God's Thoughts - Dinner #67

     A month has gone by, and I still can’t help but be awed and amazed over the birth of our little Jacqueline Grace . . . Wow! Our God is SO good!  Psalm 139:17-18 declares, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand . . .” How very many thoughts our Lord had concerning this Tiny Bundle!  And how perfectly incredible that our God – the God of the entire universe- takes the time to THINK about US!

     Having kept a careful watch on our ultrasounds, my doctor had already been concerned about our daughter’s slow rate of growth, and warned us that she might have to face some time in the NICU.  I had wondered about the details of Baby #2’s delivery, and played endless scenarios through my mind, but only the Lord knew the events that would unfold.   Jacqueline came into the world exactly 3 weeks before her due date.  When I think back upon it all, now, my heart wants to sing with the words of King Solomon, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time . . .” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  We had good health insurance, and a doctor whom I greatly admire . . . Our 18-month-old was able to be lovingly cared for by her Grammy, while we were in the hospital . . . A dear relative had brand new preemie outfits shipped to us, immediately, when she heard that our Baby Girl would be so tiny . . . And even though she was born at 37 weeks, Jacqueline weighed JUST ENOUGH to keep her from requiring a stay in the NICU!  We were able to start out the new year by going home from the hospital, as a family!

     Psalm 31:19 says, “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” And that’s exactly what our baby’s arrival was like – like taking carefully stored presents off a shelf, one after another – each one, a special blessing and answer to prayer.  Some of the Lord’s answers regarding our Baby Girl had been “yes” or “no”, some had been “wait”, and some were greater than anything we could have imagined!

Was there a reason that God closed all job possibilities in Virginia, last October, and gave us peace about staying here a while longer? Yes, indeed! If we had left in OUR OWN TIMING, Jacqueline would have surprised us before the 60 days that it usually takes for a new health insurance plan to go into effect!  More than likely, we would not have even had time to choose a new doctor, yet!  Isaiah 55:8-9 declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

    Things are quite busy 24/7 in the Kelley Household, right now, but my heart is just so full of all that God has done for our newest Baby Girl!  In Mark 5:19, Jesus told a man, “ . . .Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee . . .”  What has God done for us? He has blessed us with Jacqueline Grace!! Weighing little more than a 5lb. bag of sugar, at her birth, she went from sipping milk on a plastic spoon, to drinking with a preemie bottle nipple – no IVs necessary, praise the Lord! A month later, now, she is growing, eating, and doing great!  Usually gobbles down 3-4 oz. at a time, and lets you know REAL QUICK when she's suddenly starving! SMILE! Her big, beautiful eyes warm the heart, and make this mommy want to touch her hair, kiss her little cheeks, and rub noses with her, for all eternity! And this is only the beginning!  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil . . .”  What wonderful plans God has for your life, Little Jacqueline!  What wonderful plans He has in store for EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US!!

     God Bless & Happy New Year!

Great With Child - Dinner #66

     This December, I find a sense of joy in the fact that, because of Jacqueline,  I get to share in a little of what Mary must have felt.  Luke 2:5 describes her as “being great with child”, and, at 36 weeks, this Christmas, that is exactly where I find myself! Knowing the desire in my own heart for everything to be clean, and comfortable, and ready for when this baby arrives, I have a keener sense of the FAITH Mary must have had!  She was traveling, probably walking miles upon miles, with no knowledge of where her Baby would be born, or if she’d even make it to Bethlehem in time.  How many nights did she lay awake, imagining herself giving birth out in the wilderness, somewhere? Wondering if Joseph and she would know what to do, when the time came? 

     Luke 2:6-7 tells us, “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.”  Labor was upon her, there was no shelter for them except a humble stable, and Mary did what she had to do – She was specifically chosen by God - the right mother for the job!  It is a beautiful and comforting thought to me that, no matter under what circumstances Jacqueline is born, when the days are “accomplished” that I, too, should “be delivered”, I’ll be the right mother for the job!

     During these final weeks of my pregnancy, I sometimes find myself tearfully wondering if I’m really ready to take care of TWO children.  During one such recent night of reflecting, the Lord sweetly gave me II Timothy 1:7 to hold onto: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I don’t have to be afraid of having two little ones . . . The Lord will give me the strength and the love that I need to care for them, and will help me to keep my sanity, in the midst of it all! SMILE!  He has CHOSEN ME to be their mother!

