A Letter to Levi {My 1 year old}

Dear Levi,

One year ago tomorrow, God gave us YOU! And boy have you changed our lives for the better. It has been a beautiful year with you and I have loved every minute of being your mommy. The laughs, the smiles, the cuddles and kisses, the milestones, and even the tears. Through it all, you have brought us so much joy! It is a bittersweet thing to watch you turn 1. I want to hold on to my sweet baby, but I am also excited to watch you grow into a little boy. 

I will never forget May 29, 2015-- the day you entered this world and our lives. My labor began the night of our due date (May 28th) around 11:30 p.m. After weeks of Braxton Hicks contractions, early progress at the doctor (3 cm and 70% effaced at 38 weeks!), you decided you were ready to finally meet us. I labored at home for as long as I could and let your daddy get some needed rest before I decided we better get to the hospital. I was scheduled for an induction at 5 a.m. the next morning due to high blood pressure at our 40 week appointment, but the Lord answered our prayers and sent us into active labor before we ever got to the hospital.

We arrived to LMC around 4:30 a.m. after a stop at McDonald's for Daddy's biscuit and Dr. Pepper (!!) and after calling en route for the nurses to "please have an epidural ready!!" I was 6 cm when I got to the hospital and 8 cm when I finally got the epidural around 5:30 a.m. We called the family and told them they better hurry up and get there because things were moving fast. Your daddy never left my side and was so interested in everything that was happening. We were both so excited and ready to meet you!

Around 8:15 a.m. I was told it was time to push! Your daddy saw you first and announced how much hair you had! He held my hand and after just a few pushes, you entered this world at 8:28 a.m. Your daddy wept when he saw you for the first time and I wept when you let out your first cry. All I could think to say was, "Thank you Jesus!" over and over and over again.

It was a perfect moment and better than I ever imagined it would be. The nurse placed you on my chest and I was in awe when I held you for the first time. Your daddy prayed over us and I cried with thanks to God for his goodness, a healthy birth, and for giving us the gift of YOU!

It has been the most wonderful year, Levi, and we could not be more blessed to be your parents. It is a joy to watch you learn and grow and kiss your sweet cheeks. I love the start of each new day with you when I pick you up out of your crib every morning. I love reading books with you, watching you play with Finley, and seeing you and your Daddy love on each other. I'm thankful for a successful year of breastfeeding and bonding with you, of no sickness, and the honor of praying for you, snuggling with you, and loving you- my precious baby boy.

Most of all, I am thankful for God's grace that has covered us this year as we have grown closer to each other and to Him. At the end of the day, Levi, Jesus is the only thing that really matters. It is our prayer that you will see that in our lives and in our home and that you will dedicate your life to knowing, loving, and serving Him. 

We love you more than you'll ever know, sweet angel! 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Ready for Battle

Have you ever felt unequipped for something?  Maybe for a test?  The daily grind of life?  Or perhaps for war – not a physical battle, but a spiritual one?

I recently found myself in a similar situation.  It seemed like I was being attacked from every angle, and I felt unequipped.  Unarmed.  Unprepared.  Unable to fight.  It did not take long for me to realize that I was fighting the battle with the wrong weapons.  

When we rely on our own strength to combat life's tough issues we end up tired, weary, and discouraged.  Why?  Because this is not how God intended us to live the victorious Christian life.  He is faithfully waiting to go to war for us and for us to call on Him in prayer. 

One of my favorite quotes from Priscilla Shirer's latest book, Fervent, says, "We pray because our own solutions don’t work and because prayer deploys, activates, and fortifies us against the attacks of the enemy.  We pray because we’re serious about taking back the ground he has sought to take from us.” 

Yes, we will face trials of many kinds, but we have a God who is listening and is ready to fight for us!  We see this beautiful theme all throughout Scripture: God often provides an opportunity for us to wholly trust Him as He fights on our behalf.  A great example from the Old Testament is the story of David and Goliath. 

David, a shepherd boy, was the youngest of his three brothers and probably the most unequipped to fight the Philistine giant, Goliath.  But God specifically chose him for this task.  In 1 Samuel 17:37 David courageously said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  All along, God had been preparing him for this particular battle.  David was ready to fight. 

He approached Goliath “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones.  He wasn't dressed in any armor and did not carry any other weapons.  Goliath scoffed at the handsome, unarmed boy.  But David stood his ground and declared, “The battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

And it was with the Lord's power that David defeated Goliath.  He prevailed with a sling, a stone, and complete dependence on God, his Defender and Protector.

What a great reminder for our present circumstances – good or bad.  It was not David's might that allowed him to take down Goliath; it was his reliance upon and trust in the One fighting on his behalf!  It's amazing to me to see how God used previous events in David's life to prepare him for this moment.  Just like for David, the trials we face today and the tough seasons we endure are simply strengthening our faith to conquer the unknown battles ahead of us. 

The next time you feel like you are facing a giant that seems too big to defeat, engage the most effective weapon we have as believers in Christ and call on God in prayer.  When we clothe ourselves in spiritual armor and find our strength in God alone, we will find – just like David – that true victory is in the Lord.