When I think about the fact that my husband is getting closer and closer to being ready to find a job as a programmer, I feel both excited and nervous. Within the next three to four months he is probably going to start his programming career, and as long as his first job pays enough to support our needs, we will be able to try to conceive shortly afterwards. That means that I could potentially be pregnant in as little as six months from now. By April 2014, we could have a baby.

That thought is incredibly surreal, thrilling, and nerve-wracking at the same time. Obviously, it is completely up to us whether or not we want to start our family so soon. We have plenty of time to put it off if we decide that we’re not ready yet. The truth is, though, that we both feel very ready. I am eager to start this incredible journey into parenthood, and Cory is equally excited to become a father. At the same time, I can’t help but worry that we don’t quite know what we are planning on getting ourselves into.

Maybe it’s just the result of what other people have said or what I’m sure they will say to us when we decide to become parents so young. “You can’t understand how hard it is until you’re doing it,” some people say of parenting. In particular, people seem to have some pretty firm and negative opinions on young people becoming parents.

A lot of people believe that young parents do not have enough life experience to be wise or give good advice, that they are not mature or responsible enough to raise children, and that they will regret having children so early because it kept them from enjoying their youth. In reality, these are just stereotypes. For many young people in their late teens and early twenties, these things may be true. But it doesn’t apply to all of us! I may only have 20 years of life experience, but God has given me wisdom beyond my years. I matured earlier in life than many people typically do, and I have always been responsible. I have also never felt the need to go through a “wild” stage, and I do not feel that I have missed out on anything because of that.

This is the personality that God gave me. And while I understand that many young people are certainly not ready for parenthood, I also believe that I am not like many young people. And there are others like me out there who are ready to be parents at this age or even younger! In my case, I was eager to take on the commitment of marriage before I even graduated high school. We waited to get married for over a year after becoming engaged because it was what our parents wanted, so by the time our wedding day arrived we were more than ready. Now, I feel the same way about parenthood. I’ve been seriously wishing to have a baby for almost a year now, and at this point it’s really just a matter of waiting for the pieces to fall into place. By the time our little bundle finally arrives, I feel pretty confident that we will be more than ready.

Still, the naysayers out there are doing a good job of keeping that edge of uncertainty alive. Fortunately, there is also the other side of the coin. I know many people who do believe that parenting is manageable and who would support us in our decision. These are the people who realize that while being a parent may be one of the hardest jobs in life, it can be done and it is worth the risk that you take when you decide to do it. As one of my favorite Mat Kearney songs goes, “You’ll never be ready if you keep waiting for the perfect time to come.” I try to keep this in mind when I feel worried about the fast approaching possibility of becoming a parent. I can never be completely ready and there will never be a perfect time, but I certainly can prepare myself as much as possible and make sure that the timing is reasonably appropriate.

Over the past few months, I have been learning as much as I can about child development, parenting, and providing the best possible care for children. I’ve been pushing myself to grow as an individual in many areas, and Cory and I have been continuing to work at making our marriage even stronger. While we both still have many goals for ourselves and for our relationship (and we most certainly always will), I feel that we are doing a good job of preparing for parenthood.

Last week, my classes started up again and I am once again back to a busy work schedule. Having things to do is helpful because it helps the time pass faster and makes life feel purposeful during this time of waiting. As always, I am trying hard to appreciate each day that I am given and not let it go to waste. I’m sure that before I know it, the next big change will come and we will be ready to start our family. Until then, I will be diligently preparing and enjoying the time I have to do the things I love, be with my husband, and take it easy (without a screaming baby in the background).

Life is going slow and steady for me right now. Nothing particularly eventful is happening, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does make me feel like I’m waiting. I feel like I’m waiting for this small section of my life to go by so that I can get to the next exciting thing. You may be able to guess what that might be… starting a family, of course.

