Basket Ball, Smiles, Pickles, Grocery Carts, Paper, and Stickers…
Enjoy your weekend!
Remember the Israelites in Egypt? How miserable they were? They needed someone to rescue them and God didn’t just rescue them, He did it in an unforgettable way. A big show, that Pharoah and the rest of Egypt wouldn’t be able to ignore. But the Israelites did forget. After the amazing Good Day when God parted the Red Sea they had a few Bad Days and they forgot the unforgettable.
On my bad pain days I try to remember this story. I try to remember the good days God has already blessed me with and the promise of more. I don’t want to be like the Israelites and loose hope or faith in God no matter how difficult my pain gets.
It is easy to think “that will never happen to me.” “I won’t be caught in the desert making a golden calf.” “It’s a little extreme.” We’re probably right. When it comes to my pain, my fear is not that I will loose faith in God, but that I will loose faith in his daily provision of my needs, which, if not resolved, could in fact lead to loosing faith in God.
Sometimes this pain I feel seems to be over taking my life but I realize that in the grand scheme of things it is small, very small. Still, it is easy to loose hope in small situations and make out own mini golden calf. Not only is it important not to do this because I want to honor God with my life but because it’s just bad all around. The minute I start clinging to something else is the minute I will start to loose hope and my ability to cope will be minimal.
“You are my hope, O Lord God;
You are my trust from my youth…
As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.”
(Psalm 71:5,14)
No matter your pain; physical, emotional, or spiritual…
ALWAYS HAVE HOPE
linked with Call Me Blessed
Sienna and I started working on May day baskets this week. Here is what we came up with. It is very simple all we did was buy plastic pots and paint them with with chalk board paint. Now I’m trying to figure out what else I could turn into a chalk board.
We still have more painting to do, which S is excited for. She is even more excited to fill them with yummy treats next week.
A frequently asked question in our family is “What was your favorite part of your day?” Today this was mine. Reading books outside with the kids in the sunshine.
My second favorite was Tony coming home for lunch and working in the garden with the kids while I took a nap. He takes good care of us!
This morning I wanted something extra comfortable to wear so I decided to re-wear what I put together for a bridal shower this weekend minus the heals.
I pray you are having a wonderful day!
Linked with The Pleated Poppy
“My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:46-47
I am reminded to be thankful for every moment. I have had a lot of pain days lately but God blessed me with a few days of some relief. I decided to spend it doing things I enjoyed. Sienna skipped her nap and we sewed want to’s not have to’s and worked on other fun projects. The kids and I played outside. I cooked dinner and even cleaned. Some days, there are only good moments but I try to maximize the moments and be thankful for every one.
Sometimes I feel like I have been running a marathon and want to jump out of my own skin. It seems, every time I am about to do just that (even though it’s not possible), God blesses me with one of these moments or days. It’s as if he is reminding me, Annie you can do this, I’m here, I will get you through. It reminds me that He feels my pain and understands it. He knows my every need and has blessed me abundantly. I have much to be thankful for!
Something I’ve also noticed is I’m not always great at noticing these moments, sometimes they pass by before I take a moment to thank the Lord. I want to be better and praising God for every moment!
Linked with Call Me Blessed, Casey Leigh, and Finding Beauty In The Ordinary
Another maternity creation from a non-maternity pattern. I moved up the waist and put pleats in front to fit my baby belly.
For the first time I am experiencing nesting. It didn’t happen with Sienna and Weston but this time all I want to do is organize. I want to toys organized, the clothes, the junk draws, everything. I want to clean all the time, when the house is a mess I feel tense. This is just about as opposite as I could get from my normal personality. Maybe it’s the pregnancy, maybe I’m growing up a little bit, maybe it is because I can’t control my pain so I’m trying to control my house 
, or maybe it is none of the above. I guess time will tell. In the mean time, I love having my carpet vacuumed.
32 1/2 weeks
Linked with The Pleated Poppy
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.”
When I am in pain the best encouragement comes from scripture. If we really think about it, no one else has control over our pain like God does. Doctors, friends, family, even strangers can help but not like our all powerful God. He is the only one who truly has the power to do anything and everything. God can heal us. God can also allow us to go through rough times.
In my journey, I have found it is important to remain humble. To understand that my doctors (and I) are only human. Not to take frustration out on them if there is nothing they can do (especially while I’m pregnant) but instead to be thankful for the reminder that God is God and man is man. With so many luxuries and helps at our finger tips I sometimes think there should be a fix it pill for everything but there isn’t and this is a good thing. It helps me depend more on the Lord and find my comfort and healing in Him.
When I say healing, it doesn’t always mean outright healing but healing of my soul so that I can live with joy in my heart no matter how I am feeling emotionally and physically. When in pain, we must not allow our emotional or physical pain to make us spiritually sick. It is a time in life when we need to be spiritually healthy. To understand that God has a plan. To remember, just like he promised Israel, He will build us up again, not in our timing but it His.
Beautiful Pain
Linked with Call Me Blessed
It took me 28 years to discover the fun of painting my nails but it has finally happened. I give Sienna all the credit because she loves to have her nails painted. I never painted my nails because they always ended up chipped and shabby. They still end up chipped 80 percent of the time but I’m enjoying it none the less. I would love to try the idea above!
“A JOYFUL HEART MAKES A CHEERFUL FACE”
Proverbs 15:13
I pray you smile a lot this weekend!
