The Hope of His Calling

THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING

Ephesians 1: 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, if you can have a favorite in this book full of hope, love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness!

But, "the hope of His calling,what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe,"; these words fill me with such hope when I look at situations in my life that seem hopeless .  Ponder the words, "the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe"....

This is the power that raised Christ from the dead after The Father sacrificed His only Son for us because of His great love for us.

GREAT LOVE

GREAT POWER

Those are ours in Him. 

When looking at the problems you face, keep your eyes on your Great God, not on the problems that you face. We can't question His love. We can't question His power. Our problems are in His hand, and He loves us...

Isabella's Story

Isabella's Story

ISABELLA’S STORY



I am 50. I have 4 children. Sarah is 23 and married; William is 19;Rachel is 17 and Isabella is 2. I waited 20 years to return to work as a pharmacist after having my children and decided to return to work in 2009. My start date was December 7th. Earlier that year, my sweet husband decided that I was close enough to menopause that pregnancy was not a danger for us, though I assured him that I  was still having regular periods! I prayed every month that God would protect me from getting pregnant! I thought I was too old and I had finally gotten over my chronic case of baby fever. I have had baby fever all my life! I would say, "Lord, thank you so much for my period this month. You are so wise and good. You know this is not the time or the season for a pregnancy. Thank you for protecting me." I firmly believe  only God can create a life!

Well, on December 6th, I realized that I was a couple of weeks past due for my period. I thought, "Surely not!"

Sure enough, the pregnancy test was positive! I can't believe I cried, as much as I love babies, but I was not prepared! My oldest was engaged to be married in June. I was returning to work. I was too old! My husband looked like he was going to die. He was NOT happy.

I said to God, "Lord, I know that I always said you ripped me off and that I should have had more children. But I meant earlier, not now! I really was just kidding You. Can't You take a joke. I think I could audibly hear Him say, "Can't you?!"

I waited until the 12th week of my pregnancy to schedule an appointment. The chances of miscarriage at my age in the first trimester were 95%. The chances of getting pregnant at that age, I read, were nearly nil. I didn't think I would be having a baby.

Sure enough the sonogram showed a 12 week old fetus. My blood pressure went really high. My doctor was worried, but I told him that if he just found out he was having a baby at 47, his blood pressure would go up too!

At that point, I began to get excited. Maybe I would pull a Sarah and Abraham in my old age. I sure felt old!

Every month, my husband would say, "Are you still pregnant?" in his Eeyore voice. I would answer, "Yes, I am still pregnant!"

By 18 weeks, I was so happy with my pregnancy. I had no clue what was in store for us.

I went for a detailed sonogram, the one where the check the baby for any problems.The technician asked if I wanted to know my baby's sex. The baby was enough surprise for me, and for the first time, I found out before delivery what I was carrying. It was a girl!

At my 18 week visit with the perinatologist, they did a sonogram with high resolution and they found a large cystic hygroma and an echogenic bowel. And it was a girl. Her head circumference was measuring a few weeks behind as were her long bones. Her overall measurements were a week or so behind, He couldn't see her heart or face. He classified hygromas as and small, medium and large. It was 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the babies head and extended all the way down her back. The perinatologist said that the chances of survival were slim to none and offered me an abortion. He wanted to do an amniocentesis, but said that it wouldn't help the baby, so I declined.
He said that the hygroma was septated and that those almost never resolve even when they are small, but that he had seen things he didn't think would get better get better. But he didn't want me to have false hope. I told him hope was not a bad thing. After we left his office, I broke down in tears. I had finally decided that I really was going to have a baby and I was really excited. Now it seemed that I would lose her. I was heartbroken. I researched online and found that the statistics for survival of a small, nonseptated hygroma were not great, but large, septated hygromas had almost no chance of resolving. I prayed to God for her life. We named her Isabella, which means, “God’s promise,” and her middle name is Grace and encompasses all that God is , His power, love, mercy, forgiveness, healing and unmerited favor.

I wanted anything I could hold on to. I prayed that God would spare her and prayed almost daily for some sign from Him that she would be OK. I never really felt that I could hear God clearly about her. But as time wore on and she was still with me, I began to feel that He might be saying, "Yes."I lived for her kicks and flutters.

