“Wait”

A blogger friend shared this with me a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it.  I wanted to share it with you guys and I hope that it will bless each of you as it did me.

 

“Wait”

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

~Author Unknown

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Bible verses of the day

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth…” Psalm 40:1-3a

We Are ALL Spiritual 1 Year Olds…

My friend Courtney gave me this awesome illustration the other day.  But before I tell you what it is I want to give you an update on her little baby (she is the one that the Dr. found a neural tube defect on her little one)…the last ultrasound showed HUGE improvements!  It now appears that her (it’s a girl!  Harper Kate!) little brain has a cyst on the cerebellum.  This is causing swelling and her ventricles are bigger than they want to see.  So she still needs lots and lots of prayers but it is no longer a death sentence!  God is beginning to work a miracle in little Harper Kate’s life!  Thank you for the prayers! 

Now on to the illustration…A man from church shared this story with her from his personal experience…

 

This father had to bring his 1 1/2 year old son to the hospital because he was very sick.  The nurse was having a hard time getting an IV in the little boy’s hand and had to keep calling nurse after nurse to keep trying.  The little boy was obviously in pain and he kept looking up at his daddy with the face that says “Daddy, why are you letting this happen to me??  It hurts!  Make them stop!” The father was so upset watching his son go through this pain but he KNEW that the ultimate goal was in his son’s best interest.  Because the little boy was only 1 1/2 the father could not explain to him in terms that the little boy could understand WHY this pain was for his own good.  The father had the power to stop the pain but that would not have brought about the best end results. 

We are just like that 1 1/2 year old!!  We are experiencing pain in this life and as our Heavenly Daddy holds us we are asking Him, “Why God, Why this pain??  You can stop it at any point if you want to!!”  But because we simply cannot understand the mind of God, He can’t explain to us why this pain is for our good and ultimately His glory.  He cannot explain to us why He allowed certain things to happen in our lives.  We simply would not be able to comprehend the big picture as He sees it.  He hurts along with us but KNOWS that there is a bigger plan than what we can see. 

 

Isn’t that neat?  I really like looking at it that way…and as frustrating as it is, aren’t we glad that we can’t completely understand the ways of our Lord?  If we could, then how would He be any greater than us?

Isaiah 55:9 “For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Ecclesiastes 11:5 “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of the Lord, the Maker of all things.”

Daily Bible Verse and Thought

This was my Daily Bible verse of the day, courtesy of Heartlight.

VERSE:                                                                       “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. -- Hebrews 10:35-36

THOUGHT: 
There are some tough times that go with living. They're
inescapable. That's when our confidence in the Lord's salvation and our relationship with him get tested! It is one thing to sing "it is well with my soul" at the end of a peel-the-paint and raise-the-roof worship service, but it is quite another to be able to sing it when they auction your house off at the courthouse steps, you are told you have a long-term debilitating illness, or you lose a child to death. Faith can't take a holiday when we travel through the suburbs of hell or we'll never find our way out. So don't throw it away. Persevere! Keep putting one foot in front of the other trusting that God will give you the strength for the next step. No matter how hard it is at the moment, don’t give up to despair. Be like Job or Jeremiah who both argued and complained to God, but never let go of God. Don't quit. Christ is coming for you with grace and in glory. His return is just around the bend and could break into our world at any time.

PRAYER: 
Holy and Almighty God, I am profoundly aware that some of those I love are close to throwing away their confidence in your love, mercy, grace, peace, and deliverance. Please use me to encourage them. Even more, dear Father, I ask that you use your Holy Spirit to renew their hearts. I pray that you intervene directly to change the course of events and give them relief and make your gracious presence known to them. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Night of Joy 2010

We were in Orlando the weekend before last for Night of Joy and I am so very very glad that we went.  We had bought our tickets to the event several months ago and in light of the recent events we debated not going but decided it would be good to get out of the house.  And it really was exactly what we needed.  It was so nice to have a change of scenery, a reason to get dressed and put on make-up each day, etc.

Night of Joy is a huge Christian music concert that takes place at Magic Kingdom every year.  This years headliners…David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Sidewalk Prophets, Tenth Avenue North, Thousand Foot Krutch, Third Day, MercyMe…there were a ton more acts, but those were the bigger name bands.  The concerts were from 7pm-1am on Friday and Saturday, and they even kept the entire park open the whole night!  So you could listen to some music, ride a ride, listen to more music, etc.  They also had a local Christian radio station playing over the speakers throughout the whole park.  It was awesome!

