I've written about many of these events here and I'll share the link if you're interested in reading further into each story. I believe each of us have ten events that make our life worth sharing with others (which is one reason I love the world of blogging so much), including Melany.
The events I'm going to share with you added such depth to my life that I feel solid in my understanding of God's sovereignty.
That doesn't mean I don't struggle with my faith occasionally, it simply means that I know where to go to find encouragement and renewal of hope: God's Word. His Word reminds me that He is sovereign and worthy of my complete trust. It's the experiences that He has put in my life that forced me to joyfully yield to His plan, while giving up my own.
It's also in these experiences that I was forced to learn and grow and change. I believe they were each for a purpose and it's because of these experiences that I ask myself, How is God using this to draw me closer to Him?
Granted, not every experience, has been brutal. Some have been simple reminders that it's the small things in life that are often the most memorable.
Ain't that the truth?
The Death of Two Friends. I briefly touched on this in my testimony, but saying good-bye to friends who never experienced life outside of high school made me realize that life is short and something to be treasured.
My Parents Divorce. It still affects us today, almost ten years later. There is absolutely nothing - nothing - easy about parents divorcing. I learned so much as I watched my family unravel, about forgiveness, kindness, self-control, God's faithfulness, commitment, consequences, promises, selflessness, and about how marriage isn't just about two people. It's about a whole host of people - from those who witnessed your vows, to family, joint friends, and especially your children.
The First Day of Marriage Counseling, which I briefly entertained in my Why BecKyle? page, but I'll go into more detail. Our pastor Doug presented the gospel and Kyle accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior that day and I renewed my life for Him. It was quite the jump start to our marriage - one where Christ is the central focus!
Resigning as a Teacher and coach to be a Stay-at-Home Mom. That was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but I am forever thankful I made it. My career will wait a few years as I enjoy our babies first few years of life. I don't want to miss anything, these years fly by so quickly! It was the right decision for our family. It's been challenging and it was extremely difficult laying my career aside, but it has been worth every minute of every day. I wrote about this specifically in my About Me section and in this post titled, Stay at Home Mom? ME?! Then I read two books that helped me understand God's design for women in the home (The Privilege & Price of Motherhood a post written about the book Fearlessly Feminine and Glimpses of Grace). Whether or not I'm working, my job is to care for my family. The thought of caring for our home, baby, and most importantly nurturing my relationship with my husband (which I neglected for the first few years of our marriage) while also trying to be the best teacher possible, became a task I was not willing to tackle. I didn't want to be split. My personality would never allow it. So I knew I had to pick one: teacher or homemaker. I never, ever, ever saw myself as a mom, much less a stay-at-home mom. It's amazing how my plans were trumped by an amazing God who knows what is best for our lives as BecKyle.
Our Briella Bean's Birthday.
The Day I Hemorrhaged.
The last 3 events all happened in 2012, so when January of 2013 rolled around I wrote about our memorable year. I'll let you read my reflection for yourself.
The Day We Prayed, "Lord, we trust You and know You are sovereign. Therefore, if we're meant to have another child, we know, as the Creator of Life it'll happen whether we're ready or not. Help us let go of our fear of the unknown and trust in Your plan for our life." It seriously was a week or two later that I knew I was expecting our second child. Praying with my husband and trusting Him together was one of the most intimate and life changing moments of my life. It's hard learning to let go and Trust HIM alone, but it's so much easier having your best friend beside you, holding your hand, sharing your fears, and giving them to the One who is worthy of trust. (Read more about this event here.)
Our trip to the Bahamas contained an event that changed my life as well as my sister Mandy's. She had been struggling with postpartum depression and woke me up in the middle night asking for help. We prayed, focused on the gospel, worshiped through music and this was one of the most transforming moments in any relationship I've ever had. To be witness to my sisters life changing events is something I'll treasure forever. I'm in the process of sharing more about that particular event in the near future....
I don't know the day exactly but I began the discipleship process with a very dear friend nearly 3 years ago. I am not the same person I once was because God has worked wonders in my life through His Word and the process He designed for a closer walk with Him.
