He comes to make His blessing known

Cam and I are overflowing with joy to announce a new member in our family.

This process has been a whirlwind for us -- definitely for me with my abundance of emotions. As many of you know we lost our first child around 12 weeks just this past November. 

When we found out we were pregnant with our second Smithling my first response was fear. We wanted children and prayed for them -- even for our first. However, I didn't know if I could wholeheartedly trust again. After a few short weeks Cam and I agreed that life is worth celebrating no matter how long that life lasts. I feel like we spent a lot of our time worrying with our first baby and didn't quite take time to celebrate the life we had for 12 weeks. So this time around we struggle and help each other fight for joy!

Our first appointment we sobbed tears of pure joy when our Doctor immediately found a heartbeat. When she told us our due date was Christmas Day I couldn't help but really feel the effects of redemption --  a piece of darkness being torn from the world and from our very own story. Last year Christmas was a time for grieving and healing for me -- I must have listened to Red Mountain's Christmas cd a million times letting those words really sink in. 

This is the song I remember both struggling with, and at the same time resting in the most. I didn't feel joy or really feel like preparing room in my heart to celebrate Jesus honestly. But the promise in the third verse is what kept this song on repeat -- I could rest in the hope of redemption both now and to come. And though I didn't feel celebratory, I felt incredible thankfulness for the birth of Jesus.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:let earth receive her King!Let every heart prepare him roomand heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:let men their songs employwhile fields and floods rocks hills and plainsrepeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grownor thorns infest the ground:he comes to make his blessings flowfar as the curse is found.
He rules the earth with truth and grace,and makes the nations provethe glories of his righteousnessand wonders of his love

And so I thought how fitting for our announcement of this new incredible blessing and gift in our lives. We have definitely felt his blessing flow far as the curse is found and we continue to be humbly grateful.
Pray for us and for our little one as we anticipate the coming of Christmas 2013!!