Life IS Precious...

In the past year our family has come to appreciate just how precious life is. In 2013 we had two grandchildren born, one entered into heaven before she even took her first breath and the other is almost three weeks old. My daughters love each of their children deeply, each one understands just how precious life is. In the past year, we have experienced both joy and sorrow; we have learned those two emotions can exist together. We truly see just how precious every life is!

Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday. Pray with me today for life. Pray for those women who are struggling with an unplanned pregnancy, pray that they may open their eyes and understand the gift of life growing in them. Pray for people struggling at the end of life as well. Life is precious, a gift from God...no matter how long or short that life is.

Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹ Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
    O men of blood, depart from me!
²⁰ They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

Five Minute Friday...Encouragement

On Friday's we write for Five Minutes. On Friday's we don't worry so much about editing. The rules are simple, one word, five minutes! Today's word is Encouragement.


Go...

She sat about five rows in front of me. She was traveling along with her little girl, a little girl who didn't particularly want to be there. She was maybe two, but most likely younger. She was not happy, for almost 3 hours she was not happy. The plane started taxiing toward take off and this little one was not amused. The plane began its ascent into the clouds and this little one let us all know she was not having fun. As soon as we reached elevation this mom put on her carrier and bounced her little girl up and down the aisle, the girl whimpered and whined. There was at least one trip to the bathroom, can you imagine you and a toddler in an airport bathroom, but she did it! The plane began its descent for landing, that little girl let us know once again what she thought of this whole altitude change, she was not happy.

As we were walking down the aisle to leave the plane this mom stood there, looking a bit worn and tired. Her baby still had tears in her eyes, but she was calm now. We walked past her and I spoke a few simple words....You're a good mom! She smiled, I can only imagine that she was not getting reassuring smiles from all the travelers and I wanted simply to encourage her, to give her just enough fuel to make it to baggage claim and out the door.

It didn't cost me anything, it wasn't even hard. Who in your world needs a few simple words today?? Look for them, they are there!

A new reason to pray....

My blog is titled The Things I Ponder; and let me tell you for the past week I have been pondering something amazing! Last Monday morning I received a phone call from my daughter Ashley. This was no ordinary phone call, this phone call was about 8 days overdue. It was the phone call to inform me that she was in fact in labor. It may have been 5 am, but I was wide awake! Immediately I began praying for my daughter as the reality of the situation dawned on me...wow, there are no words.

So, as I said we prayed. This little one gave us lot of time to pray. Later that morning came a text from Ashley, they were going home to labor until things got more intense. Evening came, still at home, still in labor.  2:00 am...another text...going back to birthing center. 5:00 am transferred to hospital to better monitor baby...dilated to 3. The longer this labor went, the more people we had praying for Ashley. Finally just three hours before the new year (and my birthday) we get the call that we had been waiting for all day. Hearing my son-in-law announce it's a girl was the most surreal moment ever. 40+ hours of labor finally over, a new little life has entered the world. I was now a grandma to a precious little bundle. Her name is Elizabeth Mae, we call her Ellie. She is perfect. She is beautiful.

For 5 days now, I have been head over heals in love with this little girl. I haven't even met her yet and my love for her is deep. I keep imagining the moment my husband and I get to hold her (just a few short days away)...tears well up just thinking about it. Every time we are sent a picture of Ellie we stop and just stare in awe.

Today in worship as we were singing about His great name, I thought of Ellie. A new prayer for me will be for her to one day proclaim His great name! What an opportunity we have to pray for this little one, to once again see Jesus through a child's eyes.  I found this verse today that intrigues me for Ellie.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5.  As I read this verse I substituted it to read like this. "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Brenda and in your mother Ashley and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." I pray that Ellie will become a woman of strong faith, that her faith would be greater than mine or Ashley's; that Jesus would be her rock, her strength, her everything. 

So, at times I may spoil this little one with gifts and kisses and hugs; but I truly believe the best gift I can give her is to be a grandma who prays! And that is what I'm going to do!!!

And here is this precious face that has so captivated my heart...

Live by faith...

 22 years ago today a baby was born who would grow into a beautiful young woman. This woman is my daughter Abigail (Abby). Her name means source of joy and she has been just that in our lives. She has had quite the amazing year; click here, here, here and here to read about some of the events in her life. I have asked Abby to write the rest of the entry for her birthday. I wanted you to hear from her just how she is doing and how God is working. Happy 22nd Birthday Abby!!

    Last year for my birthday my fiancé (who is now my husband) got me a necklace that is a cross made of sterling silver, with the outline of a gold heart with a small diamond in the middle. I immediately fell in love with it because it was beautiful and simple and because it came from the man I love. After I took off the necklace that night I noticed there were words inscribed on the back. It was the simple phrase “Live by faith, one day at at time.” This made me love the necklace even more but at the time I had no idea how much that simple phrase would come into play over the next year.

      As I sit here and write this I think back on the 21^st year of my life. This past year of my life was quite eventful. There were so many changes, some wonderful, others more challenging but in the midst of the changes God has brought me back to the simple phrase that is on the back of my cross necklace. In the midst of a stressful year of school, during wedding planning, while spending time in Haiti this summer, working through the challenges of being newly weds, in all of it God has brought be back to the phrase, “Live by faith, one day at a time.” This has become increasingly more difficult but essential the past few months.

      On October 16^th we found out that after 11 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy, our baby was not alive anymore. We would not be meeting our child on this side of heaven. To be honest, this was devastating to me. My husband and I decided to name our child Faith which fits perfectly because losing Faith has truly tested me trust and faith in God. I hate that as I write this she is not still growing inside me. I hate that I will never get to meet her on earth. I hate that her Dad never got to see her or know her. But I rest in knowing that she is spending this Christmas in heaven with Jesus. And although it hurts more than I can say in words, I still choose to live by faith, one day at a time.

      I never thought that on my 22^nd birthday I would be where I am at. I never would have imagined this past year unfolding how it did. To be honest I haven't always felt like trusting God. And there have been times that I have been quite angry with Him. But something my husband said really encouraged me. He said that we don't always feel like loving God but we still choose to because we have made a commitment to him. He then compared it to marriage. We don't always feel the most loving towards our spouse but we still choose to love them because of the commitment we have made to them. That pretty much explains how my relationship with God has been. I have not felt the most loving feelings towards Him, but I know that regardless of how I feel, I will still choose to love Him and choose to trust Him because He is God and I know He is good. There have been many moments filled with tears and heartache but God has been there in the midst of it all. I know that he is slowly healing my heart. I'm not there yet, but I just continue to live by faith, one day at a time.

This a song that has meant a lot to Abby and Josh this year.

On The Things I Ponder Facebook page is the song Abby wrote for Faith. 

Five Minute Friday...Reflect

Lisa Jo takes most of December off of Five Minute Friday, so I figured I better participate one more time in 2013! Today's word is REFLECT.

2013 is coming to a rapid conclusion. I have been spending time trying to figure out what to put in our annual Christmas letter. It is a good time to look back on the year and reflect. Its amazing how life can seem uneventful day after day, but when you look back at an entire year there is so much that happened.

We have had our share of joys and sorrows, good days and bad, there has been laughter and tears, good news and bad news. In the midst of it all, God was and is at work in our lives. He was orchestrating blessings all around and He has been holding us tightly through grief and heart ache. He was with us in each season.

The past year has been a year of growth and testing. God continues to mold and shape me into the woman of God he longs for me to be. Sometimes that molding can be painful, but I trust Him. I trust that He is doing a good work in me!