Hopefully we are all striving to make progress. No one ever wants to stay stagnant…we should all be moving towards a goal. But progress looks different for each person, so it’s unfair when we try to compare. I think  we all struggle with comparison from time to time…at least I know I do. Nevertheless, we reached some goals today that were big for us and I would like to share them with you all.

First of all, Gideon is making big progress. At 8 months old, he has finally done the simple task of clapping his hands when asked to do so. The first few times he did this was on Sunday; but since he became sick he hasn’t performed it again until today. I was thrilled!

Click Clap to watch him do it.

Cute right? Okay, maybe I am partial. I’m always hesitant though to announce how he’s progressing, mostly because he’s so far behind most kids his age. Believe it or not, I sometimes forget he has a good excuse.  Other times I feel guilty because Gideon is ahead of some kids who are facing the same genetic disorder. Either way, I’m learning to accept that my son’s life is going to look different than that of someone else his age, regardless of what they may be facing themselves.

So we did some big things today…big things for us. Beware, you may not find them all that exciting.

Today during physical therapy, along with clapping for his therapist, Gideon also signed “mama”… although it was probably an accident. Because he wouldn’t repeat the request, I’m going to go ahead and say he was  trying to suck his thumb (with an open fist) and missed….thus appearing to sign “mama.” Another achievement for G man was that he kept one of his hearing aids in the entire time we did therapy! ….big improvement, even though it was just the one. He also kept one hearing aid in while jumping in his bouncer and watching his video.

Don’t you just love his cheeks? I know, I’m biased. Anyways, Gideon also finally opened his mouth upon request while I was feeding him lunch today. Kids with this kind of genetic disorder sometimes have a feeding tube because they are not able to swallow (a reality we could face someday). But for now, we are extremely grateful that he can.

Don’t let this picture fool you, he loves bananas! (that’s the only food he loves). Usually I have to force the food in his mouth (as you can tell by his face, lol) because he doesn’t know how to open it. That all changed today though…because he opened his mouth when I asked him to do so. I got proof!

Click Here to watch him eat like a big boy!

And I can’t brag on my little man’s success without sharing some of Laynie’s achievements today also. Even though she has a virus, we did our pre-k homeschooling. She didn’t realize we were doing it, but we did. We played pet shop with real money. We discussed all the ways we could pay $0.26 for a pet giraffe! Great deal if you ask me!

She also painted some of her family around her memory verse. My favorite is that she attempted to draw her Aunt Traci and Chris (who are both in wheelchairs). Me and Mimi made it into the master piece as well. I labeled them so there’s no confusion about who is who. Precious right?

She also did her Spanish words for the day. Libro, puerta, ventana, silla, and mesa.

But the biggest goal reached (I think) for the day, is that we all three took an hour nap at the same time!! Even my little boy (who doesn’t nap longer than 30 minutes) took an hour nap! Okay, well honestly I took an hour nap before I realized he was up, so maybe it wasn’t an hour…since we will never know, I’m going to give him credit.

So that’s our big day. Doesn’t seem like much does  it? Most days I feel as though we don’t get much done. Heck, I consider the day a success if all I’ve done is showered and fed my kids! I know you moms out there feel me.

Do you have days where you feel like you didn’t make progress by the world’s standards? I do often.  And then I remember that song by Steven Curtis Chapman called Do Everything. Even if you’ve heard it a thousand times, listen to it again. Click HERE. Or read the lyrics below.

You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today 
Matching up socks 
Sweeping up lost cheerios that got away 

You put a baby on your hip 
Color on your lips and head out the door 

While I may not know you, 
I bet I know you 
Wonder sometimes, does it matter at all? 

Well let me remind you, it all matters just as long 
As you do everything you do to the glory of the One who made you, 
Cause he made you, 
To do 
Every little thing that you do 
To bring a smile to His face 
Tell the story of grace 
With every move that you make 
And every little thing you do 

If you’re like me and feel like your successes are not big or important by the world’s standards, that’s okay…honestly, they probably aren’t. But you know what? Every little thing you do matters as long as you do it for His glory. Isn’t that good news? That means we don’t have to please the world! Peoples opinions about our progress doesn’t matter! We can be content with our own pace and our own place.

