Monday, October 1, 2012

Change

Meet our newest, Miss Sophia Grace Newman!
Born August 11, 2012 at 11:55pm
9 lbs 15 oz and 22 inches

Sophie is delightful, and her birth has certainly brought a new dimension to our family. At 7 weeks old, she is finally sleeping 3-4 hours at night.  Whew!  This mama is happy to get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time.  Caleb and Evelynn have really matured into great little helpers; they have adapted well to Sophie.


Caleb loves to help Sophie find her "binkie"; Evelynn kisses her toes.  Both kids are very sweet to their new little sister.  Seeing my three babies together, interacting and having fun reminds me of God's love for us.  I am still amazed at the faithfulness of God.  Left to my own strategies my life may be completely different right now.  Miraculously God changed me - a distraught professional, divorced, single mother into a blessed wife and stay-at-home mother of three children!  God truly works on our behalf.  

Here a few pics of the kids that make my heart glow!

 Evie reading books before nap time. 

  Papa found a frog!

Caleb is coming into his own!  
He is becoming more adventurous and learning how to climb, run, and jump with more accuracy.  Larry is coaching Caleb's T-ball team this season.  Their team, the Rockies, get better with every practice.

The kids are learning and so are we!  Larry and I continue to see how the gospel really produces fruit in our lives. The thing about staying home (we both work out of the house) is that everything is raw.  There is no buffer.  We are with each other day in and day out.  Our home life has been challenging, even more so since Sophie's birth.  God really walks with us through difficult situations (sleepless nights, financial challenges, arguments, etc.).  

The gospel continues to stand in direct contradiction to our circumstances, challenging us to hang on to truth or believe the lie. For example:  So we don't have money for rent or groceries right now...are we going to believe what God's word says in Phil 4: 19 (My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus) or our circumstances?  So I feel am feeling judged by Larry because the bathrooms are not clean and dinner sucks and all three kids are screaming at once...am I going to believe what God says in Romans 8:1 (There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus) or accept the lie that says I am no good, worthless as a wife/mother? See what I mean?  Marriage and motherhood certainly makes the perfect backdrop for proving God's word!  I can see, in some areas, how believing and thinking God's thoughts has produced fruit!

I have more peace in my life than ever before.  I have comfort and freedom that I didn't know existed five years ago.  I am able to truly relax (at times) because I no longer feel I have to work for God - I no longer have to complete some self-help check list in order to be pleasing to my Maker.  I stand as completely acceptable as Christ himself before the Almighty God!  How wonderfully freeing.  

Watching Sophia grow and change (she is already 14 lbs!) shows me how God covers.  I was anxious over her birth.  She was nearly 3 weeks late.  I was huge; she was big, too.  The doctors wanted us to have a repeat C-section; they played the "dead baby card" (that's what our mid-wife and friend calls it when doctors try to scare a woman into having a medically unnecessary C-section).  In the end, she was delivered naturally.  She's healthy as an ox.  She's beautiful.  God's grace is so big!  He is so loving and kind.  Satan defames our father with threats of illness, disease, and the like.  God gently reminds us that He loves us, that He is a faithful father.  The more I stick to this gospel message, the more God has room to work in my life, and boy is He ever working! 

 Sophia Grace, 6 days old.

She is such a gift.  I cannot keep my eyes off her!

I want to stop trying to resolve my own life - it's exhausting.  Rather I chose to believe that "God is faithful, through whom [I] was called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ [my] Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9), and let the blessings flow! 

1 comment:

  1. God will use whatever circumstances we are in to draw us unto him... being a stay-at-home mom or a go-to-work mom... or not a mom.... life has its challenges and our Father sees us through to the victory as we keep our eyes on the new covenant realities of Christ-in-me and being a new creation, etc. Jacquelynn your life is a great example of this! No matter what we are facing, our hearts staying meek and willing to receive our Father's deliverance thru that gospel message is key to staying at peace and seeing His provisions. Love the photos!!!

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