In the meantime, I’m trying to keep busy. I know that I have to live in the present, because if you only live for the future then you miss out on life. So I’m trying to be purposeful while I’m waiting. I’m still focusing on school, with my goal to become a teacher someday, most likely a little bit later when my children are old enough to start school. My first two classes for the spring semester start in just over a week, and then my second two start three weeks later. I’ll be busy with that until May. Luckily, I was able to plan my classes so that the load is slightly lighter this semester (at least I hope). I should have enough time to continue writing, which I’ve been doing a lot of this past week. I also hope to spend more time painting.

There are other things that I hope to fill my life with, too. Cory and I finally found a church out here that, so far, we think fits us really well. We’re going to make it a priority to start going to church every weekend again, and hopefully join a small group too. Once we feel settled in, we hope to join ministries and start giving back with our time and effort. I’m thinking about working in the nursery with the babies or possibly working in children’s ministry again, and I know that my husband wants to try out jr. high ministry. I’m excited to get back on track with church involvement! It has been tough to get connected here with our families and friends still back in Orange County and us driving out so often to visit. Our goal is to find a way to still stay connected to our loved ones out there without missing out on opportunities here.

Lastly, I am trying to take care of my health by eating healthier (which so far, has been pretty successful), and starting to exercise. I’m trying to get my sleep habits under control, too, because right now I find it very difficult to get to bed at a reasonable hour and even more difficult to get out of bed in the morning. I would like to be able to keep a more normal sleep cycle, and I think that getting exercise will help with that.

Having goals like this is helpful to me. It keeps me focused on what’s in front of me, right now, instead of just sitting around and waiting for the future. At the same time, making and reaching these goals feels good because I know that it brings me one step closer to being the person that I want to be when I have children. I want to be as strong as I can be, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, when the time comes. I know that having a baby will not fix any problems; instead, it will bring me new challenges with higher stakes. That’s why I want to make sure that I am as rock solid as possible, both as a person and in my marriage.

Marriage is still treating me well, on that note. Cory and I are constantly taking steps to become more and more healthy in our communication, our connectedness, and our spiritual growth together. Things are going well, and I thank God for giving me such a wonderful husband every day.

Well, that’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful week!

Dear Dad,

I’m sorry in advance for what you are about to read. Feel free to leave the page immediately.

Love,

Heather

I want a baby, and I want it now.

But of course, I’m not going to get my wish. Currently, my husband and I are still in college. He works part-time doing his web design business, but that is only a fraction of our income. The majority of our support comes from his generous parents, who are helping us financially while we are in school. For the time being, we are clearly nowhere near the best position to start a family.

We have a plan, though. (You know how I just love planning things). Besides doing school and running his business, my husband is also teaching himself computer programming (did I mention that he’s amazing?) With any luck, my brilliant husband will be skilled enough to find a decent job in the field within a year. A computer programmer’s salary is within the range of what we need in order to survive on our own financially, plus support a baby. In other words, we should be able to have a baby within the next two or three years! Sorry again, Dad. In all fairness, I did warn you.

As great as that sounds, it still feels like too long for me. I know, I know… there’s no hurry. People tell me that all the time. Yes, I am only 20 years old and I have my whole life ahead of me. But honestly? Every day that goes by, I feel more and more sure that raising children is what I was meant to do.For some people, the best years of life are the ones before marriage and especially before children. For them, everything after that first baby is born is pretty much downhill. Yes, they enjoy their family and love their children, but life is just never the same after having children— and that’s pretty much always a negative thing.

For me, though, I can’t help but feel that the best years of my life are ahead of me. This past year and a half of being married has been the best time of my life, and it’s only getting better. What could be more fulfilling than spending every day with the wonderful task of loving one’s spouse? Well, there may be one thing. To me, having a child is a natural extension to the love that we already share. It may sound crazy to some people, but I can’t wait to devote my life to caring for a baby.

I know I’ve posted about baby fever a few times in the past. This is different, though; what I have now is way beyond baby fever. I’ve been thinking about it every single day for the past two months, and I don’t see an end to it any time soon. Just last night I had a dream about Cody—my future son, and I woke up missing him if that’s even possible. The fact that I dream about my future babies by name should prove my point here! It may have started as baby fever, but now I feel fairly certain that I’m terminal. It’s not a phase, it’s me.

