I love you because...

With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, it has me thinking about my hubby & all the reasons I love him. We never really celebrate Valentine's Day...not because we're against it, but more because, as cliche as it sounds, everyday is a "Valentine's Day" for us. We love finding different ways to show our love to each other. Valentine's Day has always been focused on Bryson & now both boys. (This year, we're having a Valentine's Day party for Bryson at our house Sunday evening with all his friends. They get to dress up all fancy, eat a nice dinner & have fun at our house. I'm super excited!) 

So, even though we don't really do much to celebrate the "love" holiday, I still think my husband is the absolute greatest & I want to brag on him more. So with that being said...

I love you because...

[ 10 of the many reasons I love you, Bryant Reid ]

1. I love you because your eyes are set on Jesus. They're focused on eternal things; things that matter and you're constantly reminding me to keep that kingdom mindset when my eyes get distracted on temporary things. By loving Jesus more, you love me better. 

2. I love you because your face ALWAYS gives you away. Bryant & I have an ongoing prank. Somehow we got a plastic roach & are constantly putting it in places to try & scare each other. I've put in under the sheets on his side of the bed, so when he pulls the covers back at night, he about jumps out of his clothes. I've put it in the drawer on his side of the bathroom where his floss & toothpaste is (if you know Bryant, you know how obsessed his is with clean teeth & is constantly flossing & brushing). But, tonight was by far the best one yet! I put the roach in his yeti cup that he drinks water out of all day. Tonight at dinner, he went to take a sip & about had a heart attack! I laughed so hard!! Naturally, he needed his revenge. He tried putting it in the cookie dough package...didn't scare me. Then he tried putting it in my mashed potatoes. When I got back to the table, I didn't even have to look for it. The smirk on his face gave it all way. He can never lie (which is a good thing)...he does this weird thing with his lips & I instantly know he's pulling my leg or not telling the truth. Sorry babe, but your face always gives it away! 

3. I love you because you are such a phenomenal daddy to Bryson & Parker. I remember when we first started dating, one of the things that was so different about you, in comparison to all the other guys I had dated was, your life didn't just stop for me. Not that I expected it to, but before, I dated guys who smothered me with flowers every day, (don't get me wrong, I love flowers...but getting them every single stinkin' day...eventually it got old) had a white mocha waiting for me every day (again...I love coffee, but if the surprises happen every single day, they kinda lose their "surprise" effect) and they were with me 24/7. Your top priority was Bryson. You cancelled plans with me so that you could be with Bryson. You worked your schedule around Bryson. If Bryson was with you, Bryson went on our dates (those were some of my favorite times). Why? Because you're an incredible father. Plans being cancelled or changed because of Bryson was never an inconvenience to me; it showed me what an incredible father you were & would be to our kids. It's one of the biggest things that made me so crazy about you. Your boys mean everything to you & it's evident in everything you do. Every action is weighed out with your family in mind. You know that you have little eyes & ears watching & listening. You know that by walking in integrity, truth & love, you're making an eternal impact on their lives...and oh how thankful I am for the father you are! 

4. I love you because your laugh brings me so much joy! (If you've been around Bryant very long, you know he's famous for his laugh.) The first time my dad ever heard him laugh, we were on a family beach trip & we had just gotten to the beach & had made the normal Walmart run to stock up for the week. Something made Bryant laugh & he got on one of his laughing kicks. My dad (who is probably one of the most quiet, introverted people I know) got so embarrassed by it that he made Bryant stay on a different aisle away from him until he could contain himself. Since then, dad has grown to love it & it doesn't bother him near as much anymore. But, just to hear that laugh, it makes my heart full...knowing that you're happy & enjoying this beautiful life we've built together. 

5. I love you because you know exactly what to do to calm me down. Even when I'm so mad that I don't even want to talk anymore, you give me that look, stretch those arms out & say your goofy line of "bring it in", as if you're talking to your teammates on your football team or something...and, although I wouldn't dare admit it at the time, I melt inside every time & don't even remember why I'm mad anymore. (This is the only time you'll hear me admit that, so soak it up while you can, babe!) 

6. I love you because you work so incredibly hard for your family, never once complaining or looking for accolades & attention. It doesn't go unnoticed the countless days you head to work in the early hours of the morning so you can get off early, use your lunch break to get your gym workout in, come home to us, only to help with dinner, homework, changing diapers, feeding the baby & of course work on the never ending honey-do list. I've watched you continue to climb the ladder within the corporate world, develop as a leader & step out of your comfort zone. Day after day, you are constantly pushing forward & becoming stronger in your role as a man of God, husband, father, son, leader & employee. I see the sacrifices you make & although I don't tell you nearly enough, I love & appreciate you more than you'll ever know. I couldn't ask for a better man to lead our family & do life with. 

