One sure-fire way to avoid the pitfalls of complaining in pregnancy is by stopping to smell the roses in life, the abundant blessings which He has given to little, old me. I am undeserving and yet acutely blessed. And I've been challenged more toward an attitude of gratitude in the wake of these blessings.
I am acutely aware of the blessing of the life growing within. Many thanks to this lady and this one, I have been learning about walking God's path and joyfully accepting what He has for me. I have been learning to relish pregnancy blessings by the bucket load--the aches, the heartburn, you name it--all are beautiful signs of my body bringing forth life. And I don't take that blessing lightly.
As I watched the lives of both Therese Joy (Red's first child) and Lucy Rose (Kat's second child) come into this world and depart, I am desperately reminded that life is fleeting; that every moment is to be accounted for; and that health is not something to take for granted. For it is beyond easy to slip into a downtrodden mentality in pregnancy and to become uber-sensitive to the outside world and the changes happening to one's body. But what joy at these changes!! For they signal a thriving, healthy baby. I would take all the extra comments in the world times a million just to be able to hold my precious child in the end. The strength of these friends of mine are such a testament to their faiths and God's continued blessings upon them.
In addition, I have been recently blessed with a friend who teaches me about maternal sacrifice on a daily basis. While pregnant with her second child, she and her husband were given the news that the baby had a 5% chance of living. Today, her daughter is 3-years-old and can walk, breathe, use sign-language, and still give her mother every bit of stubbornness! This friend continues to stare death in the face at every turn and every surgery, but does not back down. She has come to appreciate her abundant blessings and wouldn't have things any other way. What an inspiration she has been to me!!
Would I ever dare open my mouth to complain about pregnancy to any of these amazing women (or to anyone else for that matter!)? Close it up and move on, B-mama!!! :) I am challenged to look beyond myself and see more blessings than ever. Because for all of us, the blessings are always there and always need to be relished.
9 comments:
Right on, B-Mama! Thanks for your candor and for this great reminder to be thankful in EVERY circumstance. There is a definite culture of complaining when it comes to pregnancy, so it's easy to slip into this mentality.
Oh B-mama you had me tear up on this one! How blessed your sweet little lady will be to have you as her mom! :) Also, I'm looking forward to meeting you! I'm sure you're the cutest pregnant gal in our city!
Thanks for posting this. I have to admit I've been down about weight gain this pregnancy, especially when I worked so hard to get if all off after the last child. Of course some extra poundage is nothing in comparison to the gift of a little healthy baby! Great post.
What a lovely post-- I'm going to save a copy to reread if I need a reminder someday! I've definitely heard a lot of, "I don't want to be pregnant because it'll ruin my body."
B-mama, thanks for this wonderful post, and for being a HUGE example in my life of someone who cultivates an "attitude of gratitude".
thank you so much for posting this -- as we contemplate expanding our family at some point, I need to be mindful of the many blessings I overlook on a daily basis.
Loved this post B-mama. It really captures your attitude toward life. You are such a positive and happy person because you manage to think like this more often than the rest of us ;-)
LOL. Cute cartoon! Just stopped by to say Hi, and to thank you for the linky love in your sidebar. :~D
Blessings, e-Mom @ Chrysalis
Gosh... correction... I meant to say that I added you to my Bloglines Feedreader. Have a great day! :~D
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