It's never too late for a post about love

The internet was bursting with posts last week about love, relationships, romance, and sacrifice.  I enjoy reading different perspectives on love and how it impacts our lives.  We were created to love and be loved and yet this is one of the most challenging concepts to flesh out in daily life.

Why is it so hard?  How can we lose sight so quickly of the importance of love?  What stands in the way of impacting our friends, our family, our world with the deep love of God?

Me.

I stand in the way.  My desires, my time, my important stuff, my to-do list, my feelings, my will.

And before we know it 'me' has become so important that the only thing capable of impacting is self.  And if all we impact is self, we lose out on the love that God designed.

When I get out of the way and begin thinking of the desires of others, the needs of others, and the wants of others, I begin to understand how to love.

When I get out of the way and truly dwell on God's character and His great love demonstrated  in Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, I won't be able to stop myself from loving.

Valentine's Day may be over, but love is never over.

It should be beginning and growing every moment of every day.

Tim Kimmel, in his book Grace Based Parenting, shares an excellent definition of love.  My husband asked me to write it on our kitchen chalkboard so we can be reminded of this throughout the day.

Instead of standing in the way of impacting others with love, I want to commit myself to striving for what is best in others, loving them in the same way that God loves me.

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." -1 John 4:9-12

Let's get out of the way today and love.

Seven months and my fears are lifted

When I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child I was scared.  Our son was just six months old and we were still adjusting to the fact that he had Down Syndrome.

Would this child also have some sort of special need?  How would I be able to truly care for both of them?  Surely someone is going to be neglected.  Will I love another child more or less?  

We had talked about having more children, but it was always way down the road, like after Mason learned to walk, and maybe once he was potty trained.  But here we were with a baby who still couldn't roll over at six months, and another one on the way.

That pregnancy was filled with ups and downs emotionally as I anticipated the arrival of that little girl.  There was relief when we found out all the prenatal testing came back negative.  But, then there was also guilt over feeling relieved.

When I arrived at the hospital on the day I was to be induced, they admitted me to the same room where Mason had been born.  All the memories came flooding back, and when the doctors arrived for the delivery, I made sure they knew to examine my daughter closely for any signs of anything that might not be normal.

And then that moment came when we welcomed our baby girl into the world.

It was just as wonderful and exciting as the previous three times.  We loved her with the same love, rejoiced in her precious life, and waited excitedly for the day we could bring her home.

Today our baby girl is seven months old.

 We've had seven precious months of watching another life grow and develop.  Seven months of watching our oldest girls wonder and exclaim over her.  Seven months of watching our son with Down Syndrome adore his baby sister.

My fears have been lifted.

Mason is quick to comfort Jennavieve when she cries.  He scoots himself over to her and carefully lays his head on her tummy.  He brings her toys when she has none.  They have started 'talking' to one another, copying sounds and squeals.

Yes, it's challenging having two babies who can't walk and some days I grow sad over the developmental delays in Mason when I see his younger sister quickly catching up.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

My children are learning to love and serve others.

I am learning to love and serve and to rejoice in the little achievements of my children.

Most importantly, I'm learning to desperately depend on God.

And as I depend on Him, I find joy and wonder even in my most challenging moments.  Not because it's easier, but because He is becoming greater and more precious to me.

The Unknown is a Gift: Our First Home

We've been talking a lot lately about our future.  I guess I thought that by the time I hit my 30's, life would be figured out and the course would be set.

I'm glad I was wrong.

This life of not knowing has been a gift.  Living in different places, making new friends, dreaming about where me might end up next--I have learned to treasure these steps on our journey.

This summer will mark six years of Bradley being in the Navy, the last three of which have been in our home in Georgia.  And as I anticipate moving again this summer, I can't help but think back and reflect.  For some reason, much of my reflecting has been on our first home.

As we approached our first year of marriage Bradley began to seriously pursue his career in the Navy.  In prayer and boldness, we asked if both of us could keep our jobs and work from home, allowing us to move away from Pennsylvania, to Greenville, SC.  Our company said yes, and within one month we had found a home, signed a contract, and moved in.

We only lived in that home for 11 months before the Navy became a reality, but it was wonderful.  Our marriage grew, we learned things like how to tile floors, pay a mortgage, paint walls, resolve conflict with both of us working from home, and we found out we were expecting our first child that year.

I look back and think how seemingly crazy it was, or how crazy we were, and yet God used that little unknown twist to grow us in Him.

We still own this home, and by God's grace, we've been able to rent it for the past six years.  Maybe we'll move back one day, we'll stack up some bunk beds to fit all the kids, and I'll change up the colors a bit.  But if we don't, I'll always look back and remember with thankfulness the ways that God used that home to make me a different person.

And, I pray that whatever unknowns we are given, even this summer, I will receive with an open heart and open arms, knowing that they are a gift from God.

Snow Day in Georgia

We've lived in our home now for 3 years, as of this past Sunday, and Wednesday was the first time we experienced snow here!  That's what happens when you live in Georgia.  The girls were so excited when they woke up in the morning and saw their little picnic table out back covered in snow.  And by covered, I mean about 3 inches.  Yes, 3 inches is an enormous amount of snow in the south, and we go out and play in it as if it is the biggest snow storm ever!

Happy {belated} New Year

As I sit here, it's almost the end of January, I'm typing my first blog post of 2014, and I have to tell you that this month has been one of restoration for my soul.  I'm not really sure what caused it or why it happened, but God has been moving in my heart, bringing thankfulness, joy, and contentment.

