Family – Page 4 – All the things

And… He’s 12!

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 Jessica

I was a nervous 17 year old girl. I had no clue what the next 24 hours would be like, let alone the next 12 years. Joel and I checked into the hospital at 10:00pm to start the induction process the next day. The night was a blur because they had given me something to help me sleep. I woke up the next morning to find out it was time to have a baby without the help of pitocin! Kamden was ready to be born and was not waiting on the doctor! He came into this world quickly into the nurses arms and peed all over her! That sweet 6 pounds 10 ounce baby boy stole our hearts immediately!

I would love to say that the adventures motherhood have been easy, but any mother knows that is not true! However, I am incredibly thankful that God has extended me so much grace and love all these years! I am beyond blessed to be a mother and although I became a mother very young, I am grateful for all the things I have learned through the trials of being a young parent. There have been many hardships over the past 12 years, but God has never wasted anything.

Kamden you are truly a blessing to our family! Your hard work and willingness to help always amazes me. You have a big heart and imagination. You love endlessly and you care for your family. You are smart (oh man you are smart- maybe sometimes too smart!) Your love for reading inspires me to want to jump into the book with you! You can build things incredibly well and I know you will use your hands to create so many amazing things! I love your smile and how it lights up your entire face! Oh and your eyes- they are so genuine. Your curiosity and thirst for knowledge is obvious. I have enjoyed watching God shape your heart and mold you into the young man He desires for you to be. I can’t wait to see where God takes you!

Happy 12th birthday to our amazing boy!

Family

She’s turning 3!

February 21, 2015 Jessica

Dear Garner,

Tomorrow you are turning 3! You are such an amazing little girl. You are loved by so many people! You have brought us so much joy over these last 3 years and I know you will continue to bring your joy to us daily! You have the biggest personality and everyone can see it. You are very strong willed which can be difficult but we are thankful and know one day that strong will is going to do great things! You know exactly what you want and you aren’t afraid to ask for it. God has big plans for your little life!

You are hilarious and make us laugh every day! You loved telling knock knock jokes and even made one up this year. “knock knock- whose there? Birdie- Birdie who? Cow poop birdie” I know, its not that funny, but it is when you tell it! We have so much fun playing with you and watching your imagination shine. Just last week you told everyone at church you had super powers in the buttons on your sleeves.

You love animals and seeing the baby farm animals makes you very happy. Being outside is one of your favorite places to be. I love watching you swing and hearing the joy in your laughter and the smile on your face as you swing higher and higher! You beam when you smile sweet girl!

You love your family. Your big sister is your best friend and I think you would both be lost without each other. I pray that never changes! You and your big brother are sweet together too. I can see how much you love him when you ask him a million questions and his smile back at you says it all! And lets talk about that baby brother- You may love him more then he wants to be loved! You ask me all the time if you can have a sleep over with Harvey. You are becoming more of a daddy’s girl and that melts my heart almost as much as it melts his. You love riding on the tractor with daddy and helping him outside. You are such a good helper to mommy too. From helping with dishes and laundry to cooking and picking up!

Right now some of your favorites are: Chocolate, dancing, minnie mouse, pink & purple, dresses, preschool, bubble gum, macaroni & cheese, and cowboy boots to name a few.

Garner, we love you so much and you bless us big time every day! Our prayer for you is that you never loose that bright personality and that you will continue to love others. That you will allow God to shape and mold your life and do great things for His Kingdom! You are an amazing little girl!

Cleft Lip, Family, My Story

Post Op Update (better late then never!)

September 26, 2014September 26, 2014 Jessica

We are now 11 weeks post surgery. Harvey has recovered nicely and his scar is healing well. I am so happy to have the surgery behind us and to just be able to enjoy this sweet boy! He brings so much joy to us every day! He is almost 6 months old (just a few days away from it!) He is rolling around and already trying to crawl. He has been completely healthy and at our last check up on his lip, they had no concerns and said he was doing great!

Because I have had a few people following us that are going through their own cleft journey, I wanted to just share a little more about how things went after surgery (I meant to share sooner, but just haven’t gotten around to it!)

