Living the Mom Life Day 7: Loose Hands Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. (Psalm 127:3, ESV) So often when you are raising toddlers and babies, in between changing a diaper and looking for a pacifier to soothe a screaming baby, someone will comment about how fast the time goes and to be sure you enjoy it. In that moment, as your hair…
Living the Mom Life Day 6: Help Them See You in Me And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:1-2, ESV). Early on, Hannah shows us that she…
Living the Mom Life Day 5: A New Passion for Prayer Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV) A mom’s plate is usually a very full one. Your calendar is full of appointments, practices,…
Living the Mom Life Day 4: A Serious Responsibility Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6, ESV) A harp seal stays with her baby for 12 days, and then leaves it. If a black bear only has one cub instead of several, she will often abandon it, as she feels it’s not worth her time. A…
Living the Mom Life Day 3: Expectations vs. Reality But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV) We’ve all been there—building something up so perfectly in our minds, but the reality ends up being the complete…
Living the Mom Life Day 2: The Early Sleepless Days Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, ESV) Few people need a divine intervention of rest more than a new mom. That sweet little bundle of joy you brought home from the hospital doesn’t seem to like his bed and has decided that he would rather live a nocturnal life. Your…
Living the Mom Life Day 1: While I Carried You For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14, ESV) There are few sounds more precious to hear than a fast-paced heartbeat coming from inside your belly. The awe and excitement you feel in that moment is unlike any other and is just the beginning…
Adoption – A Father’s Perspective Day 7: The New Normal, Revised Version “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1, ESV). When you adopt a 16-month-old girl, your “new normal” gets reset and revised many times. Unlike a biological child with your DNA, whom you have raised from birth, an adopted child often has…
Adoption – A Father’s Perspective Day 6: The New Normal “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, ESV). Nothing could have prepared me for the escalator ride. With Lacey in my arms and Cindy at my side, down we rode. First, I saw my nephew, Andrew, and one of our friends, Beth. Then I saw everyone, and they erupted in cheers. Then I saw Lexi and…
Adoption – A Father’s Perspective Day 5: New Beginnings “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5, ESV). Managing expectations. As we visualized our appointment at the Civil Affairs Office, we had to. We realized Lacey wouldn’t run into our arms crying “Mommy, Daddy!” The “Chariots of Fire” theme wasn’t going to play. As we looked into her crib at the hotel…