Joy in the Little Things - Day 9

I should not be surprised at all by today's post, even thinking about writing it brings tears to my eyes, and I'm sure it will turn into a flood as I continue to type out these special words!

Over the past few days, Aaron has shown a side of him that I think I have longed for, but didn't know it until I had it! I always knew he would be a great daddy, but to see him in action before Caleb even makes his grand entrance is that much more of a treat! Aaron has been kissing my belly and talking to Caleb, and Caleb responds!!!!! It is truly just the coolest thing ever! Ok, yep, I was right, the tears are now flooding!!

The other night, Aaron was getting ready to leave to go work out, and I was in my office working. I'm convinced that Caleb is sleeping when he isn't moving, just because he moves and kicks what seems like ALL DAY LONG! Well, he had been "silent" for about 30 minutes while I was at the computer, and Aaron came over and kissed Caleb and told him he loved him and then proceeded to leave to go to the gym. Before Aaron even walked out the front door, Caleb was doing somersaults in my tummy! He knows his daddy's voice!! I can't even put into words what a blessing that is to my heart!! I'm sure all you mommies out there have experienced something similar, and I now understand one of the truest forms of joy I think I've ever experienced (outside of salvation), being Caleb's mommy and being blessed with a daddy that loves him just as much as I do!

I know that it's not much longer until we get to meet Caleb face to face, and I honestly can't wait for that day, but I want to not only experience, but REMEMBER and enjoy the time I have left with him by myself!

Lord, you knew the number of our days before we even came into being. Thank you for this precious gift you have given Aaron and I. Help us to treasure each and every day we have with Caleb, now during pregnancy as well as when he meets us face to face for his earthly life. I pray right now that he would grow to know you as his Savior, in a very personal way. That he would trust you with his life, and Lord, that you would bless him abundantly! I pray for his future wife, if you choose to bless him with one, that she would be a godly woman whose greatest desire is to serve You wholeheartedly! I love you Lord, and give Caleb's life over to you. Help me to trust your will for him, forever.

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance...You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16: 5-6, 11

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 8

Being blessed by young(er) women in my life every Wednesday is always my highlight for the day! Each Wednesday I co-lead a small group of junior girls and let me just say how wonderful and awesome they are! Not only do they come with open hearts and minds, but so often I find myself learning from them, not just trying to lead them well!

Tonight was an especially blessed night. Not only did my new co-leader, Casey lead the bible study, but for this year, we are studying one of my favorite books in the whole Bible, the book of James. There is so much to be said for the trials and tribulations we all experience in life, and to have a book in the Bible to turn to for uplifting and guidance during those hards times is so great!

The best part is that I know each one of my girls, including myself and Casey all have our own struggles and trials we go through every day. Casey did an amazing job with such a great illustration of how we are like a butterfly. She shared the story of the butterfly with us and it truly spoke to my heart. Knowing and experiencing trials and hard times are inevitable, but when you have the Lord to turn to, you are never alone! Christ chose me! I am His child! I am His daughter! He knows what He is doing with my life, even if I don't understand! What an encouragement to know that even though people in our lives will constantly let us down, we have a perfect Savior whom we can trust for all eternity.

I know I've posted this on here before, but one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible is Psalm 139. Here is oneof my favorite verses that truly relate to the joy I am experiencing today...

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." Psalm 139:16

Lord, you know my thoughts, you knew my life before I was even here! I praise you for writing my story, in your words and your timing! May I be a blessing to others, through your grace and mercy. May you continue to write my story, as you see fit, even when I don't understand. Help me to always trust, always believe and always seek you first in everything. You are everything!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 7

Let me start by saying that I think it's FINALLY turning to Fall! That is, by definition in the state of Texas, any temperature during the day under 80 degrees!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a nature "freak". One of my greatest dreams in life is to own a "ranch" in Colorado. (Not a dude ranch, but I do want to include horses and a large chunk of land in the Rocky Mountains). Therefore, whenever we change from sweltering heat to anything below 80 degrees, I am overcome with joy and get the "itchies" to be outdoors as much as possible!

As I was walking across campus today (work campus that is, not college), the wind was blowing, the sky was completely clear, the sun was shining and it couldn't have been more than 78 degrees. I found myself holding my hands out and silently singing praises to the Lord for what a gorgeous day out that it was!

He fills my heart with joy each and every day, and by making a choice to allow myself to experience that, my days are filled with more joy, happiness, patience, kindness and awareness of my attitude. I am so thankful to the Lord for His never ending promises, that I can truly believe and write on my heart for all eternity!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 6

Tonight I met with a new, but dear friend to share our life stories with each other. As I shared my story of grace, and as I listened to hers, I was joyfully reminded about the unconditional love, grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father.

We all have "life experiences" that either we're not proud of, or are deeply hurt by. But, praise to the Lord, for providing healing and forgiveness and giving us each the opportunity to overcome hardships that we all face in life.

Thank you, Lord, for bringing me out of the deep pit I was in. Thank you for healing my heart and providing me the strength and courage to forgive those in my past who have hurt me so deeply. Thank you for allowing me to separate your love from humanly love, so that I will NEVER doubt you! Thank you for Caleb, TRULY our miracle child. Thank you for giving me opportunities to share the story you have written for my life. May I always heed to your words, and allow you to use me as you see necessary, even if I don't understand!

And thank you, dear friend with whom I shared coffee and the grace of God with tonight! Know that your story is powerful, and the Lord knows the ending!! Love you girl!!