The first week was really rough and a little bit harder than we anticipated. Eating was a challenge. He was in pain and just didn’t want to eat. He was very fussy and did not want to be put down either, not even when he slept. All of this is understandable after having surgery and having around 50 stitches in your lip! It was a long week, but the day we got the stitches removed Harvey returned to his old self, happy and eating like a champ! If you are interested in seeing all of our posts about this cleft journey you can find them here or by clicking on the category “cleft lip”. If you are just now starting to read, you can see some before pictures too.

Here are a few pictures to show his journey after the stitches came out! Most are just from my phone because with 4 kiddo’s I just don’t seem to pull out the real camera regularly, but you can still see how wonderful our team did! Arkansas Children’s Hospital is simply amazing!

Harvey was super flirty with the nurse that did his admission vitals. He smiled at her the entire time!

This was right before they took him back for the suture removal. It was still hard for them to take your baby to do anything, but knowing the anesthesia was light and it was going to be so quick made it a lot easier!

This is the first picture of his lip after the stitches were taken out. I couldn’t believe how good it looked!

This one is probably about 5 weeks after the stitches were taken out.

All of these pictures are recent, taken last week. Harvey is very expressive. His smiles are big and his serious face is also very priceless!

This is classic Harvey! Smiling big with his tongue sticking out!

I think you can see his lip best here. We still have some scar tissue to get rid of but over all, it looks amazing! We have one gorgeous boy!

Encouragement, Family, My Story

Are you exhausted?

June 21, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

11 weeks and 3 days ago we welcomed our 4th child into this world. There are so many joys in new babies! I love so much about the experience. The visitors, the meals, the squishy baby in my arms all of the time, that new baby smell that is just intoxicating, all of the tiny little clothes. I mean really, whats not to love about a new baby?

Oh, you are thinking lack of sleep maybe? Or maybe the crying and excessive pooping they do? Well, there is that.

I will tell you that having baby number 4 has people asking me “are you just exhausted” almost daily. (I also get, “bless your heart” “wow you have your hands full” “oh man, I do not know how you do that” and a handful of other comments that I will just have to address in another post) When people ask me that I tend to have a generic response that is something like this “not really. I feel pretty good actually”

But yesterday we had some friends over. We were standing in the kitchen and she asked “So are you just exhausted?”. I gave my normal response, except my husband was standing behind me and he started laughing. I turned around and looked at him and he said “did you really just say that?” It really got me thinking about it. It made me think about why I really don’t feel the need to feel exhausted. And also to think about why my husband was seeing things so different.

I have decided its called mom strength. Am I exhausted? Probably. Being a mom is hard work, tiring, 24/7, non stop. There is a never ending list of tasks to be done and they must be done while juggling kids and life. Being a mom is probably one of the hardest jobs on the planet. I think every mom is exhausted. Am I right? It just comes with the job.

So why does my husband laugh when I say I am not exhausted? First of all, my husband sees me daily. He knows what I do, he sees me at the end of a long hard day filled with non napping children, a day that hasn’t gone at all as planned, and an 11 year old who knows better. He knows I get up to feed the baby throughout the night and even when I am asleep I am not resting because my body is on mom alert. He hears me say “I just don’t know if I can do it again tomorrow” in a moment of weakness. He knows I am exhausted.

If I am exhausted, why do I not explain that when people ask? I don’t think I notice how exhausted I am most of the time. I think I just get up and go and do whatever is in front of me. If you asked me if I was exhausted in the middle of a really tough day, I would probably be really honest, but for the most part, every day life and the exhaustion that comes with it just feels pretty normal. When I stop and look at things honestly, I think my strength and perspective comes from God and leaning on Him.

“Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

This verse does not mean that I will never be tired or even exhausted (because I am both). I just know that trusting in the Lord for my strength has been so fruitful for me. I have been able to muster through some rough days by simply relying on the Lord for strength. God always provides what we need in the moment when we rely on Him. I have learned that He might not always answer my prayers the way I envision them being answered, but he always answers. God called mothers into the mission field of being a mom and He is faithful to walk with us until our mission is complete! God is bigger then anything we face daily. He is bigger then physical and mental exhaustion. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28

Moms- It is ok to be exhausted. It is ok to realize how hard your job is and how much weight you carry by doing it. But be encouraged that God called you into Motherhood and He is there with you every step of the way. Ask Him for whatever you need. Remember that you are not alone either, look around you, moms everywhere are exhausted too, just like you. Hug another mommy and remind her how precious she is to her children and to God. Take time to laugh with a fellow mom and see how much exhaustion fades away when you choose to smile and find joy. Encourage someone else today because you can. Love with all your heart and soul. Remember you have the power to change the world, one little tiny person at at time. Being a mom is a BIG job, an important job, an exhausting job. But God chose YOU to do it because He knows you can!

