Love in the Morning and Faithfulness at Night

"It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,"

Psalm 92:1-2

I read this chapter the other day, and the second verse already had me doing a double take ;)

David associates here God's love with morning and His faithfulness with night?! Who does that? That's a new thought for me as I have always heard and thought the opposite. I have always associated the morning with God's faithfulness because His faithfulness is proven to creation with the rising of the sun, the coming of the dawn, and nature's whispers of a new day. And, of course, we think of His love at night because it is comforting to know and feel loved even after all the day's trials and errors so that you can fall asleep soundly. David must be trying to make a point or get the reader's attention here with a new revelation. But what is it, I wonder?

What if I began each day proclaiming His love? If I started my day holding onto the assurance of His love for me? Would I respond to each situation that arises differently? Would I be more confident in my decisions, more at peace realizing that I am loved by Him no matter what?

He is faithful at night -- this truth hit me a little deeper. When I awake during the night, I want presence more than knowledge. Knowing that He loves me is marvelous, but midnight wakings can be lonely and frustrating. As someone who has been attacked by demons at night, let me tell you that love is grand and all, but I needed help and presence. I needed Jesus to come. Now. [And He did, of course!] But, if I started proclaiming His faithfulness during the night -- wow. I mean, grasping that He is faithfully with me while I toss and turn and that I am not alone? That is what I most need to hear and know in that hour. This is big stuff.

Proclaiming His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night,

A Day Late, but Not a Dollar Short

• At 33 weeks pregnant, I was finally able to get into an OB clinic! I now have a doctor to call if I go into labor :) I had an interview with the practice yesterday (thanks to my parents), but I meet with one of the doctors later this week.
• Also, I have found a doula to help me with the labor (here at home and at the hospital). I hope to meet with her soon and discuss birth plans and get to know each other. Here is my birth plan for Micaiah. There are a few differences than my first birth plan for Aolani's birth.
• I finally reviewed all my articles and notes about natural childbirth -- preparation is key! Packing lists, plans for Aolani, lots of phone calls...
• If anyone has a desire to get something for our upcoming family addition, I did compile a small baby registry with some items that we could use for Micaiah. It is on Amazon for simplicity's sake ;) Click here to view.

• We are trying to teach Aolani to say "please" or "peas peas peas" ;)

• Verses to memorize this week: Romans 8:19-21 ~ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Security in the Secure

Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”

I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

~ Psalm 16

Supervising While Resting

• At 32 weeks now, and I am going to start drinking my red raspberry leaf tea everyday, which helps to tone and prepare your uterus for the work of birthing (I did this before with my first pregnancy and think it may have helped). Also, I internally take the evening primrose oil every day. Most say to wait until after 36-8 weeks to start these two things, but I start earlier (that's just me). Micaiah has been kicking for months, but his kicks are getting stronger and outwardly visible. I have a doctor's appointment in another county next week (let's hope this one happens).
• My parents "visited" (meaning I put them to work!) over the weekend, and Ricky's parents come this weekend...
• Today, I do feel better than yesterday! While I am the last one in our family to recover from this sickness, here was Aolani on her down day, Saturday:

Resting on her palate in the kitchen

• Once Aolani started walking, I had to think of a way to get her up onto my lap from the floor. We tried pet stairs, but those weren't quite right in many ways. I had an image though of a stair step where I could roll under one end and she could crawl/walk up the other end to me without falling off the sides. Our contractor friend who modified the crib and changing table for me created this from scratch (just my measurements)! Anyway, Aolani had turned it into a toy and loved climbing on it. [I had to bait her to come all the way up to me with chocolate!] However, we moved it to storage this weekend as she has gotten tall enough for me to lift her directly from my footstool, and we need the space. Here is the Stairway to Mommy's Lap:

• I was sitting at the kitchen table and Aolani went over to her "cubby corner" (that I technically blocked off from her -- or so I thought) to poop in private. All of a sudden there was a loud crash and shattered glass. Yep, she knocked over the floor lamp. Now, we have a wall lamp by the recliner :)
• Aolani is 20 months today! Other antics: running back and forth from the front door to the back door, walking backwards, carries her stuffed doggie around with her still, and emptying the pots and pans drawer to mix and match lids while giggling at her reflection in them ;)

• Verses to memorize this week: Romans 8:16-8 ~ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Courageous

We have been sick this weekend, and, of course, I got the worse of it. I am still on the downward cycle, but I hope tomorrow is the reverse! Anyway, Ricky and I still went to the movies yesterday, as we have been trying for weeks to see Courageous and finally had a sitter lined up to play with Aolani. The movie was superb -- good action, humor, and inspirational. I cried a bit too much (hey, I'm pregnant), but, thankfully, I never got hysterical or disruptive :) Highly recommended! Here's the trailer:

Daddy, Aowadi, and...

