What About Mary and Joseph?

I have been doing a study during this season of advent. It has been such a sweet time to reflect, think about my Savior's birth, and in general, prepare my heart for what really matters during this busy season. As I was studying yesterday and this morning, my thoughts were consumed with thinking about Mary and Joseph.

We often think about Mary and put ourselves in her shoes during this time. We should. What an incredible woman, or should I say girl. Because, she was. She was just a girl when Jesus was born. She was a girl who had to grow up pretty quickly. As I started thinking about her, I listed many attributes and feelings she must have had after that startling visit from the angel. She must have been really confused and scared. Here she was, engaged but not married yet. She was a young girl who was told she was going to have a baby. She had to have been worried about what her future husband would say. A million thoughts must have entered her mind. She probably immediately figured she would be raising this child alone and experiencing childbirth alone. Surely Joseph would never believe that an angel came and told her that "the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her." (Luke 1:35) 

Mary had to be worried and full of questions. But....she said, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38) What a response. Mary was willing. Mary trusted, and trusted pretty quickly if you ask me. I don't know that I could have trusted as easily without getting some answers. I would have needed more details. But Mary didn't. She was strong and obedient.

But what about Joseph? We put a good bit of emphasis on Mary but Joseph deserves some attention as well. Joseph finds out that his fiance is pregnant and knows that he is not the father. Surely he was heartbroken, worried, frustrated, and probably angry. He was probably confused and had lots of questions. It says, "Because Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." (Matthew 1:20) Wow. Joseph could have chosen to handle this situation a million other ways. But, he was considerate of Mary. He cared for her and was looking out for her. He had grace and was merciful. Then the angel came to him and he listened. He decided to trust. He didn't have to be. He could've been done with this crazy situation and walked away. But, he didn't. He trusted and put his feelings aside.

The story was obviously ordained by God. Mary and Joseph were chosen for one of the greatest blessings. They chose, by God's grace, to be obedient and to trust their Father. This is such a testimony to me. As I put myself in both Mary and Joseph's shoes, I am not sure I could have been so willing. I am not sure I would have responded as they did. I pray that I can be willing vessels like Mary and Joseph. I pray that I will choose to trust when I don't always know the outcome.

I was reading something by John Piper that said,

"From the very beginning of Christ's incarnation the Holy Spirit was quietly doing what needed to be done to put forward Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of man."

I was challenged to put my own name in that phrase......"From the time she wakes up, Laura is quietly doing what  needs to be done to put forward Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of man."

I want to be doing all that I can do to put Jesus forward. I want to show others by the way that I live that He is the Savior of the world. I think Mary and Joseph, in their obedience and willingness, demonstrated this. What a testimony. What a privilege we have to carry His name. May He be glorified in my life and may others see Him when they see me.

Thankful

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever!"

-Psalm 107:1

Over the past few years Thanksgiving has quickly become my favorite holiday. Sure, growing up Christmas was probably my favorite. I definitely don't hate giving and receiving gifts, cadbury mini eggs at Easter, or my birthday. However, I think as I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I have come to the realization that there is more to love about Thanksgiving. Let me preface this by saying that while I strive to be grateful daily for ALL that He does, has done, and is doing in my life, I am constantly struggling and continuing to grow in giving Him the praise He deserves.

Today I celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws and members of his family.  I was thinking about this holiday and the meaning behind it. While many holidays are for celebrating Christ, his birth, resurrection, etc., we have turned them into completely self-centered holidays. Each one is becoming about what we can get. I do know that this holiday could be one focused on, well, food. However, this is one holiday that should be completely focused on Christ and all that He has done for us. It should be a holiday where we don't focus on self and fix our eyes on something greater.

There are a million things that I have to be thankful for. Just today I was thinking about the small things....a warm bed, a comfortable bed, a house that is heated and cooled to my comfort (when my husband allows it :) haha), food, and not just what I need to survive but choices, at my fingertips. As we were driving in the car today in the 30 degree weather, I had a seat warmer. A SEAT WARMER??!!?? Y'all, there are people who will sleep outside tonight in this cold weather we are having. I know that this is something that we hear about a lot. I know that there is not always something we can do about it. These few things that I have mentioned are little things I can be thankful for. I haven't even mentioned my husband, my family, and friends who I am so grateful for.

I love that we have a day to reflect and that it revolves around being thankful for all that we have been given. But, I pray that we all can choose to have an attitude of gratitude each day.

"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker."

-Psalm 95:1-6

 He is so faithful. He deserves our thanksgiving everyday. He always provides, always cares, always loves. I am undeserving of how good He is to me. He meets my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. He is worthy of my praise.       He is a good God.

Thank You  Lord for Your continued faithfulness in my life. Thank you for loving me.  More than anything, I am grateful for His grace. I am grateful for my salvation and that He chose to save me. I belong to Him forever and ever.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

-Psalm 9:1

"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

-Revelation 7:12

Hello 5th Grade! Ready or not!

