Our God Provides

Junior/Senior banquet last weekend

Today, at 8:30 in the morning, I didn't really wake up having any intention of taking the time to update the blog today. Yet here I am, feeling inspired to take a go at it. There really isn't even something extremely exciting that has happened that has prompted this update. Today I'm writing to tell you all of how loving our God is (and I suppose that really IS something extremely exciting after all).
Well, for starters, David and I have now been married for over half a year (old pros, I tell ya), and we have had the privilege of seeing God working in our lives and caring for us time and time again in both the big and little things. When we decided to get married in the summer and while David was still in college, we knew that it was going to be a leap of faith because I was going to have to work and David's work was going to be school. When we sought counsel about this, there were many people who advised against it for various reasons (not enough time together, distracting from school, waiting for graduation would be better, etc.) and we truly value and respect the advice that we were given regarding this important decision. However, when it came down to it, we realized that there really is no "perfect time" to get married because we are ultimately not in control of our circumstances - God is. As God began to open the doors for us to be married at the end of last summer, we knew that there were a lot of things that we would have to trust Him in regarding the next chapter of married life. We could plan for a wedding and a marriage, but really it was God that had the power to actually make it happen (Proverbs 21:31). And that is exactly what He did. As far as the wedding was concerned, God took care of so many details that could have easily thrown us for a loop, especially as we were overseas on a mission trip to Eastern Europe during the summer. Truly, the only reason that our wedding day happened was not because of any amount of endless planning that we did, but rather it came down to the people that God worked through to make that day happen. It wasn't because of anything we did at all!
Well, that has been the pattern for our lives since then - and really, this pattern has always been present in our lives, but it just has become so evident lately! God provides. Because of Him, we were able to find a home in Chicago in just a single day. Because of Him, I have an amazing job that works perfectly with David's schedule and brings me so much joy. Because of Him, we have a church community that we cherish so much, with friends and fellowship that keeps us growing closer to God and closer together. And most recently, because of Him, we have been given the blessing of a little girl due in June.
This brings me to what exactly inspired me to write this morning. I'm sure most of you can imagine how many emotions we went through when we found out that I was pregnant back in October. Although we mostly felt overwhelmed with joy, there was definitely also a weight of responsibility that came along with it. As reality really set in, we realized that that weight was impossible to bear without a God who was not only all-powerful, but also deeply cared for the needs of two newlyweds living in Chicago. There were many, many times when it was especially difficult for me to trust that God would provide for us and our new baby. At that point, I had just quit my job at the preschool I was working at, and had no potential options on the horizon. December was a particularly hard month and one that I will definitely remember for a long time, as it was hard for us not only to think about providing for a baby, but also ourselves. We barely made it through the month, and in the last week of the year God placed the job I currently have right into my lap. God provides.
Well, as the months go by and June gets nearer and nearer, I have also begun to worry about what our lives will be like when this little one comes. We have been able to manage well with just the two of us, but what will happen when baby Graef arrives? How are we going to do this?? Well, it seems to me that the moment I begin to ask myself that question - as if I am the one who has control over my rise or demise - God steps in and blows me away. What would I ever do if He didn't step in? And yet He does so without fail! It all really started a few months ago as I sat in realization that we had NOTHING for baby Graef. No clothes, no baby gear, no toys, nothing. As I shared this realization with David (who is always SOOO much stronger than I and infinitely more trusting of our heavenly Provider), I became overwhelmed and weighed down, feeling like there was so much that WE had to do. And while there is some truth in that (obviously we can't just sit back and wait for all our needs to be met with no work on our part), the fact is, God is the one who comes through and provides. And THAT is exactly what He has done, proving once again how capable and loving a Provider He is. We truly have nothing to worry about when we have Him to take care of our needs.
In the past few months, God has worked in such a way to provide and care for all of our needs both in the present and in the future - especially concerning baby Graef! We went from having nothing, to having so much more than we ever thought we would be able to have! Whether it was a family member blessing us with a car seat or stroller, or an old friend handing us a card with money to put towards baby Graef, or a friend secretly sending off boxes and boxes of baby girl clothes to our address, God has worked in amazing ways to show us how He looks after us! And so, so many times He has done it through people - and if you are reading this and have helped or shown love to us in even the seemingly smallest of ways, you know who you are and we want you to know that you have been a part of not only caring for our little family, but also in infinitely growing our trust in our Father! And that has eternal significance!
So, it may be repetitive of me to say it again, but it is the overwhelming truth: our God provides. We have NOTHING to worry about because He cares for us and knows are needs far, far better than we know our cares and needs ourselves! And this is by no means "unique" to David, Randie Megan, and Baby Graef - God cares in such deep ways for EACH of His children. Please take time to think about and reflect on the ways He has done so in your own life, because I can guarantee that you will be moved to praise and thanksgiving when you begin to realize all He does for YOU too!
Well, there you have it. This is what has been on our hearts of late, and we hope that it is somehow a small encouragement to you, because each of you have somehow and in some way contributed to being an enormous encouragement to us.
Love always,
Randie Megan & David

Prayer Requests:

- Praise! David was hired as a valet parking attendant by a reputable valet company through Moody! As he only has a couple weeks of school left before the semester ends, this is a huge answered prayer so that he can have work over the summer and into next Fall!
- As previously mentioned, David has only a couple of weeks of school left, which in a nutshell means that he will be taking finals, giving presentations, and turning in projects over the remainder of the semester. Please pray that he can stay on top of everything and that he will finish out the semester strong!
- Praise! NO gestational diabetes for this Mama & baby :) All the tests came back looking fine. Thank you for your prayers and please pray for a continued healthy pregnancy - only ~7.5 more weeks!

Baby Graef
32 Weeks
55 days to go!
Size of a (LARGE) Jicama
(What in the world is a jicama anyway??)