Written from a mother's heart and born out of a mommy's desire to connect with her unborn baby, these powerful prayers, devotions and original poems will touch the heart of both mother and baby alike.
Written from a mother's heart and born out of a mommy's desire to connect with her unborn baby, these powerful prayers, devotions and original poems will touch the heart of both mother and baby alike.
Expectant Blessings: Prayers, Poems, and Devotions For You and Your Baby
144
Expectant Blessings: Prayers, Poems, and Devotions For You and Your Baby
144eBook
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Overview
Written from a mother's heart and born out of a mommy's desire to connect with her unborn baby, these powerful prayers, devotions and original poems will touch the heart of both mother and baby alike.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781617957802 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hachette Nashville |
| Publication date: | 03/08/2016 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Praise for Expectant Blessings
Prayers, Poems, and Devotions For You and Your Baby
By Susanna Foth Aughtmon
Worthy Publishing Group
Copyright © 2016 Susanna Foth AughtmonAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-61795-780-2
CHAPTER 1
This Is It!
THIS IS IT! Your moment has arrived. You are pregnant. A mom-to-be. A soon-to-be-nesting mama bird, as it were. Unbelievable, isn't it? So let the praying commence. Because that is what we moms do. We hope. We dream. We peruse baby websites, and we pray.
You may not think that you know how to pray, but prayers are just conversations that you have with your heavenly Father. It makes sense that you would put your questions, your deep concerns, your greatest hopes, and your innermost thoughts to the One who loves you and this little one most of all. He has the power and ability to do amazing things.
God wants to be close to you whether or not you are pregnant. But there is something so revelatory about having a baby that it seems to invite His presence even more. You are experiencing daily miracles, and He wants in on that. All the joy. All the hope. All the creativity. And you need Him right now. In those moments of reading His Word and listening for His voice, He will remind you once again how much He delights in this new little one that He is forming.
My prayers during pregnancy took on a third-party aspect. Whatever prayers that I prayed were witnessed by me, my heavenly Father, and my baby. Jesus said, "When two or three gather in my name, I am with them." For the next nine months, I had a constant prayer partner on hand to agree with me. When my husband, Scott, joined in we had a real prayer meeting going on.
Now, you may not be a very long-winded pray-er. That is okay. Prayers can be real and to the point. Like, "Dear Jesus, where are the Tums? I need them now." It is an important prayer. Anti-nausea prayers are mostly short laments like "Help." And "Sweet Mercy." And then there are those moments when the greatness of all that is taking place inside of you will lift your heart so high, that all you can do is say, "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." The beauty of prayer is that it is spirit talking to Spirit. Deep talking to deep. God knows all that is contained in your heart when you pray.
My good friend, Pastor Mark, says that even after we leave this earth, the prayers we pray go on and on into eternity. So while you may forget the prayers that you have prayed over this sweet one, the One who placed the stars in the universe, gathers them close and continues answering those prayers as the years pass by. So now is the time to pray big. Get creative. Pray for this baby in every possible way that you can think of. For anything and everything that God lays upon your heart to pray. And know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is already answering.
Lord,
I am overwhelmed by Your goodness.
Thank You for answering my prayers.
Show me how to love and pray for this little one.
Thank You for the gift of this new life.
Amen.
He said to them,
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive
the kingdom of God like a little child
will never enter it."
And he took the children in his arms,
put his hands on them and blessed them.
—
Mark 10:14–16
CHAPTER 2The Pregnant Path
FINDING OUT that you are pregnant is one of the most life-altering, beautiful things that can ever happen to you. In that moment, you became a part of a miracle. The divine and the ordinary collide. A new person is coming to life, being knit together, by the love and providence of God, inside of you. This is all at once fantastic and terrifying. You may burst into tears or jump up and down, laughing with the joy of it. Or you may do both at the same time. This is perfectly normal behavior during pregnancy.
The first time I found out I was pregnant, I screamed so loudly I completely freaked out my husband. This is not the best way to announce your pregnancy. It would have been a good idea to tell him beforehand, "Honey, I am taking a pregnancy test right now." At least this is what he told me after he recovered from his near heart attack. It wasn't that I didn't want to include him in the special moment. It's just that I wasn't expecting the test to turn up positive. I had taken a lot of pregnancy tests over our five years of marriage. I wasn't sure that I could actually get pregnant. And then here I was seeing that I WAS pregnant and I was undone. I didn't have any words to describe my feelings. Just piercing screams of joy.
It is a rare day when you realize that the course of your life has just shifted. The day you find out you are heading down the pregnant path is a day to remember and ponder in your heart. (It is surely one that my husband will never forget.) And after you have pondered this wondrous event, go ahead and do some deep breathing exercises. You are about to launch into an adventure in the unknown.
The pregnant path is a journey of waiting. Hoping. And trusting. The trust part is huge. Looking down at your positive pregnancy test, you have a choice. You can choose to (a) freak out or (b) trust the One who loves you most of all to walk this journey with you. He will understand if you freak out ... but He would really love for you to trust Him — wholly and completely. You should know that the beauty of trusting in your heavenly Father is understanding that even though you are not in control of this experience ... He is.
