Stepping Out In Faith

I have three kids. That’s one of the ways I describe myself to new people. One of those three, I birthed one naturally—without drugs of any sort—during a wildly brief 2.5 hour labor; one of those was cut out of me via surgeon after he did a backflip and effectively got stuck, face first, in my cervix. And the other, well the other was introduced to me as a four year old in purple Barbie pajamas. She came first and she came, perhaps, most unexpectedly. I am a wife, a mother… and a stepmom.

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while. Ever so often I think of something interesting I might want to write about. I’ve thought about writing a cooking blog or a "crunchy-mom" blog. But for one reason or another, I’ve never gotten around to embarking on this blog life until now.

This year I’ve pondered my life in a new way; I’ve made some breakthroughs spiritually and in my closest relationships. I’ve read more books than I usually read and I’ve probably said a few more prayers than in years past. There has been some turmoil and some reprieve. I have been married for four and a half years. My stepdaughter is 11 years old now and she’s a remarkable girl. Still, step parenting and step family issues—if I’m being honest—probably bring the most discord to my life than any other thing. I tried to rewrite that last sentence in a way that didn’t sound so negative, but couldn’t come up a better way to say it. The truth is, I may be most tested by my family dynamic, but I believe that by it, I am given the most opportunity for spiritual growth. There is a way to stand still in this Christian life and without issues that press into your heart and give you a reason to reflect, it becomes easier to stagnate.

So with that, I purpose to write this blog as a record of how the Lord uses my marriage, parenting, and step parenting, as methods to refine and renew me. I hope maybe there are other Christian stepmoms or stepfamilies that will be encouraged by these meditations.