Mama Bear & the sisterhood of infertility

This necklace could be my favorite Mother’s Day gift ever from my husband & kids! I’ve walked the hallowed halls of motherhood for over 20 years now, yet the name “Mama” still touches my heart in deep places. There were years of infertility, multiple miscarriages, & a slow trod through the valley of unanswered lonely prayer.  Throughout these years, I truly suspected that “Mama” would never be my name.

The women who are part of the never-desired Sisterhood of Infertility will tell you we all lived in the “Why God?” zone. We all told ourselves, “Don’t hope this month-then the grief won’t be as bad.” 

(This is impossible because our very nature as Christians is designed to hope.)

As my husband & I trudged through these years, we learned that God may not take pain away but the Man of Sorrows will offer Himself as companion & comfort. A life of faith will always be lived out in the bizarre tension of accepting pain and praying a way out of it! Many days, I still marvel at God blessing me with the honor of mothering two precious God-given lives.

May we never take Mother’s Day for granted as we lean into the One who loves us most!

TEACHING YOUR KIDS SPIRITUAL TRUTHS

FRIENDS

About 2 years ago, one of my friends, Lainie, and I put together a must list for our children in teaching them about God. Don’t be overwhelmed… sooo much of this comes from conversations with kids, I am convinced!

Teaching your Kids:

Basic Doctrine…  Existence of God, Trinity, Deity of Jesus, Security of Salvation and the Inerrancy of the Word

  • The Gospel-What is it?
  1. That God has a plan for each of our lives.
  2. We were born sinners and also make “mistakes” or sinful choices.
  3. Jesus Christ, the perfect One, died in our place for those sins.
  4. That Jesus wants to come live inside our hearts -giving us HEAVEN and an ABUNDANT LIFE HERE.
  • How to walk With The Lord... Here’s an example of our Top Three: ASKING JESUS TO HELP US, READING THE BIBLE TOGETHER, AND LEARNING TO PRAY!
  • Forgiveness in relationships !(Parent to child, sibling to sibling,  and friend to friend)

That’s just some of the rich spiritual life (I’m sure !) you’re demonstrating to your sweet children. It seems EVERY DAY there is at least one opportunity for me to live by faith   (Mommy encourages me!) and for them make a choice regarding Christ-like choices. (Think sibling interactions! )

May these ideas bless you! HE WILL HELP YOU!

What would you add to the list?

TRISTIE

A Day in the Life for THIS “Stay At Home” Mom

When I was pregnant with our son 8 years ago, I remember a new friend asking me “How will you do it?” I muttered “Huh?” “They said “You know…..taking care of him and any other children you have.” I didn’t know what to say so (as per usual) tried to joke my way out of it.

For Brian and me , we were older when we married..I was 27 and God blessed me with the man of my dreams. Brian was almost 31 and ready for marriage! We thought we would do the standard American gig…be married about 2-5 years and then we have kids. Isn’t that how it works? YOU make the plan, right? Wrong.

God had 4 years of painful infertility planned for us. He called us to learn suffering, pain, and loss in a way we’ve have never experienced before. God gave us our miracle boy, Benjamin after much prayer! After having Ben, I got pregnant 3 more times and lost all these precious babies. One was a tubal pregnancy that ruptured and almost cost me my life from internal bleeding. Thank God for our Dr. Ben Zivney! We had always prayed for a sweet little girl and God granted us that request when our miracle girl AnnaJoy arrived!

Because I had worked in television and radio news, and (most wonderfully!) been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ for nearly 5 years after college graduation, I had enjoyed an exceedingly FULL career that changed my life. I loved it and it was a joyful investment in eternity!

Brian and I had committed that when (which sadly started becoming an “if!) we had children, I wanted to be home with them as much as possible. After spiritual mothering for years, I realized how short these years are and how FAST they go.

In my mind, I thought…”OK, we have a good 8-10 years of training and then it’s GO TIME. After that, my son and daughter’s  friends will be a primary influence, as well the culture. So, the decision was made…I would make the most of all given…time with them , domestic labor ( Yipe! Ha!), training and discipline, and most importantly, preparing them to know GOD and obey Him. (PLUS…lots of jokes, laughter, silliness and chocolate as any appropriate childhood would have! 🙂 Needless to say, my husband is my candidate for “Hands-On Father of the Year—every year!”

For many wonderful women, being at home all day with your children is NOT an option…you have been abandoned, widowed, or need extra finances to put food on the table. Your children will always remember the sacrifice you made for their well-being..that you put their needs above your own!

Being at home all day with your children is hard…and challenging ….and rewarding. I have never needed Jesus like I do now. When you are in your home and struggling with patience and that same DISNEY princess machine playing over and over, you beg God for silence. When you step (for the 15th time) on those LEGOS because no one picks up, you cry out for help from God. This is the REAL DEAL. THIS IS THE TEST. NO ONE IS LOOKING. Now, how will I respond?

I have one recourse….TOTAL DEPENDENCE and a RESPONSE OF HUMILITY. This is a GREAT GOD we are dealing with. HE has GIVEN you the most blessed gift of children for you to show them God . This is the next generation that we are training up…with a society that needs HIM SO MUCH. Don’t you love it that your children see YOU are not Jesus?:) They get to see you ask for forgiveness, struggle with anger, sigh because your are sick of laundry, and be brain dead in the morning! 🙂

MAY YOU BE BLESSED AS YOU ARE GIVEN THIS MOST NEEDFUL TASK! Your REWARD will be great!
tristie fisher