to the girl with BABY on her Christmas list... again
Showing posts with label encouragment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragment. Show all posts
to the girl with BABY on her Christmas list... again
for His glory and my good
Wonderfully Filled Wombs | Courtney
I can't begin to tell you the joy that floods my heart in sharing Courtney's story with you! When I met this beautiful, joyous woman of God, she was a mom of two precious littles with her third on the way. Courtney has been one of the most consistent sources of encouragement to me during this season. She is so kind to send me messages of scripture or prayer that brighten my days of tears and longing. I pray that you will be blessed by her story and that some of you will find hope and encouragement you've been needing.
Every high and every low you're gonna go through,
You don't have to be afraid, I am with you.
In the moments you're so weak you feel like stopping,
Let the hope you have light the road you're walking.
You're gonna make it.
The night can only last for so long.
Whatever you're facing, if your heart is breaking,
There's a promise for the ones who just hold on.
Lift up your eyes and see the sun is rising.
How you're gonna ever gonna find your way out,
Even when you're drowning in your doubt,
Just look beyond the clouds.
The Sun is Rising
-Britt Nicole-
----------------------------------------------------------------
In the days that followed, we experienced the darkest time of our lives. We were blessed to have our closest and dearest friends constantly supporting us and pointing us to God in the moments of weakness when we would cry out in pain. We came home to carefully selected Bible verses placed throughout our home. Meals were prepared and dropped off to ease the burden of worrying about physically feeding our bodies. And then there were the countless hours that our dearest friends just came and sat. Sometimes there would be conversations and other times it was just comforting silence. Despite the physical strain on my body, I was back in church the day after being released from the hospital. I needed to be there. I needed to feel close to God. I can remember spending much time reading my Bible and searching for answers. I completed two different devotionals that I truly believed help save me from slipping down a darker path.
After my initial second trimester loss, the doctors were not able to do much testing and everyone just chalked it up to a fluke. I had had two successful pregnancies before and no one expected it to happen again.
About eight weeks after losing Emmanuel, we were grateful for the blessing of expecting another child. While we were still dealing with the loss of Emmanuel, I had let go and felt that we trusted God. By week 12 of pregnancy, I was struggling with some fear. I was choosing to trust and praying to God for comfort. Due to the loss we had just experienced, my midwife added an extra appointment so that I was not going four weeks without being checked. I went for my appointment at 13 weeks and heard the joyous sound of a strong heartbeat. I returned at 15 weeks pregnant and again we had lost our baby.
When we came home, I felt like I was back to the same spot as before. After losing Emmanuel, I can remember the pain and loss. A pain that was so deep my body physically ached. I literally felt empty inside. My baby was gone. Now, here I was just shy of five months later and that same exact pain was back. We had lost another baby. I was the mommy. It was my job to keep my babies safe. I often felt that I had failed at my job, the one job that I had dreamed of all my life. There were days that it was all I could do to function and there were moments that would trigger the memories of seeing our boys.
One of the worse aspects of our valley was the agony of having to tell our daughter. She was three years old when we lost the boys. She had remembered Hudson's birth and what it meant when Mommy's tummy got bigger. She knew we were supposed to have a new baby coming to our family. We had never talked about death before in our house. We would not even tell Reese and Hudson when we killed a fly. We had tried so hard to protect them from many of the harsh, hurtful parts of life. I can remember one night, shortly after we had lost Emmanuel. Reese and I were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table facing the sliding glass door at dinner time. It was a beautiful evening as the sun was just starting to set. As we sat there quietly, Reese said "Hi Emmanuel!" as she stared out the window. I looked over at her and she intently peered out the window. As my heart was pounding, I asked her what she said. She told me in her matter of factly little voice "I see Emmanuel. See him, Mommy." She pointed to the clouds and with the purest innocence of her child heart, she saw her baby brother. This moment will forever be one of the most incredible reminders to me of God's grace. He knew I needed that reassurance and comfort. It was His way of showing me that she would be ok even after this sadness.
