Thank you God...especially for the little things

Around here it is getting pretty hormonal.  With less than 3 weeks until the due date for baby #3, my emotions are not as controlled as I'd like them to be.  False labor started almost 2 weeks ago which makes things more complicated.  I've also had some of the worst swelling ever that has turned my slow walking into barely waddling.  It has been difficult to maintain a thankful heart with so much to do and being so much slower at everything than I want to be.  However, I am going to choose to give thanks with a grateful heart for the wonderful blessings God has given us even if they seem to be insignificant to the world.

I am choosing to be thankful that there are only a couple of small things on the calendar left before baby's impending birthday!  All the major stuff has either been completed or cancelled!  YEAH!  I have finished almost all of the sewing for the baby's room!  Praise Him for allowing it to happen with efficiency and precision!  I only have a pair of lovey's left to make which should only take an hour or so!!!  YIPPY!

(Here is a picture of the curtain I sewed and the finial tieback that Dave lovingly hung.)

Thank you God for giving me the ability to work on painting a mural in the baby's room!  Thank you for inspiring me with the ideas and guiding my hands so the process is peaceful, quick and an act of love for this sweet blessing!  I'm not done yet, but have come a long way in just a few short days!!!

(Here is the work in progress...and yes I am that big!)

Thank you, Father, for allowing Dave to be available to be my chauffeur and helper since the false labor has been stronger this time!  Thank you that he has gracefully picked up the slack I've had to leave because my body refuses to cooperate in even the silliest things...like washing dishes (I can no longer reach the faucett without a bit of an acrobatic move!).

I praise you, Father, for not allowing us to feel forgotten in this waiting period before Dave's next job assignment.  Thank you for sending him some opportunities to pursue, even if they are not the ones you will choose to use as a way of providing for our family.  Please continue to show us your will through this time of patiently trusting You!

Thank you for an exhausting weekend with our friends and families at the Lodge in Danbury this past weekend!  I may have stumbled away tired beyond belief with A LOT of contractions, but we had a wonderful time with everyone!  The girls had a delightful time and came home so tired that they've slept well 2 nights in a row!!!  Praise you, Father, for even the smallest of blessings!

In the bible study I'm working on right now, the subject matter has been about our authenticity in our prayer requests and heart attitudes.  James speaks very strongly about praying with the right motives as well as loving God more than the world.  After such a rough week last week and dealing with discomforts that have disrupted my routine life, I have had to put some thought into these areas.  Even though I don't believe I was radically selfish in my prayer life or loving the world in a sincere manner, I have to wonder if I've been distracted with selfish desires in these areas.

I've begun to think about the prayers I've offered lately.  Are they prayers that reflect a heart in tune with God's will, or are they laced with the selfish desire to have ease grace my path?  I can honestly say that ease has probably been more of a motive than not.  Lord, please help the girls obey so that I don't have to fight them into time out...etc...  It is very easy to get caught up in the aches and pains at this part of the pregnancy which ultimately makes me wish for ease and comfort.  However, what does this teach the girls?

As much as I would love to be able to say that I can keep it all together and parent these precious children with grace and gentility all the time, it would be a lie.  The truth is I can only try to do my best and beg God for grace, strength, and wisdom to do it in a way that this self-centered human physically, emotionally, and spiritually can't.  So as I think about my motives, I ask God's forgiveness for my focus being shifted to my temporary discomforts.  I also ask He give me the grace to be living proof to my watching girls of His love and salvation in this lost and dying world.  Thank you, Lord, for reminding me where my focus should be!!