Lessons from a friend...

As I mentioned in my first blog, I have been following a blog on myspace written by Amy McKinnney. Amy's twin babies passed away in November and she has just been a huge inspiration to me. She has consistently stayed optimistic and she has never lost faith, even in the greatest tragedy a human being could ever experience, Amy has remained faithful to God. I strive to be more like her. This is an expert from her blog this past week. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it.

"Another story that is close to my heart is the story of Abraham and Sarai(Sarah). They were married, but Sarah could not conceive. She wrestled for a very long time with that fact and eventually accepted that she would never be a mother. However, at the age of ninety, she conceived a son. She loved him very much and this reminds me that all of Gods plans are worth waiting for. He knows the desires of our hearts and I believe that he brings us all what we need, when we need it. There are alot of times, when he knows what we need even better than we do. "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" Gen.18:14
My bible is a womens study bible and there is one particular study called, "Heart of a Mother". I read this passage for the first time shortly after becoming pregnant. It meant so much to me that I placed a special book mark there, so that I would always be able to get to it when I needed it. It starts off with a narrative about what it must have been like to be Eve. The first mother ever. She cradled her baby, amazed at his perfection. His perfect fingers and toes. She questions how on earth she will ever be what this child needs. Then, she answers her own question. "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man." I think any mother has those doubts and fear. Fathers too for that fact. How on earth do you raise this child the right way? What is the right way? What if I fail and their whole life is ruined because of me? What if I do not punish them enough or what if I punish them to much? The questions are never ending... However, God allowed Eve to feel all the joy and heartache that came with raising her children and amazingly, every mother to this day, still has all the same worries and fears that she had. We must always trust in God and let him lead us!

This past Sunday, the first Sunday of the New Year; our preacher spoke about Hope. Now, many of you know how Emma received her middle name. It was based on one sermon that just grabbed me and truly spoke to me. Well, this sermon was very similar to the one of Grace. The main passage of the sermon was Romans 5:3-5, "Rejoice in sufferings because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance to character; character to hope. Hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into out hearts." Man, this hit me like a brick wall. God always has a plan for us. We may not understand the route he takes us on to get us there, but he always understands. If anyone can understand suffering right now, I would have to say it, that I can. And I know that God never brings us to any battle we cannot defeat. He does not want us to hurt, for we are his children, but he knows that there are lessons that we must learn and some of them are really tough and some seem impossible. However, we will persevere. Ryan and I will persevere. I believe that our characters have already been changed for the better because of the suffering and lessons learned during this time in our lives; at least I hope it has. Some of the strongest and most wonderful people I know are ones who have been through some pretty tough times. Times that even make my battles seem insignificant. They are strong and faithful because they have been at the bottom of the valley and they have risen to see the mountain tops. For me, Hope, is that mountain top. For, what are we without hope? I am sure that everyone knows where this is leading... When the time comes for God to bless us with another child, if it is a girl, her name will be Hope. It seems so fitting. We have come from suffering, we will persevere and we will have HOPE!"
Prayers and Love,
Amy