But of course, as I already mentioned earlier, we have to wait. Unless I miraculously win the lottery tomorrow (which believe me, I’ve hoped for) we’re in for another two to three years of waiting. And that is just something that I’m going to have to deal with.

The bright side is that I know that God does everything for a reason, and everything in my life works according to His timing. For whatever reason, He is making us wait. As much as I might wish that I could have it my own way sometimes, I know that ultimately, His way is always better. Lucky for me, God is helping me to be patient every day. He isn’t leaving me alone in my longing for a baby. In this time of waiting, I am relying on Him to give me purpose each day, and I’m finding that each day I can be joyful because I know that we are one day closer to our little miracles.

It’s been a lot of work, but after a very long last few days we are finally moved into our new apartment. We still have a few finishing touches to do to make it feel like home, but so far it’s looking good! Well, as good as it can get anyway.

The reason I say that is that this apartment is a bit, well… shabby, for lack of a better term. At least compared to our last place, I think we can honestly say that we’ve downgraded a bit. For starters, when we moved in it wasn’t quite clean and there were multiple issues we noticed right away that need to be fixed. Over the last few days, we’ve noticed more and more things that are broken, badly repaired, and just plain ugly. The cabinets in the kitchen are warped and messily painted over. There is a gap under our front door, which lets out cold air and lets in bugs. The bathroom sinks are stained and splattered with paint. The appliances are very old and worn. Overall, it’s turned out to be quite different from the model apartment that we were shown when we decided to live here.

Despite the disappointments that we’ve found in the quality of our new apartment, though, we actually really like it. Even better than that, I’ve learned to be less picky and more humble through this experience. I mean, sure, I would love to live in a home where things are all shiny, clean, and new. But really, dealing with imperfections in our home is not the worst thing in the world. Even with all of the things we don’t like, there are still many things that we do like and so many things to be grateful for.

Making the adjustment was really hard for me at first, though. I felt stressed, regretful, uncomfortable, and disappointed when I first saw the apartment. I felt that we’d made a big mistake moving here, and that we were going to be terribly uncomfortable for the next year. But then I had an interesting thought; this move wasn’t actually for my comfort. We moved because we wanted to save money and because, more importantly, we felt God calling us out here. Nowhere in that equation does my comfort take priority, and honestly, that’s the way it should be. My life’s purpose is not to be comfortable—at least, I don’t want it to be! Not when God can offer such an infinitely more meaningful purpose to live for.

When I started to think about what God might have in mind for us out here, I stopped stressing out over the stupid little problems in our apartment. Once that happened, I started to see things that I really like about it! For example, the carpets and floors are all brand new and really nice-looking, the paint is an attractive, neutral, modern color, and the countertops are nicely refinished. Plus, we have a little bit more space than we did in our last place. The outside of the complex is also pretty, and we really like the surrounding area. But more important than all of that is the mere fact that we have a place to live that is safe and comfortable. We have so much to be grateful for in our living situation, and I have no right to complain.

One of the most exciting parts of this move for me was that we got to bring our dog with us. In our last apartment, we were unable to have our dog live with us due to the complex’s pet restrictions. Having him here with us is so great, and I feel like we are finally a complete family. All of our pets are getting along really well, which is pretty amazing considering that we have a dog, cat, bird, and mouse all in the same home!

I am also very excited about starting school tomorrow and settling into my new schedule here. In a few weeks, we will also be searching for a good church family to join and then later, ways for us to serve in church and a Bible study group to join. There is so much ahead to be excited for, and I’m looking forward to all of it!

On Thursday, Cory and I moved out of our apartment. It was a very busy, fairly stressful, and exhausting day, but we got everything done. Now, we are staying at the Hotel Huff (my parents’ house) for a week. I don’t have my desk set up here, so I’m writing this on my tablet. I just wanted to throw out a quick update for my readers! We will be moving to our new apartment on Thursday, and until then I’ll be enjoying a little vacation time here in the beautiful OC. 🙂

Have a wonderful week, and I’ll post again next Saturday from our new place!

