My Choice Monday: Cleaning the Natural Way

January 4, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres3 Comments

Happy New Year Folks!!!

Can you believe it’s already 2016!?!?! It’s crazy how quickly time flies…It seems like the idea for this blog was just born…back in 2012…Goodness gracious!

Today, and this year in general, we are going to get this thing started right! Our UPS delivery man asked this morning if I had any resolutions for this year, and as a matter of fact I do – I’ll be blogging everyday, Monday thru Friday. Whether you like it or not…But we hope you’ll like it!

2016 is here and some big and exciting things are in store – We can’t wait to share all of those with you!

But first, let’s delve into ‘My Choice’ for this beautiful first Monday of the new year: cleaning with essential oils and less chemicals!

So, to start, let me share with you all that I always sort of rolled my eyes at all things homeopathic and natural…until Craig and I began dealing with infertility…and discovered that the abundance of chemicals and hormones we ingest on a daily basis, just from life in general, may have played a part in my PCOS. One of the first things we did to combat this was to STOP eating anything with added hormones. We have followed that choice, slowly, with others like taking herbal supplements and using essential oils for healing. For example, I use Thyme oil, daily, to help balance my progesterone levels…and the last time I had my bloodwork done by my endocrinologist, we were overjoyed to discover that all of my levels, save one, have become normal. My doctor even went as far as to say it appeared that things had reversed themselves…ALL DUE TO THESE SIMPLE CHANGES!!!

Well, when we heard that, not only were Craig and I elated, we decided to ‘clean up’ even more of our lives. I began selling essential oils by Young Living and I have begun the process of purging all harmful chemicals from our home – right down to the cleaning products we use everyday. Yep. I have made laundry detergent, ‘dryer sheets’, and a bathroom cleaner for starters – and there’s a lot more on the horizon!

Today, I wanted to share the latest creation with y’all:

…And that’s it…I took a sponge and scrubbed our bathroom floor! I didn’t have to worry about the furs wandering in and licking up chemicals. I didn’t have to hold my breath to avoid choking on the harsh bleach and/or ammonia aroma. And y’all – it worked!!! Not only are my floors clean, but they smell clean…and they still did when I woke up this morning!

If you’re interested in finding out more ways we are making the switch to ‘Blissful Living‘, stay tuned because we will be sharing every Monday! If you’d like to purchase any essential oils for yourself, you can do so right here or you can join my team and buy your oils at the wholesale price! In any event, make sure to follow our Instagram account and ‘like’ our Facebook page.

Until Tomorrow,

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

The Long-Awaited Promise: Fulfilled

December 24, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

{This post is dedicated to my precious grandmother, Florence, since she ‘so loves’ reading this blog. Merry Christmas, Grandma!}

I cannot stand waiting. As a matter of fact, I sometimes drive 10+ miles out of the way for the sole purpose of avoiding traffic and stoplights. When it came to ‘waiting’ on a husband, by the time Craig finally showed up when I was 28 years old, I was about to throw in the towel. And the most difficult waiting of all? Jonah.

Still, after more than three years of praying and hoping, we are awaiting the arrival of our child – Jonah Elizabeth. (See the story HERE.) At times, it seems as though God’s promise will never come to fruition. At other times, we both feel that Jonah is closer than ever. But the waiting – well, it never gets any easier.

Three and (almost) a half years is a long time…Or at least it seems that way until you compare it with how long the Jewish people had to wait for their promised Savior:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” Micah 5:2 NIV

That was prophesied about 700 years before the birth of Jesus! Talk about a long wait!

But it was a long wait that was well worth it. And over and over again, throughout the Old Testament, the Lord reaffirms His coming through the prophets:

2 Samuel 7:16
King David’s throne would be established forever

Daniel 9:24-26
Daniel predicted when an anointed one would be rejected

Deuteronomy 18:15-18
God promised another prophet like Moses

Genesis 22:18
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham

Genesis 49:10
The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah

Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus

Isaiah 9:6-7
There would be a son called God

Isaiah 11:1-10
Nations would seek the counsel of Jesse’s descendant

Isaiah 35:4-6
He would perform miracles

Isaiah 40:1-5,9
The Messiah would be preceded by a messenger

Isaiah 42:1-9
The Messiah would be a light to Gentiles

Isaiah 49:6
God’s salvation would reach the ends of the earth

Isaiah 50:6
Jesus was spat upon and beaten

Isaiah 53:1-3
The Messiah would be rejected

Isaiah 53:4-6
God’s servant would die for our sins

Isaiah 53:7
God’s servant would be silent before his accusers

Isaiah 53:9
God’s servant would be buried in a rich man’s tomb

Isaiah 53:12
God’s servant would be “numbered with the transgressors”

Isaiah 61:1-2
Isaiah foreshadows the ministry of Jesus

Jeremiah 23:5
The Messiah would be a descendant of King David

And that is merely a smattering of instances of Messianic prophecy from the Old Testament!!

The Lord reaffirmed His promise of a Savior, His Son, for many, many years before that promise was fulfilled…and now, here we sit – more than 2000 years after the birth of Christ, saved.

Just as early Christians used the symbol of the ichthus to show their faith, we can use the traditional colors of the Christmas season as a reminder of the true meaning of this beautiful holiday.

Red – the color of blood; Jesus’ death on the cross to save the world from sin.

Green – the color of life; The eternal life gained for us by our Savior’s death on the cross.

“…When we see the bright colors of winter decorations, we can remind ourselves and each other of the true meaning of Christmas. In this season, …[we] celebrate God so loving the world that He gave His only Son to us in human form (John 3:16-17; 1:14). In that way, Jesus could know and suffer all that we do, yet [doing so]without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He died for all our sins as the perfect sacrifice, reconciling sinners with a holy and just God, so that all who ask for forgiveness of their sin and turn to Him can have eternal life (2 Corinthians 5:4, 18-19; Hebrews 2:17).” -Saved By Grace Bible Study

Whatever it is you might be in a season of waiting for right now, know that all the promises of the Lord are well worth the wait – even if it is more than 700 years. (Please, Lord, don’t make us wait 700 years for Jonah!!!! 😉 )

This Christmas, keep the true celebration in your heart – the long-awaited birth of the Messiah, our precious Savior, who was, and is, well worth the wait.

Have a beautiful and very Merry Christmas, y’all!

TTC Tuesday

Dani’s Journey: My Victory Over Infertility

September 29, 2015September 28, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Good Morning Folks,

We have a special special treat for you today! One of my dearest did us the honor of authoring a guest post for this edition of ‘Thank You, Jesus! Tuesday’ and boy, does she have a powerful journey to share!

So…a Looooonng while back I was asked to share my experience with infertility and how waiting on the Lord was a challenge. I’ve been married 3 years this November and when we were married I wanted a baby like “yesterday”!

However, there was a button on pause for us. I had been on the Depo-Provera shot for 3 injections prior to marriage to help with my hormonal imbalances, but this caused my pituitary gland to essentially “turn off”. With this crucially important gland not functioning, my body was not able to create the proper hormones which make uterine lining, ovulation and proper mucus.

The doctor’s rule was I couldn’t be considered infertile until I tried naturally to conceive for one full year. I can’t put into words how hard it was to know that for one year “all I could do” was pray. Sounds silly that I was disappointed by this, right? I didn’t feel that way at the time.

I was impatient and frustrated and sad as the months passed with no period and therefore, no possible pregnancy. After a year of marriage, I was ready to get into that doctor’s office and “DO” something! At first, I was put on hormone medications to hopefully, kick-start my brain into producing the hormones naturally. Oh how I prayed to God that He would make this work! I wanted Him to give me instant results, as my heart was aching for a precious baby.

After many long talks with God, I still didn’t understand how He could put such a strong and deep desire in my heart for a baby, but was making me wait. I knew that I’d have a baby someday, but what I didn’t know was when or how my child would come. My doctor was confident that I’d be able to have kids one day, and this kept me on the path to get pregnant.

