Month: January 2020

While singing tonight, to calm my daughter who was fighting sleep, my playlist put on “Mary did you know?”. Although a Christmas song, as I sang the lyrics, it hit me as a song that could be a year round song…

The question is asked over and over if , “Mary knew what all God was going to do through her baby…”. Many times I think she had some kind of “idea”, but she never truly knew. Mary just had faith. Mary followed the plan. Mary trusted that Gods plan would be carried on and that it was good… Mary was a young “lady”, & to have a faith like that is amazing…

They asked Mary if she knew her son would save her… They asked her if she knew that he would preform miracles, heal the sick, he would be a ruler. Many times I think she thought about that and probably thought, “really?”.

As humans, mothers, women; we question & doubt life. We wonder if we are “doing this right.”, “making the right choices.”, and “raising our children to know they are loved.”. Many times we are asked “if we know” just like Mary. It maybe, “Do you know your child is so good?”, or “Do you know your doing a great job?”. But tonight I put my name in that song instead of Mary’s.

Marli, did you know, your child has came to save you? Marli did you know your child has came to show you a miracle? Marli did you know, your child has came to do great things?

If you would have told me 2.5 years ago that I would have a beautiful daughter to hold that would show me hope when I had none, joy when I forgot what joy looked liked, and happiness that I never thought would exist again- I would tell you your insane! It was only a dream… A prayer I prayed, but didn’t know if God would answer it…

In the song it tells Mary that when she kisses her little baby, she kisses the face of God…. Lets pause for a moment… “Whoa.” Every child is a gift from God & to think that this child has seen God has known God before I have. Has seen her Big brother even though I cannot right now, is a BIG deal. If we pictured all children the way Mary did that day, what would our world be? Better I would hope.

You see Mary had Faith. Mary was asked the hard questions. Mary has the job she had to do… but so do we. As women, as mothers, as humans, we need faith. We need to be asked the “hard questions” in life. We need to expect miracles when we pray. We need to look on our children as Mary did. We need to hold our children up like Mary did. We need to ponder every second like Mary did. We need to raise them, love them, and cherish them as Mary did… We need to look at them and kiss them as we are kissing the face of God….but we also need to live a life for them as Mary did. A life of faith and to show them what they too need to strive for.

In Proverbs 31:10-31 it tells us women how we should be. It’s a passage I’ve always held close to my soul. It tells us how to act, carry ourselves, how we should love and be loyal. How we should be faithful to not only God, but to our husbands. And it tells us what our children would think of us in time… (Prov. 31:28)- “Her children will rise up & call her blessed.”

We should strive to be this woman. We should strive to be asked the questions Mary was asked. We should lay our childrens names on the alters of our church like Hannah. We should stand firm and believe it will happen like Elizabeth & Sarah. We should cry out to Jesus for a drink of water like the woman at the well. We should be helpful like Lydia. We should be the first to spread the good news of Jesus like Mary Magdalene and Martha.

Women have always been a key part of history, because behind every Godly man in the Bible was a God fearing, prayed up, faith believing woman! Where are those Godly men & women today? If you cannot find one, BE ONE! No you cannot say, “well I don’t need to be because my grandparents are…” well who’s going to follow in their place? Who’s going to carry the torch of faith? Timothy speaks highly of his mother & grandmother! Why? Because Godly women matter…. Godly women are rare. Godly women scare the devil so much more than any man. Why? Because he knows, when a Godly woman prays she means business. When a Godly woman is so close to God – God will answer her. When a Godly mother prayers over her children, he knows that the army of God is with them.

Today more than ever we need to be a Mary. A Hannah. An Elizabeth. And so forth. Today we need those women to be prayed up, read up, and ready to go to war with the devil. Why do I say this? Because if Heaven is real so is Hell. If you know God does miracles, & he does I’m holding one, the devil will also steal everything and crush your world, & I know because he has crushed mine. You see I have seen both worlds. I have witnessed the Good & the Bad. I have seen Gods healing hand and seen the evilness of the devil. It tells us that the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy-and let me tell you when he comes through your house it’s like a tornado your never seen coming .

So did Mary know? Did she know what they asked her? No. I do not think she knew, but I know in time after it was all said and done; she seen ever answer in one glimpse. Just as I do from time to time. When I look down, I understand why he sent me my rainbow. Why he made me wait. Why be gave me this handmade & unique baby girl… He sent her to show me love. To show me he answers prayers. To show me joy. To heal me. To tell others about his miracles. He knew I needed her more than she probably needs me, but one day she will grow up. And I need to make sure she knows how she needs to act, live, & strive for…but for now I’ll ponder her every moment- but for now like Mary I will continue ask myself; “Marli do you know?”…. and maybe one day I can say “Yes.”…..

