What to expect when you're...

...expecting. I remember with my younger children, especially my first child, someone gave me this book. There were all kinds of tips of what to expect when you're pregnant and even during your child's first years. Everyone else who has raised a child is going to give you advice and suddenly you're excited to start this new journey. But even with all this advice, there are some things that are just left out. For starters, there are a lot of crazy sicknesses out there that you don't really hear about. I had never heard of the illness Roseola until my son ran extremely high fevers for days, spent the night in the hospital, and finally broke out in a rash all over his body. You also get a pretty quick lesson in patience if you've ever had your child bring home (ugh I don't even want to say this word)...lice. And finally, how about watching your child experience heartbreak? But despite how hard it is to be a parent, I don't think anyone would say, if I had known I wouldn't have had children.

Accepting Christ is the best decision I have ever made. I have never felt more complete in the person God created me to be. He is my source. But I will tell you that it has not been a walk in the park. This week I have been in what I'd call a funk (for lack of a better word to explain this yucky feeling) and I know that the enemy has been on my trail. And that is how the enemy works....he's sneaky and looks for our weaknesses and he's patient to chip away at us. He tells us lies about our purpose and our identity. All of a sudden things become dim, and we're desperately seeking the light.

But tonight I had this moment with God, the kind where you're doing something completely random and God just brings you to your knees. I could feel the pull of the enemy and I just prayed right there that God would hold me close to him and not let me go.

You see, we will always need God, and if we don't...then we're likely further away from him that we'd admit. I think the key to staying close to God is constantly reminding ourselves of God's grace in our lives and coming before him with a humble spirit. The cool thing about God is that he knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows my heart and how much I love him despite the pull of the enemy...nothing can pluck me out of his hand. He reminded me of that tonight. Being a believer can be going against the grain of the world, but it is always...always...worth it. And JUST LIKE THAT, God reminded me of the truth tonight...that my journey is only beginning and I am clinging to his promises that he is going to do great things.

John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me as his gift, is the mightiest of all, and no one has the power to snatch them from my Father's care."