Canaan Jude's Nursery

after

before

                                                                                

before

after

before

after

before

after

Daddy Blog: Don't Waste Your Breath

“If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”

Ecclesiastes 11:3-6

This was the inescapable passage I landed on, during our struggle with infertility. I had been preaching expositionally (chapter by chapter, verse by verse) through Ecclesiastes for about 12 weeks, and prior to starting it; we were given the news that we had a 1% chance of conceiving naturally. Needless to say, we were absolutely crushed. Jess did tell me before we got married that she more than likely had P.C.O.S. which would make conception difficult (not impossible, just abnormally difficult). I remember telling her I loved her, and that if God wanted us to have kids, we would...and if He didn't...well, we wouldn't. To be honest, I was kind of neutral on the idea of having any children. So, I spoke these words confidently seeing this thing afar off...but when we got up close...and this became our present reality...I was completely devastated. 

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

The doctors then recommended we try using Clomid (prescription drug therapy) to increase our likely hood to 17%. I poured my heart out to the LORD, and He responded with this passage. 

Essentially, what I heard Solomon saying is, “Quit making lame excuses, for your lack of trust in God...seek His will above your own, and be obedient to Him...regardless, how things appear to play out for you." 

He is very simply saying that too often we do nothing, because we are afraid of what might come. That is not a walk of faith. I mean...you’re breathing, aren't you? Why are you wasting your breath? Go! Live the life God has called you to. 

What about the tree? Yeah, the tree could fall on you. Maybe the rain will come, and wash away what you planted. Maybe so...but maybe not...All a man can do, is accept the limitation of not being God; and be obedient, to what God does reveal to him. 

So, if God says, "Go through the forest." Man, go through the forest! No matter how hard the wind’s blowing. If He says, “It's time to plant." Plant the seeds, even if it is already raining...plant the seeds! Don't you think He knew it was going to rain?!

Ok, so now that we cleared that up. Where do I go from here? Because now, I have this fragile little soul to parent over. Wow...How's this going to work? Will he love Jesus, love the church, love mom, love me? With all my heart, I hope...but, do I have any guarantees? Nope...but, I’m not expecting it to accidentally happen either. I'm going to work at it, even if the odds seem stacked against me.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

What about you? Do you know who you are? Do you know what you’re trying to become? Are you a “want to” kind of person? Do you not already have some “I wish I would have’s" in your life? They'll just keep building, until you put feet to them. What are you doing today? What are you going to do tomorrow? 

You've got to boldly decide, and stay fiercely committed. Because sometimes....you just wake up, get the kids ready for school, get in your car, go to work, come home, eat, maybe watch some tv, give the kids a bath, and go to bed. Then, before you know it...your “want to’s” become “I wish I would have’s.”

God, in His infinite goodness, has brought us this far...and I'm certain, He will continue to faithfully Shepard us through the rest. We don't "want to be" good parents...we will be good parents. Not saying that in an egocentric way at all, but Theocentric!

“But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'”

Matthew 19:26

What about you? Will you ascribe to the wise words of Solomon today, and discover full/rich/abundant life to be had in heeding God's call over your life, to show His goodness to others...or will you play the fool, who wastes his life in a desperate attempt to secure it, for his own sake.

Jesus said:

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?”

Mark 8:35-37

We were created for, called back to, and commissioned out for the glory of His name! 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether you parent, or don't...your life is not your own. So, by the grace of God, be bold with it! Invest it. Walk by faith, not by sight. Trust God with the results. 

39 weeks.

How far along? 39 weeks

Total weight gain: 18lbs. 

Maternity clothes? Maternity clothes are even becoming laughable these days. Luckily I'm done working now and I don't get much more dressed up than that pre-pool ensemble above.  

Sleep: I sleep, but ask me how I feel when I wake up! Boy I hope that disappears once little man is here! 

Best moment this week: Even though the holiday weekend wasn't filled with sun and swimming like we would of liked we still made the best of it. My sister (in law) and brother(in law) threw us the cutest couples shower and it was the best time ever! Just getting together with some friends and enjoying some time together before our little one gets here!

