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Devotionals

11/12/2024 0 Comments

Send Your Roots

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My body was filled with panic as I rode in the back of an ambulance with my two-year-old son after calling 911 because he stopped breathing while napping. We made it to the hospital and he became stable but we still had a lengthy hospital stay ahead of us.

Along with praying for healing for my son, I was specifically praying for my mental health because I knew I couldn’t get through this without God’s strength. I was scared that the fear and worry would become crippling. My mind was filled with worry and my heart was racing during the ride to the hospital.

​However, I can say that once I prayed and reached out to friends to join me in prayer my body shifted from panic to peace. All the ‘what ifs’ slowed down, my body started to relax and I vividly remember sitting in his hospital room and realizing that I truly had peace in the midst of the chaos.
Jeremiah states that those who trust in the Lord will “be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream” (Jer. 17:8). This tree is enriched with resources no matter what happens because it sends its roots to the water source. Just like a tree by a river has a continual source of water we too have a constant supply of the living water when we believe in Jesus.

Investing our time with Jesus allows us to be rooted in the Living Water who provides all the resources we need. This tree is rooted in and has all the resources it needs no matter what happens, just like I had peace that day in the hospital. I knew that no matter what was happening, God was in control. I knew this because I had been growing in my relationship with Him by investing daily in prayer and reading my Bible.

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“In this world [we] will have trouble,” but Jesus says “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We can hold onto the peace that comes from knowing our good God is still in control by investing in our relationship daily. We can cry out to God when the worries mount and have faith knowing that He will hear our cry. As the world becomes more and more unstable, it’s easy to get sucked into the storm of fear and worry. But today I challenge you to send your roots to the stream instead. Invest in your relationship with Jesus and know that He will enrich you with the resources you need.
““This is what the LORD says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV)
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
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12/4/2023 1 Comment

Followed by Goodness

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How many of us are truly convinced that no matter what occurs in our lives we are being followed by goodness and mercy? Of course it is very simple to speak this way when things are going well. If my health is excellent, my income is flourishing, my family is well, and my plans are all working out, it is not hard to say, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

But what about when one’s body breaks down? What do I say when I stand by helpless, as I have had to do, and watch my newborn son fight for his life? What is my reaction when the bills are increasing, but the income isn’t? What do I say when suddenly that new friendship I was building starts crumbling? What do I do when the dreams of my heart just aren’t coming to fruition yet?
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David expresses in this verse that the Lord's goodness will be with him through all the days of his life. Whether green pastures and still waters lay ahead, or David was required to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord's goodness would accompany him.
A couple of years ago my husband and I tried everything we could to move away from the Atlanta area and closer to our family in North Carolina. We knew God had led us to Georgia for a reason but we were hoping that season was over. I prayed, “God, close the doors that need to be closed, and open the doors that need to be opened.” He heard my prayer, but it looked different than I thought it would. It looked like every door we tried prying open on our own, he shut. It felt like the path God was leading us down was a dark alley and it surely did not feel good.

However, now being on the other side looking back, I can look back and see the benefit and spiritual growth through the journey. We decided to quit trying to move and instead seek God where we were. If we would have moved when we tried to, we would have missed the opportunity to get plugged in with a local church here and embark on a journey that has grown and strengthened our spiritual life immensely.

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Now looking back I can see the compassion in God’s closed doors. Trials can make us more aware of God's goodness and mercy leading to spiritual growth rather than bitterness.

God has used these past couple of years to draw my husband and I nearer to Him, teaching us more about the relationship He desires with us. For me, God has graciously been revealing more and more of my true identity in Him. That is where I see His goodness and mercy following me. Because without that truth, my world would have been rocked last year when we watched our son struggle in the hospital three separate times. For me His goodness looked like the ability to have peace in that storm. I was secure in His promises because of the intentional relationship He led me to build with Him.