{If you like this post please feel free to share it!}

Cleft Lip, Encouragement, Family

Lessons from Harvey

June 19, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

When I was 22 weeks pregnant and told that our baby would have a cleft lip, I was devastated. Emotions and thoughts flooded my mind in the days that would follow. I vowed not to google anything that day and stood by that for a few weeks. To be honest, at first all I could think about is how different he would look. My other 3 babies all looked so very similar at birth and we would get told over and over “oh that is a Meinardus baby”. I feared that he would be different. Would I fall instantly in love with him? Would people stare at us at Walmart? Would I need to constantly defend my child? Will his siblings care that he looks different? Those were really my first thoughts. Vein, insecure, selfish thoughts.

A few weeks after our initial diagnosis, we met with my OB and he suggested we research a surgical team. So that is when I started googling. I soon found ACH had a cleft team and made a few phone calls. After a phone consult, my emotions suddenly shifted. I was overwhelmed by the information given. Suddenly, my thoughts were flooded with concerns. Now I am reading blogs and forums of parents whose children are on their 7th, 8th, 9th surgeries and still have more to go. These children have to undergo so much pain. My heart started to break. I couldn’t even imagine my child having to have one surgery, let alone 10. I had already been praying but now I was praying even harder. I knew I needed to rely on my faith now more then ever.

Slowly, my fears eased and I started to feel at peace with everything. We went to Children’s for a prenatal consult where we were given even more information. We left overwhelmed again but were glad we had all the information. We knew he would be having surgery at around 3 months of age and that was about the only thing we knew for sure until he was born.

That day at Children’s they told us that after surgery, parents often will morn their child’s appearance. That they miss the way their babies looked. I remember thinking then, “I can’t imagine that. I am sure we will want to have that fixed for him so he will look normal.”

But……. Harvey Powell has changed everything. This boy has shown me so much. He has shown me what perfection is all about or maybe what it is not about. Harvey has shown me that what some people see as a flaw, is actually the most beautiful thing imaginable. He has taught me that joy can be found in the most unsuspecting places. He has, more times then I can count, brought me to tears with his beauty. Harvey is truly a gift.

Now, looking at him, I can’t imagine him any other way. I can’t even picture him “normal” and I really don’t want to either. His smile is enough to melt the polar ice caps! When he is sleeping and that sweet lip is split, it is all I can do not to just kiss him all over! When his tongue comes through that sweet cleft it puts the biggest smile on my face! I am telling you the joy that flows from him is incredible!

When I think about how I see Harvey, I can’t help but think about how God sees us. I know I see myself as a flawed, imperfect human. Some days, I pick myself apart so badly it doesn’t even feel like there is anything left to pick at. I see physical flaws every time I look in the mirror. I often wonder what others are seeing when they see me and I assume they are seeing the flaws. But when God sees us, I don’t think he sees our flaws, I think he sees our beauty. Isn’t that amazing? Harvey is teaching me to see the world differently. With eyes that look past flaws and see beauty. When I see Harvey, all I see is beauty.

Tonight as I write this blog, I have been looking through some pictures that I have taken to preserve these precious memories. In a few weeks, Harvey will have a new look. Not a better look, but a new one. I have so many mixed emotions but tonight I am just plain thankful. Thankful for him and for the perspective he has given me. Thankful for cameras (and good friends who let you borrow macro lens) that allow me to capture his natural beauty. Thankful for a God who never leaves us. Thankful for loving and supportive friends and family. Just thankful. I hope you enjoy these beautiful photos as much as I do!

Family, My Story

Fathers Day

June 15, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

It is late, 11:53pm. In a few minutes it will be Father’s day 2014. I have had a rough night with the kids, leaving me up late thumbing through social media. It is currently flooded with well wishes to fathers. I see women who are adoring and reminiscing their own dads. I see wives who are celebrating their husbands. It has left me with a lot of thoughts. I am not going to share them all, simply because they are complicated and too deep for this venue.