After losing Jeremiah, we continued to pray and seek God. Long before this valley, one of my favorite verses was Jeremiah 29:11-13. It was at this point that we were constantly seeking His face more than ever before. In August of 2013, five months after our losing Jeremiah, we were pregnant again. We would enjoy this news for three days before I would begin a miscarriage that would start during the church service. Why? I kept asking why? I was surrendering everything I had, giving everything to Him. I thought I had reached the end. I thought this would be our chance. I was beyond grateful for the two beautiful children we had and several people would remind me that I should be thankful and just stop. But this was my dream. This was what I had waited for my entire life. I was not ready to give up. God had his plan. His plan is always better than mine. We kept praying and reminding ourselves that He gives us HOPE.
You see, a few days before my very first loss, I had shared in our LifeGroup that it was my prayer for God to bring me to my knees. Not that I felt I needed to be punished but that I had felt I was depending too much on myself and not on Him. Like I said before, I am a complete Type A planner. I feel safe when I have control of the situation but that is not what God wants from me.
We would go on to get pregnant again the following month, September 2013. We were already scheduled to meet with a fertility specialist two days after we had found out. I can remember listening to the doctor talk about our baby, our child. I was given two different plans. One plan if the baby lived and one plan if our baby was lost again. Thankfully, after some more testing and discussion, the doctor suspected some blood clotting issues; however, this was not a definite diagnosis and there was no concrete proof. The decision was made to try using blood thinner medications during my pregnancy in the hopes that it would allow for a successful pregnancy. At five weeks pregnant, I began to give myself injections daily in my stomach of Lovenox. I also took a daily dosage of Baby Aspirin along with extra vitamins on top of my normal prenatal. I'll never forget the first time I had to give myself an injection. I had never administered a needle to anyone before, let alone myself. It was a very emotional moment for me that night. In those moments, I stopped to reflect on the journey that had led us to this point. Those injections could save my baby's life, yet at the same time, there was no guarantee. Only God had control of the situation.
After 39 weeks of pregnancy, numerous injections, countless doctor's appointments and ultrasounds, and more importantly, hours and hours of prayers, Cannon Bentley was born. He was perfect....absolutely perfect. The moment we looked into Cannon's eyes for the first time was such a powerful reminder of God's incredible love for us.
I pray to never forget the journey that we have endured over the past two and a half years. And I would tell you in a heartbeat, that I do not regret a single moment of it. Most definitely, I would love to have all of my babies with me here on Earth. That is my flesh talking. I know they live in the most incredible place that is far beyond anything I could ever imagine or that they could experience here. I have experienced incredible growth in my faith because of our valleys and our mountain tops. I have learned to trust God in a way that I never would have if we had not had these experiences. My relationship with my Savior has become that much stronger. I have gained a compassion for women struggling with fertility that I would not understand if it was not for the losses we experienced. I've often said it is like a club that no one wants to be a part of....but at the same time, I am here to say, I would not trade a moment of this time. I've experienced some of the most intimate moments with God during this time. For those of you who are in the middle of your storm right now or in the lowest part of your valley, please know...God hears your cries, He knows your heart and your desires. God's plan is never to harm us, but to give us HOPE. Seek Him in every moment...for every breath you take. I promise you that He is here to carry you through. The winter will end and your spring will come. We may not have the ending we always dreamed of or envisioned, yet it is the perfect ending for us because it is a part of His plan.
I want to leave you with one of the verses that I have clung to since the beginning of our journey.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who had called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
He is good...ALL the time.
Introducing Wonderfully Filled Wombs
when jealousy abounds
I've never thought of myself as much of a jealous person.
I, of course, have had my moments...
Being somewhat jealous of the skinny girls or ones with unbroken homes. Sometimes slightly jealous during my single years of my many friends who seemed to have the perfect love story. There've been times I was jealous of someone's ability to sing or draw or dance. Sadly there's been times I've even been jealous of one's callings and careers in life.
But I'd never really felt jealousy overtake me in such a way until this season of life.
The season where I'd give the world to have a baby.
To excitedly say the words "I'm pregnant."
To decorate a nursery outside of my Pinterest board, snuggle a baby I can actually take home, and be that mom that takes 100 photos a day because I don't want to miss a moment.
Different than in any other season, this jealousy is more than a slight yuckiness.
This jealousy is debilitating.
It puts a pit in my somach and a knot in my throat.
It steals my breath and stalls my heart.
It completely paralyzes me in moments and then others it makes me shake with grief.
