Homebound and Blessed Abundantly

So I am pregnant with our third child and this kid comes along with tons of adventure (or should I say torture) early on! Pregnancy is not for the faint of heart - at least not when you are, well, ME :) For the past few days I have been at home hooked up to an IV in my hand feeding me fluids, and a port in my leg that is giving me constant doses of Zofran, a nausea medication. It has been an exhausting experience and I am ready for the child to be born. Sadly, I am only nine weeks along. Thus I am choosing to rejoice in the many good things that are going on in my life, the first being that in spite of the sickness, there is a LIFE growing inside of me. There is a little person developing and changing and I will get to meet the little miracle in a few months! Amazing! Even after having two other beautiful children, I still marvel at the gift of life and what a wonderful mystery it is. I am truly thankful and outrageously blessed. 

I am thankful for my husband who has been nothing but helpful and understanding in the midst of all of the chaos. From cleaning the house to taking care of the children, to grocery shopping, to being my personal nurse, he has not complained once and has bent over backward to make sure that I am taken care of. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for all he has done and continues to do. All this in the midst of trying to move fifteen hours away to Arkansas.

That's right. We are moving to Arkansas in a little over a week. Our time at First Baptist Church in P-burg is coming to a close and we are on to a new adventure with the folks of Central Baptist Church in Arkansas. Our current church body has become our family and we love them so very much. I am extremely thankful for everything they have contributed to our lives in the past three and a half years. This week alone they have stepped up and helped with the kids, cleaned my house, brought meals over, and some are still here packing up our belongings and visiting, such a bittersweet (but mostly sweet) time. The amount of love I feel in my heart towards these incredible people is hard to articulate. Again, this is part of the outrageous blessings from God. It will truly be hard to leave here.

I am thankful for our new church body in Arkansas. The people down there have expressed their love, excitement, and their anticipation of our arrival. We already feel loved and  cared for and look forward to years of building relationships and serving alongside these new precious souls. 

I have learned that choosing to focus on the blessings helps take a bit of the sting out of the hard stuff we face. It is easy to look around and see the things we wish would or wouldn't happen and focus on the trials we face or the hardships coming or way, but I believe if we look up we will find much to give thanks about. A sunset, a thunderstorm, a baby's cry, a toddler's hug, a warm hand to hold, a bed to sleep in - these are all things worth praising God for. I choose to do this more often.