with you.  In Jesus' Name, AMEN. 



Family Relationships in Christ (Part 1)

Have you taken a good look at the world lately?  When you did, notice the destruction that has gone on?  Through the years, I noticed one major theme: When the family is broken, the world is broken.  There seems to be this trickle down effect that occurs when the families foundation is not placed on God, but instead on the world.  How does this get fixed?  Where does one start? 

The next several blogs I am going to be talking about this specifically.  I'm going to break it down into three major sub-topics: FATHERS, MOTHERS, and CHILDREN.  Each sub-topic will address what the individuals need to do in order to get the family back on track.  Please note that in order to get the point across, I will be bold.

FIRST....to the FATHERS.

"For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. 

He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.

He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.  Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.  For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.  Not one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.  And we are members of his body. 

As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one."  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.  So again I say, each man much love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  Ephesians 5: 25-33

 

WOW!  Fathers, did you read that carefully?  The points below are those of my Pastor's regarding this very topic.  So what are father's suppose to do?  Father are to....

• Serve- Be the leader in the household.  Men, you have the hardest job to guide your family in  the way God wants you too.  You are to serve God first, then your wife, then your children.
• Love- Husbands are called to love their wife as Christ loved the church and as much as you love your body.  If you take care of your body (physically, emotionally, spiritually), so you must love your wife enough to take care of her the same way.  You are to love you children in the same discipline as well.  If you fail to love your wife, you are offending God who created her for you.
• Sacrifice- A husband is called to lay his life down for his wife, just as Christ has laid down His life for us.  However, to take this a step further, husbands need to get to know their wife's interest (What does she life?  What is her favorite flower?  What makes her smile/cry?)
• Be an example - Have integrity and honor.  If you are to be the leader of the household, what example are you setting for your family when you do not have have integrity or honor? 
• Have patience with wife and children- Know this men, women are more fragile emotionally and physically than you.  When your child steps out of line, be willing to guide them back.  Take the time to teach your children the ways of the Lord.
• Remain faithful - If you begin to threaten divorce, you begin to weaken the relationship.  Can you imagine what would happen if Christ started to threaten us with not receiving grace or forgiving our sins? 
• Do not provoke your children- Ephesians 6:4 states, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.  Rather, bring them up with the "discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.""  There are TOO MANY fathers in the world who are taking the backseat to parenting or not even riding the in same car.  Be present, be active, be a LEADER!

At some point, our world became lazy.  Whatever the reason or cause for the laziness, it is time for husbands/fathers to step up.  Be proactive now.  I read in a book called The 10 Commandments of Parenting that if children were wanted when they were young, they would not be wanted on Americans Most Wanted when they are older. 

I will not discredit the challenge that husbands/fathers face.  Being a leader is never easy.  However, if you remain devoted to Christ and seek out HIS will, He will guide your path.  There may be times that your wife/children do not want to follow your instructions or submit.  The single most influential action you can take then is to pray.  Be the lighthouse to your family in a dark and cold world!

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that the individuals that read this blog may hear Your word.  I pray Lord for the husbands/fathers in this world.  I pray that they draw close to you in order to be the leader You have called them to be for their family.  Please help restore the many broken families.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

A Heart-filled Prayer

We found out today that we are having a little girl.  What a blessing God has given to us to be blessed and pregnant after we lost our first to a miscarriage.  The last few weeks I have been anxious to find out the gender of our baby.  Throughout the past weeks God has reminded me of Hannah from the Bible and her joyous prayer.  I wanted to share that with you all this evening.  I hope that you will find some comfort in Hannah's prayer, a prayer she prayed after she had Samuel. 

 

For those who do not know the story of Hannah...here's a short version.  Hannah was married to Elkanah.  Elkanah had another wife with which he had children with.  However, Hannah "womb was closed".  This did not discourage Elkanah, in fact, he gave double portions to Hannah because he loved her more.  Hannah, grief stricken that she did not have a child, weeped in the Tabernacle.  The Priest, Eli, began to think that Hannah was drunk.  After some time, Hannah was finally able to have a son, Samuel.  Samuel was dedicated to God and grew up to be a Prophet.  Hannah's prayer is found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 after she gave Samuel to the Lord.

 

Then Hannah prayed:

"My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

No one is holy like the LORD!

There is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

 

Stop acting so proud and haughty!

Don't speak with such arrogance!

For the LORD is God who knows what you have done;

he will judge your actions.

The bow of the might is now broken,

and those who stumble are now strong.

Those who are well fed are now starving,

and those who were starving are now full.

The childless woman now has seven children,

and the woman with many children wastes away.

The LORD give both death and life;

he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.

The LORD makes some poor and others rich;

he brings some down and lifts others up.

He lifts the poor from the dust

and the needy from the garbage dump.

He sets them among princes,

placing them in seats of honor.

For all the earth is the LORD's,

and he has set the world in order.

 

He will protect his faithful ones,

but the wicked will disappear in darkness.

No one will succeed by strength alone.

Those who fight against in the LORD will be shattered.

He thunders against them from heaven;

the LORD judges throughout the earth.

He gives power to his king;

he increases the strength of his anointed one.

 

What a blessing Hannah received.  Over the last few months, I have mourned the loss of my first pregnancy.  I have felt much like Hannah and now I rejoice like she did.  For those who have mourned, are mourning, or feel discouraged....look at what God has done in the Bible.  He has casted out demons, He has saved us by His Son, and He has condemned the wicked.  If you remain faithful in God, He will bless you.  My husband's favorite verse is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose."

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your rich blessings that you bestow upon us daily.  For our blessings are from you and through you.  I pray the same prayer that Hannah prayed many many years ago.  Lord I seek your will for my life, my marriage, by career, and my child.  In Jesus' Name, AMEN. 

New Year....New Goals

     My apologies for not blogging any sooner.  There has been many things going on that have taken a lot of my time.  This is no excuse, I should never falter from sending a message about God to others.  At the end of the year, I like to reflect on what the year has held for me.  This is great time to place in our minds the blessings that God has placed in our lives and the joy of what He can and will do for our future.

     Every Christmas, for the past several years, my mother has always written a letter to my sister and I.  Generally, the letter talks about what we have accomplished and demonstrates the grace of God.  She reminded me in my letter of the heartache that my husband and I have endured.  Experiencing the loss of a child, no matter at what stage of life, is difficult. 

    But throughout the heartache, God has richly blessed me.  He has provided with a husband that has been more than my steady rock and support.  I have amazing and uplifting co-workers that have a heart for Christ.  But more than anything, I have God's saving grace that covers me and His mercy to lift me up.

    Throughout my blogs, you may have read that I am a worrier.  Undoubtedly, I have tried to make this a profession at different stages of my life.  So when I think about the future, I stress over the unknown.  But I am reminded in Psalm 62:1-2 "I wait quietly for God, for my victory comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken." 

    The God who holds the world in His hands, holds your life as well.  The God who created Heaven, mankind, and the world, created you.  He knows the plans for our lives.  He is the Master of all. 

    I am challenging myself this year to many things...

        1. To surround myself with things that are uplifting (music such as KLOVE, scripture, and people).

         2. To place my worries more at God's feet.  (I once heard that you cannot worry and have faith at the same time...speaks volumes to me.)

         3. To listen to God and follow His will...not mine.

   So who is going to join me?  Who is willing to let God be the Master of your life?  I don't mean just part of your life, but ALL of your life.  Remember Psalm 37:37 while on this journey, "Look to those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace."

     Blessings to you and your family this year!