scripture for a new mama's heart

I have sat here and sat here, trying to think of encouragement for the new mama heart, but I realized none of my words could come close to the words of scripture that I clung to in those early days and continue to hold on to as I press on in motherhood. They're beautiful and sacred days, but you can never be really prepared for the challenge you face. My prayer is you read these and the Lord speaks to and calms your heart. You may feel more alone than you ever have before, but take heart. God is WITH you. He SEES you. He is fighting FOR you. Lean in and rest in His promises. He loves you and trusts you to care for the sweet, sweet child he blessed you with. You ARE enough. He WILL equip you for this job. It's a season that will be gone in the blink of an eye. Soak it up and relish in the beauty of His creation. I love you and I'm here for you. Never hesitate to reach out if you need a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. I've been there.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. [Psalm 72:26]

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. [Psalm 127:3-5]

For you created (baby's name) inmost being; you knit them together in my womb. I praise you because they are fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Their frame was not hidden from you when they were made in the secret place, when they were woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw their unformed body; all the days ordained for them were written in your book before one of them came to be. [Psalm 139:13-16]

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give them to the Lord. For their whole life they will be given over to the Lord.     [1 Samuel 1:27-28]

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 1:11-12]

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know there is nothing better for people than do be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. [Ecclesiastes 3:1;11-13]

For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear. I will help you." [Isaiah 41:14]

steps of faith.

The second I stepped foot in Christ Fellowship during our interview last June, I knew I wanted to be a part of what God is doing here. By the end of our week of interviews, Clint and I both felt confident that he'd be a great fit on the team. The following week, we prayed and talked and were in agreement we'd accept the job if it was offered. It was a huge move, but there was complete peace in our hearts because we knew God was opening the door and going before us.

During all of that excitement and dreaming, imagine our shock when the offer was less than we were expecting. Much less. We'd made the decision that I'd continue to stay home with the kids wherever God took us next and, in my mind, there was no way we'd be able to live in South Florida off of the salary offered. As soon as I got off the phone with Clint when he told me what happened, I burst into hot, angry tears. I was furious at God. How could he open this door, get us excited and confident about our journey, and then slam it in our face?

In the midst of the anger and disappointment, I felt God speak to my spirit, "I didn't close the door. You're the one trying to do that."

We prayed and we prayed that God would change the offer. We countered and talked and budgeted and worried. I tried to get a budget together that we could do more than survive and I just wasn't seeing it. It just didn't seem to be enough.

In the end, God didn't change the offer. He did something even better. He changed our hearts.

We decided to trust His promises in scripture and take a step of faith, into the seemingly impossible, and definite unknown, even when it didn't make sense. Matthew 6 came to life for us. We decided to seek His kingdom and righteousness and trust that these things-- our basic needs-- would be given to us as well. We couldn't worry about tomorrow and what it would bring. Just take it one day at a time.

And real talk, y'all... it's been hard. REALLY hard. There've been times we have had less than $20 in our account, the gas light is on in the car, we have hardly any food in the house, and still have days until we get paid again. It can be frustrating, embarrassing, and not always a lot of fun.

But the good greatly outweighs the bad. God is faithful to His promises. In some miraculous way, God has met every. single. one. of our needs. Be it a "random" check in the mail, friends throwing together a last minute dinner party with leftovers out the wazoo they send home with everyone, gifts cards we forgot we had, or an offer of a ride somewhere, we've never been without anything we need.
God has blessed us beyond measure. He's truly blessing our stewardship efforts and obedience. With the help of far more financially savvy friends and God's crazy way of working, we were able to pay off over $8,000 worth of debt in under 6 weeks. In a time when we're bringing home considerably less than we ever have, God provided a way for us to become debt free! It allowed us the breathing room we desperately needed. That only makes sense through God's power.

Beyond the trust and faith I've learned to put in God, He's used this season to teach us that life isn't all about money or the stuff it can buy. Life is simpler now. We have lots of dates after kids go to bed, lots of dinner and games at friends houses, and lots of evenings spent at the beach. Life may be simpler, but we are filled with more joy and peace than they ever have been. Knowing we're where God wants us and it is a place we LOVE is worth every penny pinched. Clint and I each say at least once a week that we can't believe we live here and get to be a part of CF and all God is doing there. We're choosing to find our contentment in HIM, not a number in our bank account.

I say none of this to brag on us or anything we've done "right". Literally all we've done is take step after step in a crazy path the Lord has led us on. He's done everything else. Faith can't be conditional. If God is calling you to do something, do it. Even if it doesn't make sense. Even if it's scary or unknown. Even if you don't think you can. Do it. And prepare to be utterly amazed at how the Lord will bless you in ways you never imagined.