Fearfully and wonderfully made! 

It was a great week to reflect on this truth that we unpacked earlier this week. And trust me I (Mia) have been, maybe because I have taken this entire week to celebrate my birthday which was a few days ago….ok, truth be told the celebration started April 1, no foolin!

Knowing that I am fearfully and wonderfully made is vital to me, because I know how many years I spent not believing this truth and the impact that had on my life and the lives of those around me. So people will have to forgive me for the month-long celebration.

You see, I was knit together by the hand of God in my mother’s womb, but that womb is not the one that raised me. She is the one that sacrificed and gave me up for adoption. She loved me THAT much.

My birthday each year turns my heart to Phyllis, my birth-mother, and all that must have been going on in her life so many years ago that she would be called to do one of the bravest acts of motherhood that I know of…to give up her child.

Because of her sacrifice, my Mom and Dad were able to adopt me, call me their own, love me, teach me, and pour into me for the sake of Jesus. Even though my Mom did not give birth to me, she breathed life into me. She taught me about Jesus, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made, because when I was made, my frame was not hidden from God. I am precious to Him, my days have been ordained by the Creator and I acknowledge that truth.

Yes, Birthday month is fun, but at the core of the celebration for me is this…. I was given life in the midst of troubling circumstances. And even in that situation, God chose me, ordained me and placed me exactly where He wanted. I celebrate that. I celebrate Life, I celebrate Adoption! I celebrate my birth-mother and I celebrate my Mom and Dad!

I received this poem at my adoption hearing. It expresses so perfectly the truth of My Mom’s love for me!

"Not flesh of my flesh"

Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart,
But in it. ~Fleur Conkling Heyliger

You are wonderfully made…..walk like it, talk like it, live like it! You are amazing!

Love you in the Lord, Mia

Earlier in the week, I (Toi) wrote on the importance of rest.  Jesus needed rest and sleep, so who am I to think I can go without rest & sleep if Jesus didn't?   
  
Here's the part where I should be telling you how, when faced with no rest or sleep, I resisted my pride in trying to be superwoman; how I nobly called in reinforcement when I found myself down with the stomach virus (after being up all night with 2 sicks little girls.)

But......I didn't.  
 
Last week we were hit with the stomach bug at our house. My house was a wreck. I cringed at the idea of anyone seeing it.  We were running low on Gatorade and Sprite, and my husband (who was an hour away at work) called his mom to come help us out.  

I heard in my spirit  "Let her help. Allow her to serve Me."  I prayed and released to the Lord my desire to be supermom. My mother-in-law arrived with supplies. While I rested, she cleaned my kitchen. It was a tremendous blessing to me. 

When we deny the opportunity for another to serve or give, we hinder what the Lord is wanting to do in their life and our own. 

Toi was raised in Atlanta but moved to the Midwest the summer before she started high school. She and her husband, Chris, make their home in northwest Alabama. They have 3 children.  She and her family are active in their church.  When she isn't forgetting to thaw dinner out, Toi volunteers in the nursery and children ministry at her church.  Toi enjoys quiet time with the Lord during the day by shoveling spoonfuls of Hazelnut spread to her children to keep them quiet.  Toi has a heart for others. She wants to bring encouragement through her writing especially to fellow wives and mothers. Toi is new to blogging and you can find her over at Better With Sonshine and on Facebook HERE.

I don't think there's a soul reading this who doesn't know the wound of being hurt by a friend. Monday, I {Mandy} shared some thoughts on the Devotional page about what it's like to be wronged. I shared some verses from 1 Samuel showing that God comforted Samuel when Samuel's feelings were hurt by the Israelites. God told Samuel that it wasn't Samuel who the Isrealites had wronged, but, rather God Himself. 

Friends, we need to take to heart what God told Samuel. 

If we have handled a situation with others with prayer, careful consideration, and thoughtfulness, and the others are still offended or angry...that is not a reflection on us. 

Something we must remember when we're involved in conflict is that the person on the other side is not our enemy. No matter how cold or angry they may seem, we only have one enemy. 

When your feelings are hurt and you feel like you can't possibly forgive, take it all to Him. Let Him hear you. Pour it all out before Him. 

Pray for those who hurt you. Ask God to see them through His eyes.

Satan cheers every time we allow others' or our own hurt feelings to drive a wedge in-between our relationships and hamper reconciliation. 

Conflict in life is unavoidable, but keeping some things in mind will help alleviate a lot of it. An article I wrote on Ungrind Webzine underscores points on being selctive with our inner circle of friends. 
Are you hurting? Have you been wounded? Have you acted out in a posture of love only to be treated like the enemy? Let's pray together.

Father,
We come to you with broken hearts and stinging souls. Please open our eyes to any wrong-doing or wrong-thinking on our parts. Please guide us with wisdom on how to respond and when to back away. Please heal the hearts of all involved and draw us closer to You. May our relationships nbe glorifying to You.


In Jesus' name. Amen.