  

7. I love you because on Saturday mornings when Parker wakes up early, you'll wake up with Park, shut our bedroom door, take the boys down & let me sleep. You don't have to do that. You could easily say it's my turn to get up & roll back over & go to sleep, but you don't. Because you love me...or maybe it's because the bags underneath my eyes have gotten so dark that you're starting to notice...either way, I'm thankful! :) 

8. I love you because you can play ANYTHING! You blow me away at your skill level & ability to pick up any instrument and play. (He now plays the drums, trumpet, guitar, bass & piano...oh, and I don't know if you've ever heard, but the man can SING too!) You're amazing, babe! 

9. I love you because I am constantly learning so much from you. Everything from pointless, random knowledge that most people would never know, to the Word of God; you're constantly teaching me something. I'm amazed at how much that brain of yours can hold! 

10. I love you because you're my quiet place. After a long, crazy, chaotic day, you remind me what's truly important, correct when I'm out of place & hold me when I'm broken. I can be myself when I'm with you & I know that when you look at me, you always see the best. You have my best interest at heart, you love me & you pray for me. Your faith is some of the strongest I've ever seen & we face life's battles together, side by side, hand in hand...even if that means hand in hand as we crawl in bed at 12am, after a long day,

giving you a kiss on the cheek & then crashing...I'm with you...and that's what matter to me. 

I could go on & on about why I love you. I guess what it all boils down to is, your love reflects our heavenly Father's love. You love selflessly. Humbly. Purely. You support my dreams & love me when I'm most unlovable. I don't give you near enough credit or appreciation. I love you because you're you...and I'm very thankful that you are mine. 

Love you till my last breath ~Chels

the rocks

I'm supposed to be working. Tomorrow is our last "push day", as we call it, for our 2016 spring semester Life Groups, which launch next Sunday and I have a thousand things to do for tomorrow and to get everyone ready for the launch. I have our website that needs to be updated for next week (web designing ain't no joke & sucks up all your time), I have laundry that needs to be folded, boys that want all my attention (I can assure you I'm not complaining one second about that one), I have to get to the grocery store some time today, bathrooms that need to be cleaned & my Paw's 80th birthday party to get ready for tomorrow after church at our house...and that's just part of my to-do list for today. We spent the morning at the ice rink watching Bryson's hockey game (he's getting so good) and he has a friend coming over tonight for a sleepover, which means I have till about 6pm to get everything I need to do finished before it's playing hide-and-go-seek, nerf gun wars, jumping on the trampoline & taking bike rides around the neighborhood for me! 

 Hockey today with the Davis boys :) 

But in the midst of it all, I was sitting outside working, the wind blowing through the trees, the sun shining down making it not too hot, but not too cold, the Lord reminded me of something I desperately needed to hear. I'm glad I wasn't "too busy" to stop & listen. 

This is my get-a-way today...sitting outside on the back porch in this perfect weather with my coffee & computer. 

My mother in law, one of my most favorite people on this entire planet, shared a link on my wall. Usually if I'm right in the middle of something, I won't check my notifications, but I happened to open this one up and began watching the video. It's called the The Invisible Woman. I encourage all women to watch it, especially mothers. 

It speaks to the women who feel like their children and husbands don't see all that they're doing; all the sacrifices that are being made for their sake...and it reminds us that GOD SEES. The lady who is speaking makes a statement towards the end of the video about building a monument to the Lord. The minute she said it, my mind went to the book of Joshua. A few weeks back our pastor preached out of Joshua about being ALL IN (our theme for 2016 at River of Life). He made a statement that had me thinking all afternoon; he said, "sometimes I do wonder why God doesn't just build the bridge for us." He was referring to when Joshua was leading the nation of Israel to cross the Jordan River. 

If you read Joshua chapter 3, it's easy to stop at the miracle: the Lord cut off the water of the Jordan River so the nation of Israel could cross onto dry land...and I am by no means undermining that miracle. Just like with everything else He does, the Lord gets all the glory! But, over the past few weeks, the Lord continued to draw me back to the next chapter (Joshua 4)...and not just for the obvious, but to take a closer look at the details of the first part of the chapter.