After almost six months on hormone therapy my periods started!!!!! I was ecstatic! I was praising God for His miracle that now pregnancy was a possibility. Although I got my period back, it was not consistent. I had an ultrasound done to see if I was ovulating and I wasn’t. After finding out this information, I was devastated and found myself once again asking God why? It seems silly now to me how I went from happy bliss towards God to disappointment so quickly…

I began praying more often but wasn’t truly letting go and letting God take over. For the next 3 months, the plan was to start taking a medication to help me ovulate and then to plan conception. For two years I had been crying regularly and couldn’t understand why God needed me to wait. After all, He was the one who put this desire in my heart…

After two of the three months passed on this ovulation medication, I was a complete mess. I was sick and tired of feeling helpless and disappointed! I mentally, emotionally and spiritually could not handle it and fell to my knees in prayer. I made the decision to stop the treatment to get pregnant and to let God take over.

This was HUGE for me! I had been trying to do this for months but always had one foot in and the other out. I now had to trust God completely that He had a plan… and sure enough, He did! I had continued to track my cycles but had no more medical intervention nor did I have that heart, heavy with disappointment. I stopped the medication in April of 2014 and conceived in September 2014! The Lord had answered my prayers and given me that baby He promised! 🙂

Within days of finding out I was expecting, I then knew why I had to be patient for this gift. I was very sick with hyperemisis gravidarum until week 16, followed by migraines that could knock a full grown man to their knees. Both conditions caused hospital visits due to pain, dehydration, blindness, etc. I was pretty much bed ridden from week 4/5 to 21. It was awful.

Then, the migraines, vomiting, and blackouts let up. I found out at week 22 that we were having a girl!

I knew it all along but was always told “you never know”. I was so happy and once again, thanking God!

Little did I know that just a few weeks later, what I thought was my turn for the best became my turn for the hardest. At twenty-seven weeks along, I developed gestational hypertension. The following week, I was admitted to the hospital for 3 days due to high blood pressure and water retention. Within days of coming home, I went into kidney failure with Pre-Eclampsia and was told that without immediate intervention I would lose my life and my baby’s.

My daughter was born at 29 weeks to the day at 2lbs 7.2oz. She was a fighter, but I became more ill after delivery and ended up with Post-Eclampsia. It was days before I pulled through and could see my own daughter!

I still had a long road ahead with our stay in the NICU and my own recovery to health. But because of my faith and reliance on God, I was able to handle the situation.

He knew if He prolonged my waiting for a child, I would eventually surrender (I’m very stubborn) and rely on Him wholeheartedly – and I did. Without His timing I would not have been prepared mentally, emotionally or spiritually. God gave me a peace when I had to deliver her. I was not concerned with anxiety but had faith it would all be okay. “God’s got this!”, I thought.

Each day I prayed for something new of healing with my daughter and every day each prayer was answered! God is amazing and works miracles!!

Because of His timing, I’ve gained patience, understanding and have learned humility! These were all my worst traits before, but now, they are my best! God knew what He was doing when He had me struggle with infertility. He was teaching me and preparing me for His bigger purpose…His bigger plan.

For anyone struggling with a desire of their heart they know the Lord placed there, rely solely on Him for it. He placed the desire, and will fulfill it one way or another. It may not be the way that you expect or take the you on the journey you thought you were prepared for, but He has a bigger plan for you than you have for yourself.

He says He has a purpose for you and a future! (Jeremiah 29:11) Take a moment today to reflect on what it may be that you are struggling to let God take control of…now try to think why? If you keep it simple, then the answer is simple – because you are not ready. But thankfully, He knows when you will be, and He’s preparing you! 🙂

In Christ,

Dani

Wasn’t that a beautiful story of God’s grace and love? Keep this one in your pocket, or on your bookmarks bar to uplift you when you feel like His Promises aren’t for you. They are. Remember, God doesn’t play favorites. (Acts 10:34) Craig and I are the proud Godparents of this amazing miracle, and can’t wait to share pictures from her baptism this weekend!

TTC Tuesday

I Am Weak, But He Is Strong

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Dear Friends,

I confess – it’s been way too long since we poured our hearts, convictions and faith out to you via this blog. I have felt guilty –‘wake me up in the middle of the night’ guilty…because I know that the Lord wants to use me, my marriage, my hardships, my faith, as a vessel for leading others to Him. But…it’s hard, y’all. It’s really hard.

