Five years ago I made a decision. In retrospect, I was not in a rational state and should not have been given the sole ability to make such an important decision. I was pregnant...in my third trimester. I was huge...I was tired...I was irritable...and primarily, I was impatient.
I was expecting baby #5, our Miss Lucy. Three of my other babies had been C-sections, so this was the established process now for how my littles entered the world. Miss Lucy was due April 6, so my doctor informed me that I could choose my delivery date. April 1-6 were open to me and I was told to pick!
Big deal, right? Just look at your calendar and pick a day, you're probably thinking. Well, here's the fun part. My husband's birthday is April 2...AND Elsie, my second oldest daughter's birthday is April 4. So which day would you choose? What would be the wisest decision? Well, I was an over eager preggers woman and I chose April 3.
All in a row! Sounds like a great idea, right!?
Wrong.
Okay, okay, I know... technically this isn't a question of right or wrong, but maybe more just an issue of foolishness. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Looking back I think her birth will forever be the easiest that those three crazy days will ever be played out... well, at least until my April birthday girls are grown and no longer live at home.
You see, I knew Lucy's birth day was covered. No cake required, I just had to survive another c-section and get her into the world! And Elsie was thrilled to get to celebrate in a hospital with a new baby sister as a present! Genius! Now for Jeremy, my husband, I wanted to make sure he didn't feel skimped on...the day before his fifth child was to be born, as if five cuties isn't an awesome gift....hahahah. So I threw him a surprise birthday party too, of course! :)
It was perfect and AMAZING! Best three days ever.
But when Lucy's first birthday rolled around the next year...it hit me like a pie to the face. How am I going to make three of the most precious people in the world feel special and celebrated three days in a row!? How can I stay peppy and smiling when I like life to be low-key?! Can I ingest that much sugar and survive? Can I survive my children when THEY ingest that much sugar day after day?!
Well, needless to say, as we mamas do... I've made it work! But man, I really wish I had picked the 6th of April instead. That would have made A LOT more sense. oy.
But THIS YEAR tops it all....
Maybe you've already calculated the days in your head and you've realized that Easter is on the 1st of April this year. :)
So we are about to PARTY HARD for four days in a row! WHOOO!
You know, it's going to be pretty busy and crazy. Especially since my husband is a pastor and Easter is a big deal to us on so many levels. But I'm so excited. Having Easter precede the three birthdays kinda put it all into perspective for me this year.
What a privilege. All of it. We have SO MUCH to celebrate.
As it says in Romans 8:11..."And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you."
Because of Christ's death and resurrection, the same power that raised Christ from the dead now lives in me! I have victory over sin. I have strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. I have real JOY! Three birthdays in a row got nothin' on me :) Bring it!
So here's my prayer for you...
"I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His POWER to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength." (Ephesians 1:17-19) I pray that you would have ridiculous joy this weekend and that you would feel his strength, giving you the confidence to tackle whatever the week after holds.
Blessings,
