A Prayer Unanswered

We don't usually celebrate and welcome those prayers that go (temporarily) unanswered. I say temporarily because I believe that this prayer of mine, and my husband's, is not a selfish desire, but one of God.

My husband and I have been praying for, and seeking, Christian friends. Especially Christian couples. We attend a church that has a wide range of age groups, minus ours! There are great grandparents, grandparents, our parents ages, couples in their thirties with young children, high schoolers, middle schoolers and school age children. Notice I did not mention the twenty-somethings. That's because the Cochrans are it! There are the individuals that are close to our age that we spend time with but they are in different season of their lives (single, college, military, etc.). We know that there is nothing wrong with this and we love each of our friends right where they are in every walk of life. But sometimes, we need young, Christian COUPLES to share married stories with and to get married advice from. As I mentioned above, we are still diligently praying for those people to come into our lives (even still 2 years later) because we know that Godly fellowship is a blessing from the Lord. It's a promise in His Word. But for the time being we are "stuck" with the older people.

Honestly, that's how my attitude used to be. I used to make excuses to not attend women's meetings because I'd be without my husband, the only other person my age. I am constantly the youngest woman to attend women functions in our body. This used to make to feel as if I didn't belong. I felt like I was suppose to be there, I wasn't old enough or grown up enough to be there. However, the past few months, I've come to terms that I am a woman. I'm not a girl or teenager or even a twenty-something but a woman. So I acted like a lady and sucked it up, got over myself, and began to spend time with these more mature women.

And you know what I have come to find out ... I love it! I cherish it. I'm excited that I'm the youngest woman at our meetings and prayer times. Most of the time I just sit back, listen and watch. I have been a sponge these past two years soaking it all up without them even knowing it. I realized this afternoon that (please hear my heart and do not take this as bragging) at my age, as a 24 year-old, I am more mature, more stable and stronger than most woman of my age. I am not searching for happiness and trying to keep up with society. I have begun to reach a point that most woman my age don't get to until much later in life. I have found love and Love, I have found peace and Happiness. Do I still stress and fly off the handle occasionally? Yes, of course. I'm made of flesh. But I'm not searching in the dark places trying to get to the Light. I have Him already and I owe much of this to these women that I have felt to "stuck" with. I have been blessed beyond what I could ever imagine by being the youngest woman and being the twenty-something group of my church.

Do my husband and I still get lonely and long for that fellowship within our body. Of course. But we are enjoying the growth spurt in the mean time. =)

Oh ... and I am so blessed that two of my former college roomies are coming to visit in July!

Rachel Ray, if I may ...

Just thought I'd verbalize one of my summer goals.

I'm going to learn to cook! Not bake, I've got. Just ask all the pants that no longer fit me and are just taking up space in the drawer. =) I've been relying way too much on the husband to cook. It's gotten to the point that I won't eat dinner until about 7 or 7:30 some nights just waiting on him to get home and cook. I think I'll start with some easy things such as Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals. I've also decided that the iPad playing Pandora will be my biggest companion in the kitchen!

I've got 18 days to mentally prepare myself.

A {Mother's} Worth

So Sunday was Mother's Day which usually is no big deal. It's a wonderful holiday set aside to celebrate my wonderful mother.

This Sunday was a little ... disheartening. The husband and I have been married for a year and a half now and we don't really have any immediate plans to have children. So I won't be celebrating Mother's Day anytime soon.

Point 1 - Our church put together little gift bags for all the mother's in the church, like they usually do, and passed them out Sunday morning. Now I wasn't expecting to get one so when I was passed by, I wasn't too disappointed. We have a few ladies in our church that don't have any children and as I sat and watched the mother's receive their gifts, my heart broke when these single, children less woman were passed over. I was saddened and angry at the same time. I didn't know who to be angry with, but I was. Church, of all places, should be full of people who know the value and worth of spiritual mothers. Most people have many of them and we truly think of them as our own mothers. Sometimes they are closer to us than our own biological mothers. I was really disappointed that we so carelessly overlooked our spiritual mothers and it didn't seem to effect anyone else.

