Why Do We Pray Before We Eat?

John 6:11

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

Jewish children are taught that not giving thanks for their food was equal to stealing from God. Food is a gift from God; therefore, we must give thanks before we partake of the gift He has given us!

This is another journal entry I came across from years ago. How pertinent it is right now as we are eating from the harvest of our garden. Not all of our children appreciate squash, but this is what I tell them every year.

Thankful People, Happy People

Make Known His Deeds

Yesterday during my time with God, He led me to 1 Chronicles 16 where I read David's psalm to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 KJV

8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. 9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. 10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. 12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

As I was reading it, I just kept thinking about how this must be one of the psalms in the book of Psalms, but my Bible didn't have a cross-reference (one of my issues with my Bible) and I didn't have time to get on the computer to look it up so I just figured I would do it when I had time.

Then, this morning, God led me to Psalm 105-the Psalm of 1 Chronicles 16! God is good in giving me the answer to my question!

Psalms 105:1-5 KJV

1 O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

I have come to know that when God repeats something or brings something to my attention more than once, I need to pay attention.

I was once again reminded about how we need to make sure we never forget and forever thank God for His blessings. We need to share His good works with those around us. We need to be praising God for who He is and what He has done for us. We must continue to seek Him and ask for His strength.

I would love for you to share something that God has done for you. What an encouragement it is to others to see how God is working in the lives of His people. Please take a moment to share your experiences in either the comments below or on the Gracious Daughter of the King facebook page.

Let us give thanks to the Lord and make His deeds known among the people!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank You, Veterans!

Think on These Things

Philippians 4:4-8 KJV 

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

So often I allow myself to be burdened with what isn't going well in my life. I focus on what has gone wrong, is going wrong, or even what may go wrong. How wrong is that?!

I am to rejoice always-even when things go "wrong". I need to take everything to God in prayer and leave it at His feet. But most importantly, I need to focus on the good.

I need to focus on how much God has blessed me, how much He loves me, and how much He has always taken care of me. I need to think on truth and not lies. I need to think on what is pure instead of letting my mind wander into those dark waters.

Lately, I have been focusing on the wrong things. Join me today in focusing on the good, the true, the lovely.

• I am thankful for beautiful weather.
• I am thankful that two of my girls got deer during youth hunt.
• I am thankful for friends who even though it may be weeks between seeing each other, we know we are praying for each other everyday and that when we do get a chance to get together, it will be blessed.
• I am thankful for the ability to home school. It might not always be easy, but I love being with my children and seeing them grow not only in knowledge, but also in the Lord.
• I am thankful for my blog and my followers. I have always had a desire to write and this gives me an opportunity to do so and if I can help or encourage someone else along the way--what an added blessing!

Please share a few things you are thankful for today!

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

As I was reading Psalm 116, I was struck by verse 17.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

What exactly is a sacrifice of Thanksgiving?

In the old testament times, there literally was a sacrifice performed called the thanks offering.

Leviticus 7:12-13 

12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

However, what does a sacrifice of thanksgiving look like today?

I would love your input on this. Please comment below and share your thoughts.

Thankfulness

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6 

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

"[I]n everything" we are to give thanks. We are to be thankful even in times of trials. Even when we are suffering we are to be joyful. Why? Because you can not be joyful and full of self-pity and anger at the same time.

There is always something to be grateful for in your life. Foster a life of gratitude and thanksgiving and you will have less bitterness.

I've written before about Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts and how I journaled my 1000 gifts (here and here). I heard of another way to catalog gratitude--The ABC's of Gratitude (looking back at my blog I saw that I did an ABC's of Thanksgiving 5 years ago). Try to make a list every day (or every week) and find something to be grateful about for each letter of the alphabet.