The day I met each of my little nieces and nephews. It was because of them that I learned I could actually love little kids and want little kids of my own. Starting with our little Gary, each have taught me so much about life and I will forever be grateful for them. I've written about them a few times here...
The Death of Two Friends. I briefly touched on this in my testimony, but saying good-bye to friends who never experienced life outside of high school made me realize that life is short and something to be treasured.
My Parents Divorce. It still affects us today, almost ten years later. There is absolutely nothing - nothing - easy about parents divorcing. I learned so much as I watched my family unravel, about forgiveness, kindness, self-control, God's faithfulness, commitment, consequences, promises, selflessness, and about how marriage isn't just about two people. It's about a whole host of people - from those who witnessed your vows, to family, joint friends, and especially your children.
The First Day of Marriage Counseling, which I briefly entertained in my Why BecKyle? page, but I'll go into more detail. Our pastor Doug presented the gospel and Kyle accepted Jesus Christ as His Savior that day and I renewed my life for Him. It was quite the jump start to our marriage - one where Christ is the central focus!
Resigning as a Teacher and coach to be a Stay-at-Home Mom. That was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but I am forever thankful I made it. My career will wait a few years as I enjoy our babies first few years of life. I don't want to miss anything, these years fly by so quickly! It was the right decision for our family. It's been challenging and it was extremely difficult laying my career aside, but it has been worth every minute of every day. I wrote about this specifically in my About Me section and in this post titled, Stay at Home Mom? ME?! Then I read two books that helped me understand God's design for women in the home (The Privilege & Price of Motherhood a post written about the book Fearlessly Feminine and Glimpses of Grace). Whether or not I'm working, my job is to care for my family. The thought of caring for our home, baby, and most importantly nurturing my relationship with my husband (which I neglected for the first few years of our marriage) while also trying to be the best teacher possible, became a task I was not willing to tackle. I didn't want to be split. My personality would never allow it. So I knew I had to pick one: teacher or homemaker. I never, ever, ever saw myself as a mom, much less a stay-at-home mom. It's amazing how my plans were trumped by an amazing God who knows what is best for our lives as BecKyle.
Our Briella Bean's Birthday.
The Day I Hemorrhaged.
The last 3 events all happened in 2012, so when January of 2013 rolled around I wrote about our memorable year. I'll let you read my reflection for yourself.
The Day We Prayed, "Lord, we trust You and know You are sovereign. Therefore, if we're meant to have another child, we know, as the Creator of Life it'll happen whether we're ready or not. Help us let go of our fear of the unknown and trust in Your plan for our life." It seriously was a week or two later that I knew I was expecting our second child. Praying with my husband and trusting Him together was one of the most intimate and life changing moments of my life. It's hard learning to let go and Trust HIM alone, but it's so much easier having your best friend beside you, holding your hand, sharing your fears, and giving them to the One who is worthy of trust. (Read more about this event here.)
Our trip to the Bahamas contained an event that changed my life as well as my sister Mandy's. She had been struggling with postpartum depression and woke me up in the middle night asking for help. We prayed, focused on the gospel, worshiped through music and this was one of the most transforming moments in any relationship I've ever had. To be witness to my sisters life changing events is something I'll treasure forever. I'm in the process of sharing more about that particular event in the near future....
I don't know the day exactly but I began the discipleship process with a very dear friend nearly 3 years ago. I am not the same person I once was because God has worked wonders in my life through His Word and the process He designed for a closer walk with Him.
The day I met each of my little nieces and nephews. It was because of them that I learned I could actually love little kids and want little kids of my own. Starting with our little Gary, each have taught me so much about life and I will forever be grateful for them. I've written about them a few times here...
I'm sure as life goes on, like adding a little baby come April, I'll have more events to add to this. For now it's a pretty good start to a pretty good life. I'm thankful for each of these events and how God used each of them to transform my life. This has been a pretty amazing reflection, thanks for reading along!
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