Church

I wanted to share something with you all that I heard at church this past Sunday. I'm not preaching to ya, this just kind of sums up my thoughts about why Steven and I went through the things we went through to get to where we are now. I guess it was sometime during my pregnancy I realized the lesson I was supposed to learn. I started meeting all these people who were having a hard time getting pregnant. It seems like it's so common now. Some were successful on Clomid, some were able to do IUI, but some had to do IVF like me and Steven. I started thinking (as I was encouraging these women to hang in there) that maybe we were chosen so that we could share our experience with others and be someone to lean on for these people. I became very close to some of them and it became very evident that I was chosen for that reason. Our pastor is doing a sermon series called "More Than Words" right now. Let me tell you this - Steven and I are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. We sin just like everyone else. But when I go to Hope, I always feel like it is the perfect place for me. Steven feels the same, and I am so grateful that we both feel that way. Anyway, back to the lesson - Pastor Craig was talking about courage and how God uses moments of weakness to show you how strong you really are.

Christ said to me, "My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you." So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ's power can live in me. For this reason I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ. Because when I am weak, then I am truly strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NCV)

Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Also, the Spirit helps us with our weaknesses. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain.

Romans 8:26 (NCV)

The point is, when you're put in a troubling situation (any situation that could cause a "why me?") remember that God chose you for a reason. He is going to do some great work in you during this time. You could be the shoulder to lean on for so many people going through the very same thing. You never know when God is going to use you.

If you went through your entire life without any obstacles or set-backs, then you would never learn anything. You would never know how strong you really are. Think about a time in your life when you struggled the most. A moment of weakness. Didn't you learn a lot during that time? Have you helped someone else who ended up in a similar situation? I know I have and I wouldn't trade my experience for the world.

Pictures from our friend Grant's 1st birthday party this past weekend: