Lesson #2 from a 2 Year Old

It amazes me how much trust children have. There have been times this summer when we've been on rough water or "bumpy" as Josiah calls it. Yet, Josiah & Micah don't fret or fear because they know that Dad & Mom have everything under control & they have nothing to worry about. The other day, Josiah feel asleep & stayed asleep on the floor of the boat & slept soundly through the rough ride. It was truly incredible!

I begin thinking of how much, as a Christian, that I need to be like that with my Heavenly Father. There are SO many times that I don't trust Him & I worry myself to death about things when I should just hand them over to my Lord & know He's under control. How much better my life would be if I placed EVERYTHING in His hands. Over the last couple of months, I've been more fearful of so many things that probably won't even ever happen & the Lord, all along, is saying "just trust Me like Josiah & Micah trust you & Dave."

Someone posted this quote the other day & I think of it often.

"There is NOTHING--no circumstance, no trouble, no testing -- that can ever touch me until, first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a GREAT PURPOSE, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I REFUSE to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to HIM and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some GREAT PURPOSE OF BLESSING to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret--for I SHALL REST IN THE JOY OF WHAT MY LORD IS--that is the rest of victory." ~ Loving God With All Your Mind - Elizabeth George ~

I'm so thankful for a God that I can trust, run to & have the JOY in resting in Him! 

~Rachel

Lesson #1 from a 2 Year Old

Tuesday, I was having one of those days. A day in which everything (as it seems) goes wrong & you can’t get anything done that you want to accomplish. I woke up with great anticipation & excitement for potty training. I know, you’re thinking, excitement??? Yes, I started out excited. Haha.

We had a wonderful day the day before with friends at the zoo & then Dave & I went for a much needed & long overdue date. As we were out, I picked up all kinds of yummy/new treats & sweets for Josiah to enjoy & get him excited about fully using the potty. Little did I know, his allergies had been doing a number on him from being outside & being around the animals. Let’s just say we had more meltdowns before it was even lunch time, so I decided it was wise to call it a day for the potty training & we had to replace the training for breathing treatments.

Then, there was sweet, smiling Micah that’s been working on teeth for some time & has tummy troubles that turned him into a screaming, miserable, sad little boy. What a day we were having! Only to get another bit of news…

Dave had been helping a friend & injured the same eye that’s been injured a few times before & I knew that he was in an incredible amount of pain & would need to do all the needed treatments to get the eye to start healing from the abrasion of his cornea.

So, there I was exhausted, about to burst into tears, not having anything else to give & Josiah wanted me to play with him before Daddy got home. J He invited me to church, which was being held in his room, & brought me in to sit down. He shook my hand & said “Good to meet you!” He also sang a song or two & then started to pray “Dear Jesus, please help me be good. Amen!!!” It was then that God struck my heart & I realized that I needed to bring to Him my burdens & challenges of my day. I was spending all my time being frustrated about our day not going at all as planned that I hadn’t even prayed that the Lord would help direct me & give me the strength, love, & energy I needed for that day. God is so good to continue to teach us even after failing Him time & time again. I’m so thankful for that moment of Him using a 2 year old to get ahold of my heart & help me remember that I need to bring everything before the Lord!

~Rachel 

Friends & family that help you get through the day

 Last Tuesday, I faced the day I had waited for for a long time. It was a day I anticipated, a day I was anxious for, a day in which I had prayed would come. Now that it was here, I prayed it would pass - at one point, I told Dave I was backing out. :) For the longest time, I have been in need of sinus surgery. Just the thought sounded horrible, so I tried to not even think about it unless I had to. So here we were, ready to correct the problems that needed fixed & clear things out to relieve my pain. I actually joked with a few friends about the high expectations I've had for this surgery - to correct everything from migraines, sinus infections, fluid in my ear, energy level, weight loss, you name it, I wanted the surgery to fix it all. :)

We are so grateful the Doctor told Dave everything went well and he was able to clear things up and correct what needed to be fixed with the actual make up of my sinuses. Then, the fun part comes - recovery. I guess I had such high expectations thinking nothing would be worse than having headaches/migraines everyday so it would feel so much better after having the procedure. :) Wishful thinking. I am so incredibly thankful for my parents and their willingness to come up and help with the boys. I honestly couldn't have made it without them. And Dave ~ he sure is the most selfless man I know. He has been so good in taking care of me when I've desperately needed it and been such an amazing father to our boys at the same time. From cleaning, taking care of us all, to picking me up an Icee to brighten the day. :) My mother in law has also been a huge blessing in always being willing to swing something by.

