Dear Little One

Dear Little One,

Pregnant. The test confirmed you were in my belly as the word  popped on the screen. I couldn't believe it. Tears of joy and shock flowed down my face. Praise the Lord!

Mommy and Daddy fell in love with you the second we found out. I told Big Brother that he was expecting a little sibling but I think he was more excited to be taken out of his crib after a long night's sleep. We praised God for you and prayed for you. No matter what you'd be a perfect gift from God.

From the time I found out you were growing in me, I dreamed what you would look like. I imagined the things you and Big Brother would do together. I loved the idea of a family of four. So tiny and precious and you already captured my thoughts. I would look at my belly and be in awe at the work God was doing in me. What a miracle. 

Thank you Laura Ryan Photography for capturing
me and my angel baby.

One day, my belly started to hurt and I started to bleed. I thought it was normal because it happened with Big Brother. But it grew and my belly pains didn't go away. I called the nurse who told me to go the hospital. I prayed and prayed. Daddy prayed. We didn't want to lose you, our precious baby. 

It was a long time at the hospital. With lots of tests and waiting.  I waited a long time to find out that you were leaving me. The first thing I thought was, you get to dance with Jesus now. Your safe. But my heart hurt. I wanted you to be with me, to come meet Daddy and Big Brother.

I had to go to the doctor again to make sure there were no complications and that in fact you went to be with Jesus. Another long wait but only one test to take. This would give me an answer. Waiting gave me a sense of hope. Women get their periods during pregnancy, maybe I am one of them. There could be a miracle baby in me. After what seemed like forever the doctor came in and apologized for the long wait. The doctor was nice and pleasant but he said, "I'm sorry but you are miscarrying...". My heart sunk but a sense of relief came that there were no complications with losing you.

I felt peace knowing that you were with Jesus now. If not me to take care of you, who better than Jesus? You are in the best hands ever. Although, I still miss you. I still long to have you in my belly. I still cry for you. I questioned why. Why couldn't I have you? Why couldn't I deliver you? Why are you gone? Why? In the end, I don't need an answer.  God knows. He knows my heart, He knows His plan for my life and yours. He wanted you to be with Him.

But my precious Little One, thank you. Just like your Big Brother, you've brought me closer to Jesus. In my weakness you brought me to my source of strength, the Lord. Children are a blessing from the Lord and you and Big Brother have blessed me so much. No matter how short of time you were with me, you're in my heart and I look forward to meeting you. I imagine Jesus introducing you to me and I feel such joy. I love you Little One.

See you someday, love you always

Your Mommy

Revive Your Spirit

January is a month known for making goals and starting anew. It is always nice to have a fresh start at the beginning of the New Year. For me the most important thing this year is reviving my spirit. When I am in a good place in my spiritual life, I can approach my goals with confidence since God is giving me the strength to do so.

Here are a few ideas and tips on refreshing and reviving your spirit. Start small and choose a few, or go for all of them! I hope these suggestions help you move towards the goals you have set for yourself spiritually.

1. Accountability
Accountability is the most important when it comes to goals. Having someone to help you along and help you stay on track with your goals is a good way to meet them. Whether it is a friend, a group of friends reaching for the same goal, or a mentor, reach out to whoever can help keep you accountable. Check in with them daily or weekly and talk about how you are doing doing in reaching your goals. Don't be afraid to talk about short comings. Whoever is keeping you accountable can help get back on track. And lastly, celebrate victories, big or small and remember them because it'll help you be encouraged!

2. Schedule Your Spiritual Time
Don't be afraid to schedule out time to read the Bible or pray. It is okay to write it or enter it into your phone calendar to remind you. The Lord sees that you are making an effort to get closer to Him and He loves it when we want to be close with Him. When it becomes a habit, you may not need to write it down anymore!

3. Devotionals
I love devotionals. There are devotionals that last a month and some that last up to a year. Some are long for deep study, and some are just long enough for a coffee break. I love they have devotionals that will fit any need. It is also fun to get together with friends and do a devotional together.

4. Prayer Calendar
Sometimes prayer can get monotonous or there are times where you are just lost for words. A prayer calender is such a great way to make your prayer life purposeful and strong. It is great to pray for what you pray for on a daily basis, but also praying for other matters in the lives of people around you, in the nation, and world is also important. We have one available, just CLICK HERE. For each day of the month, I like to fill it with a specific prayer. I like to general and very specific. For a general prayer I might say, all those ill with the flu. When being specific, I might go as far as choose a specific person by writing, Jane Doe's last trimester of pregnancy. I look forward to looking at my prayer calendar everyday and lifting others up in prayer!

