The Graves' Yard: Two Is Better Than One.

The last couple of weeks have been a mix of emotions and challenges for the Graves household. I must confess (not that it comes as a surprise to people who know me) I'm very independent, almost to a fault. I enjoy completing tasks and I find a sense of pride in doing things on my own. I like finding the best way to do something and finishing it out with my own two hands. Being a stay-at-home mom has only fueled this independence. I get to set my own rules, be the boss and take care of little people. Oh, this is where I find comfort. The Lord recently gave me a huge wake up call after getting out of the hospital two weeks ago. "You're on light bed rest. You can get up to go to the bathroom, take a shower and do some things...but no long trips or strenuous activities." To which I responded, "Does taking care of a toddler, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning my house, etc count as strenuous activities?" "Yes."

That one word would soon be the death of my prideful independence. How am I supposed live my life if I can't do any of those things? You mean, I have to ask for help? I'm usually the one being asked to help and to be honest I love that. I told my doctor, it may literally drive me crazy to ask for that much help. She literally didn't care. I wasn't allowed to keep up with what I was doing if I wanted to keep this baby in the cooker. So I set out to begin asking for help from my hospital bed. Calling on family, my church and friends to come help. Having people help with Weslyn while I was in a hospital bed wasn't too bad. I really couldn't take care of her as I was hooked up to monitors, so I felt like I had a good excuse. When I got out of the hospital, that was a whole new ball game. We've had people in and out of the house, bringing meals, taking care of Weslyn, not letting me do much. Not to mention what my husband has done. He has been dad, mom, house cleaner, cook, etc for two weeks now. He doesn't stop until he's ready for bed. This has been the hardest. We've worked so much in our marriage to help each other at all times, we've never been in the place where one person was making all the effort. At the end of my rope, the Lord beckoned me to slow down and realize what He was doing through one of my devotions.

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Whittney Capps wrote the devotion "I Am Not Alone" a couple days ago and it pierced my prideful, independent heart. The Lord was really showing me that my resistance to rely on help from others was a direct reflection of how I rely on Him, which apparently is not enough. Ouch. The only time I felt true peace and freedom to rely on the Lord's strength was when all the control was out of my hands in the hospital. I tried to take back the reigns when I got out, but thankfully He kept them. My prayer is that He continues to keep them and when I take them back, I have the wisdom to realize what I'm doing and the courage to give them back (thanks, Andy Stanley).

I'm so thankful for these people the Lord has used in our lives throughout this process. Grateful for the prayers, meals, company, books, netflix, text messages, cleaning, cooking, the help. I'm truly blessed, not only with this help, but to have the reminder from a God who loves me so that He will be my strength. Not just in the times when there's nothing else I can do. I can choose for Him to be my strength and support in any circumstance. Thank you Lord.

Here are some photos of just some of the help we've received. This doesn't even include meals, weekend baby sitting from friends, long phone calls (thanks, Charlie), sweet text messages, gifts, visits to the hospital, etc.