It's what keeps me awake on nights like tonight but often haunts my dreams when sleep finds me.
It's awful. I hate it.
It steals my joy as I scroll through Facebook and makes me envious of my favorite stars on tv.
(Doesn't help that I love 19 kids and counting.)
Why can't I see a bump update or a pregnancy announcement without crying it out for hours?
I LOVE babies! And I love when my friends & family have babies!
But yet I feel this eating frustration inside me. The one that says "when will it be my turn?"
What drives me most nutty about the crazy beast Jealousy is....I know better.
I know that Gods plan is perfect.
I know He's writing a story that I can't comprehend.
I know that He doesn't work in turns and He hasn't forgotten me.
I know that He is good, so so good.
I know that He's using this for His glory.
Because of all that, I wouldn't change it if I could.
But oh what I'd give to change the jealousy.
I disgust this side of me. It makes me feel shameful and sad. It's not part of the me I want to be.
So I pray. And I read. And I write.
My typical pattern when I'm at a loss.
I remind myself of passages like Psalm 73.26 "though my heart and flesh may fail, The Lord is my strength and my portion for life."
I confess that my heart and flesh are majorly failing.
I plead for Him to intervene.
And slowly but surely my heart regains a normal rhythm and my breath returns without the sobs.
The knot in my throat disperses and the pit in my stomach slowly fades.
I begin to feel like myself again.
For the moment at least.
Day by day. Step by step.
One day I'll hold while others long and spend nights rocking while others grieve.
I can only pray that in those moments I will look back on these days and long and grieve for them.
In the meantime I praise my great God for His gentle reminder...
When jealousy abounds, so does grace.
Grace for my sin.
Grace that I need.
Grace for me to have.
Grace for me to give.
When jealousy abounds, {praise God} so does grace.
At what time in your life did you wrestle with Jealousy most?
Daring to Dream: My 10 {somewhat} Secret Dreams
I'm so glad you've stopped by for the 2nd post in my series on Daring to Dream!
I've ALWAYS been a dreamer. I could spend hours on end dreaming up plans for the future and possibilities that could unfold.
I shared in my post yesterday why I've been suppressing dreams these last couple years & how God has flipped my view.
So today I'm going to do something that scares me a little {or maybe a lot}.
I'm going to share my 10 secret dreams.
My friend Lauren shared her 10 Secret Dreams a few months ago & challenged her readers to share too.I've been hoping to do this since then but am just now working up the nerve.
These are those ones I don't talk about much and if I do it's usually in a joking manner (that way no one ACTUALLY believes that I want to pursue them). These are not including my day to day dreams of knowing my Bible inside & out, discipling girls on a weekly basis, loving my husband way more than myself, writing blogs that give a voice to infertility, or even to be known as a girl who shines bright beams of Jesus wherever I go.
While those are all things I'm striving for, these are the big dreams that I've been putting off pursuing for WAY TOO LONG.
So here I go... {Deep Breath}
My 10 {Somewhat} Secret Dreams:
1. Have a blog with 20,000+ hits/mo.
So considering you are all reading my -blog- right now, I feel this is a fitting one to go first. In the last year God has given me a HUGE desire to write & be read. I love the community and impact that comes with blogging. I pray that as God gives me words to write and leads people to read them, He will use my blog as a means of ministry to many people.
2. Write a book.
While we're on the topic of writing.... I've wanted to start jotting the words of a book for several years now. It's a prodding I've always pushed aside with the million excuses I have stored up. I don't feel like a good enough writer and to be honest I don't even know where to start. However this prompting that the Lord keeps giving doesn't come without His gentle reminder that I can't do this but He can.
3. Share my songs with the world.
Not really the world... but you get the picture. Many of you probably just learned something about me you didn't know.... I'm a songwriter. I don't talk about it much or share my songs a ton either. I have lots stored up that have never made it on my computer let alone into the ears of another. While I have no aspirations of being a singer, I do feel like the Lord gave me these songs to be heard by more than the 4 walls of my home office.
4. Drive a Mary Kay car.
So in case you didn't know... I'm all about my Mary Kay. I started selling in June and I love the parties and the skin care and the one-on-one facials. What I love about MK is the potential to keep on going even when I get my dream of becoming a mama & staying home with my babies. I have a long way to go before getting my car but I'm hoping to be much closer to it this time next year than I am right now.
