Fearfully and wonderfully made . . .

Being a mom has taught me many things. We have one of those 'his, mine, and ours' families that consists of 5 kids, and now blessed by 4 precious grandchildren and another on the way! Wow, God has been good to our family! All of our children have similarities in their looks and personalities. When our children were young and people found out we had a 'blended' family, they often would look at the kids and guess wrongly which child belonged to which parent! However, I couldn't help but be amazed at their differences. Our oldest is our beautiful daughter, Andrea, my step-daughter. She has her daddy's dark eyes and hair and olive complexion. Our youngest, Crystal, looks so much like my husband's sister that if there were no other items in the pictures to 'date' them, you would be hard pressed to tell them apart as children. But the funny thing is, now that Crys is older, she looks just like Andrea! She even has many of her mannerisms and laughs just like her!

Our other beautiful daughter, Brittney, looks just like me. At least that's what everyone says, bless her heart. But she has my mom's blue eyes, hair color, and pretty much her personality! Funny thing about that is, I've been told all my life I look just like my daddy. Brittney looks nothing like my daddy, yet she looks like me! Confusing, huh?

All of us bear the marks of family traits. Looks, personalities, mannerisms. So many things handed down through the ages, many of them we don't even realize until we get older. Sometimes I find it a bit overwhelming to realize that God created every one of us to be unique and individual, but still made in His image. Have you ever thought about how incredibly creative our heavenly Father is? I'm posting one more picture from the beautiful flowers at Bellingrath. This is a close up of the center of a hybiscus bloom. Look at the detail He put into one simple bloom. If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can even see a tiny green bug on it! Then consider that His word says that He knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb, that all of your days were ordained before one of them had even happened! How precious you are to Him! How great is His love for you and me!
Blessings,
Renea

Hebrews 11:21

"It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each  of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff." 

When my father-in-law passed away, one of the things my husband took comfort in was knowing that his last breath was drawn as my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were singing Dad's favorite hymn to him, "Amazing Grace." Dad loved God more than life itself. And I can imagine that nothing would have pleased him more than to be hearing the words of that great, old hymn as he drifted into the arms of his Saviour! 

What a beautiful picture we have in this verse in Hebrews. An old man, who perhaps is too old to kneel or fall prostrate before God, leaning on his staff in worship after blessing two of his grandchildren! I found this little bible gem while doing my 'homework' for a Beth Moore study. It got me to thinking about my heritage of attending worship with my family. What a privileged life I have had! No, we weren't wealthy or high on the social status roster, but my family has a tremendous wealth of Christian heritage! I only hope that my last act on this earth is to be worshiping my Father who has so richly blessed me!

Here are few more pics from Bellingrath Gardens. The first is my mom holding my granddaughter, Jolie, while she throws pennies in the fountain. What a joy it has been for me to watch this sweet little thing with her great-grandmother!

This one is my youngest daughter Crys (yes, the one with the pink hair!), my neice, Lauren, granddaughter, Jolie, and my daddy, my very own family patriarch!

The last one is my parents with all the grandchildren and the one great-grandchild that were there with us. From the left, daughter Crystal, nephew Daniel, niece Lauren, my dad and mom, granddaugter Jolie, niece Ashley, and my next to youngest daughter, Brittney, aka Jolie's mom. (Isn't that how all of us are known after we have children? lol)

Remember today that no matter what your family heritage consists of, you can have a heritage in God that is beyond what you can even think or imagine! He has an inheritance for you that you don't want to miss! May God bless you today and give you a glimpse of the incredible plan He has for your life!

Faith usually calls us to act. Sometimes it requires us to do nothing at all, while our human nature screams to interfere. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

Some inspiration . . .

Just thought I'd share some pics from Bellingrath Gardens for inspiration. Even though these scenes are enhanced by man's work, they still exhibit God's beautiful creation! Have you ever thought that God chose to make the world in living color? He could have made it in shades of gray. But he is a God who loves to create. If  he went to so much trouble to make so many different shades of colors and shapes in the flowers, how much more do you think he values you? You are created in HIS OWN IMAGE! What an incredible concept to meditate on today! God loves you so much that He fashioned you after His own being! Think on that today as you go about your daily duties!