Mary In Bloom

It's that time of the year again!  I will start out by saying that my one word last year was "Communion" and I wanted to spend quality time in the presence of God every day.  I can tell you that although I spent some wonderful time in our Creator's presence last year, it certainly wasn't as often as I had wanted or anticipated.  That's not to say I didn't talk to Him every day because I do feel I hold an ongoing "conversation" with Him all day every day, but I longed for something deeper.  And on a couple of occasions it happened -- because I made the time for it.  He is always there waiting to commune with me, but I have to meet Him halfway and I didn't always do that.  When I did, being in His presence was spectacular, life affirming, directing, humbling, and absolutely indescribable.  I DO feel as though I have scratched the surface of what prayer can be and I know that what I experienced last year on my knees is just the beginning of a deeper relationship with Jesus. 

Last year was a very eventful year for me and Brandon!  Sacred Willow Spa expanded into the next suite in July/August, I led my first small group at church, Brandon was promoted at Meadowlands, my brother-in-law, Andrew, married his long time love, Caroline in October, and we found out we are expecting our first child, a son named Everest Henry, due in June 2014.  God has truly blessed us!  Most who know us know that we prayed for a child for 46 months before finally getting pregnant.  It wasn't always easy, but I could see God's Hands at work in our lives in preparation for this child and I am thankful He made us wait.  And I can say it was a true lesson in patience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and I will always trust in His wisdom and sovereignty. 

So.......with so much growth in our lives last year, it was easy to choose my one word for 2014.  Balance.  When I say "balance", I don't mean dividing my focus even-steven across the board.  I truly feel I need to keep my eyes fixed on the Lord for his leading and direction in every aspect of my life.  Adding a child to my already busy life is going to require close communication with God on how and when to invest my time.  With a family owned business, a full book of clients, and a God inspired passion for my chosen profession, I will continue to work.  I know I need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help me balance my time and energy between raising Everest, being a wife & companion to Brandon, a homemaker, serving in my church, being fully present in my business, and taking care of myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  I pray for God-balance and discernment this year so I will know when to scale back in one area to give more of myself in another.

Since announcing my pregnancy, I have found that a lot of people have strong opinions as to how my life should look after Everest is born.  What is important to me and what God calls me to do is not going to be the same as the next person.  I am going to be best mother I can be, but I also plan on continuing to be the best healer/massage therapist I can be because that is who God has designed me to be.  I plan on enjoying every moment of the six weeks of maternity leave I get to spend with Everest, but I know I will return joyfully to work (although I am sure I will be counting down the seconds until I get to hold him in my arms at the end of the day).  Today is the 2nd of two snow days we have had here at the beach and I can tell you that although I welcome the rest, my heart was disappointed I wasn't going to work today.  I don't know too many people who feel that way about their work.....I am blessed to have that passion.  So my prayer is to balance my time and energy, but also to listen God about what I should be doing and ignore what others have to say about my life.  Brandon and I will listen to God and He will direct the path for OUR family.  I pray that we will be a light for Everest, that he will grow to love Jesus as much as we do.  I hope he sees that everything we do is in worship of Him, our savior.  I want him to know that he is never alone, that God is always with him and that He has had a plan for him since the beginning of time.  I cannot wait to meet our little blessing.

I picked Romans 12:2 for my 2014 guiding scripture --


I particularly like The Message version of this verse (which actually includes the verse before it):

I did not recognize it as a calling as I was reading Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear and "sports massage therapy" was mentioned, but something within me stirred and I thought, "hmmmm..."  I did not run right out and register at the local massage therapy school or even request information on a program, instead I continued attending classes with the intention of majoring in dietetics (until I realized how much chemistry would be involved).  I did, however, continue to stumble across it in my thought processes from time to time -- turning it over in my mind and wondering, "what if?".
 I enrolled at the National Massage Therapy Institute in Falls Church, Virginia approximately three years after Lear's book lit the smallest of sparks in me and I had never actually received a massage myself.  Truth be told, up until seeing the word "sports" in front of massage therapy, I had always pictured massage as a luxury that bored housewives indulged in after a day of lounging on the couch and eating bon-bons.  I have always had an interest in the human body and if you had asked me as a senior in high school what I wanted to do, I would have told you athletic training or sports medicine.  I got side-tracked and I lost my way and tried on many different hats, but the point of all of this is that even while I was very, very far away from God, He was designing His destiny for me.  He was speaking into my soul and aligning me and my talents for Him and His glory.  I will never stop being grateful or stop tearing up when I think about His patience with me or how it must have broken His heart to see me do the things I did to myself.
I try to bring God's light with me into the massage room every day and I pray for His healing for all of those on my table and I will always love being a vessel for Him in this way, but I know He is calling me to do other things for His Kingdom.  I am seeking His will and listening for His voice, but until I see what direction He is pointing me in, I will take small faithful steps of obedience because I know they are building blocks that will eventually position me where He can use me the most. 
Recently Brandon and I were approached by our pastor and his wife about taking on a small role in the church.  If it had been just about anything else in the world, we would have immediately said yes, but this involves getting up in front of the whole congregation every Sunday if only for a few minutes at a time.  Really?  The one thing in this world that absolutely terrifies me???  But I trust the Graingers and know this was something that they had prayed about before they brought it to us.  I also believe that God calls us to be better versions of ourselves for Him.  This is one of the reasons I love my church so very much; Pastor Lucas challenges us to step up and live out our faith instead of passively listening to sermons Sunday after Sunday.  He is equipping us to equip others to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, have deeper intimacy with our Heavenly Father, and walk in harmony with the Holy Spirit.  While I was seeking a new church a little over a year ago, I had one major requirement - that it meet the standard set in Ephesians 4:11-13