Last week, my husband and I started to explore the possibility of me returning to school full-time. I’m feeling pulled towards a career in teaching more and more, and getting a bachelor’s degree is obviously a mandatory step towards reaching that goal. Unfortunately, working part-time and doing school part-time is a pretty slow way of doing it. It would take me more than five years to get my degree if I could only take two classes per semester, and then there would be another two years for the teaching credential program. That means I would be in school for another seven years!

While that is something I’d be willing to do if it came down to it, it obviously isn’t optimal. But the real problem is the cost of a bachelor’s degree program. With me working part-time and Cory working full-time, we still can’t cover our costs of living without some assistance. Add on the cost of school, which for a university can be quite expensive, and it becomes literally impossible.

Last but not least, there is the issue of my happiness. I know that life isn’t always going to be perfect (actually, it never will be, at least not on earth), and I am certainly willing to make sacrifices now for good things in the future. That’s just basic common sense! But there is a limit to how unhappy I will let myself become. And if I’m being perfectly honest, I was very close to miserable at my old University. There were many reasons for that: the environment was not at all right for a married, Christian woman, for one; the classes were uninteresting and there were few professors who I felt were of good quality; the controlling nature of the school was stifling and frustrating; and the requirement of every student to participate in three months of studying abroad (which would be a huge disruption of my life) was constantly looming over my head. It all comes down to this; different schools are right for different people, and not everybody can work well in every school. My last university was simply not a good fit for me.

When I first left, I thought it was because I wasn’t the “college type.” And maybe that’s still the truth, or maybe there’s another possibility. Perhaps I just wasn’t the right type of student for that specific university, or maybe I’m not the traditional college type at all. Since I left, I’ve been taking classes online at my local community college, and I have found school to be exponentially more enjoyable. I’m driven enough to make sure that I get all of the work done, but I can do it on my own time. I don’t have to feel trapped in a classroom, listening to some professor drawl on while I watch the clock. Instead, I’m free to work whenever and wherever I want! I love the freedom that this type of schooling offers, and it’s made me realize that there may be a way for me to get my bachelor’s degree after all, without sacrificing my happiness for several years of my life. The only problem is affording it.

As I mentioned before, my husband and I are just not financially capable of supporting ourselves with me going to school at the same time, even if it’s just part-time. But last week, Cory’s parents made us an amazing offer that changed all of that. Basically, they’ve offered to pay all of our living expenses while we’re in school if we both go back full-time. Not only that, but they will pay for our school as well! In other words, they are enabling us to do something we simply wouldn’t be able to do on our own; earn our bachelor’s degrees while we’re still young, and do so without taking on any extra debt. It is an amazing gift that they are offering, and we are so humbled by their generosity.

This turn of events has changed my career direction completely. It’s an amazing opportunity that I’ve been offered, and I am eager to accept it! This is a brand new dream of mine and I can’t wait to see where it takes me. Of course, I know that life is an ever-changing journey and I can never really know for sure where it will lead. God has a funny way of changing things up on me and I’m learning not to hold on to any of my own plans too tightly! But until He tells me to do something else, I’m going to keep my sights on becoming a teacher.

So for the next year, I will be taking classes online full-time at my community college to earn my associates degree. After that, I am hoping to transfer to Brandman University, where they have a program for earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on multiple subject teaching. I can take all of my classes online or choose to take some of them on-campus. Since there is a campus right near where we are moving to and a campus very close to where we live now, it won’t even matter if we end up moving back to Orange County in a year or two. It’s a great school and a great program for me, and I’m so excited to get there!

My husband still has his dream to be an entrepreneur, but he is also going to take this amazing opportunity to earn his bachelor’s degree. Like me, he hopes to complete his associate’s degree through our community college and then go to Brandman University, where he wants to earn a bachelor’s in business administration. He plans to start in the spring, since the fall semester is starting in just a few weeks and the classes that he needs are already full. Then we’ll both be full-time college students again, back where we were a year ago! It’s funny how things can change so much.

Well, I think that’s just about enough of an update for this week. Next week, we’ll be all moved out of our apartment and I’m sure that I’ll have plenty more to share. Until then, have a wonderful week and thanks for reading!

