Sleepless nights

She is still for the moment, but that won't last long. She doesn't feel good, is uncomfortable and feverish. She fights to keep her paci in her mouth while still trying to breathe. It is a pitiful sight indeed.

Out of the blue this sickness struck. No signs of it. No warning when she went to bed last night that when she woke this morning, things would be different. Her nose like a faucet, her mood clingy, her eyes like a sad puppy. My girl doesn't feel good, and it hurts this momma's heart.

The humidifier is blowing moist air while I sit rubbing her head, praying for healing, comfort and quick recovery, I am thankful.

Thankful that it is just this. Just a cold. Just a runny nose. Just a low grade fever.

There are many that have gone before me that would have done anything to have a sick baby. To have this baby that just has a cold. I can't help but think of the mom's who hold an even sicker child as chemo is pumped into their small, fragile bodies. The mom who rubs her head while the hair continues to fall out. While the breathing machine isn't ever going to be turned off on this side of heaven unlike the humidifier in the morning.

While I beg for Him to take her cold away, they beg for the day when their prayer was that simple. A cold.

Perspective.

It doesn't make it easier, but it makes me thankful. Don't take for granted what you have, for some day, it may be gone.

It may be a long night of wiping her nose, checking her fever and administering Tylenol, but at least we're at home and not in a hospital. At least it's Tylenol and not chemo, and at least we're checking fevers and not pulses.

Thank you Lord for the health of my sweet Gracie girl. I do not take it lightly. She is yours Lord, but I am so glad you gave her to me to mother for this time.

Blessings by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe


'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

The Resolution for Women

THE RESOLUTION

I DO SOLEMNLY RESOLVE to embrace my current season of life and will maximize my time in it.  I will resist the urge to hurry through or circumvent any portion of my journey but will live with a spirit of contentment.

I WILL CHAMPION God's model for womanhood in the face of a pro-feminist culture.  I will teach it to my daughters and encourage its support by my sons.

I WILL ACCEPT and celebrate my uniqueness, and will esteem and encourage the distinctions I admire in others.

I WILL LIVE as a woman answerable to God and faithfully committed to His Word.

I WILL SEEK to devote the best of myself, my time, and my talents to the primary roles the Lord has entrusted to me in this phase of my life.

I WILL BE a woman who is quick to listen and slow to speak.  I will care about the concerns of others and esteem them more highly than myself.

I WILL FORGIVE those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL NOT TOLERATE evil influences even in the most justifiable form, in my self or my home, but will embrace and encourage a life of purity.

I WILL PURSUE justice, love mercy and extend compassion toward others.

I WILL BE FAITHFUL to my husband and honor him in my conduct and conversation in order to bring glory to the name of the Lord.  I will aspire to be a suitable partner for him to help him reach his God-given potential.

I WILL DEMONSTRATE to my children how to love God will all their hearts, minds, and strength, and will train them to respect authority and live responsibly.

I WILL CULTIVATE a peaceful home where everyone can sense God's presence not only through acts of love and service but also through the pleasant and grateful attitude with which I perform them.

I FULLY RESOLVE to make today's decisions with tomorrow's impact in mind.  I will consider my current choices in light of those who will come after me.

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