To the Mom with the Puking Kid in the CFA Bathroom

Hi Friend! Can I call you friend? After all, we are all part of the same enormous family. To say I was a bit surprised when you rushed through the door cradling your daughter in your arms would be an accurate statement. But appalled? No. Bothered? Nope, not even really that. Though I’m sure the same mortified look that graced your face would have been plastered on my own as well had I been in your shoes last night.

But that’s how things are, aren’t they? When our own child does something that goes against the social norm – whether it’s puking in a restaurant, or throwing a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store – We look around wondering what the old man must think of us now, or how the other mom in the bathroom  must be chiding us for bringing our sick child out in public, and we feel just awful for what we put the employees through (whether cleaning up remnants of lunch or the shattered glass spaghetti sauce jar that the one year old threw to the ground – yes, that happened to me). And these moments are hard. Really hard! But they happen. Life happens. And we get caught in the middle of it sometimes.

I’m so sorry for any rude comments that came your way as a result of last night. To be honest, I’m glad for your sake it was at Chick-fil-A and not another restaurant as the grace of the employees covers nearly any offense in that place. I’m sorry if there were other customers that were more concerned about their own comfort than in assisting a struggling momma in her moment of need. I assure you, this wasn’t your fault.

As you think back over the events and decisions of your day, second guessing where you went wrong and wishing so desperately that you could go back and just change one thing to undo the embarrassment of the evening, don’t beat yourself up. There’s no way you could have known your daughter wasn’t up for a chicken sandwich. You made your decisions based on the information you had at the time. You did your best. You’re still a good momma!

Sometimes, we as women like to look at the mommas around us, convinced that they must have it all together – never aware that their insecurities run as deep as ours. And isn’t that why we judge and condemn one another anyhow? It makes us feel better to make someone else feel worse. It makes us feel bigger to make someone else feel smaller. I guarantee you that no mother makes it through life without embarrassment, frustration, and regret. Not one!

I’m proud of you, friend. The way you handled yourself, the way your cared for your daughter – I saw how you loved her. Thank you for not chiding or making her feel guilty for something she couldn’t control.

So when you think back to last night and rushing down the aisle to the bathroom, do me a favor, k? Give yourself a little grace! I’m willing to. And the next time you see me with a puking kid in the bathroom, you can pass it back my way.

Body Image and the Fear of God

What does the fear of God have to do with my body image anyhow? I rolled the question around my mind and wondered if that really was the key to the struggle that had been weighing on my mind so heavily recently.

Ever since my fourth little boy was born, I’ve bemoaned the ways my body has morphed into someone I don’t even recognize any longer. Pants are the worst! Finding a pair that is both modest and flattering seems nearly impossible. And who has money to buy a totally new wardrobe anyhow? Not to mention, I wasn’t about to spend money on clothing that was a size larger!

The struggle was real! After my third boy, I had a paradigm shift in my thinking about food. For so long, I had lived with the mentality of fad diets and/or depriving my body in order to lose weight. Not only did I realize that this was wreaking havoc on my metabolism, but it wasn’t glorifying God with my body. And that’s what I was called to – 1 Corinthians 6:19 – your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, honor God with your body. So I studied nutrition (extensively); I learned what God created my body to consume, my needs, and how to enjoy the foods God provided without guilt! I lost weight – lots. I also learned to move my body like it was meant to move, to rest, and to manage stress in a Spirit filled way. Viva Gloria – living the glorious life. Walking in the Spirit. It was beautiful!

Why wasn’t the weight coming off this time? I was so frustrated. I know that my stress level was higher. I was getting less sleep. And I was nursing an injury that was limiting my ability to move like I wanted to. But still – I wanted more.

The truth is (and it’s nasty): I wanted people to notice again. I wanted the compliments. And I wanted to feel good about myself. PRIDE. Yep. That’s what it is. I was at the center of my thinking. How quickly right motive morph into selfish desires. I started out with the purpose of walking in the Spirit and honoring God, I slide down the slope of self-image sin.

I was more concerned about what my friend was going to say the next time she saw me than how God could use me to minister to her heart.

My heart had become ugly. Workouts took priority (for a while) over my time with God and my time with my sons and cost me energy reserves that both were more worthy of. I would eat healthy (for a time) until I got emotional and needed a quick chocolate fix or something more. Eventually, I gave way to eating whatever I felt like again (and this definitely didn’t help the body image cycle).