He had this little one in mind for you before you ever did. Despite what you may think, He was not surprised when your test registered two blue lines. Trust Him and know that He is walking down your pregnant path with you. He is more in love with your little baby than you are. If you let Him, He will show you all the pleasure that is to be had during this season of your life.
Lord,
I trust in You. In Your wisdom.
In Your goodness. In Your faithfulness.
I know that this baby is a part of
Your plan for my life.
Thank You for leading me in Your ways.
Amen.
I'm Expecting You!
Describe how you found out you were pregnant
and how you felt.
________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________
Baby's Dure Date: ______________________________________________
CHAPTER 3All This Joy
JOY IS A HUGE PART of being a new mom. If this pregnancy has been a long-awaited event, you might want to prepare the people around you for the onset of all the happy that you will be exuding. If you have been longing for a little one, it completely makes sense that you would break into cheery songs of praise and pregnant jigs at the news. Just keep the jigs on the less-rambunctious side. You should know that there are going to be moments when you will burst into tears because of all the hope welling up within you. You will experience your heart cracking open with love in a way that it never has before. New life is taking place inside of you. The joy just keeps coming. Does it get any better than this? I don't think so.
Now ... there is also the possibility that your pregnancy was completely unplanned and you are thinking, What in the world? Happy isn't exactly where I am living right now. But there is still room for joy, even amidst the chaotic emotions. Mary, Jesus' mom, had the craziest surprise pregnancy ever. She couldn't believe that she was going to be a mom, let alone a mom to God's Son. She was completely freaked out and had every right to be. And yet in those moments of confusion and fear, she started to sing. A song of praise. Because she realized that God had ordained this. This was her new journey. He was blessing her. She didn't understand it, but she was going with it.
This is your new journey, too. God is pouring out His blessing on you in the form of this little one. Whether you realize it or not, this baby is an answer to your prayers. The One who knows you, the Giver of every perfect gift, knows exactly what you need. And in this moment in time? This baby is part of that. Even if it feels overwhelming. Even if the timing seems crazy. (In case you were wondering ... there is no perfect time to have a baby.) Even if you are a little scared and are overwhelmed by nausea ... go with the joy. Share the joy with the ones you love. Throw back your head and sing. With one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart, tell the One who loves you so much how much you love Him back.
Lord,
Thank You for Your overwhelming joy!
Thank You for this new life that You are
blessing me with. You are an amazing God,
full of good surprises. I love You.
Amen.
For You, Baby
I'm dreaming dreams of you, baby,
Each night when I lie in bed, I dream a thousand dreams of you
Dreams of a brown boy or a rosy girl
With Daddy's eyes and Mommy's nose
Butter soft skin and round chubby legs
Safe in my arms and close to my heart
I can't help thinking that my sweetest dreams are of you, baby.
I'm thinking thoughts of you, baby,
Each morning when I wake up, I think a thousand thoughts of you
Thoughts of your moods and of your smiles
The sound of your giggles and sad little cries
The smell of your skin after a warm morning bath
Safe in my arms and filling my mind
I can't help thinking that my purest thoughts are of you, baby.
I'm hoping hopes for you, baby,
Each afternoon as I sit in the sun, I hope a thousand hopes for you
Hopes for blue mornings and rainy afternoons
For dreams come true and wishes granted
For love and goodness and peace and mercy to surround you
Safe in my arms and hugged to my chest
I can't help thinking that my highest hopes are for you, baby.
I'm wondering wonders about you, baby,
Each twilight as I look out my window, I wonder a thousand
wonders about you
Wonders of will you be a hand holder or a cheek kisser?
Will you like ice cream? Will you catch bugs?
And how many times can I squeeze you in one day?
Safe in my arms and near to my soul
I can't help thinking that my loftiest wonders are of you, baby.
I'm praying prayers for you, baby,
Each evening as I stare into the heavens, I pray a thousand
prayers for you
Prayers of joy and protection
Of grace and endless forgiveness
Of wisdom and patience and blessing and faith
Safe in His arms and bundled in His Spirit
I can't help thinking that my loudest prayers are for you, baby.
And I can't help knowing, baby, that you are the answer to my prayers.
CHAPTER 4Spreading the Good News
THERE ARE ONLY a few times in your life when the information you hold, can make the people who love you absolutely lose their minds. One of those times is when you tell them that you are having a baby. There may be some screaming. Some disbelief. Some tears of joy. If you are telling the person face-to-face, you can expect some ecstatic hugging. Possibly some jumping up and down. This is seriously fantastic news that you are sharing. The world as they know it is about to get better. Someone whom they love is having another someone whom they love. It just does not get any better than that.