Today was my last day of summer vacation. I say that quite sadly if I am being honest. The past couple of months have been so busy. I have had a lot going on with my photography business and then more recently in the last couple of weeks, a lot going on with getting prepared to start the school year. But, every teacher will tell you....no matter how busy your summer is, nothing beats waking up without an alarm clock (even if it is 6:45), planning a day out (even if it includes cleaning your house), or going shopping in the middle of the day (even if it is just for groceries!). So again, while the summer may not have been glamorous, it was a nice break.

I spent my last day of summer in the best way and doing the things I love. Breakfast with my husband, time with my mom, sister, and niece, a quick swim, blogging, a little editing, and more time with my husband. It's the little things. I have to say, with the start of this school year I have wanted to dig my heels in a little bit. There have been several, "but God"s thrown out in my prayers lately. "But God, I have so much going on!" or "But God, I have two jobs! How can I balance this?" or "But God, I am not sure I remember how to balance teaching, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc." :) Thankfully, when I deserve to hear, "Suck it up and be thankful for what I give you!" He is full of grace. He has so sweetly reminded me and whispered a few things to me lately. "Laura, my grace is sufficient" and "Trust me" and "This is the work I have for you. Do the next thing." I am grateful for His grace in my life.

Last night we met our students and parents. Over the past week of busily trying to prepare for school to start I haven't really been able to get excited about things. But last night, as I was blessed by many of the parents that I met, I was able to get excited.

God has been gracious to use people, His Word, and other situations to encourage me right when I need it. So, ready or not, here comes another school year. Praying for a grateful heart and a hardworking spirit. After all, this is the work He has given me! May I serve Him well!

A Few Ramblings

I am simply terrible at getting a decent post out these days. I seem to wait and wait and finally just spit it all out and most likely forget important updates.

Anyways, February has been an incredibly quick month and March is upon us. I just cannot believe it. We celebrated my sweet husbands birthday this month. Let me just take a minute to talk about how thankful I am for him. I feel incredibly privileged to do life with him and be his wife. He is a true blessing in my life.

We had a week off and that we celebrated Brett's birthday, Valentine's day, and also welcomed a new member to the Kittrell family. World, meet Marcie.....

She's a sweet little girl and we are happy she is ours! :)

Oh, and just because I happen to think she is precious, we also took this sweet girls 6 month pictures. 

I know, I can hardly handle the cuteness. I am a proud aunt.

This month I also began a new Bible study at my church. We are going through Ephesians and it has been wonderful. There is just so much goodness in that book. I am loving being reminded of the gospel and thankful that I have been adopted and chosen as a daughter of the one true God. I have been learning a lot about my purpose. Currently, I am striving to be thankful for my daily routines that seem so insignificant. I am striving to be thankful for a job that I enjoy and that while it is not the only thing I want to do, it is what the Lord has for me to be doing. I am thankful for a wonderful home and my responsibilities here. I am thankful I have a husband who takes care of me and that I have the privilege to cook for and take care of him.

I have been reminded recently of Micah 6:8 that says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." --I pray that I can simply do that. I long to abide in Christ and have His love and His attributes to be evident in my life.

As for March, there are lots of exciting things happening... starting with welcoming another new Kittrell into the family! Ash and Drew are getting married this weekend and I am thrilled to be able to be the photographer of this wedding!

So it should be another busy month and I am excited and ready to embrace it!

Life Lately...

January was the month of no blogging. Obviously. :) I hope this isn't a sign of the next year. Life has been busy so I'll give a few updates.

On the photography front I have to say, I thought things would slow down in January. After the hustle and bustle of fall and getting people's Christmas pictures done and edited quickly before the deadline of Christmas cards went out, I thought January would be slow. While, it hasn't been as busy, the Lord has been gracious to still allow me to do what I love on the side. Here are just a few updates......

First up, this lovely couple who will be getting married in June! :) They were SO FUN!

Secondly, this sweet couple who are waiting for their lives to change forever with welcoming the birth of their first son, Aiden.

I surely cannot wait for him to get here! :)

Lastly, just this weekend I had the privilege of taking my brother-in-law and ALMOST sister-in-laws engagement pictures! They have LESS THAN A MONTH! I am so excited for them and cannot wait for March 2nd to photograph my first official wedding on my own but also to welcome Ashley to the family!

So sweet....

January was an incredibly long month. We also had a visit from my aunt and cousins which was such a fun weekend!

Other than that, we have just been watching this little girl grow and praying the other cousins would move home! :)

It's been a long month and I am thankful that we are now in February! God has been so gracious to Brett and I. He has been teaching us a lot about dying to ourselves. He has also taught me a lot about trusting Him. Nothing is too hard for Him and I am grateful for the grace He continues to pour over my life. I am thankful that He satisfies and that He is enough! What a blessing to serve Him and have a relationship with my Lord

Oh yeah, I am also thankful for this guy who will be celebrating his birthday on Monday! I think he is definitely worth celebrating. Brett is such an answer to prayer and I am thankful for his sweet heart.

Well, that was a short and sweet update but hey, at least there were pictures! :) Hopefully I can blog more soon!