So I’ve experienced both sides of this coin. . . really walking in step with God and being in tune with His Spirit and seeing results, morphing into prideful body image, self-made ideals of weight loss, and shame when results didn’t happen (and easily falling back into an “I don’t care” mentality). –Maybe there’s more than two sides of this coin. ;)

I never really thought I had an issue with fear of man when it came to my body. I mean, I wasn’t really scared of how other people saw me. I’ve never been really hurt by comments or teasing. But I see now that fear doesn’t have to mean fear in a way I understand it. When I put more value on how others perceive me and less on what God sees in my heart at that moment (whether it is concern for another woman or the third cookie I want to put in my mouth), I am fearing man more than I fear God.

Father, teach me to fear you only with my body – what I eat, how I sleep, how I move, and how I relate to those around me. And may I live this glorious life that you’ve prepared for me – for your glory alone!

To Nannah, on Her Birthday: What I Remember and What I Learned

Dear Nannah,

Happy first birthday in heaven. I didn’t anticipate that you wouldn’t be spending this one with us, though I expect that heaven throws better parties that we ever could. I wanted to take a few minutes to write you this birthday and express how grateful I am for your life and your impact on mine. I only regret I never took the opportunity to do this while you were here.

I struggle to find the right words to express the depths of my love and appreciation for your life. And in some ways, it would be easier emotionally to stay busy today and now allow my heart to linger. The memories, precious, cherished, yet hard to revisit since you are no longer here to share them with. The lessons you taught me over the 31 years that I knew you were invaluable in shaping who I am today. You truly were a woman who left a legacy!

What I remember and cherish . . .

• -          Yearly tree trimming parties at your house, antique ornaments, shortbread cookies, and how you showed such grace when I broke one of your glass bells.
• -          Yearly trips to the mall to buy Easter shoes to go with our Easter dresses – and they had to be white! J
• -          How you cooked big dinners on Sunday afternoons because you relished the time with family.
• -          Dancing silly to Richard Simmons or Jazzercise in your living room while you kept up until you got tired then sat down on the couch to watch.
• -         How you taught me to tenderly care for African Violets – your favorite flowers.

• -          Dressing up as a ballerina and dancing shows for you where you always praised and applauded.
• -          My four-year-old Disney vacation with you, Mickey mouse ice cream all over my face, a giant lightbulb on the ship, and how we woke up before dawn to take pictures of the sunrise.
• -          Tiddlywinks tournaments
• -          How you dreamed of what your yard and your creek could be a place of rest, and your random chair set down the steep hill by the brook. I’m sorry you never saw that dream realized!
• -          Bedtime snacks and Brother Rabbit stories!
• -          Jergens lotion on our hands and bactine for bug bites.
• -          Your presence at our milestones – how you never missed a piano recital, gymnastics meet, or Awana awards.
• -          Walking at the mall with your friends.
• -          Awana games and the night you broke your wrist jumping over a ball in dodge ball.
• -          The Fox Theater for Little Women and several times to see the Nutcracker.
• -          Yearly Christmas ornaments.
• -          Your “catnaps” during movies.
• -          Another Disney trip where it rained all day, you bought Rachel and I yellow ponchos and rubbed our cold, wet feet warm once we got back to the hotel.
• -          Weathering the storm at St. George’s Island.
• -          How you braved our sled track that first winter in Michigan.
• -          Stories of Walter Sr. and how you cried when I found “your song.”
• -          Thanksgivings in Kentucky at the hotel and annual “surprise parties” that we always knew were coming.
• -          How you never forgot a birthday or anniversary – you loved celebrating people!
• -          Coca-Cola cake.
• -          How you surprised me by flying up for my college graduation.
• -          How you fell in love with Jared from the start.
• -          Your beauty and serenity on my wedding day.
• -          How you proudly carried your brag book of your grandchildren.
• -          How you patiently explained to two-year-old Eli how your watch worked when he asked.

  - 

• -      How you made Kaleb giggle.
• -          The rapid, deep connection you made with Gabriel on our last trip to see you.
• -          Your faithfulness in praying for me.
• -          How you always cried when we left, but tried to cover it up.
• -          How Gabriel walked you back to your car, and somehow I knew that was the last time we would see you.