5. Get Involved
Whether a group of friends getting together at home, a Bible Study at your church, or as simple as getting involved at a church, plug yourself in. It helps to get out and have to physically go somewhere as well as have a group to stay accountable too.

6. Giving Back
When it comes to giving, always give what you can and give what you feel to led to give. Feeling obligated or guilty for not giving leads to not giving with a joyful heart. Giving with a joyful heart is what livens up and enriches your spirit. Give to places that are near and dear to you or places the Lord wants you to give. We recently did a post on giving and have some ideas of where to give, find it HERE.

7. Stay In Check With Your Spirit
When getting involved, giving, reading your Bible, and praying make sure to stay in check with your spirit. What I mean by this is make sure you're just not going through the motions or that you are still doing things with the intent that you want it to. If you find yourself losing interest in something or feel like it is getting monotonous, it may be time to change something. Maybe you need to change where you have your quiet time or sit down with who you are staying accountable with talk things through. The point is that whatever you is refreshing and reviving  to your spirit, or it is not worth doing. It is okay if one way isn't working, just reevaluate and try again.

What kind of ways will you be reviving your spirit this year?
I am looking forward to reading through Scripture with some girlfriends and praying with my family daily!

Blessings,

Joyful Week: Prayer Calendar

One of our goals is to be stronger prayer warriors. Having a prayer calendar has really helped us achieve this. We keep a copy visible on the fridge or counter and fill in what we'd like to pray for each day. Some days it's personal and close to home and other days we fill led to pray for matters that don't affect us directly.

Christmas is a great reminder of all that we have to be grateful for. Feel free to use the free calendar printable to help your family become prayer warriors! We encourage you to fill in a praise each day as well.

Below are also some suggestions for prayer. When you're at a loss for something or someone to pray for, these people and situations can always use God's Hand.

- Spouse
- Pastor
- Your children
- President
- Someone you know who doesn't know Christ
- Courage to speak to an unbeliever about God
- Strength to be a light in the darkness
- Families going through a miscarriage/loss of a child
- Families of deployed service members
- Deployed service members
- Local first responders
- Homeless
- Incarcerated men & women
- Orphans and foster children
- To have a positive attitude at work
- Families struggling with infertility
- Divorced families
- Those searching for a job
- To have a cheerful spirit
- To have an ongoing conversation with God

We'd love to add to this list so please let us know what you'd like us to be praying about!

We hope you've enjoyed Joyful Week. Christmas is one of our favorite times of year and we're so glad we get to share it with you! Merry Christmas!

God Bless,

 &

Friday Favorites: Prayer Journal

My Prayer Journal

It has always been a goal of mine to have a strong prayer life. I love how coming to God in reverence and praise brings me close to Him. However, I have always struggled with being able to maintain a strong prayer life. I would go through a good few weeks of prayer and then miss one day and then fall behind for a few weeks. I repeated this month after month and I didn't feel very confident in my ability to reach my prayer goals and be a prayer warrior.

I put becoming a prayer warrior on the back burner because I was so discouraged. Then one day my husband and I were going through a bin of his old high school belongings. In it I found a prayer journal. It has sections for prayer requests, praises, and scripture. I saw it and thought, "That is what I need!" Now I am one of those people who love to collect cute little journals, notebooks, and planners so I found myself an excuse to add to my collection. I primarily searched Amazon and Etsy and ended up finding the perfect one from Val Marie Paper and it is now my favorite companion in prayer. Here is why:

• It simplifies my prayer life. Sometimes I just tend to babble and rant. This prayer journal has different untitled and titled sections (a few examples are the world, the nation, my loves, my family). Along with having specific sections to pray about, it is separated in to months. At the end of each month there is room to write scripture and answered prayers.

  

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• It keeps me focused. I love having a place where my prayers are already written out. I am ready to be transparent and open to the Lord without having to think so much about what exactly needs prayer for.
• I am motivated. Whenever someone asks for prayers or I think of something I would like to pray for, I reach for my journal. It is nice to have a place where everything I want to confide and surrender to the Lord is in one place.

Who would have thought that something so simple would help me in my prayer life? 

What kind of tools do you use to help you walk with the Lord?

Do you have goals for your spiritual life? Do you struggle at times in reaching those goals?

Please post a comment below if you feel led to so we can encourage each other!

Blessings,