     So many special things followed the birth of Mary’s Baby Boy: the arrival of the shepherds, the admiration of the wise men, the rejoicing of Simeon and Anna, the night flight into Egypt . . . Mary had to be the right Mommy for God’s chosen Messiah, through all of that! She needed peace, and tranquility, and faith – all of which came from the Lord! This December, as I begin quickly approaching my own due date, I want to have a little more of the faith and the strength that Mary must have had!  I can’t just crumble because I’m a bit scared that nursing a newborn and taming a toddler at the same time, is going to be too much!  If I want Brooklyn and Jacqueline to one day be women of faith, I need to maintain that godly faith, myself! In II Timothy 1:5, Paul says, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Genuine faith is an EXAMPLE to the generations following!  One day, my girls are going to be calling to cry on MY shoulder about their mothering fears and anxieties, and I want to be ready when they do!  I want to be ready to say, in all honesty, “The Lord helped guide ME through such days, and He will be right there to help you, too!”

     This Christmas, I write to you, battling back aches, fatigue, mood swings, and Braxton Hicks contractions, but I’m THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR THE JOB! SMILE! I GET to bring another little life into the world!  I GET to help raise another young lady for the Lord Jesus! I GET to look into another beautiful little face and know that God has richly blessed the love my dear husband and I have for each other! This is my PRIVILEGE! When Mary thought about all that the Lord was doing IN her and THROUGH her, she lifted up her voice and said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)  Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making me and enabling me to be a MOM!

     A very special “Merry Christmas” to all of you, Ladies! God Bless!

Delivery Summer - Dinner #26

     Wow!  We're officially into our 9th month of pregnancy!  It's coming up on "Week 37" now, and our baby girl is ready to arrive when she wants to.  With this being my first labor and delivery experience, I find myself frequently wondering when and how everything will take place.  Will I begin to have contractions first, or will my water break?  Will Brandon be home from work?  Will I have to drive myself to the hospital?  I really, REALLY don't want to have any "false alarms". 
     An elderly man in our country just recently predicted the rapture day and found IT to be only a "false alarm".  From the Scriptures, we see that we will NOT be able to accurately predict Christ's coming, but He IS, in truth, returning!  I Thessalonians 5:2 "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."  The truth of the matter is, that, though we do not and CANNOT know the day or the hour it will take place, when He comes, those whose are saved WILL be going Home!  I Thessalonians 4:14, 16-18 declares, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him . . . For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

     Though both scary and exciting, the birth of a baby is a much ANTICIPATED event.  Do we really and truly ANTICIPATE Christ's return?  Is it something we often have on our minds?  Or do we get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget all about it?  When you are huge, and hot, and very much pregnant, it is difficult to think of anything else BUT having your baby!  As Christians, are we just too comfortable in the world?  So comfortable that we're not quite ready to leave it for the glories of Heaven?  Believe me - A lady in her 9th month of pregnancy is NOT so comfortable that she wishes to always remain in that state! SMILE!  She knows in her heart that her time WILL come, and though a bit nervous, she WANTS it to come soon!  Do we want to hear the trumpet sound soon?

     An expectant mommy can't wait to see her newborn's face and to hold her little baby close.  She thinks about it during the day, and dreams about it during the night.  Do we look forward to seeing our Savior's face?  Do we really desire to view Heaven's shore?  Revelation 21:4 and 22:5 describe Heaven for us as such a remarkable place.  "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away . . . And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."

     Just as only the Lord knows when our Brooklyn Elizabeth will arrive, only the Lord knows when His Son will return to earth for His children.  It is interesting to me, that even the Bible compares the last days of the world to that unknown time when a woman goes into labor.  I Thessalonians 5:3 "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."  Christ's coming is not a joyous event for those who are unbelievers.  It is something scary and frightening, that takes them by surprise.  If Jesus were to return today, would you be ready?  Acts 16:31 tells us, " . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . ."  Not "maybe", but "SHALL" be saved!  You don't have to be afraid of Christ's return!  You CAN know for certain that you will go to Heaven!  But if you are ALREADY a saved believer in Christ, are you truly ANTICIPATING His return?  Just something to think about . . . Have a great week!  And God bless!