Your life has ingrained principles into mine. You taught me . . .

• -          Love covers a multitude of sins. When you were offended, you never took it personally, and you let things go very quickly. You knew that God loved you, and you offered that same love and grace to both your family and your friends.
• -          The art of distraction. When my kids would squabble, you would quickly separate them and move on to something new. Changing the subject was an art form. J
• -          A gentle answer turns away wrath. I hold no memories of you ever raising your voice. Your tone was one of gentleness and peace.
• -          Prayer is powerful and changes things. You prayed Ephesians 3:14-18 for your children and grandchildren daily. You told me. And I never doubted it as I saw the fruit of this prayer bud and flourish in my and my siblings lives.
• -          Giving is better than receiving. You servants heart and love for giving were evident from when you would argue over who was covering the dinner bill or serving by washing dishes or prepping food because you couldn’t stand not to be involved. Thank you for setting the example of servanthood!

Nannah, I would give anything to hug you one more time. I am beyond grateful that God blessed me with a woman as wonderful as you for my grandmother. And well, I guess since I couldn’t say “grandmother” as a toddler “Nannah” had to do. And I have to say, it fit you well.

Thank you for loving so well. Thank you for living so well. Thank you for being all of the woman God called you to be. I pray that I too may leave a legacy for generations to come.

Lovingly,

Hannah Elizabeth

Continuing the Conversation: Silence

Last week I was sitting in my garden gazing into the woods. The birds were singing, but it still wasn’t quite spring. All the forest was still bare and brown. But then over the weekend, we got rain; and nearly overnight, color appeared. My coral bells puckered up, purple phlox lush and healthy, tulips opened their buds to the sun, hosta bunches poked up from the dirt revealing baby leaves. And not just my garden, the forest had blossomed. Green vines wrapped around trees, budded leaves now open, berries appeared in the brush and the canopy and underbrush teemed with life. Spring was finally here.

It’s funny to me that a little rain is all it took to go from winter’s end to spring’s beginning. And I wonder how our souls are very much the same way.

The rain provided an essential nutrient that could not be obtained by the plants on their own. Those one or two evenings of downpour that caused a hush over creation, a pause of sorts, gave sustaining, beautifying life. 

Sometimes the rain is frustrating. Sometimes, I don’t understand it. The unsuspecting drizzle can hamper and dampen (no pun intended) the best laid plans for my day. 

Isaiah 55:8-11 says. . .

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.…

So as much as it may foil and frustrate me, the rain is necessary. Not only for the ground, but for my soul. God’s ways are higher than mine. His thoughts I cannot comprehend. Rain creates a natural pause, an opportunity to reflect. Am I allowing for pauses in my life? For showers of refreshment? For his Word to saturate my soul? Or am I fighting the change of plans, the interference with my control? Filling my life with busyness so that I am unable to pause when the opportunity arises?  It’s only when I allow the crusty dirt of my heart to accept the replenishing streams that I will begin to see growth of fruit in my life. 

Hebrews 6:7

For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;

Lord, keep my heart supple. Help me not to run from the rain, but to joyfully accept the moments of pause in my life in order to turn to you and be refreshed.

How have you seen God water you during moments of pause, rain, or silence in your soul? How have you created moments to welcome the pause?

Continuing the Conversation: Chaos Costs . . .

My husband and I kept having these discussions of how it felt like life should be easier than it was. Transition from one thing/event/activity to another seemed to take three times the amount of time that it should. Where was all our margin going? It wasn’t like we scheduled everything down to the second. This problem was becoming a monster that was eating all our time and decreasing the possibility of white space in our lives in order to be still before God, rest in his presence, and quiet our hearts and our souls.

So we’ve been on this journey of simplifying, and as I look back, I see several things we’ve learned through the process of eliminating chaos from our lives:

Chaos costs time

From finding the right shirt stuck on the bottom of ten others, digging through the closet for the right pair of shoes, and pulling out the skirt you want only to find it wrinkled, too many clothes cost time.

Lost keys, misplaced phone, the search for the book loaned from a friend. Lack of order and routine costs time.

Decide what to eat, decide what to wear, decide which activity to do with the kids. Lack of a plan costs time.

