In God alone, my hope comes from Him...

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my HOPE comes from him.     Psalm 62:5

Yesterday morning, my daughter stepped into the water and followed through with believer’s baptism.  In her words, “It was the best bath she ever took…in Jesus’ water!” And then she informed me she would not need a bath that evening.

Yesterday evening, she stood on a stage with 50 plus kids and praised our God by singing with their sweet voices. 

Last night when we got home from church she asked to watch her baptism over and over and over and over again with a new joy in her eyes.

Often times I set expectations for events in my life such as vacations or family get-togethers or just anything in general, and then I am left feeling less than satisfied because the event didn’t live up to the expectations I had set.   I remember when I was dating my husband I had all these expectations for him to be this hopeless romantic.  I hoped that we would take long walks in the park, share picnics under big oak trees, and he would hold my hand and we would gaze into each others’ eyes until the stars came out.  Yeah right, that doesn’t really happen.  We were more likely to fall in love beating each other at a game of tennis, or putt-putt.  In reality we bond over competition, bike riding through Oak Mountain or dumping each other out of a canoe.  Once I realized my husband is not the hopeless romantic and released him from all the expectations I had set for him freedom came in many forms.  He is romantic, he just can’t plan it.  You see, I can plan any sort of romantic outing and he will go along with it, and do whatever I want him to do.  He is just that sweet, but he does not have the ability to come up with a romantic plan and carry it out on his own what so ever.  This is where God started teaching me a very valuable lesson…life’s expectations will most often leave you with a feeling of un-satisfaction.  HOWEVER, hope and expectations placed in the Lord, will never leave you feeling unsatisfied or unfulfilled. 

A couple months ago I had hopes and expectations of what it would feel like to lead our baby girl to the Lord.  Yesterday I had hopes and expectations of what it would feel like as a mother to watch my baby girl follow through with her decision and follow through with believer’s baptism.  When you put your hope in the Lord, He exceeds all your thoughts, hopes and dreams.  His timing is perfect.  His will is perfect.  Everything I thought I would experience I did, and so much more.  God sprinkled little bits of goodness throughout our weekend.  He reminded me time and time again, He is in control, His timing is precise, His will is perfect and good.  He loves Anna Lee even more than I do, and as I woke up this morning He reminded me that her name is now in the most important Book there is…His book, the Lamb’s Book of Life, and nothing and no one can take her name out of that Book.  He has far exceeded my expectations for my little girl, He has fulfilled my heart and my emotions to the point of spilling over this morning, AND she is only 6.  

He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  Psalm 62:6     

For God SO loved the world.....

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

      I have been praying for years for Anna Lee’s salvation, that God would prepare her heart and her mind to receive the most precious gift anyone can ever be given, Jesus.  I had been praying when God called her to Himself that I would get to be the one to lead her to my Lord and Savior.  That I would get to experience the time she made the most important decision of her life, to follow Jesus.  My God answered my prayers and Anna Lee is not only my daughter, she is now my sister in Christ.  I not only get to spend this lifetime with her, I will get to spend eternity with her with our Savior Jesus.

        I knew the Lord had begun a work in her heart.  She began asking some really tough questions ones that I really didn’t even have answers to.  I remember her asking one day about a year ago, “Momma, how do you hear God’s voice and I don’t?”  I thought Lord, How am I going to explain this to a five year old.  After praying, He gave me the words and she took my explanation to heart.  After that question, they just kept coming.  One night, a few months ago, she asked me, “Momma, when will I know Jesus is knocking on my door?”  I shared the story of Samuel and Eli and how Samuel’s eyes were opened to God’s voice and His calling one night.  She seemed to take that to heart.  Then one night she came home from church and preached to me a sermon her Children’s Pastor Bro. Steven shared with her about two different hearts.  I knew something special was beginning to take place.  She understood as much as she could at this young age, and God was lighting a fire in her soul. 

        We decided to go camping over spring break.  We took our camper to Lock 17 on Thursday, March 14^th.  As we pulled in, and set up we started getting ready for the weekend.  Brad and I make a pretty good camping team.  We each have our responsibilities setting up the camper and it normally goes pretty smoothly…for those of you that camp you know many marital spats can happen over the backing up of a camper, pulling the awning out,  who does what and so on.  Anna Lee resumed her spot on the couch with some toys until everything gets set up and then we all get to play.  This night was about to go very differently than any other set up we have experienced.  I was in my normal routine, and was making sure I was getting done all I needed to get done when Anna lee stopped me and said, “Momma, I need to talk to you.”  I replied with my normal, Okay baby but let me finish what I am doing, and then we will.  I had every intention of finishing what I had started.  She put her hands on my face and said, “No Momma, I need to talk to you right now, about something very serious.”  I took that as my cue to sit right down.  I had no idea what my baby was about to tell me.  I knew something was on her heart that moment, to be so persistent, but I didn’t know the depth until I sat down.  She looked me in the eyes and said, “Momma, I am tired of having a broken relationship with God, I want to invite Jesus into my heart.” My first reaction embarrassingly was she is too young, too little.  But as she talked the lord, showed me how much work He had already begun in my sweet baby’s heart.  She shared her thoughts and her feelings.  I shared with her what it truly meant to be a Christian.  Her daddy walked in during the middle of this conversation and we quickly filled him in on what was going on.  My mind was turning to mush, and my eyes were filling with tears and for the life of me I couldn’t remember the ABC ‘s of salvation.  Brad stepped right on in, and shared with his daughter the ABC’s of being saved.  As I listened to my husband leading my child to the Lord, all those prayers that I had prayed came flooding back to memory and all I could do what cry out to the Lord, for the ultimate blessing He gave us that night.  Both her parents witnessed Anna Lee except Jesus into her heart.  When it became the time to pray the sinner’s prayer, we shared what that prayer meant with her, and I told her I would pray and she could repeat after me.  In the typical Anna lee fashion she told me, “ I don’t want to say your prayer momma, I want to say my own prayer to Jesus, I want to pray myself to Him, and so she did.  She prayed one of the sweetest prayers of admission, she prayed one of the most grown up prayers I have ever heard her pray. She prayed everything she needed to and all by herself!  When she opened her eyes I noticed they were filled with tears and as the tears fell she told me, “Momma, I don’t think I am ever going to quit smiling!”  At that point I melted and as I looked at my daughter I felt the Love of a Heavenly Father that was remarkable.  OH, how Great is the Love of the Father, that He has lavished on us, That we can be called the children of God.  She woke up the next morning and the first comment out of her mouth was, “I can’t believe I got saved last night! I am going to tell everyone in the campground today.”  How I pray the Lord nourishes her soul and she never loses that feeling of telling everyone she ever meets!  We now have the pleasure of watching our little sister in Christ follow through with her baptism this Sunday.  What a day of rejoicing it will be. 

Thank you Father for the Blessing you continue to bestow on us each day.  Thank for a Son who was willing to die a sinner’s death so that we can live Forever with you in eternity.  Oh, how You love us.

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior I pray the Lord softens your heart through Anna lee’s story, and I pray you find the peace she has found in Jesus our Savior.

Romans 3:23;  John 3:16 ; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 10:13