But I have decided a few of them are worth sharing……

My dear husband of almost 11 years is quite simply amazing. I don’t publicly brag on him as often as I should, but today is a perfect time to give him some much needed applause. I was just going to post a cute collage on instagram of him with each baby (see below). Then when I went to make the collage I realized something- what this man has done is big.

At the age of 17, we found out I was pregnant. I will never forget those few days of pure panic. I remember Joel being so calm as I cried and cried and cried. I remember the next day we were in his truck and I said “Joel, what in the world are we going to do?” and he just looked at me with the most sincere eyes and said “we will do whatever it takes” He has stood by those words to this day.

As I think about all of that now, I think about how easy it would have been for him to say- I don’t know what you are doing, but I am having no part of this! But he didn’t. Instead, he went to doctor appointments, watched me gain weight, get moody, get sick, held my hand through labor, and then he loved our son with everything he had. I watched him work his booty off, and finish his senior year of high school, all while I was pregnant and having a baby. He stood by me and has never even once complained about our situation.

Now, 12 years+ I can say that the boy who was strong for me, even though he was scared to death, has become the most amazing, Godly husband and father. He has been our provider, my rock, the love of my life. He has given me 4 amazing, beautiful children. He has become the leader of our household and made all of my dreams a reality. He has worked so hard over the years and continues to do so. He is showing our kids what it means to be a good husband and father. He is caring, loving, and passionate about what he does. He is truly amazing and I thank God daily for him. I don’t think I can ever put into words how grateful I am for this man. He is one of a kind and I am proud to be his wife!

Happy Fathers Day to the most amazing dad I know, my husband, Joel!

Encouragement, Family, My Story

Whatever God is calling you to…

May 16, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

Have you ever asked God what He has for you? Ever been willing to just do whatever He asks? I have been praying for sometime that God just reveal to me what he wants me to do next. I am in a new season full of new things and I find myself more then ever seeking His will over mine. A few weeks ago I was praying in the car on a drive to NWA and I felt like God was telling me to encourage moms. I felt like he was saying moms need to be encouraged in their roles as moms and you can do it. I was talking out loud to God and pretty much just said “ok God I can do that! I can encourage moms when I am having conversations and hear they need it.” But it felt like He said “no, there is more”

I will tell you that I have never felt like God was asking me to do something like this. I know it might not seem like something HUGE but I felt he was really asking me to do it. So I started praying daily for the details, the plan. I need a plan- I am a planner! I asked my husband to pray for me too. I didn’t really tell anyone about this because I had no idea what I was suppose to be doing! Everyday I would pray, and everyday God would send me some sort of message. For about a week the message was “whatever God is calling you to, just do it” I felt stronger about this calling everyday. But still had no idea how I was suppose to do it. I thought maybe I was suppose to start some sort of group. But it just didn’t seem possible. Moms are busy already, I am busy, when would have time to meet? So I just kept praying.

I decided that maybe blogging was the way I was suppose to reach people. But I still just wasn’t sure. Then I got this message from a girl who I didn’t really know. Our kids were in the same preschool class 5 years ago but I didn’t really know her. I mean I would wave and say hi if I saw her at Walmart but I didn’t know anything about her and she didn’t know anything about me either. We hadn’t even been Facebook friends until a few days prior to her message. Her message sent chills up my spine. It basically said that as crazy as it sounded, she felt like God told her I was suppose to speak at their Mother/Daughter banquet at her church. She said she wasn’t even sure if I was a speaker (I am not!) She gave me her number and asked me to call her if I was interested. When I called my first question was “did someone tell you to ask me?” I could tell she was feeling a little bit embarrassed and said “I know it sounds crazy but as I prayed about who was suppose to speak your name just kept coming to my mind and I felt like God was saying it was you”

So I feel like God asks me to encourage moms, then I get asked to speak at a banquet for moms? WOW- how could I even possibly deny that God was really asking me to do all that? I am still humbled and overwhelmed to be used. But guess what? We all can be used and God has something for all of us, we just have to ask, and be willing to do whatever it is that He asks of us. So He asked me to speak at this banquet and I said yes. Even though I didn’t feel equipped, worthy, or ready to do that! God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I kept reminding myself of that!