Chaos costs money

Buying duplicates because the food item was shoved in the back of the pantry, forgetting I bought those shorts for the boys on sale last summer and getting new ones this spring. Too much to keep organized costs money.

Bought too much food, or simply forgot it was there. Food goes bad before its eaten. Lack of a plan costs money.

So many toys neglected, ignored or broken. Too many to choose from, none of which are favorites. Quantity decreases the value of quality. Lack of value costs money.

Chaos costs energy

Little nick knacks on a shelf that have to be dusted around (that you may not even like or remember where they came from.) Stuffing those last few items into the dresser. Digging through the toolbox to find that screwdriver.  Managing stuff costs energy.

“What’s for dinner?” “What are we doing today?” “Can I play at Suzie’s house?” Questions constantly coming. Brain spinning. No idea how to answer. Unknowns costs energy.

Too much going on to stay on top of cleaning. Bathrooms that require extra elbow grease. Dishes piled in the sink. Mount Laundry. Busyness and not being able to stay on top of things costs energy.

Chaos cost us emotionally and physically and spiritually

No time for first things, priorities, time with God. No time for sleep. No time for workouts. No time to prepare nutritious meals. Not enough time for family or friends. Not having abilities to fill our bucket and live the abundant life. Life seems crazy and out of control. Emotions swing from anxiety to depression. Our hearts grow weak. Our bodies grow weary. Our souls shrivel. Big rocks not put in firsts costs us. Oh, it costs us so much!

Practical and Simple Ways we are Fighting Chaos

• -          Scheduling time with God and with one another as priority (our big rocks)
• -          Eliminating superfluous items from our home (disliked nick knacks, extra clothing, overabundance of toys, duplicate items in the kitchen or workshop)
• -          Setting a routine for cleaning and maintenance (maybe not every week, but things happen in a rotation or loop so that they happen regularly)
• -          Having a daily plan for eating (we eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch on each day of the week – and the boys know what to expect. I plan monthly for dinners with a five-week rotation of dinner menus. This simplifies my grocery shopping as well as I know exactly what I need.)

Overall, the thing that I’m learning most right now is that I cannot allow the mentality of “simplifying” to take the place of Christ in my life. Idolatry of the heart and mind can happen so subtly, and I could easily make this “lifestyle” my savior. I am being challenged as we make decisions about items to get rid of or changes to our schedule to make sure I am seeking Christ first and asking him to lead my heart in surrender.

What are some practical ways you are fighting chaos in your home and heart in order to regain the ability to be still before God?

Continuing the Conversation: Simplicity

I heard him speaking quietly to my heart. You know, that still small voice that so easily gets lost among the chaos of everyday living.

My husband had lovingly sent me out for a few hours of processing time. Being just over 2 months postpartum from the birth of my fourth son, I was understandably overwhelmed. But I had gotten to a point that I couldn’t even think straight. I knew my heart had longings – longings to be more, to be enough actually – because I so often felt like I failed. But I wasn’t even sure what those were any more.

So I took the time, coffee, quiet, good music and my Bible. And I sought God. I asked questions. Lots. I was silent much of the time. And when it finally came through, His voice was crystal clear. “Be still and know, Hannah. Be still and know that I am God.” It seemed like such a simple answer – should be easy, right? But as a stay at home mom of four boys, I never. Stopped. Moving! How could I ever be still?

I started seeking, analyzing, and trying to understand the root of all the motion. The word “simplify” seemed to continue to surface throughout my studies. But what did I really have to simplify? We had a garage sale the year before, and I really felt like I had cleaned out well at that point. And even though my schedule felt “busy,” at that point, my kids had not ECA’s and other that Wednesday nights, we were home almost all the time. I fought the idea at first. I’m not a rich person. We don’t have the biggest house, and I sure don’t have too much stuff. But then why was I always feeling so suffocated and unable to focus?

My husband came home from work one day with a story of a couple who had a very nice couch they loved but had no place for in their home. So they rented a storage unit and paid monthly to have it stored there in case one day they may want to bring it back into their home. Years later, they went to retrieve it – and finding it moth eaten and unusable, they grieved the loss and realized their mistake of hanging on to something for “what if” had cost them more in money, time, thought, and energy than it had potentially benefited them.