A--Allyn
B--Brother (Jim)
C--Cora
D--Dara
E--Eva
F--Ford (my son, not the company!)
G--God's Word
H--Hava
I--In-laws
J--Jaina
K--Kitchen (both in my house and the new summer kitchen!)
L--Long time friends
M--Martha
N--Nature
O--One flesh (Chad!)
P--Parents
Q--Quiet mornings
R--Reading books
S--Sabra
T--Tissa
U--Ultimate sacrifice (Christ's blood!)
V--Vegetables
W--Womb
X--X-tra beautiful sunsets
Y--Yahweh
Z--Zion (Biblical)

10 Responses Against "Concern"

My initial response to those with inappropriate "concern" after a miscarriage.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We know that care and concern were your reasons for writing; however, we were hurt by what was written. It may not have been your intention, but it made one of us feel as if you thought of us as ignorant and naive and belittled our faith. If there was any time we needed encouragement, it would be now. Instead we felt attacked and bullied by the "scare" tactics used. The only way scare tactics are going to work is on uneducated, ignorant, naive people.

Some of the following we have said before, but obviously they need to be reiterated. Some of the statements are information meant to educate. The rest of the statements are truly only our business, but since you are showing concern, we will share them with you.

1. We view children--ALL children--as blessings from the Lord. Whether we have children on this earth with us or in heaven waiting for us, they are all blessings. We are happy with how the Lord has blessed us to this point. If our nine girls is all He has for us, we are content. If He has more planned for us, then we will be content with that as well. We are not out to try to have as many children as possible. We are open to all blessings the Lord has for us. "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

2. We have complete and utter faith that God will provide for us. If He brings us to it, He will bring us through it. He will never give us more than we can handle. "'Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things."' Matthew 6:31-34

3. We believe in allowing our bodies to work as God created them to work. He created a woman's body to "be fruitful and multiply". It is never dangerous to do something within God's will. We do not feel as if Darcy is in any danger and we have peace with what God is doing in our lives. "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

4. Our sex life is just that--ours. It shouldn't be up for debate with anyone besides Chad, Darcy and God. When comments are made about when we have sex, how often we have sex, or how we should have sex, it is interfering with something that is to remain within the marriage. We don't go around offering "advice" to others on when they should have sex and we expect the same respect for our marriage.

5. Darcy has seen our Naturopathic doctor since discovering she was pregnant to ensure she was taking the supplements she needed. She saw her the day she started spotting and every few days thereafter. Her iron levels were being monitored and taken care of as needed.

6. Darcy did contact a medical professional to see if anything should be done after the miscarriage. She was told that unless she felt ill, the only thing that would be done is to check her iron levels and offer emotional support. Since her iron levels were already being monitored, we declined paying to have the same thing done (we were being wise stewards of our finances). Since your "concern", Darcy spoke with another medical professional who said that a doctor won't do a D&C on a woman who has had a complete miscarriage as she has.

7. Just because a woman has a miscarriage, it does not mean that her body is not capable of carrying a life or that it is a "sign" that she is to stop bearing children. Think of all the families that experienced a miscarriage on their very first pregnancy! What about Michelle Duggar who had a miscarriage after her first child and then went on to bear 18 more children without any problems. Here are some statistics about miscarriage.

• About 15 to 20 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most of them occur in the first 13 weeks, or first trimester.
• For women in their 20s and early 30s, the chance of miscarriage is about 15 percent. At 35 the chance of miscarrying rises to one in four, and at 40 the miscarriage rate is close to one in three.
• Most early pregnancy losses are due to genetics and cannot be prevented. But losing a pregnancy doesn't mean that anything is wrong with a woman's health or that she can't have more children.

8. Just because a woman has a miscarriage, does not mean that "it is absolutely necessary to have a D&C" or she risks infection, get sick or even die.

• [D]octors sometimes offer women a choice of miscarriage treatment. The options are usually to wait for a natural miscarriage, have a D&C, or use medication to bring on the miscarriage bleeding.(emphasis mine)
• 80% to 90% of women with diagnosed miscarriage will miscarry within two to six weeks without complications.
• After a miscarriage, any remaining tissue may be removed by dilation and curettage (D&C). This procedure involves dilating the cervix and gently scraping the tissue from the lining of the uterus. (emphasis mine)

9. Our older girls are NOT raising our younger girls no matter what you may think. Chad and Darcy are the parents and we do not put our children in an authority role (except for Dara who is beginning to learn how to babysit just as I did when I was actually younger than her). Do they help around the house? Sure. It is called training. It is what God has called us as parents to do. We are a family and we act as a family. Christ came to serve, not be served. We are teaching our children the joy of serving others. We don't see how teaching them to be like Christ is a bad thing. "through love serve one another" Galatians 5:13 and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" Leviticus 19:18.

