Burned and burned again

     Yesterday, I took James to the ER. After Doctors examining him, and giving his leg an X-ray, they found that his Femur was fractured. Yesterday, my husband took a tumble with our baby down our very steep set of stairs, and they fell a couple steps. It was enough for both of them to get hurt. So now James has a cast on his leg for the next month at least. It's funny. I feel like every time we leave the hospital, or get through something, God decides to bring something else into our life to give us a time to practice faith, patience, and perseverance.
     In between going to the hospital several times during James babyhood, and just challenging times with our little boy, I feel like I've been burned. I'm burned out quite honestly. I'm tired of getting burned. I'm tired of feeling tired. Every time I think to myself, "This is it! After we get through this, it'll be fine." Quite honestly, it is... just not the way I had pictured. It's funny how different our plans are from Gods, aren't they?!
     Every battle that we finally win with James, is a step closer to being who God wants us as his parents to be. But every battle that comes, there's another one to follow. On top of having my son in the ER yet again, we're trying to purchase a house, plus I'm pregnant, and there's constantly things happening throughout our week that make things challenging through one thing or another.
     I read this article today- Walk Slowly, Mama, and couldn't help but cry. Cry because this is where I am in life... that and I'm pregnant, so things are a lot more emotional for me. ;) The things we do for our children on a daily basis helps to grow us in many ways. We all get burned in one way or another. We get burned by yet another child sick and you've already had 4 days of restless sleep. We get burned because someone let you down. We get burned because we're tired of doing the same thing over and over again. It's funny though. When I think I can't go on any longer, God brings me the encouragement and will to fight. Today, it was my sister-in-law lending me her car to go to Starbucks while James slept. Some days, it's my husband sending me a sweet text telling me that I'm doing great as a mom, and that he's proud of me, and some days, it's reading a part of the Word of God that you just needed to hear. Whatever it may be, God brings you the energy you need to continue to fight the good fight.
     "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." ~2nd Timothy 4:7~

A New Year, A new start

    It's the start of 2017. Wow, how 2016 passed so quickly! Last year we celebrated Josh and I's first anniversary, had our first baby, bought a house (hopefully we'll be able to close and move in sometime in March) and are also expecting our 2nd baby. I haven't been very diligent about posting on this blog. Life has kept me busy. Our little boy, James, who's 7 months old now, keeps me on my toes. While he doesn't crawl or walk yet; he doesn't like it when I'm not within his sight, or if I'm not holding him.
     James started eating solid foods this last month. He's not a huge fan of anything yet, but hopefully that'll change soon.
     My pregnancy has gone well thus far! I'm 14 weeks along now and finally out of the first trimester! We'll find out the gender of our baby at the beginning of February. Josh and I are both
kind of hoping for a girl, but we'll be happy with whatever God chooses to bless us with.
     December was a busy month for us. After coming back from Wisconsin after Thanksgiving, we were home for 2 days, before James was admitted to the hospital. Because of my pregnancy, he wasn't gaining any more weight. They were concerned, and so after 5 days in the hospital, we finally found something that works. As if being in the hospital wasn't enough, we put an offer in on a house while in the hospital that only my husband had seen. We took a step of faith, and our offer got accepted! Now we're just waiting for a couple odds and ins... and of course the closing day! ;)
     After we got back from the hospital, we hadn't been back that long before we set up our Christmas tree/lights..etc... and headed to Colorado the week after that for Christmas. December flew by for me so quickly quite honestly.
     December was a long month for me to learn Patience. I hated being in the hospital. Not only to see James being miserable because he's out of his comfort zone, and out of his schedule, but it's so uncomfortable in the hospital. We were constantly waiting for answers... when would we be released from the hospital? Did we get the offer on the house? Would I like it? Will James ever sleep through the night?... these and other questions were on my mind a lot, but all I could do was wait... be patient... pray.
     "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." ~ Romans 12:12
     I don't have a New Years Resolution, except this... pursue Christ more... even in the midst of us packing, moving, and us getting ready for baby number #2. And last, but not least, love others more... put others before myself.
     What are your New Year's Resolutions? What were the highlights of 2016 for you?

