Eden Faith

Eden Faith Strait . . . born Sunday, February 26th at 11:44am.

7 lbs. 4 oz and 19 inches long.

First contraction at 8:30ish. Finally stopped cleaning up the house and getting kids ready for church at 10:15 and timed the contractions with Luke. Less than 3 minutes apart - we called the midwife. Midwife arrived 20 minutes before Eden was born.

The Lord answered Luke's prayer for a short and sweet labor. It could not have been better . . . Nor could this little one be more precious! I hold and look at her constantly.

I love who the Lord made her to be. She is an answer to our prayers and I know that He has formed her to fit perfectly into our family right where she is in birth order and closeness to her other siblings.

He does all things well.

Joyful Dependence

If you will walk with God then two fundamental lessons must be thoroughly learned through experience: You are completely helpless to please God apart from Christ’s enabling; Christ alone can be your sufficiency. When you know well your total inadequacy, and in child-like faith trust Him in His complete adequacy, then you will experience what He alone can do in you and through you. The biggest hindrance to overflowing with the Holy Spirit is dependence on self’s ability. We must come to the end of our self-confidence and realize that we are desperate for Christ to do what He alone can do. With this knowledge chiseled into your heart, prayer without ceasing will not be a discipline you practice but will become the breathing of your soul. It will spontaneously arise from your spirit because you are profoundly aware of your bankruptcy and equally aware of His full provision through the Spirit of Christ who lives within you. You will consciously and deliberately depend on Him to be who He is through your unique personality. It will be, “no longer I who live, but Christ” (Gal. 2:20).

~A Disciple's Notebook

I am grateful. Grateful that my God has a great enough love for me to show me, however many times I may need reminding, that He alone can satisfy.

He alone is eternal.

And now I understand and echo the words of David in Psalm 16 . . . "I have set the LORD continually before me . . . Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will dwell securely."

The LORD has graciously shown my the path of life. Daily dependence on Him. Only through Him can I love. Only through Him can I dwell securely. Only through Him can I understand and know Him. Only through being filled with His Spirit can I begin to know His will for me.

In His presence is fullness of joy.

In His right hand are pleasures forever.

One Year

Dear Charis,

You have just turned one. Mama is so thankful that you are my little girl and a part of our family. I just plain love who you are . . . my little fireball. You're my kind of girl.

I thought that your brother Zeke was busy and a climber until you came along. You climb as high as you can and squeal in frustration when there is nothing by which to aid you climbing higher. You grin. You giggle. You run. You are passionate and animated.

God made you unique. Different from your siblings or even your dad and mom. While you were still in my womb He knit you together. He formed you. He gave you your life and your being. He made a way for you to be saved by sending His Son to die on your behalf. Now He desires a relationship with you. Daddy and I pray each day that He will draw you. Awaken you. Cause you to be born again. Then you will have hope . . . in Christ alone.

One year ago, you were born into a sinful world. Even at your young age, you are in a body of sin and of death. But Charis, if you die with Christ then one day you will also live with Him. You will be free from the bondage of sin and death. Death will no longer have dominion over you. There will be no condemnation for you, regardless of what you have done.

Your name means grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. There is nothing in you worthy of Him and His love. Yet God desires and loves you. He wants to call you His own. If you put your trust completely in Him and what He has done then you will understand your middle name - Jubilee. Your debt of sin will be paid. Christ will be your redeemer. You will be free.

I know that as you grow you will see all of my weaknesses and you will be a first hand witness to my failures. I don't want to hide those things from you. I am only a sinner, saved by grace. My plea goes before the Lord each day to help me to love and demonstrate His love to you and your brother. I want to live for Him by loving your daddy and siblings. But my selfish nature still wants to live for myself. I find myself being a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God. Learn from my weaknesses. Try to see past me and to the One who is a perfect heavenly Father. Read His Word and by that, know Him in truth.

I love you, my little bundle of life and joy. Thanks for being my girl.

