Helper

Recently our community group has been going through a study of Genesis, particularly seeking to see Jesus in it. Not exactly what you would expect, right? The best part about it is Jesus is all over the Old Testament! Side note-If you're searching for an in-depth study of Jesus in the OT take a look at Nancy Guthrie's different options. 

Anywho, back on track. . . this past week we dug deeper into the story of Adam and Eve and the temptation the serpent brought in the Garden of Eden. The story is common, but each time I read it I pick up something different. This time around my heart honed in on the concept of "helper". Specifically this verse:

The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper for him."

God knew that Adam could not continue alone and that he required a helper. God created all sorts of animals and creatures, but none served the purpose He was seeking for them. So he took a piece from Adam's own body to create the perfect complement-Eve. How beautiful is that? God created a wife just for the purpose to help Adam. Wow. Mind-blowing and a very heavy weight on my heart right now.

I posted recently asking for prayer for the vision God is laying on our hearts. As we continue to walk through this and pray I feel a new calling on my heart as a wife. Should David pursue full-time ministry, my role will change greatly as well. He will need me to help him in new and challenging ways. Reading these simple words, "I will make a suitable helper for him" has given me huge reassurance. His words are like a big hug at just the right moment. He's telling me, "I made you for this. I knew the plan when I placed you together". God is reminding me that I am not just David's wife, but I am His helper. What an amazing gift that is! I have the opportunity to support him in this grand adventure!

As you continue to pray for the vision God is laying on our hearts, I also ask for prayer as how best to support David.

High Five for Friday [06.27]

Happy Friday!

(1)
 David surprised me by making reservations at our favorite local restaurant for our anniversary. The food was incredible (as always) and we ended up taking dessert home and devoured it as we watched the NBA draft. A great night in my book:-)

(2)

Daisy has taken her "princess" status to a new level. I've been trying to walk outside in the mornings before it gets too hot out and every morning I get the leash out to bring Daisy. The little princess has taken to sitting on "her" stoop and just looking at me. The dog won't even lift her head! I guess she has decided she is above daily walks. Homegirl is in for a rude awakening in a couple of months!

(3)
Speaking of a couple of months, we are officially 33 weeks-eeeeek!

(4)
Everyone keeps asking me if the nursery is done and the short answer is, no. The long answer is that it's almost done, but there are just a few things here and there we have to finish. As we finish those things up I've taken to crafting a few things to add. Separate post coming soon!



When we first found out we were pregnant I was worried about the timing and how I would miss the start of the school year. Now, I know that God knew what he was doing giving me time off to rest and prepare before she comes. I don't know how all my formerly prego friends were able to teach being this tired and huge! Thank God for His timing!

Four Years

I am so excited to be celebrating four years with this handsome fellow today. . .

I cannot wait to celebrate this evening and every day until forever!

The Amazing Maize Maze

I've mentioned a time, or twelve, before how important dates are to us. We try to have some form of a "date" once a week to connect with each other. So, a few weeks ago when I saw a Groupon for admission to a corn maze I jumped on it!

I grew up one town over from where we live now and I remember going to the maze many, many moons ago when I was a kid. I remember it being a lot of fun trying to figure it out with my friends. I knew it would be just the right challenge for two oldest children who love to compete. The downside to this little Groupon gem was that we only had a few weeks to use it. In an effort to make sure we used it before it expired we ended up going when it was raining. It wasn't torrential or anything like that, but it was more than a sprinkle. In fact there was one point when my beloved husband turned to me and said, "this is absolutely miserable". But I'm jumping ahead of myself. . .

We arrived just in time to received our "maze orientation" from a very enthusiastic worker who has been leading people for almost 20 years. He got all into character and told all sorts of silly jokes to get us excited. Once he finished his spiel we were off! 

David taking the lead with the flag. 

We knew the general outline and the maze and where we needed to go first. While it wasn't our original goal we ended up collecting all 12 of the maze pieces for our map. There were times of running and excitement as we raced through it and then other moments of dread and frustration (not to mention claustrophobia!) as we dragged ourselves through it.

The corn was 10 feet high!

We finished in exactly 90 minutes with all 12 of the pieces. While we didn't set any records or anything it was a lot of fun. As we were leaving we even learned about a Fall Food Truck Rally the farm was holding the next weekend-score! 

 A little soggy and a little tired, but we did it!

A pumpkin beer-the perfect end to the day!

Defining vs. Refining

Our lives will always contain conflict. There is no way around it, so no sense in denying it. The difference in each of us is how we handle our conflict. 

Do we allow it to define us or refine us?

refine: to improve or perfect by pruning or polishing

define: to determine or fix the boundaries or extent of.
via 
 

To define ourselves by our difficult situations would be to dwell in them. It would be to play the "woe is me" card. To allow life's complications to define us would be to allow the negative to control our lives. To refine ourselves by our situations would be to consider the situation, what can be learned from it, and grow. It's to take those complications and allow them to mold you, but not control you.