Patience is a Virtue

     They say patience is a virtue, right? With being a full time momma, I try to remind myself of this quite often. For such a cute and precious baby, sometimes I run low on patience. This last week, it had been a long weekend full of fun activities, but needless to say, I was done. I was low on energy, and just ready to rest. Thankfully, James agreed with me and slept really well the night before so that I was able to get some rest. However, the next day, James wasn't wanting to fall asleep. He kept crying, and nothing I did would stop him. He doesn't normally do that anymore, but when he does, often times I get impatient. My husband is very good at taking him and trying his luck with James and putting him to sleep.
     I finally had to just put him in the Moses Basket that he sleeps in, tell him I loved him, and walked away for a bit. I'm usually in tears at this point because I feel like I'm doing something wrong because I can't calm my own baby down.
     After about 5 minutes, I walked back up to his room, and he was on the verge of falling asleep. I then put the pacifier in his mouth, and just like that, he was out, fast asleep.
     Last week, it had been night after night of very little sleep for both James and I. I was at the end of my rope. It was a Friday, and my husband woke up 30 minutes before his alarm, to get the baby for me, who was crying yet again. As he walked out of the room with our crying baby, I cried. It had been 4 long nights of very little sleep, and I was at the end of my rope. A few minutes later, I joined my husband downstairs on the couch. He said, "How was last night?" I couldn't speak at all. Tears began to roll down my face, and I was completely and utterly speechless. After a while, my husband said, "Would it help you if I took today off work?" And so, with a quick text to his boss to get the okay, he was off for the day. It was a chill morning after that. Josh decided to make my day better, so he went to grab us some donuts for breakfast from the local gas station, and then later on, we went to the theater to see a movie, out for a Starbucks coffee, and home for pizza and movie night. Thanks to my hubby, the day went from miserable to great! I'm very thankful to have a husband who knows my needs and knows what cheers me up the most. :-)
    I get mad at myself for getting so impatient with James sometimes. He doesn't realize he's being difficult, or that he just needs sleep. I started thinking about how I must be like that sometimes with God. God has a plan for me, and he knows what's in my best interest, but often times, I go my own way because I feel like it's the right way, or because I'm stubborn.
     Patience is one of the things that I can never be "great" at, or even "good" at. Often times, I feel like I've got it, and it's all good, and then BAM, God decides to humble me yet again. I Look at all the characters in the Bible, and see how patient they must've been in those times. Jacob waited a total of 14 years to receive Rachel as a wife! (Genesis 29) Abraham and Sarah waited for God to give them a child, Joseph was enslaved and taken to prison for a crime he didn't commit, and he waited there.
     I look at the patience that these men and women had in the Bible, and I feel like I lack so much in this area. I pray to God that He would grant me the patience that I need to be a good momma, and wife. God works in His ways, and gives us sanctification through trials He brings our way. In each moment, learn to be thankful, pray, and always seek Gods face... ALWAYS! <3

The Perfect Work of Patience

This post was written by Bethany Carson over at: http://todaylibertyordeath.blogspot.com

"Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." --James 1:4

Patience is not a virtue easily acquired.  James tells us that the trying of our faith worketh patience.  God has given us many promises, some of which may seem impossible.  He promised Abraham when he was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90 that they would have a son.  Was this humanly possible?  No.  But they believed God, and with God all things are possible. 

It's easy to have faith right after a promise has been made, but 2 or 3 years later it can be hard to still have faith.  Two thousand years later we are still waiting for Jesus to fulfill His promise, "Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me."  That seems like a long time to wait, but I'm glad He waited for me.  2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  But the day of the Lord will come!  God keeps his promises.  

One example my father uses is this:  If I promise you that I will take you out to eat tomorrow, is there anything you can do to make sure I fulfill my promise?  You can remind me, but there's no way you can make me keep my promise.  Keeping my promise is my job, not yours.  If I don't keep my promises, I'm a liar and a bad person.  The same works with God's promises.  He has promised, and "God is not a man that he should lie."  God will perform what He has promised.  We must believe Him, trust Him, and patiently wait for Him to fulfill His word.

God's plan for creation and for our lives is perfect.  We need to have faith that all things will work together for our good as He has promised.  

As Hebrews 10: 35-38 says: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry...The just shall live by faith."  

Patience

Last week my dad sold his car, and so, we are now looking for another car to replace his old one.
We have learned a lot of patience through car searching!!! Their have been some dealers who are dis-honest with their cars, we have met some dealers who tell only some of the truth, and we've seen some dealers that can't even start their car up after telling us that it runs great. (I guess that would fit into the category of dis-honest)

So...we are still looking.

Aren't we like that with God sometimes? We have all these expectations that we want to have met each day.
Likewise, God has all these plans for us...that's how we learn patience.
There have been many time that my dad's driving in the car, and he's upset because someone really slow drives in front of us, so I will remind him that "Patience is a Virtue".

There was a book I read not too long ago, when it said that sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the old lady in front of us at the grocery store is so slow, because she's taking each moment as a gift from God because she received news that she has cancer, and that it's her last year to live.

I'm reminded of the fruit of the spirit:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
~Galatians 5:22-23~