Love,

Mama

These are the good days . . .

This was written weeks ago but I never published the post. It was a good reminder to me this sleepless night . . .

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Luke is working late so I have a minute here to sit and write . . .

How I fight against being discontent while I am pregnant. I fight it nearly the whole way through. First trimester? Can't wait for the exhaustion and morning sickness to fade. Second? Really wish that my baby belly would just pop out there so that I would look prego instead of just plain fat. Third? Can we be done already? I'm exhausted. Huge. Trying to find a second every few seconds to run to the bathroom again. :-)

In my laundry room I have decorative plates hung on the wall. They were my grandma's. One of them reads, "The time to be happy is now."

It's been my constant nudge the past eight months.

These are the good days. Now is the season to rejoice.

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While preparing our home for our little girl I have struggled finding a balance between doing and being. I think my husband and children like me more when I take time to "be" a little. *Smile* Dirty floors don't seem so bad when everyone is living in sweet fellowship. A perfect home is hard to enjoy in stress and impatience.

I was praying this morning, asking for wisdom before my feet hit the floor. I was feeling disconnected from Zeke. He seemed different. Not rebellious really or disobedient. Just not himself. Didn't want to help me with things like usual. Just kind of quiet and always doing his own thing.

Two thoughts formed in my mind as I prayed. "Don't with hold instruction from him." "Take time for him." Everything was about the same though all day until this evening. I let him stay up late as Luke headed back to work. He's a bit like his Mama when it comes to going to sleep. I remember lying in bed as a little girl, looking at the clock read 1am, totally tired but unable to sleep. Zeke talks and sings in there for hours sometimes and it reminds me of my own sleepless childhood days.

So we were up late together, putting away the baby clothes that I had washed and folded. I showed him some of the little sleepers, hats and dresses . . . explaining that they were for the baby. He seemed enthralled and so sweet. He would hand me stacks from the basket as I organized the drawers. He put a hat on top of my big belly and grinned.

We smiled. Prepared. Worked. Hugged. Giggled together over whatever.

I silently thanked the Lord for the moments of good fellowship. He hears me when I call to Him. He knows the longing and the desires of my heart.

Such knowledge humbles me.

He desires fellowship with me like I desire fellowship with my children.

With Him there is sweet and perfect peace . . . in every season.

Back at Home

Back at home after three blissful days at the beach . . . just Luke and I.

After all, that is how this crazy exhausting reality began, eh? :-)

Zeke is playing on our bed after his bathroom trip. He turns majorly giggly after 8 o'clock. Tonight his giggle seems extra delightful to me . . . as do Charis' soft and chubby cheeks. Three days is about the max for me without my little bundles.

No pictures.

We were too busy "being" to memory take.

I love you more. :-)

Thank you . . .

For being my best friend.

The one I would rather be with than anyone else.

For loving me in every bodily condition and mood.

I would have lost patience with me.

For being a better father to our children than I could have dreamed of.

You are consistent. Patient. Protective. Fun.

For doing dishes and changing diapers.

The help seems romantic these days. :-)

I love being your wife.

I love it more now than I did at the beginning.

I used to be ok with dying young.

But now I want to live as long as I can, loving you.

Your babies are the cutest . . . you still ok with the dozen? ;-)

I love you.

Little Bits of Life

Charis with Uncle Chris and Aunt Jee-Eun on Thanksgiving day. How did a week go by that quick? And how did I manage to take so few pictures? :-/

How does one go from hating the baths to loving them?

It was a chilly Sunday morning. Zeke got up and got sweats and a fleece out. Then socks. Then another pair of socks - for his hands. :-) Peeling his daily banana was more difficult though.

My Helpers

I always ask Zeke as I put clothes away and he is, inevitably, in the basket. "Zeke, do you know why my laundry is so heavy?" He looks up at me and grins.

Charis moves faster than I have ever seen a baby move when the fridge opens. She wants to stand there. Badly. :-)