Raise your hand if you like change. I can't count how many that was, but I am going to assume that there weren't many hands raised. I admit that I have an odd relationship with 'change'. Oftentimes I embrace it wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm, but at other times I am paralyzed with fear at what the change might bring about. Right now in life, I am somewhere in the middle. Like I said in my last 'post', this year is going to look completely different than last year, primarily because in a matter of a few days (literally!) I am going to be a mom, and Chance is going to be a dad. Our first son, Hudson Thomas, whose estimated arrival date is January 10th, is to be born any day now. Furthermore, this new addition to our lives has meant a complete shift in my role in our family. For about a year and a half I have been working at a financial management company, however, when I got pregnant I informed my workplace that I would not be returning after our baby was born. I am going to take on the role of stay-at-home mom and wife, and I couldn't be more thrilled (and nervous). Chance will continue to be enrolled at DTS full-time, while working a part-time job. I will go from 40-hour work weeks in the financial industry to full-time mommy, whose hours never really end. I am excited, anticipatory, nervous, and anxious to embark on this new journey that God has for me.
With the anticipation of this new full-time role comes a whole slew of questions that have been running through my mind: Will I be a 'good mother'? How will I care for an infant? What will my days look like? In God's sovereignty, He has chosen that Hudson would be born right at the beginning of this new year. This has caused me to think about how God is actively working in our lives to make all things work together for our good. This morning as I read Psalms 148 through 150, I was struck by the awesome truth of God's provision over the whole of creation. He is not just active in my life, but in all of creation--including animals and planets. How wonderful that the Creator of the seasons, chooses to be with us through all of the seasons of our lives as well! As I reflect on this simple truth, while in the back of my mind knowing that life is about to change drastically, I am comforted. So embrace the newness that this year might hold, and look for how God is working in your life to bring about new things for your good and His glory!
Until about 5 minutes ago, I really didn't know why Christians celebrated the season (40 days) before Easter, called Lent. I just read a great blog post by Tim Kimberely on Parchment & Pen called A Short History of Lent. In summary, Lent is supposed to a time of serious self-denial. Self denial? Denial of one's self, dying to self, fasting, and self-control are all seemingly foreign concepts to our Western culture. I can say that because I live here in the U.S. where we enjoy innumerable blessings at the tip of our fingers. From grocery stores to restaurants to coffee shops to hospitals to gas stations, the list goes on, we have our needs met at the drop of a hat. Now, please do not get me wrong, I am extremely thankful that we have access to food, healthcare, water, and gas for our vehicles, because many people around the world do not. However, I do think that this makes us an ungrateful people at times, and the concepts of fasting and self-denial are rarely understood, let alone practiced.
