My Painting

If you have read a few of my posts during my road of infertility/miscarriage then you may remember me also talking about what I believe the Lord is teaching me during all of this. I recently wrote about the Valley of Baca in my post for Join the Journey. I have also written about other times the Lord has asked me to praise Him on this road, in this Valley. So I put a plea out a while back for anyone who knew of a painter. I feel like the Lord gave me an image probably 2-3 years ago and I believe he has revealed His will piece by piece through that image until I now have a full picture of what He has been teaching me. My friend Sara had someone do the painting for me. It's beautiful and hangs in our room. It shows a girl in the middle of the valley surrounded by flowers with mountains in the background. The flowers are important b/c I believe the Lord is asking me to enjoy the things around me, to take in the beauty of my surroundings and praise Him for those things as well. Tara did a great job. I tried not to picture what the painting would look like since someone else was doing it instead of me and I think it turned out just perfect. In the clouds it also says " Do not be afraid or discouraged. The Lord God is with you wherever you go." It's almost hidden so you can't really see it.....

As we have started the process of trying again, this painting has helped me. It's reminded me of what all the Lord has taught me during this time and turned my mind/heart back to Him. I want to be singleminded in Christ and it is often so hard to do when I also have anxiety, fear, and other emotions going on. So thank you Tara (and Sara). Thanks for giving me a physical reminder that I can daily look at to remind me of Christ's work and faithfulness in my life.

Psalm 84

I had the opportunity to write for Join the Journey. If you haven't heard about it you should take a look here: www.jointhejourney.com. It's a bible study program our church uses so everyone who signs up reads the same devotional each morning. It's a neat idea and they have also been able to get other churches and schools to use it by letting them have their own members or students write....So I have pasted my thoughts below so I will remember them and to share if you aren't a user of Join the Journey!

A little back story is I was given this verse with a last minute request to do it. As I was going over the verse I thought " Oh great, this will be easy since it starts with How lovely is your dwelling place...how hard will that be??" But I was dead wrong. The Lord had something else in mind. In the middle of the verse He had something to remind me of yet again. It's a part of the verse I usually skip over b/c it isn't singing praises like the rest. Instead, it tells you where the author is and what he has gone through while writing praises to the Lord.....

Key Verse:

How blessed are those who find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple!
As they pass through the Baca Valley,
he provides a spring for them.
The rain even covers it with pools of water.
(Psalm 84:5-6)

Central Truth:

We do not know what the Lord has planned for us as we travel down the road that leads to Him. We often have something different in mind than He does. When the harder times come, and they will, are we able to praise Him for them?


Title: what if the road becomes a valley

Have you felt a tug at your heart to stop and listen? Over the last few years I can remember moments like that very well. God has been speaking to me, and I'm learning to be still and listen.

My husband and I have been traveling down the road of infertility for a couple of years now. There have been many days of frustration and pain. This is not a road we would have chosen. When I find myself in the valley, I often can’t find my way out of it. As I have sought the Lord for strength, He has revealed more of His plan for me during this time. Once again, He spoke directly to me through Psalm 84.

The writer of Psalm 84 packed it with praise for the Lord. In verse 5 the writer longed for the road that led to God, and then we find in verse 6 that the road was probably full of struggles and pain. The writer states that he walked through the Valley of Baca. In looking up what that meant, I learned it was the Valley of Weeping. The writer then goes on to point out in verse 6 that the Lord provided during that time. God was faithful and gave them the means to keeping going. The writer notices the Lord's provision and decides to praise God even though the path leading to His temple seems to be full of trials.

I have to admit, it is very difficult to keep my eyes on the Lord when all I can see is the darkness of the valley at times. I believe the Lord has encouraged me and asked me to praise Him during my own Valley of Baca. He has taught me to look around and acknowledge His goodness and His plan and to be grateful for them. He has asked all of us, as believers, to walk the path that leads to His temple, to trust that He will give us the strength to continue walking, AND to praise Him in the midst of the journey.


Discussion Questions:

1. As a believer, do you long for the road that leads to Christ?

2. Would you long for the road knowing it could be your valley of weeping?

3. When walking through a valley, do you look for the quickest way out or praise God for it?

4. How has God shown you His faithfulness and goodness in the valley?

Happy Birthday Friends!

So tonight I was listening to a little music and then thought about 2 of my best friends b/c their birthdays are this week just a day a part. V and Sara...Don't kill me for the pic's, we simply need to take more of them. As you know I'm in a small group with 3 other girls and V/Sara are 2 out of the 3.

I know this is going to be really cheezy but I can't tell you how thankful I am for both of them, in fact I was able to worship the Lord tonight in thankfulness b/c of the way He has shown His faithfulness through the girls around me. As you know the last 2 years have been full of many different things. It has been because of the Lord's grace and love for us that we've been able to walk these last two years together. There have been plenty of hard conversations, challenges and learning opportunities along the way for all of us. I can look back and see how much we all 4 have changed but since I was thanking God for the two of them with birthday's coming up, I was able to specifically focus on them.

I am so grateful for both of their hearts that are willing to change, become more like Christ and be humble in the midst of it. They ask great questions and if you know them, you know they are a lot of fun to be with. I can also say both are very sincere at heart and care deeply for those closest to them. They have served me in a Christ like way, unselfishly giving of time, crying with me, laughing and dropping anything at a moments notice and also willing to call me on my crap! I am hopefully becoming more like Christ because of His work through these two girls and KT. It is wonderful to have friends in your life to spur you on, challenge you, and encourage you to change-be a better person. Thank you Lord for creating these two women. Thank you for knowing we would all be friends at this time in our life and for knowing how this will also play out in the future. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness. Happy Birthday Friends, love you.

The weekend...Dogs and Abilene

I haven't blogged in a while. Haven't really been sure what to write about. A lot going on in my head but nothing I have put into writing. I do have to share the following pictures with you though. First, Ed and Einstein came to stay with us for a few days. As you will see below Ed LOVES Owen but unfortunately, Owen is less than thrilled. What I didn't capture on camera is Owen hiding in the garage from Ed peaking out of the doggy door to see if he was gone yet-NOPE, still sitting patiently waiting for Owen to come out! I believe Mike has always wondered about Ed and if he liked boys or girls-the verdict is no longer out...Ed officially is in doggy love with Owen. We have other pictures to prove it! ha

One of the greatest places to stop and get a treat in Abilene is McKays bakery. The thumbprint cookies are wonderful! So yes, on the weekends I venture off my eating plan and relax a little. It was worth it. My granny is so fun to go with us and make a girls afternoon out of it. I used to work at McKays in college and I actually wanted to tell the girls that were working there about it but I figured they didn't care.
This is the swing in my grandparents backyard. When my miscarriage happened my Granny called concerned about me and told me she wished I could sit on her swing and talk with her for a while. It was really sweet and I think I will always remember those words. If you've ever met my Granny I know you love her!
The swing held all three of us but it was uncertain for a minute! This is my grandad joining the picture. I love my grandparents and I was excited to go see them this weekend. They have come here the last couple of years so it was great to go back home to Abilene!
My mom and I took a road trip just the 2 of us. It was a lot of fun and the drive went by fast since we got carried away in conversation.
I know this picture isn't the greatest but I had to capture it. First, they look so happy and my Granny looks beautiful. Second, from as far as I can remember this is what they do when we leave. They don't go back inside or stop waiving until we are out of sight! I have fond memories of this too, and crying to go back and see them. I had a great weekend, thanks granny/grandad.