I would like to say I was so excited to speak in front of people. That it was a dream come true, but the truth is I was scared to death! I had no idea what I would say or how to say it! I would also love to tell you that I feel like I did a great job speaking at the banquet. I don’t know what I said and just pray that I said something that someone in that room needed to hear!

I hope that those who read this will see it as encouragement to just ask God for vision and then be ready to do what he asks you to do! Even if it is scary and outside of your comfort zone! Speaking in front of people was scary for me, but I did it and it feels great to have been able to step outside of my fear to do what God asked! God’s plans are so much bigger and better then our own!

I have more blog posts coming to share some of what I have been experiencing as a momma and hoping that it will encourage other momma’s too!

Cleft Lip, Family

Harvey gets the go!

May 9, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

Yesterday we went to our monthly checkup with our Doctor at Children’s. (We got to go to Lowell again though!) I can’t say enough about how wonderful they have been already! Feeling blessed to have them!

We were told last month that they would not be able to schedule surgery until closer to time. Probably would be June before Harvey was cleared for surgery. Well yesterday, after seeing how big he had gotten, how great he was eating, and that there had been zero issues so far, they cleared him yesterday! So now, we won’t be going back to see them until the day of surgery! That is such great news and a huge blessing!

Harvey weighed 6.13 at birth and 6.5 when we left the hospital. He weighed 9.14 yesterday! Almost 10 pounds already! I am so happy that he is nursing without problems and gaining weight so well! We feel so incredibly blessed by him! He is beating all the “norms” for a cleft baby and I know a lot of that has to do with the fact that his lip is not as severe as it could be, and that his palate was not affected, but that in itself is a HUGE blessing!

So now they will call us with a surgery date. We will go to LR for surgery, then have several follow ups for suture removal and to check his lip. We are just praying for all of this to go smoothly. It is always scary when your child is being put to sleep and having surgery. The surgery will last about 3 hours.

Now we are going to just enjoy this sweet boy and that adorable lip for a few more months. I am going to take a million pictures of him before they fix it. I love it just the way it is- but know we have to fix it. So until then, I am going to just document him like crazy! And who am I kidding, I will document him like crazy after the surgery too, I mean, its just what I do! Here is a few pictures (just from my phone) that I took before we went to the doctor. He got all dressed up with his bow tie 🙂

Cleft Lip, Encouragement, Family, My Story

Meet Harvey

April 11, 2014June 21, 2014 Jessica

This sweet boy has already made such an impact on our family! He decided to wait 2 hours after his big brothers birthday ended to make his appearance. At 2:20am on April 1st, Joel and I got to meet this incredibly handsome boy! Life has been a little crazy with doctor appointments, adjusting to life with 4 kids, and everything else that goes on in life, but Harvey has been an amazing baby (I just knocked on wood and realize that today will probably be the day all that changes). Kamden, Jade, & Garner LOVE him. He gets passed around a lot and loved on even more. Garner has adjusted well and is doing great as a big sister. She just adores him. I know so many have been waiting on an update so here goes! Harvey weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces when he was born. He started nursing minutes after being born and has been doing fabulous ever since. This is a HUGE blessing and something so many of you have prayed for me. We knew there was a good chance with his cleft lip that he might not be able to nurse but Praise The Lord he is doing well! He is gaining weight too, which is another blessing. As long as he continues to gain weight, I can keep nursing! Yesterday we were able to go meet with our doctor at Children’s. Children’s has a clinic in Lowell, which is a lot closer for us. Our doctor comes once a month to see patients there so we were able to do our first appointment there. We found out that they will allow us to continue to come there for our monthly visits in Lowell. Another huge blessing! The doctor said Harvey looks great! He does have a notch in his gum that looks to be a pretty good one. We won’t know what all this will entail until later on. It could effect a number of things, but right now we are not going to worry about it because they can’t fix it until later on. His surgery on his lip will be at 3 months which will fall at the first of July. We will get a surgery date soon. One thing that I was concerned about was his eating after surgery. We knew that he could not take a binkie after surgery (so we decided not to give him one) but I wasn’t sure about feedings. We found out yesterday since he is nursing, it won’t effect anything! He gets to continue to nurse after surgery! Another blessing!! If he was bottle fed, we would have to use a syringe to feed him. So, as of now, Harvey is doing great! {and he is absolutely gorgeous, if I do say so myself!!} He is eating well, his cleft looks minimal, and we just feel incredibly blessed! Thank you all for your prayers, calls, meals, and visits!

