A Baby Changes Everything

I love Faith Hill’s song, “A Baby Changes Everything”. It is so true – especially when that growing little baby inside the Mama’s womb is getting new body parts and new features week by week while the Mama’s body is changing on the outside and inside.

God's glorious birthing plan! Please don’t try to convince me that little being isn’t a baby. I know otherwise. From the very beginning, God had a plan for that little darling’s future. I know that from my own experience. I also know it as I delight in following a precious, young couple’s FB posts. Their prayers to conceive were answered and now I rejoice with them as I watch the radiant, exuberate mama taking pride and joy in showing the growth of her tummy bump week after week. Literally, a baby is changing everything about their lives.

Every day I send short, early morning text messages to my four darlings (my two and their spouses). Nostalgia consumed me as I sent my son’s text message yesterday. While looking for photos to display for my daughter’s recent birthday, I found a treasure in an envelope. The treasures you see here. I sent this message to my son: “Look what I came across. Your original birth certificate and the baby bracelet you wore in the nursery. And on the top right corner of the birth certificate is our home address. I looked it up on Zillow. Daddy and I had to move out of our one-bedroom apartment to this sweet little 800 sq.ft., 2-bedroom, one bath house that could accommodate a baby boy coming to live with us. We had your room all decorated before you were born. I would go in there and savor the smell of your baby clothes and picture that precious little baby coming into our life. It was the sweetest little house. We lived there until dad’s uncles helped us to get into one of their trade-in homes for one of their houses. We paid $7500 for that one. We were officially homeowners. Just a reminder of how blessed I’ve been with you, my sweet son. We’ve spent a long time together. Lots of sweetest memories to hold onto. Oh, the joy you brought to us. Thanks for going with me on a trip down Memory Lane this morning. I love you so much!” That little boy did change everything in our lives.

Speaking of a baby changing everything -- the birth of Jesus changed our world. The One who was born in a Bethlehem stable came here to Planet Earth to make every heart His home. And, it is our privilege as followers of Jesus to share the amazing good news of His love with our broken world in every way we can. That’s why I write a daily blog to partner with you in spreading the Good News that came with the birth of that sweet little Holy Child – lying in a manger -- Who was our Lord and Savior in the making.

At the end of her Christmas song, Faith Hill testifies, "My whole life has turned around, I was lost but now I'm found, a baby changes everything." Doesn’t that compel you to want to help as many people as you can so that their lives turn around from lost to found? Let’s be a bearer of “Good tidings of great joy to all people"! The Lord has come so everyone can experience the transforming love of Jesus! Gloria in excelsis deo!

Oh, Yes, My Dear – You ARE a Star

At my weekly Bible study group, we were discussing the famous words: “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) And then Paul the Apostle added “So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:6,9) Those words pack a punch. Abraham (the father of our faith) continued to believe that indeed he would be a father of many nations and here we are today – one of those stars that God pointed Abraham to when he said, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!" (Genesis 15:5) Just look at us – we are one of those stars! We are the stars – the descendants – the seeds of Abraham!

Continuing on with our discussions, when I heard those words “His faith was accounted to him as righteousness”, I thought about the faith journey of Abby Johnson’s parents who kept praying and believing for their daughter to come to her senses during the eight years that she worked for Planned Parenthood. I’m sure it seemed hopeless to them as Abby continued to “sell” over 22,000 abortions to women, but they didn’t give up on God and their prayers were answered.

I mentioned to my group, “I know what that kind of faith is all about. You see, my husband and I had that relentless faith when we were believing for his healing from cancer. We refused to believe anything other than his healing. We really weren’t in denial. We were in faith.” But, some would say “But, your husband died. Your prayers weren’t answered.” And I contend that they were answered. He was healed. Maybe that wasn’t what we had believed for, but God’s ways are so much higher than our ways. We believed. Others believed with us from around the world. At the end of the day – no one can say “You didn’t have enough faith!” Oh, we did and look at me, now! I’m stronger in faith than I ever was before. My sweetheart is still alive so big in my heart and helping me help others to believe, to trust God, to live for Him and to serve Him with all their hearts.

And, I say to you, my dear, dear friends – know the prayers you’ve prayed – those gut-wrenching, heartfelt prayers for your children, grandchildren, and loved ones, are still on God’s heart too. Don’t give up! That faith “stand” that you’re taking? Don’t stop standing! I pray that you are filled with the Abraham kind-of-faith that will be accounted to you for righteousness, too! Let your faith vision be one of prayers answered, children coming home, families reunited, and many joy-filled times of celebration! After all – that’s what STARS do – they brighten the sky with the wonders of God’s infinite love and grace.

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

He Answered

Day 313 of Photo Inspirations -- He Answered
Of course these Baby Shower cookies, inscripted with "He Answered" would be my photo inspiration for today.  "He answered" doesn't mean the wife called and her husband answered.  It means they called on God and He answered.

The 2nd photo is of two precious women in my Life Group, Paula Hieronymus Vaughn​ and Shelly Been Summers​, best friends, and related by the fact that Paula's son, is married to Shelly's daughter. There is nothing like praying mamas and these two mamas, along with our Life Group, have been praying AND believing for their kids to conceive for quite some time.   We take our prayer requests/petitions very seriously in this group.

We come together weekly and are thrilled to hear praises of "Look what God has done", but we are also thrilled to provide a safe place to share each other's needs, prayer requests and what's on each other's hearts -- to pray and believe with each other for those things that are beyond human intervention.....they need divine intervention.

This 2nd photo, was taken at our Life Group meeting  when these two found out their kids were indeed expecting.  They came, with that yummy cake with pink & blue diaper pins on it, to surprise us and to celebrate their good news.  We kept it quiet (oh how we wanted to shout to the world on Facebook that "He Answered" then, but we were sworn to secrecy until the "All Systems Go" signal). After four years of trying to conceive, their kids were still cautious about broadcasting their exciting news to the world.

A precious little girl will make her debut in January and, yesterday, I was thrilled to help host the celebration shower at my Hyde Park clubhouse. I was so inspired by these cookies to say to you...."HE ANSWERS" for you, too!  God is no respector of persons so why not take this little blog as all you need to help you believe for your miracle....whether it's a baby, a new job, a financial blessing, a healing, or a breakthrough of any kind.

Yes, there were snags along the way and disappointment after disappointment, but these two women, and a lot of others who joined the ranks of praying for them, are seeing the rewards of those prayers today.  It doesn't matter whether you've been believing for 10 minutes, 10 months or 10 years, our God's timeline is right on time.  He sees the beginning, the middle, and the ending.  He sees and knows the seed planting.....time.....then harvest.  Seed time and harvest.

I spoke to Paula after the shower today, and I reminded her that their victory is our victory, too. Today's declaration "He Answered" is way beyond their family.  It is for you AND me.  I take hold of it.  I know it's true, because "He Answered" for me time and time again.  Don't give up.

You're on the brink of your miracle, too!