*A post I wrote a few months ago but didn't publish.
It is hard to believe we are coming quickly to the end of this pregnancy and Lord willing meeting our new little man. This week marks 33 weeks. This has to be my fastest pregnancy yet. I am at the my body is achy, uncomfortable and tired stage. As I told a friend this morning at church, this was so much easier when I was 23 (the age I was with my first child).
This made me think of writing down some statistics mainly out of my own curiosity.
So in the past 14 years ...
*I have been pregnant for 81 months which equals 6.75 years. That is almost 7 years people...pregnant for 7 years. Holy cow! Steve and I have been married for 15 years this past August (good thing he likes it when I am pregnant.)
*I have been nursing one of our babies for a total of around 7 years as well. So in other words, I have been either been pregnant or nursing the last 14 years.
*Conservatively, we have changed around 25,000 diapers. I don't even want to calculate how much money that has cost us (but Steve did and says it's around $8,000). We should have started using cloth diapers with our first baby.
*We've celebrated 58 birthdays with our kids. All of our birthdays range between December and August. We celebrate three birthdays in one month, two birthdays in one month, and a single birthday in three separate months.
*I've given birth in two countries, but also only two cities and in only two hospitals.
*The same doctor has delivered seven of our children and a midwife delivered one.
*I have completed one sprint triathlon...while pregnant.
*We have always struggled picking boys names, and joke that this baby boy will be named "Steve Jr."
Monday, February 17, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Little Faith...Big God
As I said just yesterday, why does God always put me in a place of waiting? In the next breath I answered it...because without waiting on Him for something we would have no reason to trust Him. Isn't that where He wants us...to have complete dependence and faith in Him?
It's hard though. Isn't it?
One would think that after the rough year we've had I would have perfected this area of my life, but I haven't. I have grown in trusting God more, but I'm not there yet. Each and every day something comes up and causes me to question. Do I really trust that God loves me enough to care about this circumstance? Do I trust He has time for me? Do I believe He will act on my behalf because I am His child? Do I really believe He causes all things for good for those who love Him?
When I am doing this questioning, I am taking my eyes off of Jesus and putting them on my problems, my circumstances.
This brings to mind the story of Peter in Matthew 14:28:33.
The story begins with Jesus walking on the water out to his disciples. They were afraid when they saw him and thought He was a ghost. Because, really how many times do we see someone walking on water? When Peter saw Jesus, he called to Jesus and said, "Lord, if its you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus told him to come. Peter then climbed out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus.
What happens next is what happens to me over and over again.
When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. I equate the wind to his circumstances, his problems, his fears, or his trials. He let his fear overcome him. He was focusing more on the wind, his circumstances, instead of on Jesus. The result was that he began to sink. But when Peter noticed he was sinking, he cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me" and in another translation, "Lord, help me."
IMMEDIATELY! Jesus reached out his hand and took hold of him. Jesus didn't wait until he sank completely. Once Peter turned his focus back to Jesus and called out to him, Jesus saved him. Jesus came to the rescue. Then Jesus said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Ugh! That's me. Peter knew who Jesus was because in the beginning of the story Peter called him Lord. He had obviously experienced him in the past enough to call him Lord, but he still doubted. The reason he doubted is because he took his eyes off of Jesus and put them on his circumstances, the wind. This is not where the Lord desires our eyes to be. We need to take our eyes off of our circumstances and put them on the Lord.
After Jesus saved Peter, they climbed into the boat and the wind stopped. Next, the disciples worshiped Jesus saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
I need to make sure that my response to Jesus rescuing me is always worship. After all, that is why He made me...to worship Him.
What circumstance is going on in your life right now that you need to take your eyes off of? What is keeping you from turning your eyes to Jesus?
He is able!
Cry out to him. Lord, help me!
and He will.
It's hard though. Isn't it?
One would think that after the rough year we've had I would have perfected this area of my life, but I haven't. I have grown in trusting God more, but I'm not there yet. Each and every day something comes up and causes me to question. Do I really trust that God loves me enough to care about this circumstance? Do I trust He has time for me? Do I believe He will act on my behalf because I am His child? Do I really believe He causes all things for good for those who love Him?
When I am doing this questioning, I am taking my eyes off of Jesus and putting them on my problems, my circumstances.
This brings to mind the story of Peter in Matthew 14:28:33.
The story begins with Jesus walking on the water out to his disciples. They were afraid when they saw him and thought He was a ghost. Because, really how many times do we see someone walking on water? When Peter saw Jesus, he called to Jesus and said, "Lord, if its you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus told him to come. Peter then climbed out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus.
What happens next is what happens to me over and over again.
When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. I equate the wind to his circumstances, his problems, his fears, or his trials. He let his fear overcome him. He was focusing more on the wind, his circumstances, instead of on Jesus. The result was that he began to sink. But when Peter noticed he was sinking, he cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me" and in another translation, "Lord, help me."
IMMEDIATELY! Jesus reached out his hand and took hold of him. Jesus didn't wait until he sank completely. Once Peter turned his focus back to Jesus and called out to him, Jesus saved him. Jesus came to the rescue. Then Jesus said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Ugh! That's me. Peter knew who Jesus was because in the beginning of the story Peter called him Lord. He had obviously experienced him in the past enough to call him Lord, but he still doubted. The reason he doubted is because he took his eyes off of Jesus and put them on his circumstances, the wind. This is not where the Lord desires our eyes to be. We need to take our eyes off of our circumstances and put them on the Lord.
"Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1&2Did you see that? The perfecter of our faith. Jesus called it. What Peter and I both lack is faith. The thing is we don't get faith by working harder. We cannot attain more faith ourselves. Jesus perfects our faith as we turn our eyes back to Him. He is the one who grows our faith.
After Jesus saved Peter, they climbed into the boat and the wind stopped. Next, the disciples worshiped Jesus saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
I need to make sure that my response to Jesus rescuing me is always worship. After all, that is why He made me...to worship Him.
What circumstance is going on in your life right now that you need to take your eyes off of? What is keeping you from turning your eyes to Jesus?
He is able!
Cry out to him. Lord, help me!
and He will.
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