Peace I give unto you...

Prince of Peace: Liz Lemon Swindle
Anyone who's ever been pregnant knows of the 1st and 2nd trimester woes: getting up every night because you have to pee uncontrollably, inhaling your food like there's not enough for everyone and then sleeping off the calories, stretch marks, toughing out colds because you can't take medicine and the never-ending backaches. These have been my main symptoms of pregnancy besides the exciting kicks and stretches that my little girl gives me every so often. 

 My pregnancy has been very easy going, but earlier this week I had my first bout of real pain that has made me wonder how I am ever going to survive labor and delivery.

 Yesterday I woke up at 7:30AM, like I usually do, with a stiff sort of bloating pain in my lower right abdomen.  The doctor tells me that this is ligament pain and is a result of relaxin being released into my body to relax the joints in preparation for labor. This is normal for me in the mornings but I use the restroom, and then I feel better. Today was different. Although I used the restroom, the pain not only did not relax but grew more intense. I stayed in bed and read my scriptures, ate breakfast with Justin and went back to bed for about an hour to try and let the pain subside. It didn’t.

As the day progressed, the pain got worse traveling down my ligaments, which made it near impossible to walk because of the pain that riveted through me with each step. It hurt to walk, it hurt to use the restroom, it even hurt to try and readjust my position. I had to use my hand to help lift my right leg up onto the couch or chair because any movement that used the muscles around my right ligament would hurt. It was a day full of pain from 7:30AM to 5PM and I spent it sitting on the couch and only getting up to take Lucy on two short walks. All I could do was lie still and hope and pray the pain would go away.

I hoped rest would help, but when it hadn't subsided in the least, I had Justin bring a hot compress home from work with him. It helped relieve a little of the pain, but not near enough. I planted my booty to the couch for the rest of the evening and so my sweet husband let me sit while he made us dinner, while he took Lucy on a 30 minute run, and then stayed by me the rest of the evening.

We held FHE in the TV room upstairs and learned about two principles of peace – an outline the church put out for members to study leading up to Easter. We studied Faith and God’s Word. Each lesson has a video and then some questions and tasks for us to do. For faith, the task was to select a trial in your life and find a scripture story that can help you. Of course my immediate thought was my trial with this unending pain that had me worried, but I wasn’t sure what scripture story was an example of this. Justin thought of the woman with the issue of blood. For years she’d been isolated from her family and in pain, but when she heard the Savior was coming, she made every effort to reach out to Him for healing (Mark 5:25-34)
Thread of Faith: Howard Lyon
I decided to follow her example so before I laid down to sleep, I pled with my Father in Heaven to take away this pain and to heal me through the Atonement of His Son. I expressed my understanding of the healing power of God and how He healed the woman with the issue of blood and prayed that His power would likewise heal me - that as I slept, my body would be renewed. I fell asleep with that prayer of faith in my heart, knowing I would awake healed if I had faith in His power.

I awoke – afraid to move and see if the pain was still there. Have faith, I thought. As I’ve moved around slowly this morning, I only have a slight tenderness where the pain once was. As the day progressed, so did my body until I felt completely healed and back to normal. I am so grateful for my dear Savior and Father in Heaven who are so eager to bless us if we but ask in faith.

How am I going to get through labor and delivery? By relying on my Savior in faith. 

“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:14
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” – John 14:18
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church History in Review: Primary Jeopardy Game

Image
The first Sunday Justin and I attended our new ward in Vernal, the bishop called us into his office. We assumed it was just a "get-to-know-you" meeting... We walked out of his office 10 minutes later with a new calling: Co-primary teachers for the Valiant 9 class (9 year olds). We love teaching primary and have actually been lucky enough to partner up before. I've got the whole hand-out and object lesson thing down and Justin is pro at telling stories and engaging the class. This year the subject for primary is Church History so we've been learning about Joseph Smith, the angel Moroni, and the publishing of the Book of Mormon. Last week we had a review of everything we've taught the class thus far. Instead of just reviewing everything, Justin and I spiced it up with a little game of Jeopardy. Winning team's prize was a plate full of Easter cookies. The TWIST : Each 500 point question came with a challenge. If the team wins the challenge, the que...
Read more

Coming Closer to Christ in 30 Days (Part 1)

Image
We all experience different seasons throughout our lives. At times we walk through this journey with the crisp air of Spring filling our lungs, the scent of fresh flowers and rain making every breath one of renewal, and the refreshing vision of a world blanketed in green. Other times we walk--or in my case, run--through the bitter winter storms. During those times, the heavy pressure of an oncoming thunderstorm can weigh on our shoulders, especially if we find ourselves stuck in the middle of a hurricane with no foreseeable way out. No matter the season we walk through today--or the season we'll face tomorrow--we have to rely on Christ always. Speaking from personal experience, it's often easy to forget Him when we walk through the Springs and Summers of life. It's not that we want to, but the peaceful time distracts us from the constant need we have to improve ourselves to become like Him. After the April 2018 LDS General Conference, Justin and I both felt the urgen...
Read more

Moonshine Arch: A Hidden Gem in the middle of Vernal

Image
When I tell people that Justin and I live in Vernal, Utah, I often get a lot of scrunched up noses followed by the question, "Why? What's in Vernal?" Well, a lot actually. Although very different from Charlottesville, Vernal has it's own desert beauty which puts me in awe of the beautiful world God created for His children. Moonshine Arch is one of those beautiful gems hidden smack dab in the middle of Vernal.  Justin, Lucy, and I decided to explore this hidden gem on Saturday and it turned out to be the perfect day to just pack up and go. The sun shone but, being April, we had a nice breeze to cool the 2.4 mile, round trip hike.  The best part, too, is that once you reach the arch it is such a fun place to let the kids go wild. They can climb to the top side of the arch, play in the sand or explore to their hearts content.  Check out our first hike of the season below!  More information on the hike and directions are below the photos.  ...
Read more