Then...well, then there are those friends that are the most helpful and selfless in how they give of their time to encourage, to pray, to call, to make a meal, to check on how things are going and time and time again give of their day to help me make it thru mine. I can't thank the Lord enough for the friends He has placed in my life. There were days that I couldn't move, yet couldn't sleep due to pain and those crazy meds and friends would call, text, send me messages making me laugh, and swing a meal by to help out any way they could. So many encouraged me and helped in so many ways, that I learned in a special way through their example of being selfless. I cannot express the gratitude from our family for each of you and the blessing you are to us! We love you all!

A Different Perspective

I came into work yesterday & someone's words made me think more about my day. What she said brought even a bigger smile to my face. "You seem even more chipper today" were her words. Then I went on to explain what was going on inside my heart. 

It was a day that my boys were both so needy & with Micah not feeling well & Josiah being in odd sorts, I did something I thought would never happen. I woke up that morning with the house screaming "Clean me, Clean me!!!!" Wow, I thought taking care of housework & keeping up with laundry was hard before, now I have 2 little ones that need me. So, at the beginning of the day I decided that I was going to have a completely different perspective for this day. I wasn't going to worry for even one second about what the house was telling me, I was going to just play with my boys, laugh with them, give them lots of hugs & kisses, talk with them, read books, & just devote my time to them. What an incredible day we had! I thought it would absolutely drive me nuts not making sure the house was not even being attempted to be worked on but I was the most content person just giving my boys my undivided attention. Don't tell anyone, but I didn't even worry about dinner or even think about it. I know my time was not at all wasted because I was pouring time into the boys God gave me. I went into work completely refreshed & with a new energy. My heart was just bubbling over thinking of how nice it was just to play & see their sweet smiles all day! :) I told this lady that I didn't do a single thing beside spend time with my little buddies & I LOVED it! Now, grant it the housework still needs to be done & I still need to plan my menu for the rest of the week but will I regret that I spent priceless time with my family - definitely not. I'm so thankful to be a Mommy & take care of the children He has blessed me with. I feel as if I'm truly doing what God put me on earth to do ~ be a wife & Mom.

~Rachel

Just what I needed...

Did you ever have one of those days where you needed encouragement so much and the Lord sent it your way? That was me on Friday.

We had several doctors’ appointments that morning after traveling most of the day Thursday & a friend sent me a message saying a group was going to the park. She let me know I was welcome to join them. What did I do? I jumped on it! I knew Josiah would love running around after being in the car the day before & it would be good for him to get some fresh air. So, we went. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of our friends but it wasn’t like I imagined it would be.

It was "one of those days." It was a day Josiah didn’t want to listen or obey. A day where you work & work on helping them understand they need to obey & yet you’re exhausted because it’s not getting through to them. I was frustrated. I was exhausted. I was embarrassed. I was disappointed – disappointed that he wasn’t obeying, disappointed that I hadn’t done more to prevent this moment from happening. I wondered & worried – boy did I worry about what others thought. All I knew to do was to be consistent even though I wanted to load the boys up & go home for an early nap time.

So, we stayed & we worked. It was a forever long playtime.

When we arrived at home, I had a tearful 2 year old, an almost 4 week old with tears and a mommy that wanted to do the same thing. Since we had eaten at the park, I was able to put the boys both down for a nap & I decided to jump online. That’s when it happened – I came across my friend’s blog & it was exactly what I needed. As I read her words saying when you’ve done you’re best & you feel it isn’t good enough, know it’s not but God’s best is perfect – all you can do is pray, I was again reminded how much I need to pray for my children. And that’s what I did. What an encouragement her words were to me that day. They were in fact, just what I needed.

On Saturday, I was again reminded that those days like Friday are refining days. We went out to dinner to celebrate Dave’s birthday that evening & an older couple came up to us as we were eating. They told us how nice it was to go out to eat & see a younger couple that worked to have such a well-behaved child. My heart was encouraged once again & I what did I want to do – cry. Cry because I was happy that all that work isn’t in vain & people do notice that you’ve put effort into raising them. Little did they know the work & prayer that happened on Friday. Are all days like this one, of course not, but it sure is nice when your heart is refreshed because they get it.

I’m so thankful for a God Who hears us when all we know to do is pray & pour out our heart to Him.  I’m so thankful He listens & gives us just what we need at the exact moment we need it.  