Point 2 - Four separate people came to me in the 2 hours I was at church to wish me a Happy "Almost" Mother's Day. What the heck is that?? How can you 'almost' be a mother? Even if you're pregnant, you're already a mother. You're already mothering and nurturing that little being inside of you when you go to the doctor, eat healthy, take vitamins, and exercise. I also had people tell me that I need to hurry up and have children so I can join in on this holiday and be like everyone else. I teach to children that are a product of parents not being ready for parenthood, parents that "hurry up" in the game of parenthood. I do not want to follow in their footsteps.

All of these thoughts put together had me thinking about how much our society, including the church, puts the worth and value of a woman based on the fact if they are mothers or not. Now I know that if I brought this up to anyone in the church, they'd reassure me that, that idea is not what they were trying to present when they made those comments and left out the children less women in the body. But the heart of the matter is, it happened. The words and actions that come from your mouth spring out from the well of your heart. I am just as guilty as the next person for allowing words and actions to come out of me without the intention behind it. But this experience has certainly shown me that I need to be careful of everything that I say and do.

So, to those of you who are not mothers, in the biological sense, but still nurture, care for, love, teach, and guide young men and women, here is a verse for where our value and worth lies.

"We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12

Quick Catch-up

Thought I would write a little before the hubs came home from work ...

Today was my first official day of spring break. I must say, I can get used to the stay-at-home wife routine real quick! I am not taking any moment of my free time for granted this week. This morning I slept in (until 6 anyway ... ) and went to the gym. Seeing as it was 7 am, I was the youngest person working out. As I walked my three miles on the tread mill, I listened to the 'seasoned' ladies walking around me gabbing about what they ate over the Easter weekend. They talked about their plans for the week and their doctor appointments and their husbands. They were really cute! They laughed and shared stories about their children and their Weight Watchers points. Then at 8, they all got off their machines and went to an aerobics class together. It was obvious these women were friends and had been for some time. Their gym time was not only their time to work on their physical bodies but their friendships as well. That's what I want to be when I grow up! I physically fit 'seasoned' women with girl friends that I can gab and laugh with while working out. They even let me join in on some of the conversations. =)

After the gym, I drank some wonderful coffee and headed to Morehead City for a day of shopping with the mother. All in all, it was a great day to ring in the spring break week. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!

Just Have to Testify

So, my husband has been out of work for quite some time. He worked part-time, off and on, with a friend from church and he came to really enjoy the line of work (boys and cars, perfect match). One of the employees was suppose to be switching positions and locations which would leave a permanent position for hubby. So we waited, and waited, and waited. Two months of waiting (and not so patiently sometimes on my end), something had to give. So my husband relunctantly gave in and began applying for jobs; the usual, Target, Wal-Mart, a few local sign and print shops, nothing that my husband was excited about doing. One job seemed promising. Hubby had an interview on the spot and they were going to let him know by the end of the week. So, on Thursday, on the way to church, the Holy Spirit pricked my heart and told me to pray with my husband. To come to Him about the situation as a couple, the strongest bond in the eyes of the Lord. We've been praying for the situations individually but we never came together and prayed. We prayed, and named specifically each aspect of his job that he desired. We called the unseen into being and rested on that. Not even two hours later, while at church, during praise & worship, hubby received a phone call. It was his friend's boss (the man that owned the car paint job gig) offering him a full-time job that started on Monday. After going down and talking with the man yesterday, hubby accepted the job ... and all the specific details that came with it and matched what we specifically prayed for the night before. Now, I'm not just testifying to this to say that prayer works, which is does. But I'm also sharing this to tell of how depending on man, and not God, can hold back what He desires for His children. We had spent months relying on a man. We had been praying for a job and doors to open but instead of putting full faith that God would provide that job and those doors, we were searching for the door knobs ourselves. I also believe that door wasn't opened until we came together as a married couple before the Lord and asked for what we wanted. When praying individually, it was easier for the enemy to come to us and plant those seeds of doubt ... this wasn't the right job, hubby isn't good enough to work there, he'll never get a good job, on and on and on. But when we prayed together, we had each other to stave off the doubt of the enemy. We had a higher platform to stand on. I believe my husband said it best ... hallellujiah!

Back in Blogland

And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. - Psalms 105:24

I have many enemies, in all forms. Other people, finances, my mentality BUT I know He increases me. And He doesn't just increase me, He increases me greatly. In all areas of my life, He increases.

Not a better way to start my new adventure in Blogland.