Skip to main content

Need Encouragement

My prayer is that my words would encourage someone, somewhere, to keep going when things seem hopeless. When answers are not given, when God seems to say yes, but not your way. When exhaustion gets the better the of you.
Isn't encouragement one of the great purposes of social media? We used to write letters to soldiers to encourage them to keep fighting and come home. We dialed our rotary phones to call an ailing old friend. We text to let someone know we care. We "heart" a post to show someone we see them and love them.
Letters are included throughout the Bible because churches, people, and fellow believers needed to be encouraged to keep fighting the good fight to love and encourage the rest of the world as Jesus had for them.
When I needed encouragement this week God showed up in this fellow mama's words in God Knows what you Don't Have. She happens to have a child with special needs, and has gone some five years with sleep disruption. Thank you Jesus for her encouragement! God also spoke to me through a song, Dave Barnes, "Carry Me Through," at a particularly hard moment I sang out:

There's a mountain
Here before me
And I'm going to climb it
With strength not my own
He's gonna lead me
Or the mountain beats me
Carry me through
Carry me through
Oh Lord be gentle
I'm just a man
Please don't crush me
Help me in.
Oh Lord remember
I try so hard
I walk and talk
Your kingdom love

When we recall the hard seasons that God has already brought us through, and those roads much harder others have been carried through, we realize our current state will soon be something of the past, something to give thanks that we grew through.
A saw a sweet friend who is nearly due with her first child, and when asked about her current state of mind, she said, "I look around and remember that every single person in any given room came about through a woman giving birth, and I remember that I'm not attempting to do anything new. I'll be just fine!" Are't we all in that same boat? (Unless you are trying to be the first person on the moon or something, but that's been done too.)

My two babies are not doing anything new either. Both still not sleeping or eating well, but we do know now that Luca has common summer virus in the back of his throat that creates painful ulcers for 5-7 days! Thank you Lord for that answer.
Roman has had many tests come back clear! But we are still waiting on two more tests, involving the pancreas and inflammation of the gut, plus our ENT trip tomorrow will hopefully provide other answers. We were instructed to try giving him Pediasure for needed calories. It is comical that the GI doctor whom we gave all Levi's leftover Pediasure, is now prescribing the same beverage for his big brother. God surely has a sense of humor. More than that, he reminded me how much easier this problem is without a feeding tube! I am starting to wonder if God wants me to encourage our GI doctor in some way?

"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind." (Philippians 2:1-2)

The one thing that seems to help all the kids fuss, fits, and fevers is being outside... nothing new. All boys were always meant to run wild from sun up to sun down; it does their bodies good.

Roman's happy place = throwing rocks in water.

Can't be at the beach, so we made our own sand.


This boy is such a happy sick baby. I think it's because he couldn't breathe at birth, so everything feels better when you can at least breathe. 

Boys, rocks, water, and encouragement.

Silas found a "froglet," I can't make this stuff up! 


Thankfully we live in a place with lots of wonderful outside trails with  lots of rocks and water!


I tried putting Luca in a pair of shoes cause he loves taking and eating his brothers (maybe that's how he got a  virus?) but he tugged them off after 5 minutes. He just wants to eat the dirty ones (all boy)!

Hopeful this babe has better eating days soon!

I almost threw out this dead, flowerless plant last year, but something encouraged me to prune and wait. A year later its budding again! I think it's a perfect picture of me. I am being pruned and waiting for a budding day of health. I know it will come again. 

~Coffee CubBuster

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A little color

School has officially started for me, and my teachable teenagers will be booming into my room in two days! I can't wait to shape those minds of our future! :)   However, my summer projects are a great reminder of the joyful color and peace I had for two months. :) I found this great idea on Pinterest and thought it would add a great accent color to any room in my home! I still have to put it all together, but here's what the finished product will look like with a little more subtle turquoise: I have it all painted and ready to be assembled!  More pics upon completion! (may be quite a while though now that school is in session... hope you weren't holding your breath.) ~CC

Break from the blog

As March begins, often we hope for a great thaw in our land. Now Georgia certainly doesn't have any icy soil that needs warming, but our yearning for more light and fresh newness to keep us from numbing appears universal. I have written on this blog for ten years now. From singleness to newlywed to mama of four sickly, but now active, growing boys. It's been a place for me to purge, process, and pray through some of life's biggest changes and challenges. It's also helped me keep distant family and friends informed, but I've felt for some time it's come to an appropriate place for pause. I know that I have many more mountains and valleys to travel if the Lord wills it, and many more personal lessons that I'd love to share and reread to my kiddos one day (and if anyone wants to organize and compile this little landscape into a memoir, please be my guest), but I do not ever want to assume a posture of numbness as it relates to our regular routines. I re...