So be encouraged with your own progress as you reach your goals. And if you’ve been at a stand still that’s okay, you can always push forward…Baby steps. Remember God and Gideon are clapping and cheering you on!

I was driving to my parents house this morning when I came to a stop light and found myself behind this white Ford truck. I noticed there was scripture on the back and decided to take a photo to send to my husband. The scripture is Romans 10:9 and the New King James Version is what you see on the truck. The English Standard Version says it this way- “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

As we drove our separate ways I began to think about how simplistic the Christian faith is. Think about it, all we have to do in order to be saved is confess with our mouths Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead! That’s it!!  As a child that was so easy for me to accept. However in college I began to question, could it be that simple???

By my early twenties I thought I had done so much wrong in my life, surely I would have to do something in order for God to forgive my sins and accept me, right? Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t murder anyone, but I had done other big things that I thought would have surely disqualified me from being called a “Christian.” And I certainly would not have confessed what I had done to anyone!!

I was 25 years old when I finally got it. That was when I truly understood and accepted that salvation is an undeserved, free gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” I had read that verse a hundred times growing up, but it finally made sense at age 25.

Why 25 you ask? That would be the age I was when I found out I was pregnant. If you watched our testimony, then you know my husband and I were not married at the time….heck, we were not even dating! I won’t get into details, but trust me when I say, it was ugly (don’t worry, it has a happy ending). But the point I want to make here is that at the ripe old age of 25, I realized that this unplanned pregnancy was not a sin that I could hide! Everyone was going to know that I was having sex before I was married. Every other sin I had ever committed…lying, stealing, coveting, cheating, I could go on….no one EVER had to know. But this time it was different. My pregnant belly and ring-less finger were to me as the scarlet letter was to Hester.

Facing all these unknowns, I began to question my salvation; but thankfully an amazing woman (Terri Wilkinson) took me under her wing and became my counselor, my mentor, and my friend. I met with her weekly for the duration of my pregnancy. It was because of people like her that I began to realize how messed up my view of God was. Even though my head knew what the Bible said about salvation, my heart hadn’t caught up.

Terri helped me realize that God was going to use that pregnancy for His glory, and that no matter what wrong I had done in my life, God still loved me and I was still a Christian. Have you ever felt that way? Have you felt as though you were too far gone to still be saved?? I love the stories in the Bible. With the exception of Jesus, almost everyone else in the Bible screwed up big time! A christian rap artist, Lecrae, recently posted this on his Facebook, “Noah got drunk, Jacob lied, Moses murdered, Rahab was a whore, David had an affair. God still used em. What’s your excuse?” Does that encourage you like it does me? No matter how far gone we think we are, God can still use us!

Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Savior? It really is as simple as Romans 10:9. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you’ve already made that decision to follow Him, maybe you’re like me and think you’ve screwed up too many times. You haven’t. He still wants us. He can still use us. He’s given you the choice…all you have to do is accept the undeserved, free gift of salvation.

It amazes me how simple God made it. You can’t pray enough, go to church enough, read your Bible enough, serve enough…there’s nothing you can do because salvation isn’t something you earn, it’s something you accept. No one can work their way to Heaven! Isn’t that great news? I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved. I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t make it to Heaven if we had to work for it!

The person who drives that white truck will probably never know just how many people he has (and will continue to) reach. By simply posting a verse to his tailgate he is changing lives, one stop light at a time. I’m so glad our vehicles crossed paths. Seeing that verse was a great reminder of how simple salvation is.

Thanks for sharing the Truth white truck.

I’ve been blessed all my life. Even with the trials I’ve faced, I have always been able to see the good that has blossomed despite difficult circumstances. So with all my life experience, you would think that this weekend should not have come as a surprise to me…and yet it did.

So what happened this weekend? Pure selflessness happened… and it astonishes me every time. I am blown away by the complete out pour of love and support that we experienced this weekend as a family. I have so many thank you notes to write it literally might take me the rest of this year to finish them all.