The past four months were hard.  My heart hurt, I lacked joy, I cried a lot, I couldn't think straight, and  I learned a lot about grief.  Not the kind of grief from the loss of a loved one, but grief over loss of dreams, living with an unexpected reality, and challenges that I didn't sign up for.  Grief affects not just our heart and emotions, but the day-to-day activities that need to get done.  I plan to carve some time to write this out in the coming weeks, but for now I can simply share with you that God's grace and strength are powerful.  He walks with us through challenges, never withholding His grace.  Sorrow may last for a night, but His joy does come.  

We had a whirlwind month in December with traveling, family visits for the holidays, home for Christmas, stomach bug for 2/3 of our household, and somewhere in there our oldest turned five, our second born is now four, our little guy is crawling, and our baby girl is six months old.

Life just goes on.

Time doesn't stand still for us to capture all of the moments we so desperately want to hold near.  It keeps ticking and we hold on to grace, we pour out love, and we seek to be near to the heart of God.

The Shepherds and the Lamb & Merry Christmas

In the darkness of a typical night, sitting on a hillside outside the town of Bethlehem, some unsuspecting shepherds received word of God's redemptive entrance into the world.

Shepherds were ordinary folk.  They never donned royal robes or mingled with the leaders of the land.  They smelled of earth and sheepskin, not oil and perfume.  Simple people with simple jobs.  Take care of the sheep.  Protect the flocks.  Watch the lambs.

Suddenly the glory of God lighted the darkness of that night.  For God had chosen to make these ordinary shepherds the first recipients of the greatest joy-filled news ever told.

A baby had been born.  He was swaddled up, and could be found in a manger somewhere in Bethlehem.

The angel described this baby as Savior, Christ the Lord.  Upon the utterance of this news, the whole sky was filled with a multitude of heavenly hosts saying: "Glory to God..."

The glory of God coming to some smelly shepherds on a hillside?  Why here?  Why were these ordinary people the first ones to hear?  The fulfillment of God's promise was present.  God's Son had been ushered into the world as a tiny baby.  Shouldn't this miracle be told to someone more influential, someone who could really make a difference and spread the news to all the people for whom the angel spoke?

And yet the shepherds seem to be a most fitting audience.  For not only did they understand the task of shepherding, they also understood sheep.

They may not have completely understood Who they were looking for, but as they searched the town of Bethlehem for the baby that night, these shepherds were searching for one who was a Shepherd and a Lamb.

They found the Good Shepherd lying in a manger that night.  The precious Lamb of God was the object of their search.

It only makes sense that God would choose to allow some simple shepherds to be the first ones to come and sit at the feet of Jesus.  Shepherds, who excelled at watching lambs, now with amazement and wonder, watched the Lamb of God.

As you celebrate Christmas this day, may you sit in wonder and rejoice in Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Lamb, who came to take away the sin of the world.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Our Weekend: The Beginning of Advent

Happy December!  Happy Advent!  I love this time of year, and I especially love it through the eyes of my children.  We had a great Thanksgiving week; my husband was off from work the entire week, and we thoroughly enjoyed being at home and being together.  All of us were sick with colds and such, but that just made staying inside all the more acceptable.

We decided to put up our Christmas tree on Friday night and I'm so glad we did.  In years past, I have been the lone decorator of the tree {with the exception of the lights--that's always the man's job}, and I missed those days of decorating the tree with my parents and siblings.  For the first time, my oldest two girls were interested and capable of decorating the tree.  It was truly thrilling to watch their excitement as they carefully placed ornaments on the branches.  And I only rearranged a few, just to make sure the tree wouldn't tip over.  Letting go of my 'I want a perfectly decorated, pinnable Christmas tree' was quite freeing.  And my girls appreciated the bit of responsibility they were given.

We took the kids out shopping on Black Friday, just to peruse the toys and have them point out things they liked.  We're trying to teach them about contentment and being greedy and giving -- these are hard things for little people to learn.  Contentment is hard for us adults to learn!  But, it was fun to watch them get excited about what they would give to each other for Christmas.  We've since done some ear-whispering about ideas and I love how they're learning the joy of giving.

Yesterday evening we ventured out to the yard with our tripod and camera remote to try and capture that perfect family photo for our Christmas card.  I had pretty high expectations and some great ideas for poses.  Let me just tell you that's not the best way to try and photograph four children, two of whom can't walk or follow instructions.  I was lamenting over the fact that there weren't any perfect ones.  Bradley's response was, "Good.  Because we're not perfect.  This is us, it's more real."  So, if you too haven't gotten that perfect photo, embrace the imperfect.

I took the week off from cleaning and laundry, so today's tasks are pretty simple:  clean, organize, and wash. My goal with laundry, as of late, is really just to actually put the folded clothes away.  That to me is success. There are still two laundry baskets full of the kids' clothes sitting in our bedroom from last week.  They're folded, just never made it to the dressers.  My poor children can't ever find their underwear!  Maybe today will be different.

This was our weekend, and a little bit of the week.  Back to routine today, but I think I'm ready.

I want to focus my attention today on Jesus, the Light of the World, who entered our darkness as a tiny baby.  His light has pierced the darkness of my heart, and as I go through the tasks today of cleaning, correcting, counting my blessings, and caring for others, I want that light to shine out in powerful ways that my children might know Jesus a bit more.


Linking up here.