Not Your Typical Wedding Anniversary Letter

Today marks Keith's and my (mine and Keith's? Grammatical accuracy is currently not computing in my brain at the moment) 5th year wedding anniversary. 5 years. That's crazy. That means I've been married to him for 157,785,000 seconds just so you know.


Anyways, I typically will write him a letter for our anniversary and do a little craft of some sort. I wanted to make this letter public because I feel it's something more women should be saying to their husbands. Many people will think this is totally weird and out-of-the-ordinary, but I believe that's how we as Christians should live our lives. Strange and set apart for Jesus!

Here it goes:

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My dearest husband,

Wow. Five years! Four kids! And more good times, hardships, and growth than I can count. You are one of the greatest blessings in my life, and I cannot imagine my life with anyone else. We have grown so much in our relationships with God since we were married - it really astounds me! He continues to be so faithful in sanctifying us- ALL glory to Him! With that said, I know we can be growing and doing so much more! Compared to most other husbands, you outshine them all when it comes to spiritually leading our family but I WANT MORE. I don't say this to demean you, I say it as ENCOURAGEMENT! I want you to know that I AM READY for you to take the leadership role of our family to the next level! I know that it will take a lot of support on my part and a lot of work on your part, but it will be SO WORTH IT! I also know the only way this will work is if we are both constantly immersing ourselves in the Word of God. I want you to make changes that you see necessary. If you want to go preaching every night for 3 hours with/without us - It's a DONE DEAL. If you want us to start honoring the Sabbath - It's a DONE DEAL. If you want to smash our television - It's a DONE DEAL. The thing I DO NOT WANT is for you to feel conviction on something and just talk about it. We both need the daily reminder of our purpose in this short life, and we need to instill this within our children starting NOW - no matter what "inconveniences" must happen as a result. Let's face it: A life not COMPLETELY surrendered to the LORD is miserable at best. Let's not feed our laziness anymore. PLEASE lead me out of this lazy and lukewarm lifestyle. Wake me up at 5AM to read and pray. I NEED YOU TO LEAD ME. Take up your rightful position as head over me and our family, and I will be sure to give you the respect and support you SO MUCH DESERVE!

I can't wait to see what God has in store for our family as we surrender to Him!
The best is yet to come!

Thanks for a wonderful 5 YEARS!

Love,
Amber

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There you have it. Ladies, give your husbands their rightful positions in your family. Encourage them, support them, and respect them as they begin to lead. It's amazing the freedom that comes in surrender!

The number 5 depicting some of the most memorable times of our lives :)

My Son Has a Neurosurgeon.

My son has a neurosurgeon.

That is a possibility that never, ever entered my mind. I had a miscarriage in November, but other than that, I have two extremely healthy kids. I can literally count on one hand the number of times I  have had to take either of them to the doctor (one being when we rushed Elijah to the ER only to find out all he had was a crick in his neck.. but that's a story for another day!)

God has been so gracious to me this entire pregnancy by preparing me for each step right before I need to take it. I knew from the beginning that this baby would be different in some way. I figured maybe he/she would have autism or some kind of learning disorder, but I never in a million years thought it would be something that would require him/her to have a neurosurgeon.  It is still really crazy to wrap my mind around.

With that being said, Keith and I met Ezekiel's neurosurgeon today. He was super nice and down to earth. We both like him a lot! He could not give us a whole lot of new information just because a lot of the differences/difficulties that come with Spina Bifida are so varied depending on the child. He did say he is pretty sure that Ezekiel will need to have a VP shunt put in (which is basically a catheter that runs from his brain down into his abdomen to drain spinal fluid) because his ventricles are measuring larger than normal. He reassured us that the level of his lesion is in the low lumbar/sacral region which means that his mobility should be pretty good. He said that they will do the closure surgery on his back 48-72 hours after he is born and may do the shunt at the same time if one is necessary. He was able to show us some of the MRI images and those are amazing! I have attached a few to show where his lesion is (I outlined it to make it easier to see) and also to show how his brain extends back into his neck which is called a Chiari II malformation. Dr. Shiflett said this usually does not cause problems in children, but it could cause seizures. Basically, it is all a waiting game until January when he gets here!

Dr. Shiflett noticed in the MRI (and we have seen in the ultrasounds as well) that Ezekiel constantly has his hand on his lesion. I guess he think it's some kind of play-toy or he uses it as his security blanket. I asked Dr. Shiflett if this could make his lesion worse and he said very sweetly: "Well, I don't know, but there's nothing we can do about it!" :) Good point! 

So... a few days ago, God had me read Philippians 4:12-13:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

I absolutely love how LIVING and ACTIVE the Word of God is. I cannot tell you how many times I have read Philippians 4:13 and have had it memorized since I was a kid in VBS, but reading it in context the other day was a game-changer for me. Most of the time you see this verse on Cross Country shirts or as some kind of athletic department slogan, but what Paul is really talking about is CONTENTMENT. God has shown me that I have a major lacking in this area. Whether it be grumbling about our A/C being out for the third time this year, or standing in front of my mirror depressed because none of my clothes seem to make my big, pregnant body look attractive, or being perplexed that my unborn son has a neurosurgeon... the lesson for me to learn and that God is so sweetly and gently showing me is this:

I CAN BE CONTENT IN THE MOST MUNDANE OR DIFFICULT SITUATIONS BECAUSE I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.

When the A/C is out and it is 81 degrees in our normally 69 degrees house (don't judge!) - I CAN be content because I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

When I feel like a beached whale and none of my clothes fit like I want them to - I CAN be content because I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

and

When my unborn son is diagnosed with the most common permanently-disabling birth defect and has his own neurosurgeon - I CAN be content because I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!


Whatever may be plaguing you today, whether big or small, just continue to speak this Truth to yourself: You CAN be content because you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you!