10. People say, "God gave you common sense." We believe scripture when it says,

• "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, "says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."' Isaiah 55:8-9
• "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12
• "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
• "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?. . . Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. . .But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty . . . that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1: 20, 25, 27, 31

Why Have Babies

Why Have Babies-- A Look at Chapters 17 & 18 of Be Fruitful & Multiply: Why Parents in the Twenty-First Century Love Having Children & What Do Children Say?

                                                         

Both of these chapters give exact quotations from real people as to why having more children is a blessing. While there are 101 reasons from parents, here are just some of them that I can definitely say I agree with!

“We love receiving gifts and blessings from God.”

“I’d love another baby because to choose not to is like saying “no” to God. I want to say “yes” to God and His will for my life.”

“I love to see the faces of my children as they see a new brother or sister for the first time.”

“Children brighten up the home. They make life interesting.”

“More children give us the opportunity to have our faith increased as we see God meet our daily needs.”

“Having children helps to develop in us the godly character of servanthood.”

“My children help me surrender the selfish desires of my flesh.”

“Parenthood allows us to experience the kind of love our Heavenly Father has for us.”

“Babies remind us of how wonderful and how creative our God is.”

“Babies are a lot more entertaining than television.”

“We’re helping to build the kingdom of God.”

“Children teach me to become a servant, and that’s what Jesus wants us to be. Jesus Himself said He came to serve rather than be served.”

“The more children we have, the more we will be blessed when we are older. Instead of being lonely, we will have many children and grandchildren around to entertain us, to bless us, and to care for us.”

“Raising up a godly seed is laying up treasure in heaven.”

“Having children causes us to depend on God moment by moment!”

Some six year olds said:

“Because I love babies.”

“Because I want to hug another one. And I could babysit at home.”

“I could make him laugh and teach him how to do tricks and how to play games.”

When I asked my own girls why they wanted me to have another, I got the following responses:

“I just love babies.”

“Because they always grow up and I like having a baby around.”

“I want a brother so I can play tricks on him.”

Children are truly a blessing and reading and studying this book and the scriptures it brought to light have only made that more evident for me. I pray this series of posts has been a blessing to at least one other person.

If you have been encouraged to read this book on your own, reconsider more children, study the scriptures more yourself, or something else because of this series, please leave a comment below!

Give Thanks in All Things

 I received the following in an email and wanted to share because it is so true!

Me (in a tizzy): God, can I ask you something?
 
GOD: Sure.
 
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
 
GOD: I promise.
 
Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
 
GOD: What do you mean?
 
Me: Well I woke up late,
 
GOD: Yes
 
Me: My car took forever to start,
 
GOD: Okay....
 
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
 
GOD: Hmmmm..
 
Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call
 
GOD: All right
 
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak  my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went  right today! Why did you do that?
 
GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and  I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you  sleep through that.
 
Me (humbled): Oh...
 
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your  route that might have hit you if you were on the road
 
Me (ashamed): ............
 
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't  want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work
 
Me (embarrassed): Oh.....
 
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to  give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let  you talk to them so you would be covered
 
Me (softly): I see God
 
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short  that was going to throw  out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in  the dark.
 
Me: I'm sorry God.
 
GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the  good and the bad
 
Me: I WILL trust you God
 
GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your  plan
 
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything  today.
 
GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I  love looking after my children.
 
Scriptural References: II Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 3:5, Hebrews 2:13
 
"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.. ." (Proverbs 11:25)
 
In all things give thanks.  1 Thes 5:18

Learning to Be Thankful and Giveaway!