Celebrate Recovery, Encouragement, Family, My Story

Living in the wrong season?

March 14, 2014September 17, 2015 Jessica

Running on empty, burning the candle at both ends……. Ever feel like this describes you?

Early on in my adult life, a good friend told me that there were “seasons” of life. I remember feeling so relieved to hear this concept. I was happy to know that even though I felt as if things would never be different, that seasons come and go. I have often struggled with wanting to be in a different season then I am in. A lot of the time I don’t even realize that is what I am doing. I have had seasons that are short and pass quickly and some that feel as though they last longer then I would like.

Right now I am in over drive. Over committed, especially on a mental level. I feel over whelmed and exhausted almost daily. Why is this? Why can’t I just shake this? Why does this cycle seem to repeat itself over and over? I have been reflecting and trying to figure it out. I find that when I feel like I do right now, it is because I am needing to be really honest with myself (and maybe to others too) about something. I know that if I am doing the same things over and over and nothing is changing, there is a problem. Who wants to admit that? Who wants to evaluate what they are doing wrong? Not me! That is not fun, but I have found it is the only way for true growth.

I am well aware that I do “too much”. Although when I look at my days, I seem to justify my busy time by saying I just do what I have to. But do I really? This is where I decided to write down all that I do. I included every day things like grocery shopping, meal planning, and laundry. Then I listed things I had committed to such as homeschool, marriage ministry, bible study, leading life group, and then the commitments we had made for the kids, dance, soccer….. I also looked at what I had committed to in my own spiritual journey, Celebrate Recovery, devotions, books. Writing it all out really helped me to gain perspective on how much I really have on my plate.

I started wondering if I was trying to live in the wrong season? I mean there is nothing on my list of things that I don’t want to do. There isn’t anything bad on my list and I really want to do all of it, and probably sometimes even more. I love being active and busy. I truly find so much joy in giving and doing for others. But is it possible that because I am overloaded and unfocused that I am daily missing the blessing of the season I am in? I am committed to fulfilling dreams, passions, and desires that could wait for another season? Am I in a season that should be focused on kissing boo-boos, reading stories, building the character of my children, encouraging my husband, and becoming a healthier me? Have I placed my focus on too many things that the most important ones are suffering in this season?

What would happen if I boldly asked God to reveal to me what He has for me right now. In this season. Would I accept it if God said “Be a mother to your children. Raise them to know and love me. Care for them the way you always wanted to be cared for. Be a good wife to your husband and meet his needs and help him to fulfill his dreams. Continue to grow your life as a follower of me. Seek Me before you commit to things. When you want to do good, make sure it is to show the love of Christ and not for mans approval or praise.” That is truly where I feel like God is calling me…… So what is stopping me now?

Honestly, guilt, fear, and a lack of trust in the Lord. I feel guilty if the kids don’t get to do everything they want to. I feel bad if I have to say no to a very worthy cause. I am sad to disappoint someone by not being there. I am afraid that if I give up things, I will loose my sense of worth. I think that if I am not doing visible good things that no one will see me as good. I try to find my confidence in what others think of me. I feel pressure to keep up with a certain level of busy, or else I am being lazy. I am too focused on the outside world and not enough on my bible, time with God, and investing in my family.

All of that is hard to say and hard to admit. But it is truth….. Stepping out of the dark, into the light. Out of denial, and closer to Jesus……

So now, I am reevaluating priorities. Looking at my list and praying about everything on it. Does it mean backing out of some things for now? Does it mean saying no to things I would like to do? Will I miss some fun opportunities? Will someone possibly be upset with me for saying no? More then likely yes. But if I truly seek God and His will for this season (and every season to come) I trust that I will be fulfilled despite what I am giving up. God is good and His plan and timing are perfect. He doesn’t want us running on empty, exhausted, and overwhelmed. If I am feeling this way, it means that I am doing something He doesn’t have for me. We live in a world where there is always something or someone begging for your time and energy. I am going to choose to enjoy this season I am in and know that there will be a time for other things!