Helping The Body of Christ

32 weeks into my pregnancy!

     The past couple weeks have flown by very quickly for me. These last couple weeks, I've been babysitting, and helping out others in our church.
     It got me to thinking of how the Body of Christ works. Last week, one of the boys in our church broke his Femur, and had to have surgery. It was amazing to see how the church came together to help babysit the other kids, bring meals, and pray.
     Likewise, this week, our pastor had surgery... our entire church came together to babysit, help bring meals, and help out by taking kids to and from work for the week.
     Isn't this how the body of Christ should work?! Helping out one another in times of need. Being there for one another, and helping out each other is such a huge blessing!
     I often think about my pregnancy, and when I have our baby, I'll need help. My mom will be here helping out, cooking meals, cleaning, while I'm trying to figure out how to be a mom.

I officially have swollen feet!

                                     Here are some Bible verses that I was reminded of as I was thinking about how we serve the Body of Christ.
   "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that form the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance;for you serve the Lord."
~Colossians 3:23-24
   "But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." ~Hebrews 13:16
   "...Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." ~Philippians 2:4
     "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." ~John 15:12
   
     In what ways can you serve the Body of Christ more? Is there some couples in your church, or in your neighborhood that you can help out? You can be a missionary in your own neighborhood, by helping out others!

 

It's exciting to know that in just about 8 weeks,
we'll meet our little man.

Pregnancy Update: 32 weeks into my pregnancy, and I'm still feeling great! I officially have swollen feet now, so I've been trying to drink more water, and prop them up more.
     My husband and I went to sign up for our registry this last week, which was so much fun!
     Baby James moves a lot, but so far he hasn't woken me up at night with any kicking/punching, which I'm thankful for. ;) Occasionally I'll feel tightness in my stomach, and I feel my belly, and I can feel a little hand or foot pressing against me. It's so sweet to think I'll hold our bundle of Joy in a couple months!
     That's all the update I have for ya'll! Have a great week!

                                                                                              

When I was single and Waiting

     Being single is hard, when you have the desire to be a wife to a loving husband, and a mom to children of your own. It's hard to see friends around you get married, and have kids, and you're still at home, with no possible man for your future... or at least that's how and what you feel.
     I was there. For me, as I got closer to 22, I was wondering if I'd ever be married. 22 is still young, don't get me wrong, but, I had hoped to be married by 21, at least. The closer I got to 21 though, I realized, not only was I not ready to become a wife yet, but, God wasn't ready for me to become one yet either. Josh wasn't ready to be a husband yet... he was still figuring out his life. It's crazy how God works everything out for His glory.
     During my single years, my mom told me, "You have to keep yourself busy. Give yourself purpose. Never stop learning. Help and serve others as much as you can." That was probably the best advice that was given to me for my single years. Along with teaching Piano, being the Chauffeur of my family, studying to become a Doula, I also served. Once a week, I'd commit my whole day to helping out a family in church.
     If you sit around waiting for Prince Charming to come, what could you have gotten accomplished if you would've used your time more wisely? Will you look back at your single years and be grateful that you had an opportunity to serve others, or will you look back and wish that you'd done things differently? God knows when you'll get married. If you have a desire to get married, God will bring that man to you!.. in HIS timing. If you're a man waiting to find that right girl... she's out there, somewhere! ;) God will bring her to you, in HIS timing! In the meantime, serve Christ with everything you've got! Serve your family, and your Church. Make Christ the center of your life! And when that time comes, that Christ brings your spouse to you, continue to make Christ the center of everything! It'll all be well worth it! ;)

Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 27:13-14

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Questions to Consider:

• Have you prayed to God and asked Him to send you a spouse? 
• Did you pray just once, or do you pray over and over again? 
• What has helped you to be patient and wait on Gods timing? 
• Why do you want to be married? Is it for selfish reasons? 

Mother's Need Help! - Guest Post

Today we have a guest post from Ashley. Before I post what she wrote, I would encourage you all to think about it as you read it. I myself, am a mother's helper, and it has been such a joy to see the way it bless's the children as well as the moms and dads. So, without further ado, here is Ashley's post. :)

Mother's Need Help!

You've seen it before. A mom in the grocery store with four toddlers. Most of the time she doesn't get very many groceries. 

Why? Most mom's with small children don't like to go shopping with their little ones. Mom's need help. It's just a plain fact.

Last year I started to be a mother's helper. You know, someone who spends the day with a family and just helps however she can. Doing laundry. Watching the kids. Making lunch. These are some of the things I did. And lots of the time it wasn't easy.

Being a mother's helper also allowed me to develop good relationships with mom's that I wouldn't have if I hadn't first been their mother's helper. Be prepared to have good conversations. I'm not very outgoing around adults but once I got to know these ladies I was a lot more comfortable around them and I was also more open to talking and sharing. This put me in a great position to receive biblical mentoring which is what the Bible talks about in Titus 2:

"That they (the aged women) may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2: 4-5

Being a mother's helper is a great way to watch older women (well, older than us) in the home. It gives us as young ladies a good example to follow.

 I have to say, there are a lot of things you can learn from being a mother's helper. Here's just a few:

1. You get to see how other families run their household.

2. You get to interact with younger kids who aren't your siblings.

3. You get to learn to serve in another household.

4. You learn how to ask questions.

And that's not including how much you will bless the mom you help! So let's look at these close up.

You get to see how other families run their household.

How do they fold their clothes? What cleaning products do they use? When do they normally eat lunch? All of these questions will be answered when you step into their home and start to get your hands dirty.

You get to interact with young kids.

We tend to be a little short with our siblings, you know? But when we're with other kids who aren't our siblings we tend to have a lot more grace. Young children look up to older friends so it would mean the world to them if you just took a minute to spend some time with them.

"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them." Matthew 18: 2

You learn to serve.

In my house I may just do something that needs to be done, but in someone else's house I'll be more reluctant. Most mother's aren't going to give you a list at the front door to tell you everything you could do. Some mom's will ask you while others will just expect you to play with the kids, but part of blessing mom's is doing the things they won't have time for in their busy schedule or maybe even giving them time to run an errand by themselves or take a nap.

"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mark 10: 39

You Learn to ask Questions

This is a big one. I'm a very shy girl and sometimes I'll hesitate to ask about something. But, again, part of blessing someone else is doing the job right so they don't have to do it over later. So ask questions. Mom's won't get offended by simple questions.

You probably know a young mother with a couple toddlers that could use some help. Offer to spend the day (free of charge) just helping her with whatever she needs. It might not be easy but it's worth it.