As you may know, my husband and I are in the middle of a time of transition in our lives. We’re in the process of arranging our move from Orange County to Riverside, which means saying goodbye to some of the things in our lives right now. I feel fortunate to be able to stay relatively close, so none of our goodbyes have to be too serious, but it’s still time to turn some pages and start focusing our attention on what’s ahead.

This last week, I got the opportunity to go back and visit the little baby boy who I used to nanny, to say one last goodbye before we move. I probably won’t be coming back to visit him and his family anytime in the foreseeable future, so it was nice to see him again and be able to give him one last hug. Luckily for me, his mom said that she would be happy to send me pictures of him every so often, which means that I still get to see his cute little face.

I also finished up my part-time nanny job with my friend and her beautiful baby girl. The past two months have been a great experience for me, learning how to take care of a very young infant. I loved spending time with my friend, too, and being able to help her make the transition to working motherhood. Saying goodbye to that sweet baby was bittersweet, and I will certainly miss her. Of course, I will be back for visits whenever I’m in the area, so I won’t have to miss out on too much!

As our move-out date draws closer, we’ve been doing what we can to prepare. Of course, most of the work involved in moving happens during the last few days leading up to the actual move, so there isn’t a ton that we can do right now. We have less than two weeks from today, so for now I’m just trying to enjoy our first apartment while we still have it. I’ve loved living here, and even though our new place is great, I will miss it here in our great little apartment in Orange County.

After we move out, we will have a week before our new apartment in Riverside is ready. During that time, my husband and I will be staying with my parents. That will give us one last week to enjoy living in the OC and make all of our final preparations. And then finally, we will make our move out to the desert and start the process of settling in.

We have a lot of changes ahead, and I’m totally ready to take them on. But for now, I am definitely enjoying where I am. Every day that I get to make spur-of-the-moment plans with my friends, hang out for hours with my family, be a part of my church’s kids ministry, meet with my small group, and enjoy the warm-but-not-too-warm summer weather here, well, it’s another day that I’m grateful for. At the same time, I’m really excited to see what’s in store for us in our new town! It’s a great time in our lives for my husband and I, and I’m happy to be right in the middle of it.

My husband and I are volunteers in the children’s ministry at our church. Basically that means we go to an extra church service every weekend to help run the kids’ classrooms. When I first started out in the children’s ministry, I was in the room for babies through three-year-olds. A couple of months ago, I moved to the room for pre-K through second grade (ages four to seven or eight).

Unfortunately, the service time that we serve at on Saturday nights is struggling badly to find enough volunteers. The other two services on Sunday have five classrooms open for the different age groups, which means that the lessons can be more age-appropriate and thus more effective. But for our Saturday night service, we have to combine all age groups into three classrooms because of our lack of leaders. So the babies through three-year-olds get one classroom, the four-year-olds through eight-year-olds get another, and the nine-year-olds through twelve-year-olds get the last one.

Generally we have about seven volunteers to run these three classrooms, and that’s on a good week. Last week was not a good week; we had only four leaders and had to combine babies through six year olds in one classroom, and seven year olds to twelve year olds in another. If you remember anything about being a child, you probably know that to kids, even one year of age difference can be huge. To put a six year old in the same room with a two year old and expect them to both be able to learn something valuable is not a very reasonable expectation. And of course, the result was that the class was extremely difficult to teach and manage.

To add to the craziness factor, the woman who usually volunteers in the same classroom as I was unable to be there last week. The problem was that she is always the one who teaches the lesson. Because she wasn’t there, it was left up to me to teach the class. I had never taught a class before, let alone a class with such an unfortunate mix of age groups. And yet, through that experience, I discovered something pretty interesting; I love teaching!

Even though we had some pretty wild and unruly children last week, and the lesson was too advanced for about half of them but too simple for others, I still found myself really enjoying it! Something about the challenge of breaking through to those kids and explaining the lesson in a way that they could really understand and connect with was really fun. And what’s more, I think that I may actually be kind of good at it.

