Marissa's birth was just as traumatic as Dawson's. I'll spare you the details, but at least they got all the placenta out this time!!!! She was born on August 3, 2001.
We started Forefront with a women's ministry, doing "Ladies Night Out" events. They were every other month on Friday nights. We did lots of different things including bunko (in case you're wondering, bunko is a dice game), craft nights, pool parties, and scavenger hunts. In the beginning attendance was great. Lots of women were into it. But after several years of doing this, it just stopped being fun. Attendance was down and I was starting to get resentful. I'd put tons of time and energy into the events, and only a handful of women showed up. That sucked!
After much prayer and consideration we decided to stop the bi-monthly women's events. I thought it was going to be a big deal to the women, but it wasn't.
We also had an annual women's retreat. After 7 years of doing the retreat, I felt like God was saying, "Why don't you pour your time and energy into something that lasts more than a day." The women went nuts. I've never been attacked like this before. I hate conflict and I hate having the finger pointed at me. It was horrible. I had to meet with a bunch of women, there was a negative email that went around and I was a mess. Several years have gone by since then and all the steam has blown away. But when I was in the middle of it, I could barely breathe.
Often when we are in the middle of the storm it's virtually impossible to stand up. It's so important that we are connected to God so that we can get His perspective and he can give us His peace. I seriously don't know how I would have gotten through all this without Him. Not only so He could give me peace, but so that I would stand firm in my convictions.
Whether it's a rough labor and delivery, conflict with another person (or people), a strained relationship or just plain life, we need that connection to Him to survive.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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2 comments:
I am attending the conf in Orlando & I hope that I can meet you. My oldest dtr was also born on 8-3-01...we were in labor at the same time! I am enjoying your blog. See you in Florida!
that was great! It's exactly what we should be doing here on earth. You made your Heavenly Father proud.
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