Before You Were Formed (part 2)

After posting “Before You Were Formed (part1)”, one of my email subscribers contacted me. She mentioned that abortion can be a lifesaving measure for a woman. Although I never mentioned abortion in my post, and don’t recall thinking about it while writing it, I’m glad it was brought up to me.

My main purpose in writing, “Before You Were Formed”, was to encourage those who perhaps feel their lives are insignificant, because of the circumstances surrounding their birth. It was also meant to let people know in general that God knows them, loves them, and has a divine purpose for their life. God values every human life, and that will never change.

According to scripture, God knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb:

Jeremiah 1:5 NIV, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…

The truth is, God knows every child, even the ones who have been aborted. Reasons for getting abortions, especially medical reasons like the person who emailed me mentioned, are between the person getting the abortion and God.

I only know what the Word of God has shown me. I believe that God placed it in my heart that abortion is not an option for me, so that is what I must live up to.

Growing up my mother always told me that if I became pregnant, not to be afraid. I could let her know. I realize everyone has a different situation, but I’m thankful for the grace of God that is powerful enough to cover every situation. God knew I would later NEED those words from my mother, so He allowed me to hear them at a young age.

When I became pregnant with my daughter, I was 20 years old and in the Army. I can clearly remember the day my platoon sergeant said to me that, “You are young and you don’t have to keep the baby if you don’t want to”. He meant well I assume.

Although I was afraid because of some of the circumstances surrounding my situation, I felt peace remembering what my mother had told me years before. I could hear her voice in my head assuring me that everything would work out. Little did I know that my daughter who is now 22 going on 23, would be my last opportunity to have a child. She’s a gift from God. In my case, I’m thankful I didn’t take my platoon sergeant’s advice.

He is a just God who knows all and sees all. In this world, we all have choices we will have to make. However we must ask ourselves repeatedly as we go through life, “Is this choice I am about to make right in God’s eyes according to His Word?” If this question is ignored, and we decide to live for ourselves, then we will be left to deal with the consequences of the choices we make. However we can instead choose to let God’s Word be our standard. As Dr. Charles Stanley always says, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.”

God’s love for us is steadfast, even as we navigate through the complexities of life. Trying to understand God’s will for our individual circumstances will not always be easy. We will at times make wrong choices, but through it all, God’s love and forgiveness, His Word and His grace, and His mercy and compassion for us will always remain the same.

Dear Father,

Thank you for life. You are the Giver of life and our times are in your hands (Psalm 31:15). We don’t always understand every dilemma we face, but we thank you for your Word and Your Spirit that will guide us into truth. Help us to make walking in love a priority, because we don’t always understand the details of every persons life. We pray for those who are struggling with tough decisions they must make. Please give them wisdom to choose what is best. Teach us to seek Your face, and to acknowledge You in all of our ways.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Mom’s Making A Difference Award

Thank you Matt at Jesusluvsall Blog for creating and nominating me for the Mom’s Making A Difference Award. I feel very thankful and honored to have the privilege to share my thoughts with others on motherhood.

I invite anyone reading this post to visit Matt’s blog at: Jesusluvsall Blog

Although Matt struggles with chronic illness, it’s always inspiring to see how he keeps on pursuing Christ. He is answering God’s call on his life to help and encourage people from different cultures. You’ll be blessed by his writings!

My daughter Shalenah is 22, and a recent college graduate. I’m in awe at how fast the years have flown by. She has blossomed into a beautiful and intelligent young lady. I am very blessed and proud to be her mom.

Graduation Day May 2019

Although I have been a single parent for most of her life, I have never felt alone in my parenting. My mom has been with us every step of the way loving us, supporting us and diligently praying for us. We have also had the love, support and prayers of many other family members and friends.

Shalenah and my Mom

One of the greatest lessons I have learned about being a mom, is the importance of prayer. I know that may seem obvious, but with the busyness of life, it can be easy to neglect to pray. I also know that as moms, we tend to try and fix everything ourselves, but we don’t have to. We can just place the challenges of parenting safely in God’s hands. He knows the exact purpose He has for our kids.

Through every stage of our children’s lives we must learn to trust God. I’ve enjoyed being a college mom for the last four years, but now I have to transition into another phase. I have to trust God to guide my daughters steps as she pursues her “after college” adult life.

When my daughter was about 11, I signed up for a parenting class at church called, “Growing Kids God’s Way”. One week in particular we learned about a concept called, “Couch Time”. The purpose of Couch Time for the married couples in the class, was to remind the children that the priority relationship in the home was the one between Mom and Dad. During the fifteen minutes of Couch Time, the children were to play or work on whatever activity their parents gave them. While the kids were occupied, Mom and Dad had to spend uninterrupted time together talking on the couch where the kids could see them. This small but important routine assured kids that everything would be alright, because everything was alright between Mom and Dad.

For myself and the other single parent in the class, we had to spend our time on the couch with God while reading our Bible. It always seemed my daughter had so much joy during this time. She would occasionally glance over at the couch, to ensure that I was still there spending time with God. Couch Time was so powerful for me because it taught me that God was the head of my home. He is my Husband (Isaiah 54:5). In my heart, it reinforced that God was faithfully watching over my daughter and I and providing for us.

That Couch Time lesson was years ago, but God’s grace has remained the same. He has taken good care of me and my daughter, and loved us unconditionally. Although she is a young adult now and entering a new phase of her life, I can look back and see how God has directed our paths. This gives me strength to keep trusting Him in the future. I’m so thankful for His presence in our lives.

I nominate the following Moms for the Mom’s Making A Difference Award:

Deandra at: Imago Dei

Crystal at: Devotions of Grace

Renee at: Heart Tokens

Rules:

1- Please share a post about being a mom.

2- Please pass it on to another mom or other moms.

Shalenah & I
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