God immediately began to bring to mind different items around my home that I had stashed or stored just in case I may need it sometime. He raised the question in my mind, “Hannah, because you are hanging onto that dress, that bedding, those dishes, the baby gear, are you trusting in your possessions more than you are trusting in me? Are you turning your stuff into your ‘savior’?”

Scripture is pretty clear that we should have no other gods (Exodus 20:3) and that we should love the Lord our God first and most (Matthew 22:37). In maintaining and finding storage for all these extras that I didn’t know if or when I would need again, I was not only taxing my management ability, my ability to focus, and my chaos meter, but I was also putting those items in place of God in certain parts of my life. When I found myself saying, “I cannot live without this.” I was saying that I was in control, and I had to stay in control to guarantee my future. My stuff and my own control were subtly seeping onto the throne of my heart.

As I began the slow process of weeding out these extras. These items of idolatry in my life, I found out my heart was more deceitful than I first thought. I uncovered areas of both pride and fear. I found myself constantly pendulum swinging from “contentment” (not godly contentment – prideful contentment in my possessions and how I compared to the world around me) or consumerism (aka: fear that if I didn’t have, didn’t buy, didn’t own certain things, I would be less than, undesirable, or not measure up in some way to the world around me.

No one can serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). And that is exactly what I was doing. When I was emotional, I would shop. When I had free time, I would shop. I didn’t think it was a bad thing because I would find good bargains and stay within my budget, but what I had failed to see was that my heart was devoted to my money, to my possessions, to my appearance rather than trusting God to provide exactly what I need and direct my heart to what was best.

I started with my clothing. I knew that if simplicity was a change I wanted to see in my home as a whole, I had to start with myself. My dresser was overflowing, closet stuffed, buckets in the basement. How could one person ever use so many clothes? I was disgusted with where I had wound up. After tackling my clothing, I went on to my books, decor, kitchen, linens and continued to move throughout my house. I found so many things that I didn’t even like taking up space and time to maintain that I was hanging onto just because it had been given to us. I found myself even irritated with some of these items. Why not just get rid of them? They don’t serve a purpose…you don’t even like them. Yeah, but someone had spent some money or time on them, and if I got rid of them, I was afraid of what those people would think. And it made me feel guilty somehow. Then God whispered to my heart. “Hannah, are you fearing man more than you are fearing God? What if I asked you to get rid of it to make more space for me? Would you fear me more than them?”

Challenges, growth, and freedom have all come through this process of pursuing simplicity in order to make room to Be Still. One of the most freeing moments so far happened one day when I sat down with my to do list, overwhelmed at the amount of things left on it for the day. I brought it before God. I just don’t see how I’m going to get this all done. This is so overwhelming! “Hannah,” He quietly whispered back. “Your expectations of yourself are higher than my expectations are of you. Let it go.” A weight lifted as I looked back at my list and realized that of the nine things left there, only two were necessary for that day and four I could eliminate all together just by freeing myself of my own expectations and choosing to live within God’s expectations for my day.

Simplicity: this journey that God has had me on for the last twelve months has begun to free me to know who God is, to understand who I am as a result of it, to the interrelationship of how I interact with the world around me and the stillness or chaos of my own heart. This journey to simplify, to still my heart and to be. To Be here. Be still. And know. That HE IS GOD!

I would love to hear how God is directing your journey or any lessons you've been learning about who God is and who you are in the midst of learning to be still...

What I'd Really Like to Say to my Pastor . . .

We had been waiting in limbo for a few months waiting to hear what their decision would be…. Was our Pastor going to make the move to another position at another church or was he going to continue where he was? Where was God leading him and his family? That was the question. And as the answer was revealed two weeks ago, I struggled as I was engulfed with a flood of thoughts and emotions. Making heads or tails of what I was feeling at the moment seemed impossible. But since, I’ve had some time to process, pray, and piece together a few thoughts. So if I could say anything to our pastor, this is what it would be…

