My heart skipped a beat as I eagerly answered my phone. It was Zach, and he was going to steal away from work so we could drop his parents at the airport, and grab a quick lunch after! I was delighted. The chance to see my Love on a Monday afternoon was a special treat, especially since his work had been so busy lately.

Speaking of busy, what a season of life we’d been in lately! In the last 6 months, we’d bought our first house together, Zach had begun classes, and…most exciting of all…we discovered we were expecting our first baby! These were all wonderful things, just so much all at once.

It had been coming to my mind that “easier” was often looked at as “better”–but that’s not always the case. While living in our little apartment was a joyful time and probably as simple as life would ever be for us, I knew I wouldn’t trade these new things God had brought to us to go back. Technically the life we now lived was harder in a way, but in this case “harder” = “better.” It’s funny to think about it that way but it can’t be denied.

The last 6 months had been such a time of growth for me…both spiritually and physically! Pushing through moving and settling into our house, while battling fatigue and nausea in my first trimester…feelings of failure and discouragement when I couldn’t manage to cook dinner for my sweet hubby due to queasiness…feeling overwhelmed with house projects that I was clueless about handling…

But it also had been a season of great joy…some of the greatest joys of my life. The awe of holding our own house keys for the first time, after a long marathon of searching…the tears that pricked my eyes as we heard our babies’ heartbeat for the first time after many months of praying for God to send us a baby…

Stopping to reflect on all that God had done for us through this season so far, filled my heart with thankfulness. Yes, God was growing me in multiple ways, and there was pain in the growth, but I knew I wouldn’t trade it, not for anything.

And these little moments of grace were worth enjoying and praising God for! Despite this busy time, I would get the blessing of lunch with my hubby on a Monday afternoon… the pleasure of getting to say goodbye to his parents before they flew back home, and then Zach and I getting lunch and coffee together.

Later I waved goodbye to my hubby as he drove away to hurry back to work, then let myself back inside the cool house dappled with afternoon sunlight. Zach didn’t know how late he would have to work…there was no guarantee that he’d return in time for dinner to eat the pot roast that I had bubbling in the crock pot…

But it had been a lovely lunchtime, and I was thankful! Spotting the early fall leaves turning golden as we’d driven along, savoring the taste of orange chicken on our tongues, and the coziness of hot coffees together. While all very simple things, they were like bliss to me.

I knew this season of growing would continue, and likely intensify. While it did frighten me at times, I was so grateful that Zach and I had the Lord Jesus Christ to turn to through all of these changes. Through everything, He was the solid rock that we leaned on!

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3