I also found the website, benotafraid.net. I found the story of Louise Foster Flannigan and her daughter, Rosie, who had a cystic hygroma with hydrops. And Laura Dawson was pregnant with her baby Rosie as I was pregnant with Isabella. Laura’s baby’s hydrops was resolving. I watched as week by week her Rosie beat the odds. There was hope
Every other week, I would listen to Isabella’s heart, still beating and hope that the hygroma was going away. At around 22 weeks at the perinatologist, the hygroma was no worse and possibly better. The long bones and head circumference were again behind as were her overall measurements. She might survive. Then he said that he thought that the baby had trisomy 13 or 18. Those are fatal chromosomal abnormalities and I was devastated. I couldn't understand why God would give me a child to take her away.
As time wore on, I understood that she was eternal. That I would always have her even if she didn't survive to term or after. That she was fearfully and wonderfully made just like my other three children and that I would have her for an eternity even if not here. I prepared for Down's Syndrome, T-13, T-18, Turner's and the death of my baby.
As I read about Down's Syndrome children, more and more friends came to me and said those were the sweetest children ever born. I read story after story of how these children blessed their families. I read stories of mother's that lost their babies to T13 or T18 and heard how their babies blessed them no matter how short the lifeI read stories of how all these babies blessed their mothers even if they didn’t make it to viability. They were loved, wanted, and eternal. ( And I read stories of survival with T13 and T18, babies that beat the odds and were so loved and cherished. My friend, Julie Stahl’s baby, diagnosed with T13 inutero while I was carrying Isabella, is thriving and developing normally. As it turns out, she has a partial T13 and is not as affected as first diagnosed. I read Rosie's story and Laura's stories again and again and felt hope that a hygroma could be overcome.
At 24 weeks, her echo of her heart appeared normal.

At 26 weeks, my oldest daughter, Sarah, got married. My youngest daughter, Rachel, sang a song at the wedding that she had been singing to Isabella and as she sang, Isabella kicked the entire song. The song was “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.” I knew she heard it.
At 28 weeks, the hygroma was completely gone. I believe this was the visit where he said that one of her kidneys was polycystic and that the other was probably functioning, but that he couldn't guarantee what would happen with her kidneys. Her measurements were following the same pattern with an overall 33rd percentile. He again said that he thought the baby was T13 or T18. The sonographer said that she thought her feet were swollen. I certainly hoped so as that was a sign of Turner’s and not of T13 or T18. I was still devastated that he thought it was T13 or T18. I knew that God would bless me with either outcome, but so wanted to keep my Isabella. I prayed for what I wanted, a daughter to keep for a lifetime.
At 32 weeks, her measurements fell to overall 15th percentile. He thought she had rocker bottom feet and again said that he thought she was T13 or 18. Her head and long bones had fallen even further behind normal. Again the sonographer thought the feet just swollen. I was suffering from preelcampsia and there was a possibility that the placenta was not functioning optimally with her further decline on the growth chart.
She was delivered at 34 weeks due to preeclamsia. The placenta was 25 to 30 % abrupted and I would have lost her at 40%. Two of the happiest moments in my life were when I heard her cry when she was born, she came out furious and screaming, and later when the perinatologist came in and told me that she appeared to have Turner Syndrome. I cried tears of joy. I would get to keep her. She was 4 pounds 1 oz. and 17 inches long. Isabella went straight to room air. She had to have some time to be able to take nourishment. They started with 5cc every 3 hours and in 10 days had her to 2 oz every 4 hours. She came home at 11 days old and 4 lbs 6 oz.
As a tiny infant, she is a beautiful baby and a joy to have. We all adore her and can't imagine life without her. She is so sweet to hold as she snuggles into you when she sleeps. She loves to be held, talked to and sung to. She expresses her wants clearly. She makes the sweetest sounds and squeaks when she is enjoying being fed and snuggled. She says "Unh-unh" forcefully if you do something she doesn't like. And of course screams her head off if you really upset her. We all exclaim over her all day and she never lacks for a willing set of arms.

Don't give up hope. The doctor's are often wrong. They don't know your baby’s future.
Hang on.
Sing to your baby. Read to your baby. I did. Do all the things you would like to do with your baby now. Enjoy your baby and your pregnancy as much as you can.
Don't let this steal your joy. I am sorry for the times I let the trial steal my joy. Enjoy this baby. You may have all you want and more. It can be better than you ever imagined.
And your baby is eternal, whether held here for a short time or for a lifetime.