Cravings:  I can't say I'm craving anything, im all about having ice cream and cookies and milk! I've never been a sweet person, I person a bag of chips over anything but lately I'll take any excuse to make my way to an ice cream shop!

Symptoms: I had contractions two days this week but nothing consistent. I'm looking forward to going to the doctors this week in hopes of some sort of progress to be made!

Looking forward to: I'm technically on "vacation" this week so we have just been relaxing by the pool and just doing random things around the house that don't necessarily need done but we have nothing else to do but pass the time waiting on this little guy. 

Please pray our little one makes his appearance sometime in the next week. We really do not want to have to be induced! 

Our Current Favorite Breakfast: Blueberry Waffles

1 3/4 c. of flour

   2 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. of salt

2 tbs. of sugar

1 1/2 c. milk

2 eggs

1/2 c. canola oil

1 tbs. of vanilla ext.

mix in blueberries

My waffle iron has been one of my most favorite and most used gifts ever! Invest in one, they make breakfast time yummy. 

We also use our waffle iron for grilled cheese and to make Waffle B.L.T's <--- you can click there to find the recipe and yummy pictures for that.

Top with syrup, whipped cream and a little more blueberries.

10 Prayers to pray for your Children, in the womb or out!

As our little ones arrival gets closer and closer we've found ourselves spending more time in here. Specifically my quiet time, as he's now become a huge portion of our prayer life (I feel certain this will remain the same for the rest of our lives). I was reading recently in Proverbs 31, an extremely popular passage for woman, but I find myself always adding that on to anything I'm currently reading and I have verses from that chapter written in several places to remind me of how I so desperately want to be like this woman. I know we all slip up sometimes, but I can't help but fervently pray that I always strive to be a woman of Nobel character for both my husband and now my son. That's tough and scary though. What if I'm not? What happens when I fall short? Let's be real, I know without HIM I will always fall short, but man isn't it awesome knowing that HE already knows that and still loves us? I sit in my sweet boys room and beg Him to mold me into the mother my son needs and the wife my husband requires and everytime I do I feel so undeserving of what gifts I've been given, what an opportunity I have to be a gracious wife and to be a nurturing mother. I pray I never forgot that for even a second. David and I prayed for our son before he was ever a little grey scaled figure on an ultrasound screen. I so encourage you if you don't have children yet or your not even married, pray for your future spouse, pray for your one day children! Pray for the children in your womb and pray for the ones holding your hand. I'm sharing a few of the prayers we have prayed for our little one below.

1.) We praise God that our child is fearfully and wonderfully made, and ask Him to continue knitting him together in the womb in the precise way He desires. (Psalm 139:13-14).

2.) We rejoice that all of our child’s days have been ordained by God (Psalm 139:16). Acknowledging that his days belong to Him, from the first to the last and every day in between. While God has given us our precious son, we recognize that He was never ours to begin with, but HIS.

3.) We pray that in time, the Holy Spirit would convict our child of his sin, and bring awareness of God’s righteousness and his coming judgment apart from salvation (John 16:8). We pray that he’ll never be deceived about the state of his heart before God (Matthew 7:21-23), never believing he’s saved if he isn’t and never doubting he’s saved if he is.

4.) We pray that God would give our child a heart that trusts in Him, leaning not on his own understanding, but acknowledging Him in all things. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

5.) We have asked God to grant our child a biblical fear of the Lord – an awareness of His holiness and His power, that inspires obedience. (Proverbs 9:10).

6.) We pray he will grow to love God’s Word and meditate on it throughout his days (Psalm 119:97).

7.) We pray that he would be great – not by intelligence or power or fame, but by serving others. (Mark 10:43-45).

8.) We pray that he would grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

9.) We pray God would grant him a heart that seeks justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

And so importantly in today's world...

10.) We pray that he would live as light in a dark world (Ephesians 5:8).