The Lord instructed Joshua to choose 12 men (one from each of the 12 tribes) to pick up a stone from the middle of the Jordan and carry it to where they would camp that night. When we think stone, we think of small river stones that can fit in our pockets or can easily be held in our hand, but that's not what these men carried. If you go back and read verse 5, it says "...each man must take a stone on his shoulder..." They had to be pretty large stones if the men had to carry them on their shoulder. After reading the verse, the Lord pointed out a few things to me. 

1. The Lord instructed Joshua to hand pick 12 men. It must've been considered quite the honor to be hand picked to represent your tribe and carry those stones. I once heard it said, "the Lord gives the biggest battles to His strongest soldiers." If you feel like you're carrying a heavy load, know that number one, God sees and number two, He knows you can handle it because He knows your strength comes from Him. It's an honor to carry those heavy loads. 

2. I think the first few times, actually every time I've read over this story, I pass off the stones like they're nothing...just a couple of rocks that were carried a little ways. But that's not the case. Number one, they had a purpose (I'll talk more about that later) & number two, they were heavy. Really heavy...and those guys carried them from the center of the Jordan River till the next place they camped...which must've been quite a trek. Can you imagine carrying those stones on your shoulder or back for miles...all day long...in the hot sun...trying to keep up with everyone else? It wasn't easy. They were heavy...heavy burdens. But, the burden they were carrying in the process paled in comparison to the glory they would bring the Lord once they reached their destination...and there's the parallel. The burdens you carry right now, the trails you face & obstacles you are constantly fighting, they all pale in comparison to the glory the Lord will receive when you make it to that finish line, overcome that obstacle, beat that sickness or hear "Well done my good and faithful servant." 

3. The stones had a purpose. It wasn't just to weigh those 12 men down and make it nearly impossible for them to reach their destination. It wasn't to make them suffer or cause them pain. It was to build a monument. A memorial to the Lord, in remembrance of all HE had done for them. 

"He said to the people of Israel, 'In the future when children ask their parents, "What do these stones mean?" the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed. The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know His mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life.' " Joshua 4:21-24 

Your struggles have a purpose. As I look back on this past year, I see the Lord's hand through every dark valley. Never once did we ever walk alone...and the larger the stones, hurdles, struggles, hard times...the bigger the monument my life is to the Lord. The harder times I endure, the more I'm able to point back to Christ. See, that's what trips up the people who are against you & that's what catches satan off guard. What they don't understand is, the more struggles they throw your way, the more you rely on Christ & are able to point back to Him. It's only through Him you're able to stand...because it's not you standing...its Him holding you up. The more you endure, the more of a testimony you have of what Christ has done in your life. 

4. And finally...He sees. He sees every tear and every hurt. He sees every night you stayed up till 2am baking for that birthday party or the days that you spend your one off day cleaning the house top to bottom and doing all the laundry. He sees the length of the to-do list that you put down in order to read stories to your kids at night before bed or the lunches that you skipped in order to get home early to them. He sees the mornings you decide to finally look decent, take the time to put make up on & a "cute" outfit for it only to be ruined by spit up or juice from the dinner you threw in the crockpot before rushing out the door. He sees those subtle cries of your heart that want someone to notice all the hard work you put into your family. He sees those times you bite your tongue when your child takes the one last piece of gum that you really wanted or when your husband eats the last scoop of ice cream that you were looking forward to tonight after the kids were in bed. He sees those mornings and nights spent in prayer covering your family, praying your kids will run into the destiny the Lord has for them. He sees those cries of your heart & those dreams that seem to be sitting on the shelf collecting dust. He sees it all...and He knows the larger the stones, the bigger the memorial that will reflect His glory. And you know what, even if no one else sees it, Him seeing it...that's enough. Because you don't do all those things for the glory of others, your husband or even your kids. 

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through Him." Colossians 3:17

I'm glad the Lord doesn't just build those bridges for us. I'm glad I have rocks to carry. I'm thankful that 5, 10, 20 years down the road, I'll be able to look back and show Bryson and Parker and our other 2 kids (yes, I want 4 kids) and our grandkids about the faithfulness of Christ throughout our life and marriage. I'm thankful the Lord entrusted these rocks to me.

So, to all you tired mamas out there...use your rocks...and build a beautiful monument to the Lord. One that will last the test of time. One that will allow your kids to spend eternity with you and our maker. A memorial that took blood, sweat and many, many tears. Because in the end, carrying those rocks will prove to be more than worth it! 

All my love~
      Chelsea