The Tough Times Make You Stronger: A Reminder...

We sang this song at the church we tried out this morning. I have always loved this song, but this morning it just felt RIGHT. I sang louder (gaah, i know!) than I've probably ever sang in church. I typically only sing in the car...alone....or with Eric cringing in the driver's seat. Im not necessarily a BAD singer...i have a decent-ish voice, but I am not comfortable singing in public the way others are (unless there are some adult beverages and a karaoke machine involved). But I was just a-singin' fool this morning at church :)

I just love that this song is upbeat and happy, but a reminder to thank and praise the Lord when things are horrible AND when things are awesome. Things are really freakin' amazing in our life right now, but there have been a few recent reminders that have made me really sit back and think "Wow...this could all be gone tomorrow." Blogs I've read where the wife, my age, has suddenly found herself a widow with 2 kids and one on the way in 65 days...or another blog where the wife, again my age, is suddenly and without explanation facing life as a single parent as her husband just didnt want to be married anymore. Not to mention the reminder at family gatherings that someone is very obviously missing. Robin LOVED Christmas and LOVED nothing more than showering her grandkids with gifts and love and kisses.
So this song just jumped out at me this morning and made me want to kiss Eric before he left for Walmart. Or read ten extra books to Whitney before bed tonight. Or just share this song here in case it speaks to someone else the way it always grabs me.
Happy listening....it's a good one :)

And did I mention that our life pretty much rocks right now?? Because it does! We have been so blessed in sooo many ways, and that's not lost on me. I try to stop and look around and thank God and Eric and everyone who helps me my life as awesome as it is today. It hasnt always been easy, but in reality....and if I'm being honest, my life HAS been easy in comparison to the general population of the planet. I had an amazing childhood that I continually try to replicate for my own child (which is especially hard at the holidays because there is something soooo "Normal Rockwell meets Funny Farm" about the town I grew up in, and the Christmas Eves of my childhood simply can NOT be matched. Im struggling to compete.) I was handed opportunities for a great education, free of charge. I am now married to my best friend and we are raising, in our humble opinions, the most AMAZING child walking the Earth. Life. is. ~~GOOD~~. More than I could ever ask for.

I woke up this morning and immediately checked my phone for emails. Just like every other morning, the first email on the screen was my "Daily Bible Verse". Every morning, I routinely delete that email without even opening it. Its not that I dont think I NEED a daily Bible verse...its just that Im trying to get to the "better" emails. The Facebook comments or photo comments or blog comments or emails from a friend who is 6 hours ahead and thinking clearly when its only 7am my time. I delete the Daily Bible Verse, folks. While Im fairly certain (and have been reassured) that God doesnt banish peoples to the depths of hell for stuff like that, it just gives ya an ucky, icky kinda feeling, no? But this morning, I opened it. And ya know what verse it was?
MY FAVORITE. Jeremiah 29:11.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I cant tell you how many times I read, reread, and spouted off this verse while waiting to be called "mommy". This one and the whole "the birds dont worry about where their next meal is coming from, so why do YOU worry about anyting at all? God provides for the birds...their next meal always comes....and He will provide for you, too." have provided a LOT of inspiration to me when thought the tough times werent always making me stronger. Okay, so I TOTALLY just paraphrased that part about the birds not being anxious or worried or stressed, but I promise that general idea is in the Bible. Promise.)
So see, its sorta like God knows when you need Him the most, and He just shows up on the scene. He knows that I have been thinking about how awesome life is lately, and He didnt want me to forget that it wasnt always THIS great...He wanted to remind me that my favorite verse shouldnt be forgotten just because I dont currently "need" Him to fix anything that's not working according to my plan. I am guilty of preaching and praising His name when He is showing me through the hard times....but I need to be reminded of Him when things are going great.

So I thought that was pretty cool to wake up to. Then, as we dropped Whitney off at the new church nursery, she ran right in and started playing with every single toy within her grasp. She was laughing and smiling and happy to be there. She was able to spend an hour and a half with our friend, Julie, and her daughter, Emma, and getting to know other little kids her age who's parents believe the same things we believe. And she couldnt have been happier!
THEN...the morning got even BETTER, as they opened the service with my favorite Christian song that apparently makes me sing louder than normal.
And THEN...when I went to get Whitney from the nursery, she ran to me and yelled "MOMMY!!" (which, let's be honest, I waited a LONG time to hear and I cant get ENOUGH of!). She was sooo proud and excited about her new experience :) I was chaniging her diaper before we left and I asked her,
"Whitney, did you have fun in the nursery today?"
"YEAH!!!" with big smiles.
"You did!? That's GREAT! What did you play with?" (hoping she would say "kitchen" since we bought her one for Christmas, and there were TWO in the nursery!)
....I literally got tears in my eyes when she shouted,
"FRIENDS!"
My little girl went to church today and played with FRIENDS :)
Im tellin' you. God lined this up. He had it planned and figured out. It was an awesome day. I have been known to say "We ARE going to church this weekend!" week after week after week...only to wake up Sunday morning and say "eh. Maybe next week. Im too tired. Im worried about W in the nursery there. Im not interested in running into so-and-so. I dont have time to get ready. Blah Blah Excuse Excuse." So God planted that verse in my inbox knowing it would catch my attention. And it did. And I love that.

And because you know me and I simply can NOT leave you without ANY Whitney pictures, I'll share a few of her from last night in her snuggly fleece jammies :)