You all know we followed His call to Maine this past summer – almost a year ago! But you may not know that we are back in Georgia. After nine months of sharing His love with the precious youth of Southern Maine, God planted the desire for ‘home’…and with that, the desire to adopt a child…and with that, the necessary funds to make all of this happen with a promotion to Captain for Craig and a great job for me.

So, here we are, back in Georgia – ‘home’, and totally neglecting this blog and this ‘ministry’ – after we have been so immensely blessed. And I feel so guilty.

And while you may think this is a shrug your shoulders, no big deal, get a grip lady! kinda thing…it really isn’t. You don’t know the e-mails we receive, telling us how something has touched one of our readers; the requests for prayer from some who follow this blog from prison…Yes, I feel guilty for letting these people down when I am so unimaginably blessed, and so many are broken.

But I confess something to you…I try to be strong. Full of faith. Hopeful. Prayerfully diligent. But I fall so hard.

There are at least two days every week when I sob and ugly cry alone because ‘it just isn’t fair’ that I can’t give my sweet husband a child.

It just ‘isn’t fair’ that instead of going out for lunch with my co-workers, I head downstairs to the building’s gym to work-out during my hour-long break. I don’t eat gluten, carbs, sugar, anything fun. I drink apple cider vinegar with baking soda, and take a regimen of coconut oil, but no matter what, my blood sugar refuses to cooperate, my hormones will not level out and I can’t shed a pound, let alone maintain my weight.

I’ve felt like Job.

I’ve felt like David in a mournful Psalm.

I try so hard to be strong, but I’m not.

Thankfully, He is.

Lamentations 3:19-24 (Contemporary English Version) says this:

‘Just thinking of my troubles
and my lonely wandering
makes me miserable.
That’s all I ever think about,
and I am depressed.
Then I remember something
that fills me with hope.
The Lord’s kindness never fails!
If he had not been merciful,
we would have been destroyed.
The Lord can always be trusted
to show mercy each morning.
Deep in my heart I say,
“The Lord is all I need;
I can depend on him!”’

Peter tells us this truth about our Savior:

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Because friends, we are all human. We all cry and feel helpless and worry. But that isn’t the life the Lord wants for us. We are blessed in that our Lord tells us to hand everything over to Him, and just keep moving forward.

When I start to worry that Jonah will never arrive, that the adoption process will never move along, that I will never be able to have a body that functions like “it should”… I remember that He’s got this.

I remind myself that:

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.” Philippians 3:8-9a (NLT)

And when I lay aside everything else, and focus in on Him and His AWESOMENESS, my troubles melt away and nothing else matters but basking in that love and sharing it with other people.

As my “Jesus Today” devotional reminded me this morning:

“The world applauds self-sufficiency…However, this is not the way of My kingdom. I want My children to recognize and rejoice in their utter dependence on Me…When the strain of living in the fallen world is getting you down, resist the temptation to feel sorry for yourself. Instead say to yourself, ‘I am blessed and thankful – and on my way to His Glory!’”

TTC Tuesday

Where Has Our Faith Gone?

September 30, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres3 Comments

Speaking of thanking Jesus, today we have a special ‘thank you’ to our Creator and Almighty God – my best friend, Ashley, and her husband John, welcomed their daughter into the world yesterday afternoon – Willa Drew! Congratulations Mommy & Daddy! Between Willa and our niece, Eden, who is only one month older, we have been seriously blessed in the past two months with precious new life!

Thank You, Jesus!

I spoke with a woman the other day who asked if when we, “gave up on God giving us children naturally” we thought we “might consider adoption”…

While Craig and I would love to adopt a child or preferably children, doing so wouldn’t be about our giving up on God or lacking faith in His timing. There are so very many children who need a good and loving home, and two parents who want nothing more than to care for them…why would we consider that ‘alternative’ as Plan B? Frankly, our only hold-up to adoption is cost!

But really, comments like these always make me think…Where has people’s faith gone? When did the God of the Miraculous become the God of limited power?

Psalm 113:9 says, “He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!”

Why do we limit our Lord? Miracles happen every single day, and all of them are God-given.

Remember the God we serve. Faith in Him is an incredible thing.

TTC Tuesday

What Is Your Whale?