With my natural tendencies to fear, worry, and ask “why,” it is not always simple to assume that God really knows what He is doing with me. There are times I am tempted to panic and bolt. But despite this attitude, I am so glad He does not give up. His goodness and mercy are new to me everyday.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” Psalm 23:6a
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
1 Comment

9/21/2023 0 Comments

In Our Weakness

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Daylight savings time: A day that many parent’s dread due to losing that precious hour of sleep. This year it hit us even harder since we had a sick kid who was up in the middle of the night making us all lose even more valuable sleep time.

​So as I am sure you can imagine, our two kids hit a wall around 5:30 that evening. Neither of them wanted to eat, or do anything really other than whine. My husband and I used every trick in the book to get them to just eat, knowing that this would help turn their moods around at least a little bit. 


Our kids don’t always know what they need or how to express it, but as their parents we have come to understand when they need sleep or food. I have learned to discern when my daughter is whining because she is tired or hungry or bored. Even when she doesn’t use those words to describe how she feels.

​If I have come to understand what my children need before they even know it, how much more so is that true in my relationship with God? 
Paul tells us in Romans 8:15 that living as a child of God means we have an intimate, joyful relationship with God. A child of God can have a relationship with God so close that they may cry out, “Abba, Father” (Daddy!). As our father, God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we need before we even know how to ask for it. The Holy Spirit’s help in intercession is perfect because He searches the hearts of those whom He helps, and He is able to guide our prayers according to the will of God. When we are weak, and do not know exactly how we should pray, God Himself (through the Holy Spirit) helps by interceding for us. 

There are times when I am sure I act like a whiny tired two year old before God. Just today, I was in literal tears during my prayer time, telling God I didn’t know what I needed but that I knew He did. I take comfort in knowing that the Spirit helps me in my weakness. That even when I don’t know exactly what I need or how to get it, I can go to God in prayer confident that He knows my every need. 

Friend, if you are struggling with how to pray today, don’t be afraid to sit in silence with God. He knows what you need, whether you know how to say it or not. Find a way to draw closer to Him today and just sit in His presence. You can trust that He will meet you and align your spirit with His truth. Rest in the comfort of knowing that He understands you better than you even understand yourself.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
0 Comments

9/21/2023 0 Comments

Calming the Storm Inside of Us

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My heart was filled with joy as I lifted my new baby from his carseat and headed in the door. We were home, finally as a family of four. There’s always a transition period when adding a member to the family, but after a tumultuous delivery and epic NICU stay during the height of a pandemic, we were just happy to be home altogether. 

However, the fear and worry became crippling when we started to venture out into the world again, away from our safe haven of home. Those worries would keep me up at night and take over my mind throughout the day. I could not stay present in the fun that my family was having without being overcome with worry over something that I had no control over. 

The gospels of Matthew (8:23-27), Mark (4:35-41)  and Luke (8:22-25) detail the miracle of Jesus calming the storm. Sometimes when reading the Bible, it is easy for me to forget that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God. Jesus was weary and tired after a day of teaching so He took a nap.
Since He was fully man, think of all the worries that could have kept Jesus awake. He could have worried about His family and the disciples, or the increasing crowds with their overwhelming needs, or the future because He knew what His destiny was. The disciples were frustrated that Jesus was sleeping in the midst of chaos, but He was able to be at peace because He knew God is sovereign.

However, it was the disciples who awoke Jesus, not the wind, the waves, or the rocking of the boat. It was the cry of His disciples. The disciples were aware that even though they were helpless in the storm, Jesus was not, so they went to him. We, too, have the privilege to cry out to God when we feel helpless.

Jesus rebuked the winds and waves saying “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39) The force of the sea was silenced as Jesus restrained it with his sovereign word of authority.  

As the world becomes more and more unstable, it’s easy to get sucked into the storm of fear and worry. In this world we will have trouble, but we can hold onto the peace that comes from knowing our good God is still in control. We can cry out to God when the worries mount and have faith knowing that He will hear our cry. He has the authority and power to calm any storm in which we find ourselves. 