Even though it was just one short lesson that I taught to a relatively small group of children, I think that there might be something to this. I’m starting to consider whether or not teaching is something I may want to pursue as a career. Fortunately, I’m already on the path towards that possibility, and all I have to do if I want to become a teacher is to keep going. The first step would be to finish my associate degree in liberal studies, which I’m about 2/3 of the way finished with. At that point, I can decide whether or not I want to continue my education and pursue a bachelor’s degree. If I make it that far, then I can decide whether or not I want to get a teaching credential, and then finally become a teacher (although of course, the process is a little bit more complicated than it sounds).

The cool thing is, I don’t have to decide now or even any time soon. I can just see where life takes me and then figure it out when I get there. But it is definitely a new possibility.

One of the nice things about being a teacher, I think, is that it would provide a steady source of income while still allowing me to write in my free time. Plus, it would give me a really good background for homeschooling my own kids later down the road. I think it may be a good career fit for me because I’m the kind of person who needs to have a dynamic work environment, doing something different every day, and I also like to have mental or other challenges to solve. I also really want to do something that involves making the world a better place and making a difference in people’s lives. I would love the opportunity to help build up the next generation!

This whole idea may end up being what I was meant to do. Or, it may lead absolutely nowhere and I will look back on this post in a few years and laugh because my life took a completely different path. But whatever happens, I still think that it’s fun to dream and plan and think about what the future might hold. It’s so full of possibilities! More importantly, it is full of promise, because as long as I keep my focus on God I know that He is going to use me for great things. And really, there is just no better way to spend your life than living it for Him.

🙂

This week, my husband and I finally made the short trip out to Riverside County and went apartment hunting. We visited seven different apartment complexes, took five tours, and finally ended up with one favorite. Our applications have been signed, submitted, and approved. Our holding deposit has been paid. Now we are just waiting for final approval of our supporting documents and for them to prepare the lease for us to sign. After that, we’ll officially be moving!

The closer and closer our move-out and move-in dates get, the more real it feels. Now I know that we’re really not moving that far away. But still, the fact is that we are going far enough away that we will have to make a lot of changes. We’ll have to find a new church, I’ll have to find a new job, and we’ll have to get used to a new city and make some new friends so we’re not lonely out there. Spending time with our friends and family who still live here will be a bit harder. It definitely is a little bit scary to think about.

Throughout this journey, my husband and I (I bet you know what I’m going to say here) have been relying on God to guide us and show us the next steps. We didn’t know if we would find an apartment that was in a nice area, that we would feel comfortable in, that would allow our pets, and that we could afford. We just trusted God to show us where we are supposed to be, and it looks like He did! I feel certain that He will continue to show us where we are supposed to be, from the job that He wants me in, to the friends that He wants me to make, to the church that He wants me to be a part of. Personally, I feel exhilarated that I get this opportunity to start fresh in a new place and let God use me in so many new ways!

As we approach this time of change in our lives, we are continuing to grow in our marriage and in our relationships with God. It’s a fun new adventure for us and a great opportunity for us to learn to trust God more. I’ve been enjoying the journey so far, and I’m excited to see what is in store for us.

Right now, I am exhausted. Things have been pretty hectic lately.

First of all, my parents are buying a house. I am so thrilled for them, and my crazy-organized side has come out big time as a result of this opportunity. My husband and I have been helping them clean up and make repairs on the old house, and pack and organize their things for the move. It has been very tiring!

Second of all, we are moving in just over a month. When July rolled around, I had a scary moment of realization about how much we still need to do to be ready to move. Most important on our list is finding a new place! Since we are moving an hour and a half away, this is a bit of a challenge. It’s difficult to find a good time to go down there because I’ve been working on weekday mornings as a part-time nanny for a friend, and weekends are typically fairly busy.

We also need to arrange the moving details such as reserving a truck, hiring moving helpers, and finding/buying boxes. And of course, there’s the packing!

Third of all, we’ve been doing a bit of an overhaul for our pets. In preparation for taking my dog to live with us (he lives with my parents right now), we’ve been trying to catch him up on his veterinary/health needs. He’s had a checkup, a bath, many nail trimming sessions, and finally a surgery including teeth cleaning and growth removal. So we’ve been a little busy with him, too.