July 8, 2014July 8, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Thank you, Jesus, indeed, as always!!

And this time, thanks to all of YOU! Your letters, e-mails, texts and phone calls have been so sweet!! It’s comforting to know that our being M.I.A. from the blogosphere this past week didn’t go unnoticed! 🙂

We are happy to report that nothing is awry, we are just busy and were a little under the weather from the end of last week through the weekend. And when I say busy, I mean BUSY! Busy as in I have been at my desk since 7:45AM and have only gotten up once, to fill my coffee cup. Busy as in as I was making my page-long to-do list, three more e-mails arrived to add to that list.

And it isn’t just work, we are involved in so much, and very thankfully & happily so. There just aren’t enough hours in the DAY, let alone WEEK to accomplish everything needing to be done! And while we are blessed with my ‘job’ and the income it provides for our family, that’s really all it is. A job. Not a career. It’s a means to an end until we meet Jonah Elizabeth face-to-face. Or at least, it was…

Things are beginning to change at the Lefebvre household, folks, and we will have a teeny-tiny snippet of just what that means tomorrow! But for today…

…let’s focus on our infertility journey and remembering to thank Him for His ever fertile faithfulness.

Two Sundays ago, Pastor Alan spoke about Jonah. Now, we at The Newlywed Lefebvres certainly know the story of Jonah and the whale – right? Or do we…actually?

Read Jonah 1 – 4.

The story of Jonah shows a prophet of God running from His Will. Now, certainly, this is something none of us have ever done. Right? 🙂 Nope. Not relatable in the least… Ha.

Jonah ran from what God asked him to do, and then he got caught up in a very horrible storm. Again…not familiar at all, right? 🙂

He was thrown overboard by the sailors on the boat with him, sure he was about to die.

But God sent a big fish – a marlin, a tuna, a WHALE…

…not to EAT Jonah…not to harm Jonah…not to hurt Jonah…

God sent the whale to Jonah to SAVE him and to redirect him on God’s chosen course for his life!

Wow, huh? That’s a different way of looking at things… and it made me and Craig take a step back and think.

Our infertility has been our whale.

God used this season in our lives to bring us back to Him, and to work for His Kingdom. To truly discover Him and who we are in Him, as His children. He is using our story to bring others to Him. It is truly a miracle…and how apropos that our little miracle will be named Jonah. 🙂

What is something that might be (or might have been) the whale God placed or saved you with in your life?

Thinking of our trials in a whole new light may bring God’s Will for your life into the light, as well. 🙂

Until Tomorrow,

TTC Tuesday

Children Of The King

June 24, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

As you all know, or probably know, Craig and I have been ~~patiently~~ waiting on God for a child for exactly:

After what seemed to have been forever, we heard from the Holy Spirit concerning our future child, and we are so very thankful, expectant and thrilled for little Jonah Elizabeth to arrive!! I can’t tell you how many people during the past month have told us she’s going to be here sooner than we felt! It’s been unbelievably amazing to realize that the Lord hasn’t spoken only to Craig and I, but to those around us, as well!! How awesome is our God!?!?!

Thinking about our future little angel made me examine more closely who she will be and who I am in Christ.

Gill’s Exposition Of The Entire Bible (a comprehensive Bible commentary) says this: “…akin to God, he being their Father, and they his children by adopting grace, and which was made manifest by their new birth; and also akin to Christ, he being their head, husband, Father, and brother, and they his members, spouse, children, and brethren…”

“His children by adopting grace” – how BEAUTIFUL is that?!? The One who breathed the world – and the stars! – into existence adopted us as His Children, even though we aren’t good enough, or thankful enough, or faithful enough. He chose us.

Baby Jonah isn’t even here yet, and Craig mentioned the other day that he just loves her so much – he can’t even imagine the love he will feel for her once she makes her grand arrival! That love? The love a parent has for his child…The amount of that love is outrageous. Most parents will tell you they had no clue until they held their child in their arms how much they were capable of loving.

But take that amount and multiply it by infinity.

That’s just beginning to skim the surface of how much God loves His children.