Update April 2011:



Isabella is now 9 ½ months old, 8 months old adjusted for prematurity. Her heart is fine. She has one kidney that is slow to drain, but that seems to be resolving, it was not polycystic, it was hydronephrotic, meaning that it was not draining properly, but fully functional. She sits alone, babbles, says Mama, and is still the light and joy of the entire family.

My possessions can be stolen, but not my treasures!

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34, Matthew 6:21......


Today my wallet was stolen right under my nose. I saw her face. I saw her put her hand in her purse, certain that the wallet she had just taken out of the shopping cart was now in her purse. When I confronted her and asked if she saw my wallet in the buggy that I had just vacated to get another, she denied seeing it, but promptly ditched the buggy, left the store, went to her car and left the parking lot.
I thank God that all my treasures are in Him.
Last night, Sarah and I left Jackson at the same time. She was headed to Hattiesburg. Rachel, Isabella and I were headed to Meridian. I hated knowing that she would be traveling alone, late at night, on a bad two lane highway. I really wanted to follow her and then come home, but I didn't. I prayed. I prayed that God would surround her with angels, that His hand would protect and guide her safely home if it was His will, certain that nothing could circumvent His will.
I breathed a prayer of thanks when she said she was pullling into her apartment complex, grateful that God protected her and certain that angels surrounded her. I love the story of Eliasha and Gehazi when they are surrounded by the army of the enemy, and God opens Gehazi's eyes to the army of angels that surrounded them protecting them for harm. Nothing can stay His hand when He acts. 2 Kings 6:8-22!
A dear friend lost her newborn baby to Turner's Syndrome about a year ago. When she did, as she grieved, she said that the only person that she could have released her precious daughter to was her Savior that sacrificed for them both and loved them both.
I knew that if anything happened to Sarah, she would be with my Savior. He is the only one that I could release one of my children to and even then, they are not gone. My treasure are stored  in heaven. My heart would be broken, just as my friend's heart was broken. But my treasure would not be gone. He already holds my treasures safely in His hand.
Oh Lord, what would I do if my treasure were not in You?
Thank you for your Son you sent so long ago.
As we welcome this Christmas season, let us remember where our treasures lie.

Living Word

God's word is alive. I know it every time I read it. I feel His presence in His word. I hear His heart in His word. He changes my heart with His Word. For that, I am so very grateful. 

I see the stain of my sin ever before me. My heart is not the heart I want most of the time. I want His heart in me. Mine is tarnished. 

Sanctification is a process. If you are like me, you probably wish it was instantaneous. Oh for that glorious day when the presence of sin will be no more, when I am in glory, and I don't have to struggle with my sin nature that I abhor. But it is a tedious process. I struggle with the same things over and over, trying to root those stubborn sinful attitudes and actions out of my life. 

When I am immersed in His presence, in His Word, I feel the difference between who I am and who I want to be. I see the change He makes in me. I am grateful. I love Who He Is in me. Without Him, I would be hopeless, angry, bitter, hurt... Doomed to be buried and rotting in my sin. Doomed to relive past grievances until my soul rotted in the ugly bitterness of the pain. In Him, because He has forgiven me, I find the strength to forgive, to let go. To want to be like Him.

 Without Him, I would be doomed to be irritated by the annoyances of every day life, doomed to be selfish and self-centered all the time, doomed to squander my time and my days in self indulgence. He is my self control. He is my strength. He is the love in my heart. He is my direction. 

As His living Word fills me, I am changed for as long as I dwell on it and am filled. That's why He says to meditate on it day and night. That's why He tells us to pray without ceasing. That's why He tells us to always be thankful.

It is the constant, day in, day out, all day long practice of praise, prayer, and meditation that allows us to be filled with Him and in His presence. Only then can we be different.

I am working on that. I get so distracted by life. 

Philippians 1:6 says "He that began a good work in  you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

I am so grateful.....

Hebrews 4:12

 (New American Standard Bible)
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Joshua 1

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 1

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
² But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

⁴ The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
⁶ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.

Be still and know that I am God!

Be still, and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10
There's nothing like acknowledging His presence in my life. I read this Psalm this morning and the peace that surpasses all understanding washed over my soul. Waves of peace, the peace of His presence.
Here is the entire Psalm for you to ponder! The Word, living and breathing in us!