• -          Thank you. Thank you for speaking truth. So much “preaching” that goes on now-a-days is just pomp and circumstance, pleasant on the ears. I have to admit that sometimes, I didn’t like what you said. But the truth was proclaimed whether it was popular or not. Thank you for hitting the hard topics and not shying away from taboos in the pulpit. I cannot imagine the position this put you in physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually – I know it was very difficult, trying and challenging at times (probably, most times). Thank you!
• -          Thank you for your life transparency. Whether it was a current challenge you were facing, a story from your past or even sharing your failures, you did so with humility and grace. Thank you for allowing your life to be a book read by so many others. (And thank your wife for letting you share many of those stories and struggles!) I am so grateful that I never felt like I was sitting under a “holier-than-thou” pastor. Your life was tangible, real, and relatable. Thank you!
• -          And thank you for, by God’s grace and his power in you, making every effort to live what you preached. I saw it in the way your related to and cared for your wife. I saw it in the way you trained your children – the way they respected you. I saw it as I watched your babies in the nursery, and I saw it acted out in tangible ways as you cared for the flock that had been entrusted to you. Thank you!
• -          Thank you for seeing, caring, and acting. Thank you for caring enough to carry the car seat. You saw me in moments of struggle, and you were not above that.  Thank you for serving me (and many other women in our church) in this tangible way. I am extremely grateful!
• -          Thank you for prioritizing your family – I loved seeing pictures of you out with your wife or kids!
• -          Thank you for your grace and humility in the process of seeking God’s will for the next step. Thank you for involving the church leadership and elders. Thank you for informing our congregation, and thank you for seeking Christ faithfully for his best for you and your family and His church as a whole.
• -          I’m sorry for not praying for you more consistently. I wish I could say that my intercession for your family and ministry was consistent. As a member of the body of Christ, my support for the other members is crucial. And I have failed in this way. Please forgive me for my lack of faithfulness in this crucial way.
• -          I’m sorry if our church was without grace. I know moments of wounds happen in any pastor’s ministry. You have stuck with our church body through some difficult moments, moments that had a propensity to rub the wrong way. I understand that your leaving is not due to any particular situation, but directed by God. But I also know that one cannot lead a body without being wounded to some degree. For any part that our church body has played in causing you pain, I am deeply sorry.
• -          We will miss you and your family!
• -          I’m committed to continuing to pray for you and your family as you step out in obedience and faith. By God’s grace, I will faithfully lift you up before his throne.

A special note to my Pastor’s Wife:

• -          Thank you for your constant support and encouragement of your husband! I know no pastor is what he is without the support of his wife and best friend. I see the relationship that you guys have, and I am so grateful for your example of a marriage that reflects Christ!
• -          Thank you for sharing your moments of pain and weakness transparently. Thank you for not hiding when your family was grieving loss and dealing with difficult circumstances. Thank you for letting us care for you.
• -          Thank you for living the life of “single mom” so many Sundays as your husband ministered to the church. I know so much extra burden is heaped on your shoulders as he has special responsibilities to others. Thank you for pushing through the loneliness and continuing to reach out to the ladies around you even when you may not have felt like it.
• -          Thank you for not giving up even when the attacks seemed to come from every angle. Thank you for persevering and not losing heart in doing good.
• -          Thank you for supporting and serving with the ladies’ leadership team this summer. You were an indispensable part of the impact God had at the church this summer!
• -          I’m sorry life gets crazy and we didn’t get to connect like we may have liked. I’m sorry that playdates, dinners, or catch up lunches didn’t happen as often as they should have.
• -          I’m sorry for not lifting you up before the throne of grace consistently as I should. It was easy to do when I knew you were struggling, but the faithfulness of the daily grind was not covered in prayer as it should have been. Please forgive me.
• -          I’m sorry for the times I was so self-focused at church and didn’t reach out to you like you needed. So many times, I got so wrapped up in my own needs that I failed to see yours as well.
• -          I will miss the routine fellowship with you and your family.
• -          I will be praying for you as you begin this next adventure along-side your husband. I will be praying for deep relationships to form quickly. I will pray for adjustment of your kids to the new environment and routine. I will continue to pray for your weekends to run smoothly.

I pray that out of the riches of God’s glorious grace, he would strengthen you both through and through. That your you would be filled to the full with the riches of his grace. That Christ would bless you as you continue to follow him faithfully. I pray that you would know the glorious riches of the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory and that you would know how wide and how long and how high and how deep is the love of Christ and would experience his incomparably great power for those who believe.

Love you guys!

Blessed beyond measure to have my life touched by yours!

*Hannah