I must admit that being pregnant isn't exactly what I thought it would be. I thought it was all about having that "pregnancy glow" and resting your hand on your growing belly. They fail to tell you that the "glow" is really just an oily, flushed face. Or that I wouldn't know the difference between being hungry and being nauseous. Or that the movies and tv shows that used to make this emotional girl's eyes water, would now embarrassingly send her to the bathroom to try to muffle her sobs. I'm also pretty sure that if you put me in the field with Cody (our Labrador retriever), I could probably sniff out the duck before he could.
With all that being said, Chris and I are very excited about the whole thing. We tried to pray for our little one, but in the beginning found this to be very difficult. How do you pray for something that you can't see or feel, and truthfully have trouble believing even exists. But then I found a weekly pregnancy devotional/prayer book called "Expecting" by Marla Taviano, and read the following...
"... I pray for my soon to be child. I so want her to get off to a beautiful start in life. I want her to be strong and independent and unique and glowing. I want her to know love and hope and faith. I want her to be everything she dreams of being-everything YOU dream for her..."
"God, please bless my child with discernment and wisdom. May he know the difference between good and evil, truth and falsehood. And may he never be separated-divided-from Your love."
"May our home be the place she runs to when she needs shelter from the storms of life. May our home be a place she feels comfortable bringing her friends. May our home be a place where she learns about Jesus and feels His presence."
Brain: "Help him to use his mind in hundreds of positive ways. Although IQ doesn't matter, bless him with intelligence so that he might use it to be a blessing to others. Help him to love you, Lord, not just with his heart but with his mind."
Heart: "I so want my child to be tender-hearted, never calloused or uncaring. I want his heart to be pliable-easily squeezed with joy and even easily constricted with pain. I hate to think of his heart being broken, but a hard heart lacks the capacity to know true love. Lord, will you give him a soft heart, yet protect it as well? May he have a heart for the things you love."
Ears: "Lord, may she use her ears to listen to you. You speak to us in that still, small voice, and if we're not ready and listening, we can miss it. Help her not to miss your voice, Lord. Help her to hear your call on her heart and life-and heed it."
Eyelids: "I so want my child to fix his eyes on good and healthy things. Help me to fill his little corner of the world with beauty and brilliance. And help me to point out your hand at work in the world at every opportunity."
Neck muscles: "God, I pray that he will be able to hold his head high, to be confident in who he is. And may that same neck that holds his head up also help him bow his head low in worship to you, his Creator."
Hands: "May she be less worried about keeping her hands physically beautiful and more concerned about attending to the needs of others. Bless those little hands, God. May they not be idle, but may they always be reaching out and touching the lives of every person she meets."
And then I ran to the bathroom to muffle my sobs! :)