~Rachel 

Josiah's 2nd Birthday

We can't believe Josiah is already 2 years old! How time flies! We LOVE having him in our home ~ he's brought so many smiles & laughs!!!

Happy Birthday Josiah!

 

~Rachel

Micah Allen Johnson

Micah Allen Johnson 

Arrived ~ Sunday, February 26th at 8:42 P.M 

Weight ~ 7lbs. 8oz.

Height ~ 20.75 inches long

We are beyond thrilled to have another little boy to brighten our home with joy! It's absolutely amazing how much God stretches your love!!! I've always loved being a Mommy, but now even more do I cherish these sweet days. We are so thankful for God's blessing! Josiah is also so in love with his brother & is happy that he is here! He's such a great big brother ~ even more than I imagined! Our hearts couldn't be fuller!!!

~Rachel

His Grace is Sufficient

"God desires to give us something much greater than relief - He wants to give us victory." ~ Terrie Chappell

I'm so thankful for a loving God Who knows what's best for us. If it were up to me, I'm sure I would choose a life of ease with no heartache, yet God knows better and has a great plan for my life. Over the last week Josiah has been struggling with GI issues again and I've had such an anxious heart of what has been going on. It's amazing how, if we let Him, God can work through the trial and hardtime instead of just getting us out of it like we would rather Him do. On Thursday, Josiah was so sick that his doctor wanted me to bring him in to be seen. Once we got there she was concerned about a few things and wanted to do an xray of his stomach, start an IV, do lots of bloodwork and give him meds to help with what was going on. My heart broke as I knew it would be a long day for him with things he would not be too happy about, yet I prayed that the Lord would use me to be a testimony while we were there. I also prayed that the Lord would help me be strong for Josiah and that he would not see his mommy upset.

So, the time came for the xray and I was waiting for my husband to arrive from work. The doctor wanted to get things moving in case he had to be admitted to the hospital so she said the faster we get it done the better. I was fearful because I knew I would not be allowed to go into the radiology room being pregnant and also knew that it would be very hard for Josiah to get a "picture" taken of his stomach with no one he knew back there. My dear friend called at the perfect time and said she was going to be right in the area and she would go back with him if it would help. What a blessing friends are - for her to think of me not being able to be with Josiah and then offering of her time to help! I'm so thankful for friends that are so encouraging and such a blessing that they reach out at the exact time you need it!

After the xray, Daddy made it and we spent the rest of the time trying to get an IV in, doing bloodwork and doing meds to calm his stomach down. During the many attempts of getting the IV in, I had to hold his little face towards me and talk to him so it would keep his mind off what was going on. The Lord gave such grace. As I would tell him mower story after mower story, the nurse responded to one that I was telling about Josiah and Pastor T mowing at the church. She then said "Oh, what church do you go to?" We said "Heritage" and she asked "the Heritage on Spriggs, Road?" We said "Yes, that's the one" and found out she goes to Grace down the street. Through all my conversations with Josiah trying to keep him calm, I thought, people really are listening and watching our lives - what a testimony we can be even when we are hurting. Christ can give us grace through it and others will see that things are different in our lives. One of the sweetest moments was when he was really struggling at the thought of having all these nurses around him and we're all holding him down as they try to get the IV in and I asked if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to help him and he just shook his little head saying "yes, mommy". It's such a special time when you pray with your children and even they are watching our lives in how we respond to situations that God allows. What a challenge that is to me, as a mother, to be the example I need to be for my children to see Christ work.

Josiah will need to see the GI specialist again and there are things at home we are doing to try and help with what's going on. For now, we are praying that God will give us wisdom on how to help him and give the Doctors wisdom to discern what's causing all the issues. I'm so thankful for a God that loves me. I'm so thankful for a God that loves my family, even more than I do and wants what is best for our lives.

My Grace is Sufficient

There are trials in this life that we can't understand
There are questions why the Lord would include them in His plan
Hearts full of pain, crying out in misery
"Lord, where can I go and from this heartache be free?"

He says my grace is sufficient for your every need
When you can no longer stand, child rest in Me
For in your weakness, I will be your strength
And through my grace your consolation I will be

The Lord has promised in His Word that He'll never depart
He brings trials in our lives, to stretch and mold our hearts
The turmoil we feel today will be the peace of tomorrow
His promise includes bringing joy out of sorrow!

~Rachel