Psalm 46

King James Version (KJV)

46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

² Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³ Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
⁴ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
⁵ God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
⁶ The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
⁷ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
⁸ Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
⁹ He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Maybe you needed to hear this today as I did. Maybe you needed to be reminded that HE IS GOD! 
He is our refuge! He is our strength! He is our help!
He is with me today. I am not alone. You are not alone.

He is our Peace

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Peace is something I have been working on. 
I recently read Tracie Miles new book, Stressed Less Living. Tracie offers a fresh perspective and practical tools to help us recognize and deal with every day stress. One thing she points out is that our stress is not really the product of the stressful situations in our lives. 
I am going to borrow Tracie's words from her 10 day stress detox. She does such a great job of helping us see that if the stressors in our lives today were gone, they would be replaced by different ones. I want a peace that is independent of my stressors. Here is Tracie's post. 
Go to 

http://traciemiles.com/ for more of Tracie's inspiring words. You can sign up for her next 10 day Stress Detox.

STRESS DETOX
DAY 2

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Today's Peace-full thought:

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (NASB)

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Today's Prescription for Peace:
REFLECT

Peace. Can you picture it? What do you see?

Does your mental picture include a golden sunset at the edge of a lake, a gentle ocean breeze, or frozen breath on a snow topped mountain?

Does your last picture of peace date back to a time in your life before your problems began; before abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, infertility, unemployment, etc.?

There are different ways to define peace, and each one of us may have a different mental picture, so it’s important to reflect on what is shaping our picture of peace.

For example, peace to a mom of several young toddlers might be a lack of noise. Peace to a mom of teenagers might be a noisy house, knowing that all her kids are safely at home.  Peace to a busy employee might be a day without problems or deadlines. Peace to a high school student might be the absence of a bully who taunts him or her every day. Peace to a person struggling financially might mean knowing that all of the bills are paid.  Peace to a person who is unhappy with their job might be the acquirement of a new position.

Sometimes our mental pictures of peace – those dream scenarios that we think will make us less stressed – can actually distort our view of what real peace really is. Unfortunately, the longer we reflect on the world’s view of peace instead of peace that is found in Jesus, the chances of ever finding real peace is slim to none.

Many people think that the definition of peace is simply the absence of conflict, but the absence of conflict is only a temporary situation that will always eventually come to a close. This is a fragile view of peace, because the sense of peace is based solely on one’s circumstances.

A much better definition of peace is one that rests on the ability to rise above our circumstances, overcome our innate tendency to stress out over problems, and help us learn to remain calm and confident despite what is going on around us.

That is real peace—a peace based on Christ, not on people or circumstances. A peace based on faith, not on personal desires being met. A peace based on a quieted heart, not on a quiet house. A peace based on the love of Jesus, not on an easy day at work. A peace based on trusting God in all things, not just the simple things we think we can handle on our own.

Is it possible that peace has seemed a thing of the past and out of your reach, because you have been searching for peace in all the wrong places? Because you have had allowed the world’s pictures of peace to distort what real peace really is? Because you have succumbed to the lie that your life can never be peaceful again, because of the circumstances in your life right now?

Sometimes we need to reflect on the past and the present, and peek at what our private mental picture of peace really is, in order to discover that we might need to make some mental adjustments. Once we grab onto God's picture of peace and ask Him to intervene in our lives, we can  step into every day with our hearts and minds focused on God.  Doing that does automatically mean that every day will be free of conflict and overflowing with serenity, but we can ask for God to help our hearts not be troubled - or at least, not near as much.

God's truths in today's key verse remind us that real peace can be fully present in our hearts on the inside, even when our entire life is overflowing with chaos on the outside. Real peace does not come when life starts going our way, people start getting what they deserve, and all problems get resolved.

Only Jesus can give real peace. Real peace that is not based on circumstances. Once we get a taste of that kind of peace- we are never the same again.

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Dear Lord, I do want a peace that is a life transforming. Peace that I know can only from You. My life is chaotic, and I have simply not taken time to reflect on when peace became a memory, instead of a reality, in my life. I ask that You infuse Your peace into my heart, and quiet my soul. Help me to see You in the midst of my circumstances, rather than only seeing my circumstances.  Help me to seek You above all else, even when what I really want to seek, is change.  Help me come to know You through the challenges I am facing, so that Your peace can be mine. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

How Do I Fret?