The PTA at my husband’s school got together and organized a fundraiser for our son Gideon at the Ball Park in Arlington. One of the PTA moms works for a company who generously allowed them to use their center-field box suite!! Have you ever watched a Rangers game (or any ball game for that matter) from a suite?? It was AAAAMAZING! Not only was it the nicest and biggest suite ever (seriously there were at least 7 rooms); but it was complete with flat screen TVs, four old school arcade games, huge balcony and a foosball table. And the amazing-ness didn’t stop there. They had it catered (and donated) by Maggiano’s and it was open bar. So basically all the proceeds, every last bit, went into an account for my son. I think you will all agree with me when I say that Abbett Elementary has the BEST. PTA. EVER!

This wonderful group of people did an amazing job and they raised a lot of money- for which, we are so grateful! But what was more significant to me than the awesome setting or profits was the heart that went into all of this. Complete selflessness. Everyone involved, looking for some way to help (even if they didn’t know us that well). Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the open bar was enticing for some (lol), but everyone had a genuine concern and love for my sweet little boy and our family…and it was all because my husband lovingly hollers at their kids for 45 minutes of PE every day! It was a sincere gathering of people who were being the hands and feet of Jesus, whether they realized it or not.

If love was an ocean, we were drowning in it. And you know what? We have been ever since Gideon’s diagnosis. Our family, our friends, and people we don’t even know…thanks to Mama Laughlin… have been so supportive with their prayers and their gifts, that I’m overwhelmed with tears just thinking about it. In fact let me go ahead and say thank you. If you have prayed for us, or given to us online, or loved on us- we are forever in your debt. You have been so selfless…and we are so thankful.

I have to brag on my husband for a little bit. Kevin is wonderful for a million reasons; but for reason #45,323- we have some amazing discussions! He doesn’t hold any kind of theology degree but he is profoundly wise when it comes to Jesus. Kevin has these moments that seem to start out so random, and then when he’s finished talking I can’t help but think to myself, “Holy crap, this guy chose me!” He would probably prefer I not share this- simply because he’s more of an introvert when it comes to his intimate thoughts. However, I think it’s worth sharing given our circumstances and this past week.

Lying in bed the other night, Kevin told me about a conversation he recently had with someone. This person said he felt like it should be him going through our situation because of his own sinful past; but the thought of giving up or losing his own son was too unbearable. So Kevin started thinking, “What if the shoe was on the other foot? Would we willingly give up our son, so someone else didn’t have to go through this?” Crazy to think about, right?  I don’t think anyone would offer to give up his or her own child, that’s just absurd! We love them too much!! After all, they belong to us!!!

Or do they?

Kevin said the conversation with this person got him thinking about the brokenness and sin in his own life. He said he made a mental list (not hard given our past) and for every sin he could come up with, at its core was selfishness. Think about it, why do people deceive, murder, lie, commit adultery, steal, or covet (just to name a few)? Because they want something so bad they are willing to do those things to satisfy a selfish desire.

So after that realization, my husband said the following-

“At the core of every sin is selfishness. So by giving up His Son, God did the most selfless act possible to cure our sin of selfishness.” –Kevin Jolicoeur

I think his statement is profound and worth sharing- God showed us what it means to be selfless. He selflessly gave what is most precious and dear. He gave…what we cannot fathom giving…in order to help us in the sinful state we are in. Jesus died so we could spend eternity with Him. What appeared as a moment of victory for darkness, God used for the  greatest good of all time.

We were fortunate this weekend (and this past week) to see so many people be completely selfless…the Abbett family, Mama Laughlin and her readers, family and friends…You are examples of what it means to be selfless. I’m surprised every time by people’s willingness to give, and I’m not sure why. Maybe feeling that kind of love and support is just so overwhelming, it comes as a shock. Or maybe it’s because I get to see first hand, that my son’s life means something to others besides us. Nevertheless, so many have been reaching out and making a difference in this season of our lives…So many have offered to put our needs ahead of their own. So many have touched our hearts.

If that’s been you, thank you…from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!! You have given up time and possessions that are important to you in order to help us walk through this. Your acts of kindness are beyond anything we could have hoped for and your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. They have been received with the joyful tears and cries of sincere gratitude. We thank Jesus for you!! So let me close and just say it again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you for being so selfless.