March Madness In More Ways Than One!

March has been so busy, but it has ended so exciting and with answered prayer!!!

To find out more of what I mean, I invite you to hop over to my other blog, The Cozy Little Kitchen, (just click on the link) where I'll let you in on the new stuff going on in our ever changing lives. 

Thanks for following our journey!

~Mommy

A Thankful Heart

Right now I'm feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude for God giving me a son and a daughter!  There were years where I didn't know if we would ever have either one, and a period of time that I actually was at peace with living the rest of my life without children, if that's what God wanted for me. (That place came out of giving God truly my everything and trusting Him on a deeper level.  That's a whole different post, or book!)  

Despite all, somehow I always knew I was made to be a mom.

I didn't know that He would surprise us by so generously giving us both a girl and a boy!  I always wanted a child of each gender, but you see when you try for so very long to have a baby or experience loss, you sometimes find yourself in a place of honest contentment for whatever God wants. That's where we were.  Open to His plan!

Boy. 

Girl. 

Alien-child. 

1 child. 

Triplets.  

A baker's dozen.  

(Okay, okay!) 

Any or all of the above sounded like a blessing to us when our hearts had parent shaped holes that wouldn't heal.

(But God!) did the exceptional!!!

He knew our heart's desire, and He gave us just that.  He gave us two bright, beautiful children (not perfect but as close as they come, lol), son AND a daughter!  

I get to experience the princess time, tea parties, baby dolls, makeup, shopping, cooking, frilly fuss with my baby girl. 

(She likes cupcakes like her mama!)

I also get to play rough and rowdy, laugh at jokes, imagine I'm a super hero or someone's princess, ooh and aah over bugs, kiss lots of boo boos and will one day have another man in the house, with our dear son!

I could carry on about how thankful I am for our two wonderful children, and how our Heavenly Father hand picked our family as intricately as if I bore them myself.  But for now on this hot summer afternoon, this brief summery of my joyful thoughts will just have to do!

No matter how hard the day is, how tired I may be, how messy the house is, or what I look like at the end of the night, one thing overrides... 

I have a full heart and I love my family!!!      

~Mommy

 Jeremiah 33:3

 

God Uses the Barren for His Glory

I stumbled on this today.  This is something I believe God was stirring up in my spirit last Spring.  During my prayer time one morning (I've never done this before), but I felt the urge to just begin writing down words.  I grabbed my phone and actually penned this in my "notes" on my phone. Ha

Looking back, it was written out of a place of deep faith that I firmly had after a long stretch of not having much at all.  Little did I know our life was about to drastically change with God's answer (HIS answer) to our prayers!  I just began typing what I felt come out of my heart that day.  God was doing a HUGE work in me personally that changed my whole outlook of my circumstances.

Although our children are not biological, they are certainly no less a miracle to us!!!

There is a portion in here that I wrote talking about preparing for motherhood and raising children up to serve Him.  I'm in the midst of that right now.  I want to be the very best mommy to our sweet peas, but I'm not "perfect" by any stretch!  I'm learning everyday, but I do know how important it is to raise our family in the love of Jesus so they'll come to know Him!

Anyways, here is what I jotted down several months ago.

~~~~~~~~~~

Issac 

Jacob

Joseph

Sampson

Samuel

John the Baptist 

What they have in common is all of their mothers were "barren". 

Mothers who cried out for God to open their wombs, they pled, they wept, they even laughed, but they stayed faithful.  

He answered all of their prayers and opened their wombs.  He delivered them from infertility!

These babies, men, were miracles from the time of conception. 

I believe they were born for such a time as this!  Their time on earth was kairos- time.  Sometimes we have to just trust the sovereign nature and all - knowing power of The Lord, when we don't see answers.  At all.  When we pray for His glory to be manifested in our life, we need to realize His timing is Kairos not chronos.  

He sees "time" from a perspective that would blow our minds.  

Perhaps our barrenness is only for the moment until He is ready for our child to be on earth ... 

His reason is greater than our wait.

... Our children will be on purpose.  We as future parents need to be ready!  Ready to raise up our children in the Lord's strength.  To prepare them for the mission God has called on their lives.  Because He does have a calling on their lives!

These babies born from a former barren womb all became great men of God who were used to pave the way for Jesus Christ to come to earth!!  

Coincidence--you think-- that all of their mothers had to wait?  Waiting with some days in agony and some days in firm faith but waiting in prayer for their time.  I don't think so!  

Their children grew up:

Impacting generations for all time.  

Following God's lead in their life.

Sacrificing to bring glory to Him.

Allowing themselves to be humble vessels of light in the boldness of truth.  

I appreciate these women for not growing so weary their hope fades, and they accept their barrenness as a curse.  Even Sarah laughed when she heard she was having a baby, for it was that impossible... So she thought!  The Lord is full of sweet surprises, and when we delight in Him he gives us the desires of our heart, and when we seek His face He will deliver and heal our land.   I also believe when we trust Him, He will not only do things for our good but greater yet... He will use us(!) and our children in a higher calling for His glory!!!

His ways are higher than our ways, 

His thoughts are deeper that our thoughts,

His Love is stronger than our love ...

              So what is there not to trust?

"To every thing there is a season; and a time to every purpose under Heaven."

Eccles.  3:1