Jesus was able to sleep because of the peace that was within Him. As a mom, it is easy to worry about my family daily and before I know it, I get wrapped up or distracted in those worries. In order to fully embrace the beautiful moments around that God has given me, I have to have that same peace within me. 

In order to have that peace, God has been showing me just how important it is to hand my worries over to Him. First Peter 5:7 says to “Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.” So today, I invite you to do just that.. Cry out to God; give Him your worries and invite Him into your life and ask Him to calm the storm that is raging inside of you.  
“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.” Psalm 107:29 (NIV)
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
0 Comments

9/20/2023 0 Comments

Vantage Points

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“Dad come quick!” My five year old daughter, Brianna, yells while she is in the backyard with her brother and our dog. Our dog, Kimber, was exploring the backyard of the AirBNB we were staying in. Brianna was crying, thinking Kimber had gotten out of the fence. From her vantage point it looked like she had. But standing from the porch where we could see more of the yard my husband and I could tell that Kimber was indeed still in the yard. My husband reassured her and called her to walk over to where she could see that Kimber had not run away. 

In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah pens a letter to reassure the Israelites in exile that God had not abandoned them or forgotten his purpose for them. Jeremiah 29:11 shows us that God’s plan for His people is peace and plenty, not evil or calamity. God has a future and a hope for His people even in their suffering. However, the devil’s goal of deception is to rob God’s people of their sense of His future and a hope for them. I am sure that from their vantage point things were not looking hopeful and it would be easy to lose that sense of hope. 
So how can we trust that God will come through with His promise even when from our vantage point things look hopeless? The whole point of promises is to build trust and God left us with a Bible full of fulfilled promises. When faced with a hopeless situation, we can turn our attention from the anxieties of this world and instead focus on the fulfilled promises of God. 

A couple of verses later, in Jeremiah 29:13 God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” This amazing promise from our righteous holy God to sinful people echoes a promise in Deut. 4:29, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” And it remains true even to the present day as Jesus said in John 6:37, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” 

God will not hide from His people when they seek Him. This promise is echoed throughout the Bible many times. Even though we can’t see the whole picture that God sees, we do have access to a bigger picture than the Israelites did. A better vantage point! We can see the thread of this promise woven throughout scripture. 

Are you facing a hopeless situation today? Remember God’s promise of peace and plenty, and ask God to lead you to a better vantage point. 
"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19 (NIV)
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
0 Comments

9/18/2023 0 Comments

Made For More

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Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. So after highschool I went to college and graduated with a nursing degree. I worked in the hospital setting for 4 years and there were days I loved it, but there were also days that I wondered why I became a nurse.

​Then I became pregnant with my first child, and my husband and I decided that I would become a stay-at-home-mom. I love that decision every day, even on the hard days. But there are times that I question the choices I made when I was younger. Should I have gone to nursing school? Was it really what I wanted to do? Could I have done something else? And the biggest question, did I waste my time? 


In Exodus 2, we are introduced to Moses. Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince but later ran away to escape punishment for killing an Egyptian. He ended up becoming a shepherd in Midian. God used Moses’ years of tending sheep to prepare him for leadership.
Living the life of a shepherd and nomad, Moses learned about the ways of the people he would eventually be called to lead and also about life in the desert.​ Moses couldn’t appreciate this lesson, but God was preparing him to free Israel from Pharaoh's grasp.  

In Exodus 4, God asks Moses what was in his hand. He then proceeds to use what Moses had which was a shepherd's staff. God likes to use our past experiences along with what is in our hand. Moses’ years of tending sheep were not useless. God used those years to place experiences in Moses’ life that he could later draw on to bring God glory. Moses was a shepherd and he always carried a staff. So what did God use to show his miraculous signs? What Moses already had in his hand! Moses just had to lean in and trust God with what was there. A simple stick, but with obedience and trust that staff will go on to help Moses lead God’s people out of bondage.  