*I challenge you to look at your life and see if you had to be a woman of the Bible who would you be and why? I’d love to know your answers! I relate to many of them and I have shared that often, but I want to hear from you!*

Thank you for reading,

~Marli

Angel mom to Rhett Alec

Rainbow mom to Selah

Today we dedicate you to the Lord. Today is a day I long & prayed for. Today is a day, as tears roll down my face, I am thankful to be standing here praising God for you . Today we dedicate you. A day I felt would never come. As we stand before our church family, vowing to pray for you, be there for you, hold you, love you, support you, and share Gods love with you.

As all the women before me, I stand here holding, clinging, to you. Today like Hannah, Sarah, & Elizabeth, we share you with God. Today we dedicate you back to God. To show how thankful we are to be your Mom & Dad. Although we have been through this process with your brother, it’s different process.

I knew this day would come, when God kept his promise. I told God I would do this as I wept for you each morning. I promised I would stand here, in front of this Congregation, vowing to do my best to be the best I can for you through God. So today We dedicate you…

This day to me is just as sweet as my wedding vows. Vowing to love through thick & thin. The same goes for you my dear, I will be your mom through it all- good & bad. Just like Mary dedicated Jesus back to his Heavenly Father, just like 2.5 years prior I sat in the front row of this Church weeping, holding on to the last few moments I had, dedicating your brother back to his Heavenly Father, today we dedicate you. Today is different because your here, cooing & looking around. Today we dedicate you and I too will cry again, because Gods promises are forever.

You are fearfully & wonderfully made- and I will remind you of that, all the days of you life. You are beautiful & special- and I promise to make sure you know that. You are a miracle sent from heaven, and I will proudly tell your story to you. You are a breath of fresh air, an answered prayer, a rainbow for me made by God alone, & I vow to let you know that…everyday of my life. As we dedicate you today.

Through teething, through walking, through teaching you all your milestones & more. I vow to be you mom through it all. Through scrapped knees, broken hearts, tears of laugher, & so much more. I vow to be your mom through it all. Through teenage years, colleges days, adulthood, until my dying days: I vow to be your mom through it all… through those last moments one day when I have to say goodbye… Just know I’d give you my last breath just to vow to be your mom.

So today we dedicate you; your Dad & I. In front of the church who carried us through our storm of life, who prayed for us, who prayed for you- long before we knew you-who holds us to our vows we are making in to the Lord today, as we dedicate you forever and always.

Today, Selah, we dedicate you. We love you so much, for now & forever.

(This is a special passage for myself. As many know we lost Rhett in 2017, and we dedicated him back unto the Lords arms where he remains until we see him one day. January 19,2020 we dedicate Selah. A promise we didn’t know when would ever come. So to dedicate her spiritual to the Lord is a special moment filled with love, grace, and tears.)

Thanks for reading!

~Marli

Angel mom to Rhett

Rainbow mom to Selah

Often times in we refer new Christians as “babies in Christ.” . All my life I’ve heard this. I just brushed it off and went about my life, but holding my little one this evening – something occurred to me. Babies have no sense of time. They have no idea of the things they will have to learn or one day have to do. They don’t really know pain, because of their innocences. They rely strictly on their caregiver. They don’t doubt their caregiver. They don’t question their caregiver, but trust solely in them….

Every Christian starts off this way. We are on fire for God. We read the Bible. We search him out. We cannot get enough of God. We cry out to him to just hold us for a rest. We cry out to him to rock us, feed us, love us… we trust in him solely without questioning. Then God teaches us to crawl. We laugh and smile. He teaches us to walk in his ways. To think and love like him. He trusts that we will not forget him. And like a baby does, we being to grow.

Then we walk. We start to run. We start to have adventures and see this world. We only call on our Caregiver when we are in a bind, hurt, or scared; and although he’s happy to hear from us- he Longs for the time when we had. I sense of time at all. When we cried out hold me. When we relied solely upon him and not our own understanding. He wants us to grow. He wants us to thrive, but just like any parent- it’s bittersweet.

In this world, we get so busy. We focus on the wrong things. We worry, we stress, we do not rest… our innocence is tainted. We forget what it feels like to be a baby in the arms of Christ. We forget what it feels like to solely rely on him as our caregiver … As children on Earth, one day we outgrow our parents Laps, but never their hearts. But for God: we never outgrow his lap. We never can get big enough to not need God solely. In fact, just like my child who cry’s when she wants to be held- God wants us to cry out to him: just to be held because he’s our caregiver…

Resolutions will start to fade in a few months. Goals we stated that we would do may never come. Getting our “priorities” straight may not happen. Our focus will slip again. We will stress out. We will have issues. And God wants to be there for all that too. But like a baby who cry’s just to be rocked. Who doesn’t have sense of time. Who just wants to be close because they love you and find comfort in you… Cry out to God just to be held just because. Run to the caregiver. Run to the lap you can never outgrow. Find peace within those arms today.

I pray that when ever needs rest finds it.. Gods time doesn’t match up with ours. Hold on tightly to him. And he will cling to you.

~ Marli

Angel mom to Rhett

Rainbow mom to Selah