"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

~II Corinthians 12: 9-10

People sometimes ask me how we survived Isabella's pregnancy. And, honestly, I don't know. Now, don't get me wrong, I know the Lord got us through it. But, I really don't know how He did it. You see, I'm a worrier and when I get the least bit stressed, I plan. I devise strategies for getting around the problem and develop scenarios for how to successfully manage the situation that has me worried. And, in this situation, I was not only worried, I was flat out scared to death. I was scared that my baby was going to come into this world and not be able to breathe and that we would hold her as she died. Scared that my choice to carry her to term would harm my body to the point that we wouldn't be able to have any more children. Scared that the danger to me could be so great that I would die and leave my other two children without a mother and my husband without a wife. I was scared. And, there was nothing that I could plan, nothing that I could devise, nothing that I could do to change that. I just had to sit and wait. And, anyone who knows me at all, knows that I don't know how to wait.

I remember being worried all day long, every day for about 4 months. From the moment that I woke up in the morning until I went to bed at night, I was thinking about it. And, I know the Lord tells us not to worry about tomorrow, but despite my best efforts, I still did. And, I knew that, in the end I would be okay, regardless of the outcome. But, I just wanted to get to the outcome! For 4 months, I just waited to find out what I was going to have to cope with. For a do-er and a planner, waiting is torture and there were days that I just didn't think I could take it any longer. But, I did take it. And, I did wait.

I don't know if that is strength, perseverance or if it is just getting up every morning, taking a shower, getting dressed, and going through the day. Because when you are going through a period of waiting, sometimes you don't feel strong or feel like you can persevere. But, you can get up, take a shower, get dressed, and let God do the rest. And, I don't know exactly how He got me through it. But, I know He did.

Note: For more information on Isabella's Story, see the "About Us" tab.