Moses wasn’t just a prince or just a shepherd, his past occupation didn’t define him. God made him for more. It is so easy for me to question if all of nursing school and my time working as a nurse was just wasted years. But the truth is that God prepares us in ways that we may not understand. Those years of learning and working in the medical field were not useless. When I had a high risk pregnancy and my son spent two months in the NICU, my background in nursing helped me immensely. The years I spent taking care of new babies as a nurse helped me to not be as scared as a first-time mom. The care and compassion I learned while taking care of patients is something that I still use to this day. 

I am learning to trust God to use what I have in my hands and the knowledge I carry from my past. Just like Moses I am not defined by my past occupation. I am not just a nurse or just a mom. God also made me for more. I don’t know if I will ever go back to working as a nurse, but I know that God will continue to use that time of my life and those experiences for what He has planned for me. 

God uses the ordinary things in our lives for extraordinary purposes! So friend, what do you have in your hand? Something from today or something from your past. It can be a pen, a broom, a book, a stethoscope, a classroom. Remember, God made you for more as well and if we lean in and trust God with these ordinary everyday things, God can do immeasurable things not only for us but also in the lives of others! The decision Moses made by the burning bush to lean in and trust God saved an entire nation. 
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
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About the Author

Hi, I’m Jessica Parker! I’m married to my incredible husband, Phil, and together we have two beautiful kids. My husband is an Army veteran so we have moved around a bit but now live in beautiful North Georgia. I enjoy reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I can testify to how life changing walking with Jesus and being in His word daily can be. Therefore I am passionate about helping women find a life giving community and learn more about God's love for them.
0 Comments

8/31/2022 0 Comments

Getting to Know Jesus

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​My husband and I met late one May while we were both on summer break from college. We spent those summer months getting to know each other before we both went back to school, four hours away from one other.

​We both knew early on that we wanted to stay together despite the distance. For the next two years we spent our days getting to know each other through text, phone calls, and my favorite, old school hand-written letters through the mail! We were intentional about the time we spent together and the conversations we had when we were apart. In July 2012, we got married and started our life together. All those conversations and time spent together over those two years definitely helped us get to know each other. However, nothing compares to the knowledge you gain waking up, and doing life next to someone day in and day out. 
Truly knowing someone takes time and intention; it doesn’t happen overnight with the snap of a finger. We experience this not only in our marriages but also in our everyday lives. I don’t meet someone on the street and instantly know their whole story and what makes them the person they are. However, when I was younger, I thought because I went to church every Sunday, I knew everything there was to know about Jesus. But here I am at 32 still learning new things about Him everyday. For that, I am so grateful and it never ceases to amaze me when God reveals something new to me. 
 
In Mark 9, we see Jesus and his disciples leave where they were. Verse 30 says that “Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples.” Jesus took the time to train his disciples in depth. He spent intentional time with them and they with Him. Deep spiritual growth isn’t instant, regardless of the quality of experience or teaching. The disciples lived, ate and traveled with Jesus every day. If they needed to lay everything aside periodically in order to learn from the Master, how much more do we need to set aside time to spend with God to get to know Him better? 
 
As I write this, my husband and I have been married almost ten years. In order for us to have a healthy marriage, we have to continue being intentional about pouring into our relationship and spending time together. The same is true of our relationship with Christ. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are in our faith, we still have room for growth. 
 
Friend, if you want to know more about Jesus, find a way to draw closer to Him today. For you, maybe that is reading a chapter in Proverbs, listening to a new worship song in the car, or spending an extra five minutes in prayer today. To know Jesus better, return to Him day after day. He will continue to meet you and align your spirit with His truth. Rest in the comfort of knowing that the longer you walk with him, the better you will understand who He is. Ask Him to meet you where you are and reveal more of himself to you.
Memory Verse: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
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About the Author

Hi, my name is Jessica Parker. I am a wife and a stay-at-home mom. My husband is an Army veteran, so we have moved around a lot in our nine years of marriage. We currently live in North Georgia with our two little ones that keep us busy. I love reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I am most passionate about helping women find their community and learning more about God's love for us.
0 Comments

8/31/2022 0 Comments

Dangerous Prayers

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​“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24, emphasis added).
 