O.K., I have to link you all up with Warrior Wives today, also. This is a timely word for something that we are almost all guilty of...

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How Do I Fret?

I know a lot of Warrior Wives.  So, I asked one of them - my friend Jen - to share about what has been on her heart for wives. Enjoy!

How do I Fret? Let me count the ways…

It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman. 

Proverbs 21:19

This is one of those verses that makes me wince.  God would rather have my husband be incredibly dehydrated and hot than be with an argumentative, fretful woman.  And not just any woman. Me. His woman.

I can picture my husband now, tongue hanging out past his chin as he drags himself over the bones of other dead husbands, muttering joyfully, “Thanks Jesus, thanks for putting me here in this parched and scorching land, far, far away from my fretful wife.”

And Jesus is like, “I’m there for you, bro…”

Okay, that was maybe too silly, but God is saying a desert is preferable to a quarrelsome, fretting wife.

And quarrelsome I understand.  But fretting…what’s the big deal with a fretful wife? What is a fretful wife?

I think a fretful wife is one that is never really trusting in her husband.  She’s always the back-handed complimenting type. Like, “Oh, it’s great you’re spending time with other men talking about the Bible.  I wish you would spend time with the kids like that…”  Or another one would be, “Thanks so much for helping me with the dishes and putting the kids to bed, of course, now I don’t know where anything in the kitchen is and you just let the kids sleep in their day clothes…” Fret, fret, fret. Wives are saying, “That’s not how I would do it.  You are almost helpful to me.”

A fretful wife isn’t showing respect for her husband.  She’s slowly wearing him down.  You don’t respect what you wear down.

When I think about a fretful wife, I feel bad.  I wear that title a lot.  Fretting fits me comfy like that old pair of granny underwear you put on when your husband’s on a business trip and won’t be skyping with you.

I am easily tempted to think of the bad things my husband does.  Sometimes, I want to focus on his down side. If I am always fretting, how will this verse in Proverbs 31 ever happen, “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain?”

How can my husband trust in me, if I am always worrying over his decisions?  The examples I have given are relatively small, but they can be larger.  Maybe you fret over a job choice or a financial decision.  It is easy to always be second guessing him.  Not to imply that you should have no say in the decision making process, but once the decision is made, you support it, and that means no fretting!

Fretting keeps us from being united with our husbands. And at the same time we fret, we also want total openness and intimacy.  Who doesn’t swoon over the words, “The heart of her husband trusts in her…?” It’s like saying, “You complete me…”

How can your husband trust in someone who doesn’t trust in him? If you are always running behind your man, wringing your hands, rolling your eyes and essentially saying, “That’s not how I would do it…that’s not how I would do it…” You are never going to have trust.  You will be left eating stale popcorn on the couch, watching Jerry McGuire and wondering, “Why can’t I have that kind of relationship?”

When we fret, we are ultimately not trusting in the sovereignty of God. We are saying, “Sure this knucklehead husband of mine almost gets it, but if I were in control, I would have handled it so much better.” Of course you would not have. Because the only perfect handler of our short lives is Jesus. And when you are tempted to put on your old granny “Fretful and lovin’ it” drawers, just remember God loves you and is with you. He doesn’t want you to fret. He wants you to encourage. Be thankful. God is in control and he will use the misplaced dishes to help you. God will use the children going to bed in their play clothes to bless you. Jesus loves you and your husband and as long as your eyes are on Him, you will not be fretting.

Just one more thought. What If Jesus treated you like you treat your husband? What if Jesus was a fretter like I am?  What if he said to me, “Hey great job with the kids today.  Way to listen to the radio when the whole family was in the car. It’s too bad you didn’t use that time to talk about me.”  I would feel doomed! If Jesus was a fretter, I would start looking for a desert!  Because who could please God if He really fretted over you the way you fret over your husband?

Jennifer Fitzpatrick is happily married to her husband Kevin. She has three children. The whole family enjoys their lives in the Shenandoah Valley, surrounded by cows, stared at by the neighbors, and loved at their church.

Sharing with: Wifey Wednesday, Deep Roots at Home, We Are THAT Family, NOBH, Women Living Well, Thriving Thursdays, Rediscovering Domesticity, Thought Provoking Thursday, Thoughtful Thursday, Hearts for Home Thursday, Beautiful Thursday,

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Posted by Elizabeth Spence at 12:00 AM 4 Comments