5. Be a wife that brings joy & honor to her husband.
I'm not just talking about representing him well here. I'm talking about Proverbs 31 style bringing honor. As in others meet me, know me, work with me and it causes them to respect my husband. I want to be a woman who for years on end brings him joy by loving on him, respecting him, greeting him at the door, packing his lunch, and proofreading his sermons.
6. Be a momma to 10+ kids.
There.... I said it. This is one of those that I joke openly about. "I would love to have somewhere around 10," I say. Most think I'm kidding or crazy one.... and maybe I'm a little of the latter. I've always wanted a huge family and between conceiving & adopting I want to mother 10+ children for the glory of the Lord to send out as disciples.
7. Be part of revival in my hometown.
I love love love my hometown in Virginia. It's a great place full of many of loving, giving people. Sadly in the heart of this beautiful town are a lot of people who don't know Jesus as their Savior and many of those who do are unfulfilled in their walks & ministries. I want to be a part of a fire there that changes that. {More on this to come soon.}
8. Proclaim the Gospel to 5+ nations.
Joel & I both feel led to church planting and feel that eventually this will be overseas. Whether it's through short term stents or long missional journeys, I want to deliver the good news of Jesus to at least 5 other countries.
9. Initiate small group ministries for women struggling with infertility.
I've always been heartbroken and burdened for women who couldn't conceive so easily. That burden and brokenness have only increased over this last year given that it's not been easy for us either. It's an area I feel is way too scarce in ministry and I want to do something about it. The women in my church who have been through that it that have come along side me have helped more than they'll ever know & I want others to have that support.
10. Organize & lead a conference for young girls.
This dream right here is one that God is pushing me way out of my comfort zone on. I've always had a passion for teen girls & young adult women but this is something He is laying the foundation for that blows me away.
So there ya have it.... my heart out on the table.
I'd love to hear some of your secret dreams!
Would you be willing to leave even just one in the comments?
Stop buying a New You
New Year. New You?
Here lately I seem to be finding this phrase in marketing everywhere…
“New Year, New You.”
New you in weight loss.
New you in business promotions.
New you in marathon goals.
New you in family living.
New you in stylish wardrobes.
New you in pursuing education.
New you in meal planning.
New you in blog achievements.
New you in Bible studying.
New year. New you.
This phrase has always rubbed me wrong for some reason and this year I’ve seemed to hear it more & more.
It’s not that I think resolutions aren’t beneficial. I
t’s not that I don’t love the view of a new year with a clean slate to make it incredible.
Husband & I have a few plans together as far as reading through the Bible chronologically & consuming less junk in our diets. I also have several of my own personal goals for 2015 that I’ll be sharing in the next week or so.
So why is it that this marketing slogan makes me nutty?
Because the same world that is pushing for us to “just be yourself” & “be who makes you happy” is the same world now selling a “new you.” It seems a little contradictory to me.
I can’t just “be myself” and who “makes me happy” because I am not my own and life is not about me. God is constantly shaping me, sanctifying me… making me NEW.
But here’s the deal… outside of God’s renewing, weeding, building,
(brace yourself for the shocker, Marketing)
I don’t want a “NEW ME.”
Would I love for ME to be in a thinner shell this year? Absolutely!
Would I love for ME to accomplish more goals this year? Absolutely!
Would I love for ME to eat better, write more, plan smarter, dress cuter, study deeper this year? Absolutely!
But I don’t want a NEW ME. I want the same ME.
The essence of me… what makes me ME to be intact come 2016.
I still want to love Jesus ridiculously, act like a 5 year old with my best friend (who happens to be my husband), be crafty, enjoy writing, bubble over with joy, know when to have a good cry, and pour my life out as an offering before my Lord and before others.
I want God to continue the refining process in my heart and I want Him to accomplish more in and through me this year. But at the end of it all.. I still want it to be ME.
Not some New You, I can’t even recognize.
God made me with certain passions, longings, mannerisms, characteristics all for a reason.
All so He could use them for His glory.
And that’s what I want this year.
In the midst of a cultural choir singing NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, do me a favor.
Remember that He made you just the way He wanted you.
You can have a productive, successful, fulfilling NEW YEAR without being a NEW YOU.