I prayed this prayer at the beginning of 2022 while I was participating in a ten day prayer and fasting challenge. Shortly after, I started noticing things about myself that I didn’t like. Things in my life that I thought I had already dealt with. Things in myself that I would rather keep hidden, such as my obsession with appearances, the short temper I tend to get with my kids, judgment, pride, and the bitterness in my heart towards someone that I have carried for too long. 

When I first started seeing these things within me clearly, my thoughts jumped to “God how can this be? I felt like I was growing closer to you and strengthening my relationship with you. Now I see all these sins evident in my life.” I felt defeated and unworthy. Then I felt the Spirit say, “This is what you prayed for; now let me help you.” 
 
As David cried out in Psalm 139, with desperation to grow closer to God, we, too, can do the same. If we truly mean the prayer, we have to understand that we will probably not like the results. How are we to recognize hidden sin unless God points it out? If God never revealed the sin in our life that we try so hard to cover up, then how would we be able to fix it? 
 
These revelations of sin don’t make us more distant from God, but rather is what is needed for us to recognize how we still have a ways to go. He does not reveal it to us to condemn us or make us hate ourselves. Instead He does it to set us free and draw us closer to him. Confession, repentance and reconciliation bring us into a deeper relationship with God.
 
Those revelations scared me at first, and made me feel unworthy; however, I am now thankful for them. Because now that I am more aware, I can repent and ask for forgiveness. I can also be more mindful of when I am tempted in the areas that have been revealed and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me. This acknowledgement, confession, repentance, and reconciliation has continued to draw me closer to God.
 
Christ is truly with us to lead us, heal us, and forgive us. We are not called to dwell in our sins and past mistakes, this only further discourages us. Instead, we are called to dwell in the love of Jesus and allow Him to lead us in the way everlasting. After all, He is the One who has paid for all sin.
 
Trust me, I know this is a dangerous prayer, but I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through these last two verses of Psalm 139. This prayer has only deepened my relationship with our Heavenly Father. Invite the investigation of your innermost self. Ask Him to reveal the things that you may not even know about yourself. No matter what He reveals to you, and how hard it is to see, He will be faithful to lead you in the way everlasting. To Him you are completely worth it, so much so that He gave His life for you. 
Memory Verse:  “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
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About the Author

Hi, my name is Jessica Parker. I am a wife and a stay-at-home mom. My husband is an Army veteran, so we have moved around a lot in our nine years of marriage. We currently live in North Georgia with our two little ones that keep us busy. I love reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I am most passionate about helping women find their community and learning more about God's love for us.
0 Comments

5/29/2022 0 Comments

Joyous Trials

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In the summer of 2020, my husband and I found ourselves in the middle of the scariest time of our lives. I was pregnant with our second child and my water broke when I was only 25 weeks pregnant.

For the next five weeks, I stayed in the hospital doing everything I could to stay pregnant as long as possible. Then, late one Friday night, Brayden decided that he was tired of waiting and entered this world weighing 3 lbs. 2 oz.

He spent the next ten weeks in the NICU growing bigger and stronger, while my husband and I were completely torn between Brayden in the NICU and our two-year-old daughter at home. These ten weeks were filled with questions and worries and wondering, “WHY?"!
We were told many times that having a baby in the NICU was a test of patience. During those weeks, there were many days that I just could not see through to the other side of this trial.

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When we read James 1, notice he doesn’t say, “IF you face trials,” but “WHENEVER you face trials.” Trials in this life aren’t meant to break us, but to strengthen our perseverance. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain, but to have a positive outlook because of what trials can produce in our lives. When we find ourselves entering times of trouble or sudden change, we can take comfort in knowing that God has it under control and there is a purpose for our pain. We must choose to learn and grow in our present circumstances, whatever they may be. Face each day with the assurance that God will be with us and see us through.

