I am officially on the home stretch-Baby Boy Johnson is 2 weeks away from making his grand entrance into this world and I could not be more excited! Of course, if he plans to come earlier-we will meet him sooner! This pregnancy has truly flown by. It feels like yesterday that I peed on a stick and saw two pink lines starring back at me! I remember being so excited, nervous and a bit anxious, knowing that I was just under 40 weeks away from meeting our new bundle of joy.
9 Months.
Life has been non stop this past year, which I know has attributed to what has been a super fast pregnancy. I spend most of my free moments, if there is even such a thing, cleaning, organizing and getting everything in place for Baby Boy Johnson. I went into labor at 34 weeks and 6 days with the girls. I didn’t have a hospital bag packed, the nursery wasn’t set up, and I don’t even think my house was cleaned. So, this go around, I want to be as prepared as we can be! It has been fun, especially seeing how excited the girls are to meet their brother. I know they are going to be great big sisters in the midst of a big life change for them. It makes my heart burst with joy just imagining our life with him. It makes me a bit sad too-for so long, it has been the four of us! We make a great team and I am soaking up every moment we have just the four of us.
Inconvenient Hospital Trip.
This past week, while at work, I noticed I had some swelling in my legs and hands. It wasn’t the normal ‘pregnancy’ swelling-it was the most swelling I have ever experienced. I wasn’t sure if it was the desk chair, the lunch I ate, or if it was normal to experience, so I called my doctor just to be safe. The Doctor’s office encouraged me to go to the hospital. I listened and off to the hospital I went. I had planned on having a quiet evening at home with my girls. We didn’t have anywhere to be or anything planned, so I was a bit disappointed having to go to the hospital.
They ran various test, checked the baby several times and found that everything was perfect! Whew, what a relief! Not that I expected anything different, but it was nice to know that all was ok!
Heart Break.
While waiting for my release papers, a woman was brought into the same room as me, she had just finished delivering her baby by the way of C Section.
She was eager to hold her baby and asked the nurses a few times if it was time to see her baby. The nurse came in and began discussing some minor complications with the baby. The nurse questioned her multiple times regarding drug use during pregnancy. My heart began to break as she denied several times ever using drugs during her pregnancy. The nurse didn’t seem to believe her. Minutes after, she began calling her friends and family, letting them know that she just delivered a baby girl named McKenzie.
One conversation in particular caught my attention. She called the father of the baby and let him know that their daughter was just born less than an hour ago. His voice was pretty loud, allowing me to hear his response. (I wasn’t’ trying to be nosy, but it was easy to hear everything going on) The father of this baby was very uninterested with the news of becoming a father. She asked him several times if he would like to meet McKenzie, and over and over again he said no.
My Purpose.
Tears began to stream down my face and my heart broke. I could feel her sadness. I began praying for this innocent little girl named McKenzie, her mother and her father, who may never meet her. No woman should ever have to experience that moment and no daughter should have that as her reality.
I am sure there is a lot to this story that I do not know. What I do know, however, is that every girl and boy needs their daddy! They need healthy environments where they can grow, learn and be nurtured, so that they can take on this world with confidence! I know many brave men and women who parent alone, who raise their kids and who take on the roles of both mother and father, but I am convinced that there is something we can do to help prevent this from being the reality for so many innocent babies.
Not Just Another Church.
We are 5 weeks away from launching our first weekend service for our church. In that moment, I was so thankful to be a part of THE CHURCH- for I know it is the HOPE of the world. We are not starting a church to fill seats with people who have already found HOPE or because we think it is a cool idea; we are starting a church because we value family and desire to see those without HOPE experience HOPE. Our church will be a place for people who have come from fractured homes to find a place to belong. A place where we are not just raising up leaders for our generation, but mothers and fathers who will take care of the forgotten and unwanted.
I am so glad I was inconvenienced that day to spend 3 hours at the hospital! Often times that is what God does and how he reveals our purpose to us! He will allow you and I to experience a change in our course, an inconvenience, or a curve ball in our perfect plans in order to show us a need that He is asking us to bring resolve to.
My heart breaks for the babies of this world who are forgotten, unwanted, and mistreated! However, I will not just allow my heart to break, but instead my prayer this week has been, “Lord help me rescue these babies, help me share the LOVE of Jesus with as many mothers and fathers so that they can in turn give that love to their children!”
Experience It For Yourself.
BJ and I are walking into unknown territory as we open the doors to our church on February 16th- we aren’t sure what it will look like, but what we do know is that we will live a life being “inconvenienced” so that many can find HOPE in Jesus.
Bringing It Home.
Have you felt inconvenienced lately? Are your plans not going the way you hoped they would? I encourage you to take a look around, the very thing that you have been searching for/ desiring might be waiting for you on the other side of inconvenience!
Every week I highlight a TRUTH about you, your life, or about a situation you may be facing and then I DARE you to believe it. TRUTH: “Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!”
Ephesians 5:16(b) MSG
DARE: Don’t let things simply move your heart, but move your hand.