April 26th, 2022 marked my second birthday saved by Jesus! Happy birthday to me!
This second year in Christ has been a wonderful, crazy, beautiful, and challenging year. Not only in the spiritual side, but life in general.
Two weeks after my first spiritual birthday, I was married to my best friend. So my year was off to a great one! Married, then honeymoon in the backwoods of West Virginia, hiking for hours (that's another story for another time), spending time with one another, etc.
June came and my new husband and I, spent the first month of our marriage on the road. Traveling the states to meetings he had booked for our ministry. I had never spent that long away from home in one stretch...it was hard, but wonderful at the same time!
Summer in general was a crazy one. Busy, busy, busy. I met tons of new people while traveling for our ministry and learning that being missionaries doesn't mean that your spiritual walk and bible time doesn't always come easy... In the midst of the summer I had what I call, a spiritual mental breakdown. (https://choosingjoydaily.wixsite.com/blog/post/it-s-his-business : Here is the link that will explain that.)
We bought a house that God dropped in our arms! Link for that is below...(https://choosingjoydaily.wixsite.com/blog/post/god-send-us-a-house )
Among the traveling and staying busy, my bible time slacked...but the year kept going.
By late August, our schedule was somewhat slowing down, but then came to a direct stop. My husband and I tested positive for covid-19. With both of us so sick (along with our families) and quarantined, we did nothing but check to see if the other was okay enough to somehow fix food for each of us...that was if we could stomach it long enough to eat in general.
Zane, my husband, was very sick. We got him the help he needed with some meds and home remedies, and with God's help he began to get better. But not me... Four days after I found out I was sick, I could not keep anything down and had a migraine that didn't go away for a week and a half. Needing meds to help me get well, I needed to check on something first...
Needless to say, I tested positive twice in one week. Once for sickness and once for being pregnant. So, the migraine was from being sick...the unsettled stomach and becoming best friends with the trash can, was morning sickness that lasted all. day. long...
We both overcome being sick within a couple weeks. But my morning sickness stayed, and stayed.....and stayed. My first four months of pregnancy I didn't travel much, stayed laying down, and bonding so much more with my friend the trash can. I was miserable.
So sick that I couldn't even read. No personal bible time. Feeling farther and farther away from God. During this time, I was a speaker at my home church's ladies conference. By the grace and mercy of God, He helped me prepare something and I was able to attend and speak.
With the many friends and churches praying for me, most of the morning sickness tapered off and I was able to read again around the end of February. Kind of. For only a little bit at a time. But my bible time was happening again, sporadically. But improved over the next couple months. I prayed and God gave me the go ahead to spread my blog to Facebook, and using it as an accountability to keep going in His Word. ( https://www.facebook.com/choosingjoydailyblog : If you would like to check it out.)
This year has been a challenge for me to be in God's Word. My bible time this year compared to my first year, was horrible. I began to think I was a horrible christian because of this. But this year has taught me so much. No matter what you're going through, no matter how you feel, God is with you and He can help you through it all. But we have to do our best to get in His Word every chance we get. The few months I went without reading anything myself, only to hear Zane read to me from the bible...yes that helped and I was getting something. But its nothing compared to reading it for yourself and studying it out. I missed it.
The main thing I have learned from this second year, It will not be easy at times to stay in His Word. But you have to push through and keep doing it. The days I did do it through out my sick days, I didn't feel as sick. Reading your bible has a healing effect and I'll never take that for granted again.
Now it's the last week of April and we are staying close to home. Our little bundle of joy will be arriving any day now!
Lord, thank you for another year. Thank you for everything that I have gone through this past year and all the things I have learned and grown from. The hard times and the good times. I pray that I grow more and learn even more in the next year, as you lead me through all that comes my way.
Thank you for saving me two years ago!
-Still Yours,
Amanda