I often get caught up in the moment when I am faced with conflict. I react before I even think. It's only later when I think about it that I am able to really respond to the situation. I do think about it later, though. I think about it a lot. I ask myself what I did wrong and how I can correct my behavior for a later situation. At least this is what I try to do.

It would have been very easy to allow Emerson's death to define us. We could become "the parents who lost the baby late in the pregnancy". We could become "the depressed couple who can't move on". No, we're probably not ever going to "move on", but that's okay because we're not dwelling in it. We're not allowing our loss to completely control and confine us. Yes, there have been moments that absolutely stunk and I'm sure there are more to come, but we're doing our best not to let it define us. It has certainly refined our faith, our marriage, our relationships with others-essentially our whole lives-but it will not define us. God's sacrifice of His one and only Son promised us of that and the moment we start letting it define us we are telling Him that He is not enough. 

Friday Letters [09.13]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Blogger, I don't know what your deal is but can you nip it in the bud? It's a smidge frustrating when I schedule a post that yo just decide not to publish. Or when I publish a post the you don't show. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Dear Jason Aldean, Thank you for a rockin' show last night. It was a fabulous way to end our summer concert series. And the fact that you surprised us with Kelly Clarkson?? Major bonus points there, sir.

Dear Triplets, Y'all are FINALLY 21-WAHOOOOOO! All the Wardlets have officially reached this milestone. Drink up and enjoy your day!

Trouble from the get-go. Can you figure out who's who?

Dear David, Six.freaking.years. Holy canoli. Being married three seemed like a big deal, but the fact that we're been together six is mind blowing. Here's to many, many more!

Our first picture together many moons ago

Dear Farmer's Almanac, So I heard you're spreading this rumor about a "very cold winter". I'm going to have to ask you stop right where you are. No body likes a liar.

Times Have Changed-Long Distance Relationships

Today's investigation has us taking a look at long distance relationships. Any one of us who has ever been in one knows how truly miserable they are. David and I spent some time apart the summer between our junior and senior years at State and again for six months during our first year of marriage. I remember the anguish of not actually seeing him as much as I wanted, but thinking back to it, we had it a lot better than so many others!

First of all, thank God for cellphones! Without our handy dandy phones I can only imagine the bills that would have racked up. Not to mention we could talk at just about any time of day (minus the evenings he was working night shift, ain't nobody got time for that) without worrying about being tied to a house phone. These handy dandy phones also allowed us to send text messages whenever our hearts desired. Can you imagine what the soldiers and their wives would have done with texting during WWI and WWII?! 

We also had our computers which allowed us to email our misery of being apart in just a few moments. A heck of a lot quicker than sending snail mail. Not to discredit the truly wonderfulness of receiving letters in the mail, it's just helpful when it gets there that much quicker. The computers also made it possible to see each other's lovely faces through Skype. David never had to worry about missing out on my bedhead thanks to this fantastic invention! 

This was us pretty much every weekend for a while!

Friday's Letters [08.09]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Bird and Ashley, CONGRATS!! We are so excited to celebrate your engagement and for Ashley to officially be a part of the fam!

Dear football season, Welcome! We are more than ready to dedicate our entire weekends to your presence. 

 

For my hubby. . .

Dear allergies, You have got to GO! The itchy eyes, unceasing sneezing, and all around discomfort is really cramping my style.

Dear Daisy, It sure has been nice lolling about and doing nothing with you this summer. Same time and place June 2014?

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

This song plays pretty regularly on our local Christian station. For a long time I sang along, but didn't listen. Then, a time came when I changed the station as soon as I heard the opening chords because it hurt too much. Now, I'm not just hearing it, I'm listening to the words too. 

I would like to say that my prayer focus is not always on myself and my wants, but that would be lying. I definitely take the time to pray for others, but I selfishly always end up back at myself. I pray for blessings and God's hand in my life more than I pray for anyone or anything else. What's taken me a long time to realize is that He has been blessing me, just not always how I envision it.

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

After we lost Emerson we were devastated. Neither of us could fathom what had happened, let alone that God may have been protecting us from something. He may not have wanted us to live the life of parents to a very sick little girl, as may have been the case based on what we now know. Please do not get me wrong, we loved (and still love) her with all that we were and if she were born with a disability of any type it would not have caused our love for her to waver in any way, but perhaps God knew what he was doing when he cut our time with her short.

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Without a doubt our lives are different than what they would have been had everything gone "according to plan". I won't state the obvious, but we certainly have a different marriage than we did. Yes, we'd had our ups and downs but nothing had ever tested us in such a way. Because we leaned on each other so profoundly we grew closer. Our appreciation has changed. Where we once were excited for children and the adventure it would bring we now know the greater purpose God has for parents and appreciate the miracles children are. We also have more compassion. Because we had never experienced such a tragedy we struggled to relate to those who had. Now we feel we are better able to minister to those around us because of our experiences.

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

God works in such global ways it's impossible to understand the why and how of it all. The only thing we can understand is that through faith and belief in Him it will all come full circle. That circle may not be complete in this world, but He will complete it some day.