• 7 months tomorrow - wow! Still no OB doctor, but we're actively working on finding one. I've heard it all: too far along, too long since my last prenatal appointment, go to my own county, no high-risk patients... We are searching in three counties -- there is hope ;)
• Aolani's antics: laughs when she passes gas, pats her rear during diaper changes and pokes mine randomly, attempts jumping jacks (mimicking Ricky), says nanni but we're still trying to figure out the meaning, calls Ricky Daddy and herself Aowadi and myself either Daddy or Aowadi (I don't get a name yet!), scratched a wall up with her hairbrush and comb...
• In the mornings while I read my Bible, Aolani will pull up and sit in her chair and flip through her Bible -- too cute!
• What we ended up doing about her opening the cabinets with the childproof locks: we installed a different-brand childproof latch beside the other one so there are two, which has worked thus far! [And I can still get in it - phew!]
• Most frequent feeling for me: Am I the only one whose child acts mild-mannered in public and disobeys behind closed doors?! I have a notion that my time has just begun ;) [Example: she throws toys in my path, and I cannot get by without moving the item. I ask (or tell, depending) her to pick up the toy and move it for Mommy. She stares straight at me, full-well knowing what I am saying, with a "No" expression and walks away from me. Yet, if there are toys in front of the snack cabinet and I roll in that general proximity, she runs past me to throw the toys and clear the path so that I can get to it without hindrance. What a little human, huh?]
• We went to our town's farmers' market over the weekend, and Aolani won us four freebies! People just can't help but give to such a cutie-pie :)

Zipping and unzipping the hamper lid while crawling in and out

Loves to prance around in my shoes

You can always find Aolani sitting at Ricky's feet while he cooks (waiting for a morsel of food to drop)!

One of the great benefits of not having a television is that Aolani loves books! She pulls every book in her shelf out to flip through every single day :) [Literally, this shot is not staged.]

• Verses to memorize this week: Romans 8:13-5 ~ "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' ”

The Spirit in Detail

Now, I am still pondering this and have not fully formulated my thoughts about this (and therefore, maybe I should not comment on this yet), but this observation is interesting to me. I just know that there is something here that I want to grasp.

While memorizing chapter eight of the book of Romans, verse nine attracted me.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Paul refers to the Holy Spirit in this one verse three times but by first calling Him the Spirit then the Spirit of God and finally the Spirit of Christ. Now, thus far in this chapter Paul has only referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit, and Paul mainly refers to Him as the Spirit for the rest of the chapter (eight out of 10 more times). So, this verse seems to be the culminating verse for clarification as to who is this "Spirit." Maybe Paul is clarifying the third person of the Trinity. Maybe he is making it easy on himself by going ahead and clarifying exactly Who he is talking about early on the chapter, so that we all know that when he refers to simply the Spirit for the rest of the chapter he is speaking of Christ's Spirit. He might be trying to inform his audience that his references to the Spirit are not to your own individual spirit or some life force (indeed, most people believe in spirits and the spiritual realm). Instead, Paul specifically narrows it down by letting us know that when he writes of the Spirit, he is referring to the Spirit of God who is also, more specifically, the Spirit of Christ Himself! Paul seems to be slipping in a little, subtle hint about the unity of the Trinity.

Anyway, just a little observation. I can feel the mystery here, and I want to discover...

Backyard Games

• Aolani 's antics: She has dropped the 'd' in 'Ado-Wadi,' so it sounds like 'Ao-Wadi.' She loves to pick up the telephone, hold it to her ear, and say her name :) Just today, she figured out how to open the childproof door latches on our kitchen cabinets; Ricky is in the kitchen now trying to remedy the situation (one of the joys of having a smart cookie!). I'll post next week what remedy actually ends up working. Oh, and she has added pinching to her repertoire :(
• At 30 weeks pregnant, I cannot believe I am three-fourths of the way through this! I am supposed to have my first OB doctor's visit tomorrow...
• We had a good, college buddy come visit over the weekend to keep us busy and laughing ;) He also took the great pictures in this post.

• We have been sidetracked, forgetful, and remiss in documenting my growing belly this second pregnancy! Here is the best shot so far:

Ricky and Aolani are playing airplane in the back

Playing potato-sack

Farmers' markets wear me out, too!

• Ricky is digging the new sign for his parking space ;)

• Verses to memorize this week: Romans 8:10-12 ~ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

No Time to Love

"If you spend all of your time judging people, you have no time to love them." ~ Mother Teresa