When One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp came out, I was told by numerous people that it was a good book. I wanted to read it, but didn't have the money to purchase my own copy. After a few months, I discovered I had a friend who had the book and would let me borrow it. I devoured the book. I want to learn to be more thankful in my life and I want to learn to have joy (which only comes from being thankful). I knew that I would need to read the book more than one time so I kept my eye out for my own copy. I have now gotten a copy for myself so I can read it again and I am working on coming up with my own thousands gifts. Here are a few of what I have already written down.

2. Quite time with God in the morning
. . . . .
6. Laundry to wash
. . . . .
17. Fruitful womb
. . . . .
33. Prayers of others
34. Praying for others
. . . . . .
48. Hair to braid (my girls')
. . . . .
64. Dirty dishes (because it means we had food to eat)
. . . . .
75. Bills to pay (because we can pay them and we are fortunate enough to be able to have things like electricity, phone, etc.)
76. Indoor plumbing
. . . . .
89. Cloth diapers
. . . . .
97. Hand-smudged windows
. . . .
101. Spontaneous songs of praise by my girls
. . . .
104. Muscle testing

I will share more as days go by. I still have a long way to go, but I have to say that it is getting easier and easier day by day to find the joy in life just by simply giving thanks. Many people might call that a "Pollyanna" view of life, but it is God's view of life.

I was also able to secure a copy of the book at a great price just this past week and I want to pass it on to one of you! The giveaway will be open until Christmas day. I will draw a winner the day after and get it mailed out so that hopefully whoever wins it will have it for the new year. Wouldn't giving thanks and finding joy be a great New Year Resolution?!

For your chance to win a copy of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, simply leave a comment telling me one thing you are thankful for and an email address where I can contact you (please feel free to leave a broken address if you wish--example: memoriesmama @ netonecom . net or memoriesmamaATnetonecomDOTnet)

For extra entries:

• Follow Gracious Daughter of the King
• Share this giveaway on your blog (make sure to include a link back to this page)
• Share this giveaway on Facebook (again, make sure to include a link back to this page)

For any of the extra entries, please leave a separate comment on this post.

Good luck and be thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

~ Psalm 100

Today I am so very thankful for my husband, my girls, and my family. The Lord has truly blessed me by making me a part of a family that loved and served the Lord from before I was born and blessed me with a wonderful husband that also serves and loves Him so that we can raise children who will prayerfully do the same.

I'm also so very thankful for all the ways the Lord provides not only for our needs, but also for some of our wants. We serve a Lord who wants the best for us and desires for us to live an abundant life!

Most of all, I'm so very thankful for the Lord sending His one and only Son to die on the cross for my sins. He took the punishment upon Himself so that I may one day be in glory with God. It is only because of His great sacrifice that I will not spend eternity in hell as I should. His gift of salvation is a free gift that anyone can enjoy!

To God be the glory for all He has done!

Never Leaves Us Comfortless!

I have read that, with every time of trying, God never leaves us comfortless. I am sure we would not be alone if we were to describe some of the trials we are facing--I have read in the Psalms something to the effect that "the afflictions of the righteous man are many, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). So glad his comforts were ours today! --Large Family Mothering

Yesterday was a great day! After having some hard emotional times lately, it was great to not only have a day full of joy, but to be reminded of God's faithfulness and provisions.

Chad was preaching up in Empire again. The weather wasn't the greatest for an 1 1/2 hour drive, but we made it there safely. We were warmly greeted by all there. Dara received high compliments for playing the piano for the four weeks we were there. While she sometimes made mistakes, they said it was a blessing to them. They appreciated her being willing to be used by God instead of being worried about it not being "perfect". It was nice to hear others telling her the same things we have been telling her.

Chad's sermon was good and seemed to be perfect for some of the people in the congregation. He even was able to continue a discussion about it with one of the men who it particularly pertained to.

I was once again reminded of the joy of children as we sang a last song, "The First Noel" and Martha, Jaina and Cora all tried singing along. All they new was "noel" and "king", but they sang their hearts out none the less with beautiful smiles on their faces.

