Fear of Man

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe." 

Proverbs 29:25

When I was little, I had a huge fear of Darth Vader. I used to sleep with the covers pulled over my head and would lay very still. I wouldn't dare look out from the covers because I knew if I did, Darth Vader would be there breathing very, very heavily.

I'm proud to say that I have since conquered my fear of Darth Vader but have only replaced him with other fears. When we first moved into our house, I had a hard time leaving Addy alone in her room. Our room was so far away and I was sure, someone would sneak in and take her without us knowing.

I had a Fear of Man.

I've had Proverbs 29:25 written on a homemade dry erase board next to my sink for the past couple of weeks and it has been such an encouragement to me. I've memorized it and at times, said it to myself over and over again. I don't find myself looking over my shoulder when I go in to check on Addy late at night and I've been able to apply it to other areas of my life too.

Often times, I care way to much about what other people think, about me, my house, my clothes. I'd even go as far as to say, it's been an idol in my life. I'll make us late for church, because I must look perfect and I'll start arguments with my husband over how our house looks right before we have company.

When you think about it, it all comes down to a
Fear of Man.

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare."

Snare: trap, pitfall, noose

It's a trap. Worrying to much about what people think, just leads to a trap.

"But whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe."

So, who cares what people think of me. My hope is not in the people of this earth, but it is in the one above.





All images from Pinterest

This Season

I am absolutely loving this season. 

It's not the time of year that I'm talking about, although Fall is my favorite, but that's another post for another day (Thursday! wink wink).

I am loving this season of life.

I don't know if it's because we just spent a wonderful weekend together as a family or if it really is this time of year, but lately, I feel like I am high on life.

I was visiting with a lady from our Community Group on Saturday and when I asked how she was doing, she said: "Really well, this is a really good season for me." Praise God! She had a lot of health problems not too long ago and it was so great to hear her say those words after coming though a really rough season. It stuck with me for some reason.

I know that, just like fall will turn into winter, this season will change. Addy will get older, our family of three might grow (someday) and we'll go through busy seasons and trying seasons, seasons of growth and seasons of sadness. But I am sure, because God is good, that we will go through many more seasons just like this one.

Seasons change. Fall turns to winter, winter to spring, spring to summer and then we're back where we started. I think it's the same with life. My dad always says: "This too shall pass." And it's so true.

I want to really enjoy this time and remember that it won't last, but I want to have that same attitude when things aren't that great. I want to remember that it's only a season, it too shall pass and only God knows what blessings are waiting around the corner.

Linking up with Jami

Praying for the Pelton's

 A sweet family we knew in school has been up in the 505 for the past couple of weeks anticipating the arrival of their sweet baby boy, whom they knew would be born with disabilities. They knew that with his birth, their life would drastically change but they chose to embrace this change and prepare to welcome their sweet baby into the world.

When Jude Matthew was born on Monday morning, they learned that he would face even more challenges than they had anticipated. They received bad news on top of bad news. He would need open heart surgery, but before that, surgery on his little brain because he had undergone a stroke. They had to move hospitals, functioning on very little sleep and all the while, Mandy, Jude's sweet Mom, was recovering from an emergency C-section.

Several times they have been given the option to take him off life support and make him "as comfortable as possible" or continue to fight for his life. They have continually chosen to give him a chance at life.

I've been following Mandy's blog this week, which she has been diligent about updating amongst all the chaos, and I have been blown away by her faith in this tough, tough situation. Her and her family are hurting but each post is filled with so much praise.

We spent some time in the NICU when our baby girl was born and although our situation was totally different, we understand how hard it can be. We were so thankful for the many encouraging emails, texts and facebook posts we received. Knowing that people were praying for our baby to get better was such an encouragement and I know the Pelton's have felt the same way. In her most recent post this morning, Mandy said that she was going to read all the comments filled with prayer and scripture to Baby Jude. Isn't that sweet?

So, if you have a minute, visit Mandy's blog. It will inspire you. And pray for baby Jude, Mandy, her husband Brandon and their (almost) 5 year old son, Caleb. Send some encouraging words their way, I know they appreciate it.

My Inspiration

I'm joining the Inspiration Workshop again over at Gussy Sews. This week's prompt is "Your Inspiration." Confession: While writing this post, I've had Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" stuck in my head. How do I even know the words to this song?

Addy and I have been a bit sleep deprived this week and in need of a little more inspiration. Sometimes the days seem so long but I've been finding hope in this verse:

Source: xpiritmental.com via Katie on Pinterest

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
Lamentations 3:21-24

There was a song to this verse that we used to sing in the church I grew up in. I've been singing it to myself lately (It's a nice break from Chicago).

 I've also been inspired by sweet, encouraging words from friends after writing this post.

And then there's these two, the loves of my life. They never fail to inspire me. They make me want to try harder, be better.

You're the meaning in my life, you're the inspiration......

Sorry, I couldn't resist :)

Nursing, Nursing and Praying for Wisdom

I woke up Friday morning after 6 straight hours of sleep feeling on top of the world. Matt and I had finally figured out the secrete to getting our baby to sleep through the night. Oh ya! We rock as parents.

Feeling well rested, Addy and I set out for her four month check up. She took those shots like a champ but I left the doctors office feeling much less energetic than when I went in. I learned that Addy only gained about two pounds in the past two months. Hmm, suddenly I don't feel like that great a parent anymore.

The doctor was concerned about her weight gain as was I. She thought it might have to do with my milk supply or possible reflux since she spits up so much. She gave her a prescription for the reflux and suggested I feed her every 2 hours as well as supplement with formula for the next week and then go back in for a weight check.

I left feeling discouraged and frustrated. It's hard not to take that kind of news or advice personally. After all, this is my sole job now, to keep my baby fed and healthy. 

Why didn't I pay more attention to her weight gain? I know she's small for her age, no one fails to point that out to me. But in the same breath, they say what a happy baby she is.

Was I wrong to put her on the schedule she was on? Should I have asked for medicine for the spit up sooner? Should I have forced her to nurse longer when she seemed satisfied and content to just talk to me?

I was quick to defend myself. 

The doctor doesn't know what she's talking about. I did exactly what the book said. I'm her Mom, I know best. 

My wise husband kindly reminded me that I had been praying for wisdom and guidance in raising Addy and this might be the Lord's way of giving it to me. Yes, this is true. We go to doctors for a reason, we trust that they are there to help us.

So to make a long post a bit shorter, we've been on the two hour feeding schedule for 3 days now. Poor Addy, she doesn't know if she's coming or going and I really don't either. We're both exhausted. She's refusing to take a bottle, which is one more thing to stress about, but, I think she is starting to gain some more weight.

I'm going to have to get clever over the next week and pray that she starts to take the bottle again. I've read about a few tricks and hoping that something will work. And when this week is over, I am going to continue to pray that God grants me wisdom and shows me areas where I can be a better parent, even if it is hard at times.