More Like You Lord, More Like You.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

~James 1:2-4

“How are you doing?”

“Fine. You?”

“Good.”

How many of you are accustomed to this type of conversation?  My guess is just about every one of us have had a conversation like this. Maybe you even had this conversation with someone today.  Well, if not today, then probably sometime this past week.  Am I right?  Well, although I am a very vulnerable person I have recently been convicted of offering up the generic responses.  Sometimes it’s just easier.  Sometime I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining.  Well, as I’m remembering the benefits of authenticity I want to challenge you too.  Let’s be real.  Let’s be honest.  Let’s not complain about our difficulties, but let’s acknowledge real challenges and trials in our lives and give credit to a great and mighty God who gives us the power to persevere.

Over the past six months my family has seen God working in amazing ways.  All around us he has been blessing us and revealing to us his might and power.  He has been giving us strength to endure trials.  He has provided people to come along side of us and help us in our weakness.  He has encouraged us with his Word.  He has shown himself faithful.

Here are just a few of the trials we have faced in the past six months:

~ A difficult pregnancy due to a stress fracture in my foot in which I had to wear a walking boot, which led to my hip being dislocated and having severe back problems.
~ Loss of my Grandmother Pasty who lived in Kentucky.
~ Josh transitioning form one job to another.  Commuting two hours a day, six days a week.
~ Leaving a church family we had grown to love and cherish over 9 years.
~ Transitioning into a new church.  Difficulty getting to know people when we lived an hour away and were only at the church a few hours a week.
~ Getting our Raleigh house prepared to sell.  Packing.  Cleaning and constantly straightening so that it could be shown to potential byers.  Multiple showings with little to no notice. Trying to keep the house clean with 2 kids (3 if you count the one I was babysitting). Tired and uncomfortable because of being pregnant and on my feet 18-19 hours a day.
~ Looking for a new home. We looked at over 70 homes online and 15 homes in person in Rocky Mount.  Extra trips driving to and from Rocky Mount.
~ Closing on both houses within less than a month. Rounding up paperwork for four different lenders/ home loans.  Stress because of the details and timing of closing on both homes in one day.  
~ Moving at 36 weeks pregnant.  Could not lift boxes or bend down to put things in cabinets.
~ Stress of making new friends, different traditions and customs at the new church, not knowing any of the neighbors, unsure of where things are or what there was to do in our new community.  Transition for kids in a new school and making new friends. 
~ Josh desiring to do well in his new position and the stress of setting a good precedent.
~ The Flu. Taking care of Josh, Addi and Josiah while I was 38 weeks pregnant.
~ We had a baby and although Elias is a HUGE blessing the sleepless nights, colic, reflux, shots, and traveling back to Raleigh for doctor’s appointments were challenging.  Not to mention physically healing from labor and adjusting to a new family dynamic.
~ Complications nursing Elias (an ugly bout of mastitis).
~ Cold winter with several snow days.
~ Keeping up with daily homeschool lessons.
~ Although visitors are a huge blessing, having family in town for a week at a time is also stressful because of cost of plane tickets, cleaning, cooking meals, and keeping kids who wake up at 6 am from waking up company.
~ School registration deadlines.  Trying to discern what is best for each child and registering for Kindergarten and preschool.
~ Kids with the stomach virus…Twice.
~ Van tire blow out (with all three kids in the van). Buying all new tires for the van.
~ Flat tire on the car.  Buying new tires for the car.
~ Youth group trip to Charlotte.  Trying to figure out how to serve and building relationships with 20+ teenaged while trying to take care of 4 year old, 3 year old, and a 4 week old.
~ My grandfather having emergency open heart surgery (triple bi-pass).
~ My grandmother (Nana) in and out of the hospital because of severe dehydration after radiation treatments.
~ Josh not being able to walk, stand, sit, or lie down and in desperate NEED of back surgery.
~ Fear of Josh's back surgery (especially when the doctor tells him that he needs to update his living will before the operation)
~ Josh's recovery from the back surgery.  He was able to walk or get out of bed for a couple weeks. Trying to care for all three kids without any help was quite challenging.
~ Josiah got hit in the face with a baseball bat.
~ Planning Addi’s birthday party.
~ My Nana passed away.  Emotional time for our entire family.  Funeral in Georgia.
~ Plumbing problems in our new home.
~ Financial burdens of medical bills (my walking boot and physical therapy, Josh’s x-rays, pregnancy, labor and delivery, children’s check ups, flu, stomach virus, Josh's back surgery, etc.).  Financial burdens of taking four trips to Georgia and flying family up to North Carolina.  Financial burdens of moving, vehicle repairs, home repairs, school deposits, etc.

Now, I would hope that over the past six months, although we’ve been through a lot, that others would say we’ve endured well.  I hope and pray that when people have spent time with us we’ve not complained but shown gratitude to the Lord for how he has helped us in each of these circumstances.  If we haven't I want to ask for forgiveness. I hope that we have given credit to the numerous people who have walked along side of us during each of these trials because we have been incredibly blessed.  Most of all I pray that our actions have spurred others to look to Chirst.

Friends, hold me accountable and I’ll try to do the same for you.  Let’s stop the generic responses when people ask us how we are. Let’s be real because that is when we can boast in the Lord and what great things he has done!  Please check out my monthly “thankful lists” for evidences of God’s grace in each and every one of the things mentioned above.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

~Psalm 136:1

So Lord, produce in me steadfastness so I can be more like YOU!

Thankful List ~ April 2015

April Thankful List

Josh recovered quickly from his back surgery. After six weeks he was almost completely back to his old self again! I continue to be thankful for those who served us by watching the kids or providing us with meals.

With all we've had going on, I'm thankful for God’s protection over Josiah. He was hit in the face with a baseball bat and only had a swollen and bloody lip.  I was tremendously thankful we didn't end up at the hospital again.

Addi finished her first year official year of school.  She did a great job with the Classical Conversations curriculum this year and we were thankful for all the evidences of grace we saw in her as she learned things I thought were well beyond her scope to learn.  She never ceases to surprise me.

We also got to celebrate Addilyn’s 5th Birthday. What an absolute honor that the Lord has given us such a blessing in our daughter.  She is smart, spunky, beautiful, and tender hearted.  This year she wanted a Rainbow Pony Art party.  She helped me make lots of the decorations and party favors.  We invited lots of friends.  We had Raleigh, Wake Forest, and Rocky Mount friends all join us to celebrate God's gift to us in Addi-Grace.  I'm also thankful for her bravery in getting her 5 year old shots (she wanted to watch while the nurse gave her 3 different shots and she didn't shed a tear)!

This month I am probably most thankful for the opportunity to fly to Atlanta to visit with my Nana one last time.  After being told by my mom that she didn't think Nana had much time left, we booked a flight for Elias and I.  Although I was worried about the cost, my amazing husband reminded me that in 10 years from now I would pay anything to be able to visit with my Nana.  It's true.  What a great perspective.  I will forever cherish that time I got to sit beside her in the last days of her life.