We just keep waking up! Literally. I'm so thankful for a good friend who, when asked the same question by me a few years ago, said, "I just keep not dying! So I wake up and do what's in front of me, by the grace of God."One day at a time, moment by moment, by the grace of God. Our days are not easy. We don't spend our evenings in prayer and scripture reading...we crash and pray for God in his mercy to extend our night and wake us up tomorrow. We have less emotional resource, less energy, less "bandwidth" than we've ever had and yet every day we make it through and every day we are encouraged by God's faithfulness to us. He hasn't let us go. He's here. He's in control. He's working in all of this. and we have peace. Real peace. Amazing. It's as if rather than drinking from a pool of collected encouragement and support, we're getting daily nourishment straight from the source...I'm getting the idea that it's exactly as God would have it.
Every day, I want to stop and name all the things God is doing, to post them here, so you can see too...I see them everywhere. He's so kind to us. Instead, the days end late and start early and I hesitate to post because my thoughts are barely coherent! So the list grows until I feel like spilling over and I know I have to stop and write these things down, so I won't forget.
~A sermon that blessed our hearts and reminded us of God's good plans.
~A comment on our blog, an email or voicemail to remind us we're not alone.
~A babysitter who arrived with a chai latte in hand for me.
~Meals from people we don't even know
~A kind nurse who tells me I'm doing a good job.
~A friend to remind me of the truth and listen to my discouragement without trying to "fix it."
And perhaps most importantly, we're amazed at how many of our dear friends and family are walking through hardship, and choose to pray for us through their own tears. These testimonies surround us and allow us to see God at work.
~Friends choosing the hard path of fostering a baby only to deliver him to his birth mom in her rehab facility along with gifts and prayers.
~A family choosing to press into loving a child working through the pain of her abandonment.
~Matt's parents fighting cancer together, honoring God with 40 years of marriage and loving each other well.
~My new hero, http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. God's sweet reminder to me that THIS -small children, big messes, challenging schedules, difficult decisions, lots of stress and little sleep, sweet, silly moments, and loads of opportunities to need and receive grace - is my mission, my calling, my path.
~Friends and family pressing into God because of infertility, honoring God in the waiting, choosing to be faithful despite hard things and hope deferred.
We see your lives too. We're built up by your choices and encouraged by your testimonies. We know we're not the only ones asked to do hard things. We're not the only ones facing difficult decisions. And in the middle of it all, Matt and I are so blessed to know you and feel your prayers. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for sharing your lives with us too! May God get all the glory.
Every day, I want to stop and name all the things God is doing, to post them here, so you can see too...I see them everywhere. He's so kind to us. Instead, the days end late and start early and I hesitate to post because my thoughts are barely coherent! So the list grows until I feel like spilling over and I know I have to stop and write these things down, so I won't forget.
~A sermon that blessed our hearts and reminded us of God's good plans.
~A comment on our blog, an email or voicemail to remind us we're not alone.
~A babysitter who arrived with a chai latte in hand for me.
~Meals from people we don't even know
~A kind nurse who tells me I'm doing a good job.
~A friend to remind me of the truth and listen to my discouragement without trying to "fix it."
And perhaps most importantly, we're amazed at how many of our dear friends and family are walking through hardship, and choose to pray for us through their own tears. These testimonies surround us and allow us to see God at work.
~Friends choosing the hard path of fostering a baby only to deliver him to his birth mom in her rehab facility along with gifts and prayers.
~A family choosing to press into loving a child working through the pain of her abandonment.
~Matt's parents fighting cancer together, honoring God with 40 years of marriage and loving each other well.
~My new hero, http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. God's sweet reminder to me that THIS -small children, big messes, challenging schedules, difficult decisions, lots of stress and little sleep, sweet, silly moments, and loads of opportunities to need and receive grace - is my mission, my calling, my path.
~Friends and family pressing into God because of infertility, honoring God in the waiting, choosing to be faithful despite hard things and hope deferred.
We see your lives too. We're built up by your choices and encouraged by your testimonies. We know we're not the only ones asked to do hard things. We're not the only ones facing difficult decisions. And in the middle of it all, Matt and I are so blessed to know you and feel your prayers. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for sharing your lives with us too! May God get all the glory.
2 comments:
Sara and Matt: I spent most of this morning reading your posts starting with the first. :) I am drawn to you and know that God is asking me be of service to you. You are both amazing parents. I am praying that God renews your strength daily and gives you more joy in each day and less worry.
I am not a blogger and don't really know how all this works - but am hoping that through this you get my e-mail address and can let me know how I can be of service to you. If not, I hope to see you in church so we can make a plan!
God Bless your beautiful family,
Marcia Mason
Hi Marcia! What a blessing to get your note. I'll email you through The City. Let me know if you get it and we can talk more!
Post a Comment