(Except for the two newborns…I mean they seriously could have come straight from the hospital…that camped out right next to us during one of the concerts. That wasn’t my favorite moment of the weekend.  Nor was the fact that every other billboard (almost literally) along a probably 200 mile stretch in Florida said “Are you pregnant” or “Pregnant?  Your baby’s heart is already beating” etc. etc.  I don’t know if there is a high rate of abortion in Florida or what but it really was crazy.  I had noticed it before on previous Orlando or Miami trips but this time it was another constant reminder that I was NOT pregnant.) 

Anyway, back to my story…I went into it thinking it would mostly be a cool concert, but it was such a worshipful experience!  It was really a cool experience to be in a place like that with thousands of other believers worshipping our Lord!  Here are some pictures of our well needed weekend away…

Ahhh…it doesn’t matter how many times I come here I always light up when I walk into the Magic Kingdom.  I am a child at heart.  :)

Riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad…notice the hair already up in a ponytail within 30 minutes of getting to the park.  It is still in the high 90’s with crazy humidity down here in the silly south.

Waiting for the concerts to start!

  Stuck in jail with this scary creature!  The Buzz Lightyear ride is one of our favorites…I think we rode it 3 or 4 times.  :)

The picture everyone gets at Magic Kingdom, in front of Mickey!  Decked out in our Bama gear for day #2!

One of the stages was right in front on the castle.  It changed colors throughout the night.  Beautiful in my opinion.  :)  The only thing that makes the Magic Kingdom better is going at Christmas time when there are white lights all over the castle and throughout the park!

My hubby watching the play by play of the Bama game on his phone while we wait in line for a 3-D movie.  :)

In motion picture on Space Mountain…The first time we rode this ride I caught myself laughing and smiling really big on the ride and it felt almost wrong to be smiling and laughing and having fun, but it felt so good at the same time if that makes any sense. 

By the way, they have recently renovated Space Mountain and they now have games you can play while waiting in line!  It was very cool.

Day #3 - This was my breakfast at SeaWorld…a yummy chocolate covered ice cream Shamu.  :)  Sugar Busters where are you??

At the dolphin and whale show at Sea World.  Our camera survived this one but almost bit the dust at the Shamu show.  It got soaked…and will never be quite the same again, but at least it recovered enough to still function!

 

We will definitely be going to Night of Joy again!  Anyone want to come with us next year?!?!

1 Month Ago…

Our baby’s Heaven Birthday was one month ago today.  4 weeks and 1 day ago I felt the baby move.  And the very next day our world came crashing down on us.  It is so surreal to think about what we have been through the past month and the fact that we have been without our sweet baby for the same amount of time.  In some ways it seems like the time has flown by and in other ways it seems like it has been the longest month of my life.  Today, although I am still so sad, I choose to be joyful that my baby has been with Jesus for an entire month.  I choose to place my hope in the Lord and the promise that I will be there one day too.  I choose to trust that our Heavenly Father is holding me and guiding my steps as I go through my day today and every day.  I choose to believe that there will be better days ahead.  I choose to have faith that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28.

“Glory Baby” by Watermark

I know I have been posting a lot of songs in the past few weeks, but God has really been speaking to me and comforting me through music lately.  I seem to always have some song running through my head these days.  It makes me feel closer to Him and not alone in my feelings.  There are so many people hurting out there, regardless of the situation, and these songs are reminders that we are not alone in our hurt. 

My friend Lindsay passed this song on to me and it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it…definitely my favorite right now.  Get your tissues ready.  The song makes me cry a lot from sadness but mostly because I know that I will get to meet my baby one day.  My favorite quote from the song is, “But baby let sweet Jesus hold you ‘till mom and dad can hold you…”  Thank you Jesus for holding my baby until I can get there!!!

 

“Glory Baby” by Watermark

Glory baby you slipped away as fast as we could say baby…baby..
You were growing, what happened dear?
You disappeared on us baby…baby...
Heaven will hold you before we do
Heaven will keep you safe until we’re home with you…
Until we’re home with you…

Miss you everyday
Miss you in every way
But we know there’s a
day when we will hold you
We will hold you
You’ll kiss our tears away
When we’re home to stay
Can’t wait for the day when we will see you
We will see you
But baby let sweet Jesus hold you
‘till mom and dad can hold you…
You’ll just have heaven before we do
You’ll just have heaven before we do

Sweet little babies, it’s hard to
understand it ‘cause we’re hurting
We are hurting
But there is healing
And we know we’re stronger people through the growing
And in knowing-
That all things work together for our good
And God works His purposes just like He said He would…
Just like He said He would…

BRIDGE:
I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies
and what they must sound like
But I will rest in knowing, heaven is your home
And it’s all you’ll ever know…all you’ll ever know…

 

You can listen to the song here.  (It is a version performed by someone else, not Watermark, but I couldn’t find the entire Watermark version on the internet.  You can download it on iTunes though!)

