Gratituesday: Being More Prepared Spiritually
The time truly has come. Very early tomorrow morning I will be checking into the hospital (unless I go into labor sometime before that!) and very soon thereafter I will be meeting my new daughter. This is such an unreal feeling. I feel anxious, but not overly so. It may sound funny, but our lives are just going so well right now that I'm a bit afraid of how everything is going to change. It's been just Olivia and me at home for the last two and a half years! I know things will be rough for a while as we all adjust (and deal with the lack of sleep) but they will get better. I think the fear is there because of how difficult things were with Olivia and now I'll have a toddler at home to deal with as well, but even if this baby had the same health issues I know that we would be able to handle them so much better this time around. We are more prepared because we have done this before, but I know I'm also more prepared spiritually.
I think one reason might be something I did back in March and April. I haven't really talked about this with many people but I took a 6 week hiatus from reading "for fun." I read only my Bible and devotional. This was REALLY difficult for me but I felt like I had to do something. Weeks, even months, would go by without me opening my Bible at home. For those of you that know me, you know I love to read and would spent at least an hour a day reading, either at naptime or before bed. When I realized how much time I was dedicating to reading other things compared to spending time in thought or reading about my God I was convicted that I had to do something extreme (for me anyway) to reform my habits. I got an accountability partner to do the same online devotional with me and that helped a lot. At first I almost just avoided reading in general, but eventually my need to read drove me to dive back into my Bible.
I didn't have a plan exactly. I like moving through the scriptures as I go, following a thought here or a notation there. I read a lot in the Old Testament, which is something I haven't done in years. The story of Joseph through the Exodus especially was fascinating to me this time. We get to see the big picture of God's plans here. Even just within the story of Joseph that is amazing and such a good reminder to me that I don't have the whole picture and need to have faith in God's plan for my life and for my daughters'. I'm grateful for a loving and patient God who gave me a love for reading and access to His word, so that I may know Him better!
I've been back to reading other things for about a month now but I find myself reaching for my Bible a lot still. I find myself spending more time in prayer and meditation. I feel more centered spiritually, more at peace, more in tune with God's will for me. I think I may need to do this again, maybe a couple times a year, as our lives get hectic and I need to retrain myself. I'm so grateful I went to the effort to make a change because it was so worth it!
Again, I thank you for your prayers as I have journeyed through this pregnancy and I would appreciate it if you would continue to pray for us as we transition to a family of four!
I think one reason might be something I did back in March and April. I haven't really talked about this with many people but I took a 6 week hiatus from reading "for fun." I read only my Bible and devotional. This was REALLY difficult for me but I felt like I had to do something. Weeks, even months, would go by without me opening my Bible at home. For those of you that know me, you know I love to read and would spent at least an hour a day reading, either at naptime or before bed. When I realized how much time I was dedicating to reading other things compared to spending time in thought or reading about my God I was convicted that I had to do something extreme (for me anyway) to reform my habits. I got an accountability partner to do the same online devotional with me and that helped a lot. At first I almost just avoided reading in general, but eventually my need to read drove me to dive back into my Bible.
I didn't have a plan exactly. I like moving through the scriptures as I go, following a thought here or a notation there. I read a lot in the Old Testament, which is something I haven't done in years. The story of Joseph through the Exodus especially was fascinating to me this time. We get to see the big picture of God's plans here. Even just within the story of Joseph that is amazing and such a good reminder to me that I don't have the whole picture and need to have faith in God's plan for my life and for my daughters'. I'm grateful for a loving and patient God who gave me a love for reading and access to His word, so that I may know Him better!
I've been back to reading other things for about a month now but I find myself reaching for my Bible a lot still. I find myself spending more time in prayer and meditation. I feel more centered spiritually, more at peace, more in tune with God's will for me. I think I may need to do this again, maybe a couple times a year, as our lives get hectic and I need to retrain myself. I'm so grateful I went to the effort to make a change because it was so worth it!
Again, I thank you for your prayers as I have journeyed through this pregnancy and I would appreciate it if you would continue to pray for us as we transition to a family of four!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
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