You can be YOU with a healthier life, deeper intimacy with the Lord, better family outlook, & higher career or academic level.
Be a more intentional YOU. Be a more loving YOU. Be a more fulfilled YOU.
It’s a NEW YEAR… but don’t be a NEW YOU.
Diet Coke: Fuel For Life
There are so many great memories I have from college.... even though nursing school was crazy busy and slightly overwhelming with work, cheerleading, pre-med electives, and a social life. As with most seasons God always provides as least 1 person that can settle you from the craziness and bring life back to the central focus... Jesus. One of those awesome people for me in college was Lauren. We attempted to have weekly lunch dates in the campus Grill. It was our time to take down the fences and be completely real about stresses and friends and dreams. We spend many hours over burgers, wraps, and diet coke sharing about our testimonies and our classes and of course, our hopes for future husbands. Here we are now a few years later.... Me from VA, Lauren from Ohio, and us having met in TN... We are both married and living in the North East. For even a little more background.. It was Lauren who got me blogging in the first place. So on to our story...
One day while at lunch Diet Coke (which she & I both LOVE) got referred to as "fuel for life." It became our phrase. We would say it any time we saw each other with a cup, while getting it from the soda fountain, or when sipping on it in class. To this day, I very rarely get a Diet Coke that I don't think about Lauren & I saying "fuel for life."
While we joked that Diet Coke was our "fuel for life," if we're honest, we substitute a lot of things into our lives that take the place of Jesus - our true "fuel for life." Yes, I'm going there. He fuels our lives, which means he fuels our marriages, blogs, ministries, work ethic, attitude, desire to take action in serving others, and our online presence. He fuels all of us. As much as we often pretend - our spouses, praise from others, coffee, exercise, studying the Bible, food, etc. are not what fuels us. They simply can't. Jesus is the only one who fuels us because he bridged the gap we could never cover ourselves, he gives us new life through his death and in all of these things, he sustains us.
He bridged the gap we couldn't cover ourselves.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. - Romans 8:2-4
He gives us new life through his death.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. - 1 Peter 2: 24-25
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Cor 5:17
In all things, He sustains us.
You know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. - Deut. 8:3
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5
---
Did you experience that kind of community in college? What do you tend to replace Jesus as your "fuel for life" - coffee, friends, approval, your spouse, your parents, grades, success at work, etc?
Lauren and I teamed together to share this post with you! Be sure to go check out Lauren at her blog! She has all sorts of goodies over there from fashion to blogging to DIY and of course lots of Jesus!
What if God does not provide?
I pray that you'll take joy in Him due to who He is and what He's done and what He's going to do.
Can longing, contentment, and thankfulness all reside... together?
The sun was coming through the window behind me on that beautiful Thursday morning. It was one week before Valentine's Day of 2013. I was sitting in the living room of my friend Heather's townhouse where I'd been living since October. How could I remember it was a Thursday?, you might ask. Well... Thursdays were a treasure during those days. I had only been living in Delaware for about 5 months and my schedule was COMPLETELY packed. Sunday - church stuff, Monday - online classes, Tuesday & Wednesday - church office, Thursday - down time :), Friday - church office, Saturday - always something crazy going on. You get the picture... Thursdays were my sabbath. My day to have an extra long quiet time, catch up on my sleep, and do whatever I felt like doing. Some of those days I spent babysitting the sweet 8 month old twinpack... honestly that was more like therapy to my soul. Some of them I would bake... like all day.. also therapy to my soul. And some days I would go do some visiting.
Babysitting had been
cancelled for the day so my agenda included an EXTRA long quiet time, lunch,
and visit with the Troutmans. It was during my quiet time that my cherished Thursday shifted from relaxing to convicting. From the beginning of the year I'd been working through
Lady in Waiting for the 2nd time around... trying to keep good perspective on my
singleness. Also in my quiet time I was following a read-through-the-Bible plan. In
both pieces that morning, thankfulness & contentment seem to be the
pounding themes.... which left me asking the question...
God am I not being content?
God am I not being content?
Please
understand... I DEFINITELY wanted a husband... like right away... but I
also felt very content. My life was full with ministry and friendships.
I didn't sit around crying eating Ben & Jerry's day and night.