After church, we went to a little pizza place for lunch. We enjoyed talking with another couple that was there that made mention of how well behaved the girls were being. When Chad went to pay for our pizza just before leaving, we were told that the couple had paid for our meal! What a true act of kindness and a reminder from our Good Lord that He will bless us beyond what we can imagine!

We then went to Moomers (the best ice-cream place ever!) and not only enjoyed the ice-cream, but was able to vote for the employee gingerbread house contest. The girls had a blast choosing "Best of Show", "Wouldn't want to live there", "Best house for Santa", etc.

After arriving home, the girls had a blast riding the kitty cat and ovation around the yard. I don't think there was a single spot that didn't have a track on it! They came in and warmed up with hot cups of tea. We then watched a great movie for family night (Saving Sarah Cain--I highly recommend it!). It just reminded us about how important family is and standing for our convictions as well as the saving grace of God. He will use every circumstance for the glory of those who love the Him!

Yesterday was a great day and I am so thankful the Lord blessed us with all the great reminders of His great love for us! It never ceases to amaze me the love He has for us even though we are sinners and mess up more times than we care to admit.

If you are going through a hard time right now, please remember that God will comfort those who follow Him. He will "deliver you out of your afflictions"!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;[a]
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

My ABC's of Thankfulness

A friend posted on her blog her ABC's of Thankfulness and I was so encouraged by reading her list, that I wanted to make my own and share with everyone here. It isn't very easy because there are a number of things I wanted to put for each letter. Please know that this list is not exhaustive of what I am thankful for but only a glimpse into my blessings.

A--Almighty and Awesome God! I serve and Almighty and Awesome God!
B--Beauty! I am surrounded by God's beauty every day as I look at His creation and the children He has blessed me with.
C--Children! Growing up I never imagined having a large family, but the Lord knows better than I and has blessed me abundantly with children!
D--Deliverance! Christ's shed blood has delivered me from the bondage of sin and allows me to live a life of freedom.
E--Everlasting love! Christ loves me with an everlasting love!
F--Forgiveness! I am thankful that not only does my Lord forgive my sins, but I am surrounded by a husband and girls that also forgive me when I mess up.
G--God! I can't say enough that I'm thankful that I serve a loving, caring, and forgiving God!
H--Husband! The Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband who not only loves me and my girls, but works very hard to provide us with what we need and is a great spiritual leader in our home.
I--Immanuel! God is truly with me each and every day.
J--Jehovah Jireh! My Lord has shown me He is Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who Provides) over and over in my life.
K--Kindness! I am blessed to not only be on the receiving end of kindness from those in my life and even those I meet for the first time, but am blessed to be able to show kindness to those around me.
L--Love! The love of my Heavenly Father and of my family gets me through each and every day.
M--Marriage! I'm thankful that God created the institute of marriage and has blessed my marriage so abundantly.
N--Natural Healing! I'm so thankful that God created everything we would need in nature and has given us the wisdom to know what and how to use those remedies.
O--Oneness! Not only do I serve the One true God, but He made my husband and I, one.
P--Parents! I've been blessed with parents who love me and my family even though they don't always agree with decisions we make. They support us with words of encouragement and continue to be spiritual guides in our lives.
Q--Quiet! It doesn't occur much in my household, but I am thankful for those quiet moments in which I am able to abide in my Father.
R--Redeeming love! Christ redeemed me with His precious blood.
S--Scripture! I'm thankful the Lord has given us His Word to help guide us through this life.
T--Trials and tribulations! I know it might sound weird, but I am thankful for the trials and tribulations because it allows me to grow and always draws me closer to the Lord.
U--Unity! Not only unity with God, but with my husband and within the body of Christ.
V--Victory! Victory in Jesus, My Savior forever. . .
W--Womb! I am thankful that not only has God blessed my womb abundantly, but also that I am able to experience having a child grow in my womb. My heart goes out to those who long for a child in their womb.
X--"X"! The Greek letter for Christ.
Y--Yesterdays! I'm thankful for my yesterdays. They may not have always been pleasant, but they made me the person I am today and God used those experiences to draw me closer to Him.
Z--Zero! The number of things that can separate me from the Love of God.