“Let the Waters Rise” by Mikeschair

This song is one that I have heard a million times but has taken on new meaning the past few weeks.  The lyrics were brought to my attention (because remember half of the time I just sing along with songs without really hearing what the song is saying.  So it REALLY is God getting me to listen to the lyircs when I post songs on here!!) by a new friend and blog reader…

 

“Let the Waters Rise” by Mikeschair

Don't know where to begin
It's like my world's caving in
And I tried but I can't control my fear
Where do I go from here

Sometimes it's so hard to pray
You feel so far away
I am willing to go where You want me to
God I trust You

[Chorus]
There's a raging sea
Right in front of me
Wants to pull me in
Bring me to my knees
So let the waters rise
If you want them to
I will follow You
I will follow You
I will follow You

I will swim in the deep
Cuz You'll be next to me
You're in the eye of the storm and the calm of the sea
You're never out of reach

God You know where I've been
You were there with me then
You were faithful before
You'll be faithful again
I'm holding Your hand

[Chorus]

God Your love is enough
You will pull me through
I'm holding on to You
God your love is enough
I will follow You
I will follow You

Listen to it here…

“No Matter What” by Kerrie Roberts

Wow, this song is popping up everywhere!  I heard it on Monday as I was responding to a fellow blogger’s post on trust.  Her post was about how “interruptions are opportunities to trust God.”  I was about to reply and the song on the radio caught my ear and it was exactly what her post was about.  Trust.  Then I saw it on another blog that I follow, then I saw it on Facebook, then I got it emailed to me by an IF friend – all since Monday!  Sooo I had planned on posting it soon, but I guess I need to do it right now!  :)

I LOVE the lyrics and have listened to it NON stop since hearing it Monday.  It is my heart’s cry…every word of it.  Please read through the lyrics and let them wash over you.

 

“No Matter What” by Kerrie Roberts

I'm running back to your promises one more time
Lord that's all I can hold on to
I gotta say this has taken me by surprise
But nothing surprises You

Before a heartache can ever touch my life
It has to go through Your hands
And even though I keep asking why
I keep asking why

No matter what, I'm gonna love You
No matter what I'm gonna need You
I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what

When I'm stuck and there's nothing else by myself
I'm just sitting in silence
There's no way I can make it without Your help
I won’t even try it

I know You have Your reasons for everything
So I will keep believing
Whatever I might be feeling, God, You are my hope
And You will be my strength

No matter what, I'm gonna love You
No matter what I'm gonna need You
I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what

Anything I don't have You can give it to me
But it's okay if You don't, I'm not here for those things
The touch of Your love is enough on its own
No matter what I still love You and I'm gonna need You

No matter what I'm gonna love you
No matter what I'm gonna need you
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I'll trust You

I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I'll trust you
No matter what, no matter what
No matter, no matter what

You can listen to the song here.

Baby Williams – Belly Pics

And here are the belly pics…

     Week 6

Week 12

Week 14

I had to change tank tops at the 14 week mark as you can see because the white one was no longer fitting.  I gained about 10 pounds during this pregnancy, partially because since I was so nauseous all of the time I ate whatever sounded good and of course none of it was sugar buster friendly.  My favorites…French fries, bagels with honey walnut cream cheese from Atlanta Bread, and pizza.  So the weight was gained…but my Dr. was proud of me!  :)

Now however, it makes things a bit difficult because I have 10 pounds of “baby weight” to lose with no baby to show for it.  I am still having to wear some maternity pants (the pregnancy look of my belly is gone but there is still extra weight there) and my body has in general just changed shapes on me.  I have gone up AT LEAST a full bra size too.  All of my clothes are fitting strangely and it is quite difficult to get dressed.  I am blessed that I work out of my home so I am able to wear t-shirts and comfy pants a lot of days, but it really is frustrating putting on normal clothes.  I need to get back to eating sugar bustersly and I know some of the weight will come back off, but I love food and it makes me feel better when I eat it.  Soooo I am having a hard time motivating myself to get back to eating healthily as I continue grieving and comfort eating.  Grrr.  It’s so not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but the extra weight is just a constant reminder of why the weight is there in the first place and that there is no longer a baby in there.

I will find the motivation to lose this weight, I will find the motivation to lose this weight…