Monday SHINE....
Good morning, SHINE! As promised we have an exciting week here on SHINE!
Besides the incredible privilege of reading the Word of God together...we will be celebrating our Mother's together this week!
Your very own fellow SHINE sisters will be posting their stories about their precious Mothers.
So, let's get straight to the first story this week!
Grab your Kleenex box and get ready to be encouraged and inspired by Erin Davis' story.
My face is literally soaking wet after reading it! I love how God speaks through His people. YOU will be blessed, trust me.
My Mama
by: Erin Davis
He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a
tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Don’t you just LOVE this song by the David Crowder
Band?
This is my Mama‘s absolute favorite praise
song!!!!!! I remember how she would play it over and over again and her
blue eyes would glisten with tears every time!
It would be months before I truly understood the power of the message in
this song… months before my blue eyes would also glisten with tears as I listen
to it over and over…
As we approach Mother’s Day, Jill asked me to share
about my Mom!
OH, I was
SOOOOOOO excited!
I was excited
to be able to brag about her… but even more excited to get the chance to brag
about our Jesus! And it is NO mistake that Jill reached out to me (someone she
has never met) and asked me to share! His timing is perfect!
I was also an emotional wreck after Jill reached out
to me…I cried for 2 straight days! You
see….the Lord has transformed my life so drastically in the last 2 years that I
cannot even speak of Him, or of my mom, without being overcome with emotion.
Here is my story!
My mother was wonderful in every way. I could use
every positive adjective to describe her. She was in love with my daddy until
her very last breath and my brother, Chad, Eva and I were her world! However,
as much as she loved us all, she loved God most. And God loved my mother!
He brought her out of a difficult childhood situation
and placed her into a Christian home. He gave her my daddy when she needed him
most, a man who loves and fears the Lord!
I could go on and on but to say the least God has always taken care of
her as only HE can do!
She lived her life for Him.
She, along with my dad, taught me about God’s love, took us to church and
prayed for us diligently!
The Lord called my mama home 1 year ago this month
after a battle with breast cancer. It
was His perfect timing. She was gone…And I was broken!
Although I had given my life to the Lord at 8 years of
age, it never dawned on me that I had not GIVEN my life to him until after my
mom was gone.
Who did I run to when I had a bad day? Mama
Who did I call when I heard good news, bad news, or
any news? Mama
Who would listen to every detail of every aspect of my
life with open ears and an open heart? Mama
Who else would care about my babies the way I did? Mama
Who prayed for me when I should have been praying
myself? Mama
Who encouraged me to rely more on God? You guessed
it…My mom!
The day she left was the first day of the rest of my
life. Girls…this was not only because I had to learn to live life without her,
but also because it was the first day I began to have TRUE dialog with my
Jesus. For weeks straight I felt like nobody was around but me and God…..I
would scream at him in anger in one moment and would be on my knees praising
Him the next.
I often say that that the day my mama died is the day
I truly started to live. THIS IS SO TRUE!
I felt ALIVE for the VERY FIRST TIME because I started my relationship
with God! And Girls…the sad thing is…I never realized that I didn’t have one!
I have been spending all of my life in church and
going through the motions! Did you know that He knew this about me? HE WAS
JEALOUS FOR ME!
He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a
tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
In this past year, amongst my pain and grief, I have
come to realize the magnitude of His love for me. I CAN SEE IT SO CLEARLY!
Every detail was perfectly designed by Him….not to harm me but to give me a
hope and a future! Girls this is NO JOKE! He didn’t take my mother away to harm
me..in fact I know it breaks his heart to see me grieve! Girls…I am not sure of
His reasons or of His plan for calling her home but I can tell you that He
loves me SO much! Just look at what He has done for me in 2 years time….
Please let me brag on my Lord for a moment!
Chad (my sweet husband) and I lost our baby in
September 2010. We were devastated and I prayed for the Lord to help me to
understand why this happened,
Did you know that my due date with the sweet baby
would have been the same week my mama passed? I KNOW that the Lord spared me
from having to juggle both events at the same time! OH HOW HE LOVES US!
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Me and my
honey!
And did you also know that at the EXACT moment I was
getting the news that my baby did not have a heartbeat my sweet god daughter
was born…..
I MEAN WITHIN THE SAME 15 MINUTES! He gives and takes
away! Oh HOW HE LOVES US!
Reese (my sweet
God-Daughter)
Isn’t she
yummy?!?!?
GUESS WHAT? I got pregnant again and was 14 weeks
pregnant when the Lord called my mama home! This is also such a wonderful
blessing. He gives and takes away. He gave my family something to look forward
to in the midst of our grief. A reminder of how much He is in love with us. He
sent us a BEAUTIFUL little boy with his daddy’s handsome grin and my Mother’s
blue eyes! OH HOW HE LOVES US!
Robert
Colt Davis September 28, 2011
Both of our babies!
For years my
Mother prayed for my brother to meet that “special someone”! And she was very
specific about this girl! She prayed for someone to come into his life who
adored him, someone who he adored, was
very sweet, and who most of all LOVES the Lord. I was concerned that this girl
did not exist! Lol! However, a few short months after mom’s death my brother
met Taylor! She is everything and more that we have prayed for! OH HOW HE
LOVES US!
Eric and Taylor!
Aren’t they
sweet?!?!?
Girls….He loves us. Each of us. None more or less than
the other! We aren’t promised that our time on Earth will be without trials.
One of my worst nightmares came true, and yet it has been the best year of my
life. Only God can do that!
I pray that each of you sweet SHINE sisters be able to
evaluate your relationship with Jesus. Open up that dialog and build that
relationship! Run to Him first, not your best friend, not your mother or
husband. God wants our big, precious, breakable hearts. HE IS JEALOUS FOR US!
He wants us first!
There is not one moment that I don’t miss my mom! I
expect Mothers Day will still be rough and no fun. But I know that my mom is
cloaked in white, praising her Lord, and I now have the blessed assurance that
I will see her again! Oh how he loves us!
Lareen Peeples
I love you mom, to the moon and back!
My Mom and Dad
September 2010
The NEW face of my
family! Oh how He loves us!
One of our fellow
SHINE sisters, Samantha Schlund, had it laid on her heart to form a team for
the Atlanta 2-day walk for breast cancer in my Mother’s name! We have a goal to
reach a total of 15 team members and to raise 15K as a group! God has already
blessed our growing group of 8 so very much in our fund raising efforts. We
would love for you to join our team if you feel led to do so! Also, I would
love to honor any women in your life who has fought this disease by taking
their name with me on this journey. Please go and visit our team website or
message me for further information!
Love in Christ,
Erin Davis
**Thank you again. sweet Erin! You truly do SHINE!**
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