One of the best calls that I ever made was when Scott and I called to tell his grandmother Alice, aka Granny, that we were expecting our first baby. Granny was in New York visiting relatives for the summer. She was a little hard of hearing so I was pretty much yelling into the phone. "Granny?" "Sue?" "Yes! It's me, Sue. Scott and I are calling because we have something fun to tell you." "What is it?" "We are going to have a baby." "What?" "We are going to have a baby!" "You're up the flue?" "What?" "Up the flue! You're pregnant?" "Yes! We are pregnant ... what did you call it again?" "Up the flue!" "Okay ... I am up the flue!" I am pretty sure that "up the flue" is a saying from the 1920s ... but we were going with it. Granny got so happy, she started laughing and crying and wheezing a little. She always wheezed when she laughed. It was one of the best sounds I had ever heard in my life.
Sharing the joy of becoming a parent with those you love is important because pregnancy is a shared journey. The reason that your people are so excited to hear about your pregnancy is because they are already invested ... in you. They love YOU. And this baby is an extension of you. Your parents, grandparents, and friends embark on a journey of loving this little one as soon as they find out he is coming. You have heard the saying "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, these folks are your village. You have their collective wisdom, help, and love to draw on once this baby is born. You have their support and their encouragement to lean on throughout these next nine months.
Family and friends are a gift that your heavenly Father has given you. You may not have two nickels to rub together, but if you have people who love you and your baby, you are rich. Loving each other was His idea. When you love and are loved by those around you, you are fulfilling your heavenly Father's heart's desire. He is over the moon about this baby. He wants everyone else to be, too. So soak up the joy telling your people and making those calls and know that your heavenly Father is right in the middle of it. He loves good news.
Lord,
Thank You for the joy of this good news I get to share.
Thank You for the people who love me
and love this baby.
And thank You, most of all, for being right
in the middle of this joy.
Amen.
Good News!
Describe how you announced to your family and friends that you were pregnant.
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 5Great Expectations
EXPECTATIONS ARE A HUGE PART of pregnancy. You are expecting a new wonderful addition to your family. You are expecting an adorable little one who will light up your life with joy. And you are expecting for this season of life to go well. What you may not be expecting are some of the surprises that pregnancy can spring on you along the way.
During my pregnancies, I experienced a great deal of nausea. My mom never had morning sickness. So I expected that I would be blessed with her wonderful nausea-free DNA. It was not to be. I became best friends with sea bands and saltine crackers. Strong smells sent me right over the edge. I could smell garlic from a mile away. The pregnancy Iexpected was not the pregnancy I got. And I am not the only one who has felt that way.
One of my good friends experienced some surprises during her second pregnancy. When she showed me a picture of her sonogram, I remember saying, "This is so exciting ... wait ... WHAT? Are you having twins?" With a kind of dazed smile she said, "Yes! It's twins! Can you believe it?" And I could not believe it. And she could not believe it. Two babies. Double the crazy. Double the joy. That takes the unexpected to a whole new level.
In the next nine months, you may have a smidge of the unexpected come your way. The reality of what your pregnancy is like may not match up to your idea of what you thought it would be. But that is okay. The growing of a new life has a way of changing everything ... from your eating habits to your emotional state. When you find yourself disappointed because something is not going exactly the way that you thought it would? Try and do those deep breathing exercises ... and then go with it. Let go of your expectations, whatever they are, and send up this prayer, "Lord, I wasn't expecting this ... AT ALL ... but I know that this isn't a surprise for You. And I am choosing to trust You in this." This is the kind of prayer that will let you breathe.
Expectations, in and of themselves, are hit or miss. But even though you may be walking out a different pregnancy than you expected, one expectation will be met without a doubt. God will be with you. Whatever surprises your pregnancy brings you, whether it is nausea or twins or both, He is near. Whether you are having an unexpected moment of joy or an unexpected moment of craziness, He will hem you in on every side. And He will surround you and your little one with His all-encompassing love in the coming days. Those are some great expectations to have realized.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Praise for Expectant Blessings by Susanna Foth Aughtmon. Copyright © 2016 Susanna Foth Aughtmon. Excerpted by permission of Worthy Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,1. This Is It!,
2. The Pregnant Path,
3. All This Joy,
4. Spreading the Good News,
5. Great Expectations,
6. His Little One,
7. Finding Your People,
8. A Pregnant Meditation,
9. Welcome to the Pregnant Moms Club!,
10. Being Unafraid,
11. Money Matters,
12. Little Wonders,
13. The Heartbeat,
14. The Great Feast,
15. Oh, Baby!,
16. So Tired,
17. Pregnancy Pants,
18. People Say Weird Things,
19. Weight Watcher,
20. Belly Buttons,
21. The Pregnant Roller Coaster,
22. The Laying On of Hands,
23. It's All About Change,
24. The Love Lens,
25. The Fullness of Joy,
26. Songs of Delight,
27. Baby Gymnastics,
28. The Name Game,
29. The Best Nest,
30. What You Really Need,
31. Help Is on the Way,
32. Generations,
33. Resting Up,
34. Birthing People,
35. All the Waiting,
36. So Huge,
37. The Big Squeeze,
38. Taking Care,
39. The Good Mom,
40. Hello, Love!,