The joys of pregnancy and true blessings

I am pregnant and, as if I do not already vent to anyone in earshot, I feel the need to vent it here on my blog, as well. I am thinking maybe if I vent here I will stop complaining so much to people who actually have to listen. You can stop reading now, if you like but they just have to listen or walk away.*

*this may be worth reading after all as I have had some revelations while writing it.


This is baby boy number 2

I feel somewhat guilty in hating to be pregnant for several reasons. The latest one being a sweet family who has a little 1 lb 12 oz baby boy fighting for his life on a ventilator. I have dear friends who have had miscarriages and suffer from other fertility issues. All of these are awful, there is no doubt. In fact, if I were not carrying this child to term I would feel even more awful than I do physically. I know that for certain. So, why do these things not sink into my brain when I am complaining about what realistically, is just a lot of discomfort?

I am a selfish person who has not lived with enough discomfort in life to understand what it truly is. Realize when I say this, my life has not been perfect. In fact, I dealt with a great deal of garbage in my late teens and early twenties as well as a few other things in life. But, I have a wonderful, loving and supportive family and always have had. I made a lot of stupid decisions that led to a lot of the garbage and yet through it all I still have experienced the grace and mercy of my Saviour, Jesus Christ. And a lot of other good has come from the dark places.

BUT, I do not know what it is like to be starving for days at a time or to live in a place with a dirt floor and thatch roof. I have NO idea what it feels like to hear gunfire and bombs going off in my city on a regular basis or to fear that the local police force may come into my house, kidnap my husband, hurt my children and rape me. I do not know what it is like not to have the freedom to worship my God in a public place for anyone to see for fear of being put in prison and tortured or killed. I do not know the reality of living in a country where the church you happen to be affiliated with is the one that people throw bombs into.

So, I have a child, who happens to be a blessing, stretching out his little self inside me where there is no longer room to do that. So, he feels the need to be a Kung Fu fighter in there at 2 am. I have not had a good nights sleep in a few weeks. I have heartburn almost 24/7 with no relief. My hips hurt, my back hurts, my belly hurts, and a lot of the time my behind hurts. I feel simultaneously hungry and full most of the time. In the big picture while I have a hard time seeing the "joys of pregnancy" I can not wait for the end result and as I reflect on true suffering I know I need to suck it up and realize that I have never, at this point in my life, experienced what true suffering is. And for that I am MORE than thankful. And for the blessing that this little man is and will be in my life and, I hope, the lives of others I can do nothing less than thank God for allowing me the privilege of being his and his big brother's mommy.

Big brother

Isn't he just the sweetest little thing?!

King James: 400 years old but is he still the "only one"?

I was ruminating with my dad today about Bibles. A while back he introduced me to a neat website you can check out here which led to our discussion. He asked if I have a translation of choice and in thinking about it I realized that I really do not. I grew up on the New International Version and so a lot of the verses I have memorized are that translation though I do not tend to read that one much anymore. I sometimes prefer my New Living Translation, sometimes I want to read my New King James and other times I wish I had a New American Standard because I enjoy that when looking up certain text online. I do however have a translation I DO NOT prefer and in fact, it tends to turn me off. That is the old King James. I believe the reason for the King James Bible at the time was great. He wanted the common man to be able to read The Word in the language of the people. What has always bothered me as an adult is the great "hanging onto", so to speak, of this translation. King James wanted the Bible to be read AND understood by the common person and we do not speak the same way as they did 400 years ago. Therefore why do so many adhere to this translation as "the only one"?
I also must defer to Jesus on this point because, of course, His opinion on the subject is really the most important. Did He say anything that I could relate to this matter? Did He do anything that causes me to believe He may just agree with me on this point? Let me see what I can find. . .

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15.1-3 NASB

To me this is a wonderful example of the "hanging onto" of the King James Bible. If we are so bent on not allowing a modern translation to be used by our pastor, church or congregation for the sake of tradition that we alienate people who do not understand the language how are we following the command of the Great Commission?

What else might Jesus say that relates to this subject?

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22.34-40 NASB

To me this relates in that He is explaining what is most important. More important than what translation we read, what type of music we sing, whether the sermon is topical, expository or a bit of both. What is important is that we allow ourselves to be tools of Christ's love in order to reach the lost of the world. If that means putting our King James Bible aside and pulling out our New Living Translation to be better understood by one who has never read the Bible how can this be a bad thing?! I have heard the arguments that Bible translations have been "watered down" and "meanings get changed". I think that is all a bunch of nonsense, if the Holy Spirit is working we could really be reading (please read with exaggeration and humor) Dr. Seuss and the person would be hearing about Jesus and His love. I am not suggesting we be foolish but instead that we have already been foolish in the "hanging onto" of the old King James. Of course, this Bible had it's place in our history and it was and is a wonderful thing but we must be reasonable and practical, as well. It is not the only Bible that has been God-breathed:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
II Timothy 3.16 NASB

*On another note regarding Bibles in general I highly recommend this particular entry from the aforementioned blog.