Ephesians 2:4-7

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Our Father in Heaven love US so very much that He allowed His Son to die in our place. Really. Think about that for a second. As a parent. As a future parent. As someone who knows love. He allowed His very own Son to die a criminal’s death, not just a peaceful death in his sleep…but a tortuous, death-row slaughtering. Can you even imagine? That’s how much He loves us. He allowed that for His own Son. To save US.

That’s the LOVE of our Heavenly Father.

Embrace that amazing love, and consider what a special gift He gives when He blesses us with children.

TTC Tuesday · What's Up Wednesday

Worry

June 11, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres5 Comments

It feels like I haven’t posted in forever – even though you guys got an update on Monday. I wrote that post last week because I KNEW this week was going to be just craziness!

The past two days WORRY has been on my mind – and not so much in the way of things I am worrying about, but more so about what I am not worried about. Last Tuesday, we posted about Future Baby Jonah and got something very rare for this blog. A true first, actually. A nastygram, in the form of a blog comment. It was supposed to be anonymous. The person used a fake, and very rude, e-mail address, and said something very hurtful, but thanks to technology, know that whatever you post or write on the internet, your identity can be found out. That said, we know who this comment came from.

Rather than WORRYING about what that person said, and if it might be true, I was first angry with her and then later – after much prayer and cooling off time 🙂 – sad for her. Her comment made me remember what my life was like without Christ at the center. It makes me look back on how unbearably bleak an existence without hope is.

I love the way The Message translation of the Bible reads. Try this one on for size:

James 1:2-4

The Message (MSG)

Faith Under Pressure

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

My faith in Christ means that I don’t have to worry. His Promises are real. His Word is true. His Spirit is our comfort.

The Holy Spirit has revealed and continues to reveal to me and to those around Craig and I truths and promises about our Baby Jonah. He asks that we continue to follow Him – no matter what, and the more closely we follow, the more He shows us we are on the right path. It is an uphill journey. It has not been easy.

He doesn’t promise easy. As a matter of fact, He warns the road is a hard one.

Matthew 10:16

The Message (MSG)

16 “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

So don’t worry. Be diligent in your prayer life and follow Him – no matter what.

1 Peter 5:7

The Message (MSG)

6-7 So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

If God is for you, after all, who can POSSIBLY be against you – and stand a chance?

TTC Tuesday

Joy

June 3, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres6 Comments

You may or may not have seen this verse posted on our Facebook page this morning. The Holy Spirit has been guiding us to read a selection of devotions from the devotional by John MacArthur called “Drawing Near”, and the devotion for yesterday – which didn’t get read until today… 🙂 led me to the verse above.

It’s amazing how the Lord will direct you if you allow Him.

We have been through ups and downs and trials and tribulations over our lack of a child. This time last year, I didn’t go more than a day or two without crying and sobbing and feeling depressed about not being able to give my sweet husband a baby…This year we are rejoicing in the joy of the Lord.

Baby Jonah already has a blanket and several sweet little outfits at home. As soon as we have finally moved into our new home, we will begin working on her nursery. The Lord has brought us a promise and such happiness in the faith and knowledge of His plans for our little family.

James 1:5

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

The song below (which you will need to watch within a browser) describes the joy of the Lord and the grace He provides so well: “Exceeding Joy” – Hillsong

TTC Tuesday

Tears of Joy

May 13, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres8 Comments

I spent a majority of Mother’s Day evening in tears.

Do I doubt God? Do I doubt Jonah Elizabeth’s introduction into our little family?

Not one little bit.

But the enemy is trying – hard.

I am a redeemed child of the Most High God. He died a criminal’s death to forgive me for every single sin that I have committed. He protects me and He loves me – unconditionally.

Does that sound like someone who would constantly remind you of all your failures and regrets and hurts?

Does that sound like someone who would repeatedly say you aren’t good enough?

I used to think God was punishing me by not giving us a child – but that isn’t how He operates. That voice of doubt and fear and sadness and regret – That isn’t God!

When those thoughts pop into your mind, push them away and have FAITH in the God who loves you as the child of His you are. He doesn’t break His promises, and He doesn’t throw things back in your face.

Little Jonah will be here just as He promised. And the only tears I have to cry are those of joy from being loved by the King and Creator of the Universe.

Keep the faith – and remember the character of our Creator!