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, than I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 5

What a spectacular day today was!! I am so blessed to have the freedom to attend a church where the Word of God is preached authentically. Where the pastor is not afraid to be bold with his preaching. Where the Lord is praised. Where I can lift my hands and sing, and cry tears of joy, tears of overwhelming joy in knowing that I have a SAVIOR who has cast away all my sin, and has given me grace and mercy.

What a joy it is to experience the Holy Spirit at work in my heart! What a joy it is to sing out to the God of the universe! What a joy it is to be able to hear my small group girls praise the Lord through song, to watch them take notes during the service, and to have the honor of being an encouragement to them through leading a weekly bible study!

What a joy it is to have a Godly husband, who loves me, and cares for me, and shares the joys of this life with me! What a joy it is to be able to spend quality time with him, to have wonderful moments, to experience his love for me in ways that so many women in this world do not have the privilege of experiencing.

Today has been filled with many joyous moments. Thank you Lord! May I remember throughout this week, the joy that I have felt today. I pray for marriages across the nation that are not at a place of joy, Lord, that you would revive hearts, renew spirits, and remind us of the ultimate love, your unconditional love.

“The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 4

Today I found myself joyful in loving others that I do not know personally. I know that sounds a little bit odd, but hear me out. Today I completed my first set of handmade notecards for Crickett’s Answer for Cancer, a breast cancer foundation that has become my first wholesale account. Please hear me say, that this is not a business plug. I truly felt so joyful in knowing that I will be providing a product that I hope and pray the Lord will use to bring hope, encouragement and joy to many women out there suffering through and surviving breast cancer. After finishing the notecards, and taking pictures, I not only felt accomplished, but I truly felt like I have such an opportunity to share the love of Christ with the women who will come into contact with Crickett. I have felt this from the very first time I came into contact with Carole, from Crickett’s. I know, and FULLY believe that the Word of the Lord does not go void, and so I will step out in faith, and trust that the Lord will use me in special ways with through this opportunity.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

What a proclamation David makes here in this passage!! Lord, help me to believe your Word is truth, and to not only believe that in my heart, but that you would give me boldness to share your truth with others!!

The Notecard Set with Matching Tin

The Custom Day Planner

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 3

Ok, this one might be a far stretch for some of you, but for those of you who know me well, know that there is very little in life that is more enjoyable for me than either a massage or a pedicure. Well, I haven't had the opportunity to have a pedicure in quite some time. Actually it's been almost 14 weeks to be exact (I only remember that because the last one I had was with my mom, and I was 12 weeks pregnant). Anyway, Aaron and Jarret (a good friend) are heading to Austin this weekend to do some major wakeboarding at the cable park there. Katie, Jarret's wife, and I decided to stay back and have some girl time of our own, and one thing we will be doing is indulging in the greatness of a spa pedicure!!! I just booked the appointments, which is why I am so joyful right now! I have wanted to make an appointment for some time.

I know you are all probably wondering what a spa pedicure has to do with being filled with the joy of the Lord, so let me see if I can put my thoughts in to words here. There are two reasons I am filled with joy right now.

1.) because I love to be pampered, what girl doesn't! And because the Lord loves to bless his children!! Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That is proof right there that He loves me and wants to bless me!!

And my second reason, is because I get to continue to build and deepen my friendship with Katie as we spend time together! A great biblical example of the kind of friendship I long to have with the women in my life is David and Jonathan, in 1 Samuel 18:1, specifially, that says, "As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

So that's how I am bringing together the joy of the Lord and spa pedicures! I'm sure I will have more joy-filled things come to mind today, and I might even do another post, but at least for now, I have found joy in the little things, through friendship and a spa pedicure!!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things - Day 2

Today, the Lord gave my heart such joy through my sweet, amazing sister, Julie!! I'm sure she has no idea that her comment on my "Quick Trip Home" blog brought a flood of tears to my eyes, and an overwhelming joy to my heart (go ahead, take a look for yourself, you'll see what I mean)!

I want to take a moment, and talk about my sister. She is a wife. She is a mom, supermom to be exact. She is courageous. She is outspoken. She is smart. She is wise beyond her years. She is strong, physically, emotionally and mentally. She is a daughter of the King. She is all heart.

Julie, thank you for allowing the Lord to speak through you, and give me such words of encouragment, love, joy and excitement! You are not only my sister, but my friend! I love you!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Joy in the Little Things Challenge

I am starting a new challenge for the month of October. Each day I will think of, pray about and acknowledge something in my life that brings me joy, and find a scripture in the Bible that has to do with joy. I hope to post each and every day, just a short one or two paragraph note expressing what I have found joy in on that day. I desperately desire the Lord to fill my cup and overflow my heart with joy and this is a tangable way, for me, to visibly see the joys in everyday living! I welcome any and all of you to take on this challenge with me, whether you feel joy deprived, dry, empty, or just want to be constantly reminded of the blessings the Lord has given each of us every day. So here it goes...

Joy in the Little Things, Day 1:

I am very blessed to have a MASSIVE picture window directly in front of my computer at work. I find myself "drifting" off into my own world of imagination quite often during the day. Although it's not hard when you have a view like mine! Today, I have been blessed by the presence of a beautiful monarch butterfly. He has been "perching" and fluttering around the bush right outside my window, and I have found myself following his every move, with such a huge smile on my face, all day long!

Thank you Lord, for giving me a glimpse into your creation through the life of a butterfly, a view that is out of the ordinary for a busy city like Dallas!

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

Be Blessed and Encouraged!

Spotlights On...

A sweet friend of mine, and fellow blogger, does a weekly post called "Creative Women in Business". This week, I had the extreme privilege of being her Spotlight woman! Thanks Weatherly, your website is wonderful, and what a gift to be featured on it!!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!