Fourth of all, July and August are busy months for me and Cory. My birthday is July 1^st, then there’s the Fourth of July, and then our anniversary on August 21^st, my dad’s birthday on August 23^rd, and finally, Cory’s birthday on August 29^th. Add to that the fact that both my husband and I and my parents are moving this summer, and it can get a little overwhelming!

Fifth of all, and I promise this will be the last one, as I’ve already mentioned I have been helping my friend out as a part-time nanny/mother’s helper every weekday morning. It’s been a great financial boost, plus I get to spend time with a good friend of mine and her adorable baby girl. And I truly enjoy being able to help make her transition to a working mother a little bit easier. But it has kept me feeling surprisingly busy! Plus, I am taking a pretty demanding online course during the summer semester, and I am still *trying* (but mostly failing) to write on a regular basis.  Basically, I have a lot on my plate at the moment!

Because of all of the above, I decided that this blog entry will just have to be a little less intentional than what I typically write. I simply don’t have a lot of time to really think about what would be a good topic and do the necessary research. But I do want to write a little bit about how I’ve been keeping God as a priority in my life even during this crazy time.

Spending time reading my Bible and talking to God every morning is something I have found to be extremely important. When I don’t do it, I don’t feel ready for the day. And when I do take the time to read my Bible and write in my prayer journal, I get a much needed boost to then go and do what I need to do.

Lately, I’ve been working my way through the beginning of the Old Testament. When I first started reading my Bible on a regular basis, I decided to start with the New Testament because it tends to be a bit more “upbeat” than the Old Testament. Plus, it’s truly the basis for understanding the message of Jesus. After I finished that, though, I started in on the Old Testament. And I have been so pleasantly surprised by what I’ve discovered!

Almost every day I have gotten something meaningful out of what I’ve read. Right now, I am reading about Moses and how God used him to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt. It is actually a very inspiring story and there is so much to learn from it. I’ve really been enjoying it.

Journaling has also recently become a big part of my ritual again. For a while, my prayer life went into hibernate mode and my connection with God was pretty weak. But I recently felt motivated to start journaling again, and doing so has helped me reconnect to my Abba! For me, I get most out of prayer time when I write to God, and getting back into that habit has felt really great.

I also make it a really big priority to go to my small group meetings every week. For those of you who don’t know, a “small group” is a group of people who meet regularly to pray and study the Bible and/or go through a Christian book study together. My small group has been going through some changes in the past couple of months; it changed from a very Bible-focused four-woman group to a much larger co-ed one, which we started with a book study. I’ve loved meeting new people and experiencing a new dynamic, plus my husband can come with me now! But either way, the most important thing for me is that it’s a regular, weekly activity and that I’m able to grow spiritually from it, which in this case I definitely am.

Being consistent in my ministry (children’s ministry) has been very important to my spiritual health as well. I’ve been able to develop stronger relationships with the other people who I volunteer with, learn patience and practice my skills with the children, and be reminded of the awesomeness of God when I see how much these children are willing to love Him. Knowing that I’m giving back to my church and the family of God is a great feeling, too.

And of course, attending church services is always of utmost importance to me. On weeks when I am unable to go for some reason, I really feel the burn. Going to church is like filling up at a spiritual gas station for me. I am able to learn more about God, grow in my spiritual maturity, and of course worship the Lord for the amazing person that He is. What could be more important?

I encourage you to keep God a priority in your life, even when you get busy. Doing so will give you more energy to do everything that you need to get done. Plus, the truth is that living for God is the reason we are even here in the first place. Everything else really is not as important.

And of course, if you don’t have a relationship with Jesus then I implore you to at least check it out. Email me with any questions you have, crack open a Bible (I highly recommend John— it’s the fourth book in the New Testament), or best of all, talk to God! See if He has anything to say back, and I have a feeling you will be surprised. He wants to have a relationship with you, and if you give it a shot, then I promise it will be the best thing you ever did.