In the middle of the scariest time of our lives, God was right there. He was not worried or wondering or asking “why?”. He knew exactly what was going on and where we would go from there. He used each trial we went through to prepare us and produce the strength we needed for the next trial. The five weeks I spent in the hospital, away from Brianna and trying to keep Brayden in the womb, helped prepare me for the weeks that he was in the NICU and I had to split my time between home and the hospital.
Yes, we had a very challenging season, but we also got to witness some amazing miracles firsthand. With God by our sides, my husband and I were able to navigate this season on His strength. Not only did he strengthen Brayden, but he strengthened us.

In September of 2020, after what seemed like an eternity of ups and downs, we got to bring our sweet, healthy baby boy home to meet his sister. That, my friend, is nothing less than a miraculous testament to the faithfulness of the loving God we serve.
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Friend, if you are in the middle of a trial or a time of waiting right now, rest in the comfort of knowing that God loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than His time and in any other way than His way. He is with you, whether you see it right now or not. Ask Him to help you trust in His plan for your life and place your fears in His hands, knowing that He is strengthening you while you walk through this trial with Him.
Memory Verse: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3 NIV
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About the Author

Hi, my name is Jessica Parker. I am a wife and a stay-at-home mom. My husband is an Army veteran, so we have moved around a lot in our eight years of marriage. We currently live in North Georgia with our two little ones that keep us busy. I love reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I am most passionate about helping women find their community and learning more about God's love for us.
0 Comments

3/13/2022 0 Comments

God’s Grand Design

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I never envisioned myself as a military wife. I didn’t grow up near a military base or have much experience with family in the service. I had plans to stay put in my small North Carolina hometown. But God. He had other plans for me.
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I met my husband when we were both in college but knew from the start that the Army is where God was leading him. When we got married, he was already serving and stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama. In 2016 we had been married for four years and we were awaiting our orders to find out where we would be moving next: Fort Riley, Kansas. Not exactly the dream destination. ​Some military families get to live in places such as California, Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, even Germany or Italy. Instead, we moved eighteen hours away from family and everything we had ever known to the middle of what seemed like nowhere.
The book of Esther is an example of God’s divine guidance and care over our lives. God’s sovereignty and power are seen throughout this book. Although we may question certain circumstances in our lives, we must have faith that God is in control, working through both the pleasant and difficult times so that we can serve him effectively. Esther’s circumstances may seem coincidental; however, they were part of God’s grand design. It may have seemed coincidental that Esther was placed on the throne, or that Mordecai uncovered a conspiracy, or the king was not be able to sleep and decided to review the history of his reign, and just so happened to stumble upon the truth of Mordecai’s good deed. However, the truth is that God was at work.

Around the time we moved to Kansas we were also struggling with infertility. Once we got settled in Kansas, I started a new job that through a series of events led me to a fertility specialist who helped us get pregnant with our first child. It would be easy to say that those events were merely circumstantial, but I know that God had it all planned from way before we even knew we were moving to Kansas. God also prepared a place for us there. He provided us with a wonderful home, a beautiful church community that quickly became our second family and so many amazing friendships that I still cherish to this day. I could talk all day long about the blessings that move brought me.

God is always at work. God has been working quietly and patiently throughout your life as well. The events that have come together for good are not mere coincidence; they are the result of God’s sovereign control over the course of your life.
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If you are changing jobs, position, or location and can’t see God’s purpose in your situation, rest in the truth that God is in control. Where you are is not a coincidence. I believe God has placed us all, intentionally, where we are for “such a time as this.” God may be placing you in a position so you can help when the need arises. Look for God’s hand at work in your life, and trust that God will be faithful to complete His good work in and through you.
Memory Verse: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV
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About the Author

Hi, my name is Jessica Parker. I am a wife and a stay-at-home mom. My husband is an Army veteran, so we have moved around a lot in our eight years of marriage. We currently live in North Georgia with our two little ones that keep us busy. I love reading, hiking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I am most passionate about helping women find their community and learning more about God's love for us.
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