I wasn't crying pleading for a man every hour.
I felt very content.
I didn't sit around crying eating Ben & Jerry's day and night.
I wasn't crying pleading for a man every hour.
I felt very content.
So again I asked the question... God am I not being content in my singleness?
He spoke something in my spirit that made my heart tighten and my head drop.....
I'm not asking if you're content in your singleness... I'm asking if you're thankful for it.
Dunn. dunn. dunn.
Que the waterworks.
Truth is... I wasn't.
I was content to be where He had me but I was by no means thankful to not have a man in my life.
I was content to be where He had me but I was by no means thankful to not have a man in my life.
Be thankful in all circumstances, He reminded me.
That all sounded fine and good but how could I be thankful that I didn't have something I was asking God for?
Anyone else out there feel me on this?
I didn't know how it would happen but I made it my mission.... to become thankful for my singleness.
That
afternoon, I headed out the door to visit with my friend Emily and her
super sweet kids. At they time she had a set of 3 year old boy, girl twins who loved to play with their tag along 1.5 year old baby brother. It was just the spark I needed in my afternoon.
As
the kids played, Emily and I chatted about her previous role in
full-time ministry to college students. Her face lit up as she talked
about her job and what a joy it had been in her life. I couldn't hold
back... I asked the obvious question... why did you let that job go?
What she said put it all in perspective... I got married and then got pregnant with twins. Please don't get me wrong Brandy, I LOVE this season of life but sometimes I miss the season of ministry before I had a family.
Her words were so honest and so beautiful and they made such a huge impact on my life.
To
be honest I was so overwhelmed by God's presence and His timing that I
couldn't even explain to her in that moment how God had used her.
I
remember getting in my car that bright February afternoon and pulling
out of her neighborhood with tears of joy and thanksgiving streaming
down my face.
So many times I'd left her home or the home of others and thought I can't wait to have THAT.
So many times I'd left with the memories of sweet smiles and tackle hugs and wish that were
MY season.
MY season.
So many times I'd left content but surely not thankful.
But that day as I left laughing and crying in the presence of my almighty God.
I left loving every moment spent with in her adorable precious season but being THANKFUL that was not my own.
Not because I didn't want to have to change diapers and have sleepless nights.
Not because I didn't want to chase toddlers and clean up toys all day.
Not because I don't think that raising my children in truth will be the greatest ministry in my life.
But because, I was thankful for the ministry He was using me in right then.
I was thankful for the chance to disciple middle school girls without worrying about dinner prep.
I was thankful for the ability to be involved in many ministries without neglecting a home.
I was thankful for the chance to meet and counsel young adult women not feeling like my husband would feel 2nd priority.
Am I telling you that the longing went away? Absolutely not.
That was February and Joel didn't start pursuing me until July (mind you we got married in October).
Those 5 months before him I still greatly longed for a husband.
But I longed out of a thankful and content heart.
If
you hang around here in my Sweet Aroma very much, you know that my
heart has been doing some longing this past year. You know that I've
been longing for our family of 2 to grow to 3 or 4 or 5. While I try to
be very transparent in my longing and my prayers and my hopes and my thoughts, I also want to be transparent in my thankfulness.
If I were writing the plan, I would have already conceived...
but I'm thankful that I'm NOT writing the plan.
but I'm thankful that I'm NOT writing the plan.
I'm thankful for this time to spend free time with Joel and grow our marriage through this trial.
I'm thankful for the added appreciation I have for pregnancy, babies, and children in general.
I'm thankful for the sweet women I've got to bond with who have been or are on this journey.
I'm thankful for the opportunity to pray for them, encouraged them and be also encouraged by them.
I'm thankful for the truth God is speaking to my heart and the hope He fills me with so lovingly.
I'm thankful for this season.
Even when I'm crying. Even when it's been a bad day. Even when it seems faith is hard to come by.
I'm thankful. I'm content. I'm longing.
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5.18
"for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content."
Philippians 4.11
"O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you."
"O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you."
Psalm 38.9
What is that you're longing for that you are also thankful you don't have yet?
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about me
Hi there! I'm Brandy, the writer and photographer here at A Sweet Aroma. I hope you find this space to be one of encouragement at transparency as I blog and photograph my way through this beautiful life.
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