November 11th, we welcomed to this big world a new baby. A baby girl.
Arrow Brielle.
Zechariah 9:14 says
And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
I love the visual that verse gives. And I want her to ALWAYS be God's Arrow.
Brielle is the end of "Gabrielle" which is the girl form of Gabriel... her uncle.
It means "God's bravest woman."
Doesn't get better than that in my opinion.
Well, we are beyond in love.
She is so sweet and peaceful.
(She has a sinus infection right now, and is still so pleasant.)
Raylea being homeschooled and wanting to know the answer to any and every question she has through out the day keeps my brain exercised.
Jack is what you would call a tornado when it comes to him and his toys. I pick them up, they end up everywhere... our closet, our tub, under the beds, on the kitchen counter... so, he keeps my body exercised...
Arrow is my little 9 pound 10 ouncer, who keeps me reminded of what matters at the end of each long day... and night...
That no matter how challenging it is to be a momma of three (Raylea would say four right now if she were reading this because she ALWAYS remembers Baby August... Baby August Shalom went to Heaven in my belly 3 years ago, today.) I think of that little angel all the time.
But no matter the challenging it is at times, I am responsible for these little souls. As their mama.
So, I have been trying lately to stand still as a mom. Not fret about the mounds of clothes needing folded (and washed...) Not get too frustrated when Jack is done with his cereal half way through and decides to toss it all over the floor.. Not get weary when Raylea writes the same letter over and over again the wrong way after lots of practice that morning... To be okay with being a little stinky (you know... no shower, baby spit up on the shirt and toddler snot rubbed on me.)
I have been searching for time to write. I finally have 10 minutes! I haven't looked at my stats in a long, long time because frankly, I haven't felt anyone would want to read what I have to write lately. I know, I have been really positive lately!
I pulled up my stats a couple days ago and saw sixty some people in Germany had read different posts this week alone... not to mention the other countries. I have always said even if my post helps one person somehow to push on another day, I will write.
So, I snapped out of it, and here I sit... pounding away!
Please take a few minutes to read below.
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The Israelites had a lot against them. Although they were free from slavery, they had the Egyptians chasing them and a gigantic Sea in front of them.
Rightfully so... they were scared. And confused.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:13 and 14
What is chasing you?
is it your past?
is it a lie you told and have yet to totally come clean about it all?
is it past relationships?
is it your childhood?
is it your adulthood?
What is standing in front of you?
is it money you owe to someone?
is it your future that you are too scared to pursue, because you're afraid of failure?
is it friendships that hold you back and won't allow you to grow as a Christian?
is it an illness that is taking your loved one down a long painful road?
Regardless of what or who is chasing you or standing in your way, go to the Word.
I have a good amount of friends who I know would do anything for me.
The top one being Grant.
I don't give him the credit he deserves as my husband often times.
He writes me encouraging cards about once a month and will randomly do little things for me...
some of them a little more on the random side... like the fleece onesie pajamas he brought home a couple nights ago...
I want to have a healthy, GODLY marriage so that a divorce could never stand BEHIND or IN FRONT of me. That requires.... Preventative maintenance.
You need to talk to your spouse about how you feel and how you feel loved. Communication.
I counseled with a friend this summer who had a husband who thought it was okay to text and even go on "business lunch meetings" alone with another woman. I assured my friend that was NOT okay or normal and she needed to explain that to him. Divorce happens like that. One person thinks something is okay in their eyes, but it hurts the other person's feelings. Once she explained her feelings to him, he understood and stopped.
Don't let resentment build towards your spouse or you'll end up being the "next divorced couple," and gossip session at the hair parlor.
Past...
I used to deal BAD with my past. I felt anything I did before or even after I was saved made me a horrible person and Christian. God had to get ahold of me and He showed me that I was not really accepting what Jesus did for me on the Cross by not letting go of my past.
Same goes for you. You HAVE to move on and realize we have all fallen short. Ask God to forgive you and pick yourself back up. And stay away from anything or anyone who is going to bring you down! I lost a LOT of friends when I got saved. It is normal. And okay.
Future...
I know someone who knows exactly what God wants them to do, but they fear failing.
Fear is chasing them and their future stands before them.
I want to tell that person...
Stand still.
Stop being afraid!
All the times you've failed before... you'll NEVER EVER see them again for EVER!
The Lord will fight for you! (If you'll LET HIM!)
All you have to do is.. HOLD YOUR PEACE.
Hold your peace in your marriage.
Don't be the last to get every word in.
Be humble for once.
Be meek.
Hold your peace in your relationship with your kids.
They will get saved one day.
Just make sure you're showing them what it really is to be Christian so they won't be confused.
Hold your peace when it concerns your past.
God forgave you when you asked for it.
The end.
Hold your peace when it concerns your future.
He only has good things in mind for you.
Why won't you trust Him and stop trying to figure it all out on your own?
It'll all work out if you just stand still and let God fight.
Say this over and over this week...
I am holding my peace because God is fighting for me!
as always... thanks for reading.
