Lots to say as a "Soldier of the Cross"

First of all, I'd like to say thank you to all of you who left uplifting messages for me this week! I am so greatful for the friends and family that I have to surround me with love in my darkest hours! God has truly blessed me with all of you! I am feeling much better about things and really just needed to vent.

The day that I last posted I was feeling so down, but that evening I took Jacob to a conference put on by Answers in Genesis. I've talked about this organization before. We visited a museum in Kentucky, near Ohio, that they created. The museum is all about the awesome world that God created. Visit their website at answersingenesis.org. Anyway, attending the conference that evening really lifted my spirits and gave me a lot of 'food for thought.' It also got me fired up to stand up for the Lord! I'm going to share with you some of what we learned. We learned that the world that we live in is changing fast and more than ever christians need to share the word of God! This means that we need to study the Bible and know it, so that we can share it. They talked about how just in the last 50 years, our world is so different than it used to be. As christians, we need to keep our radar on and realize just how corrupt our world has become. Everywhere you look there are offensive things around; on television, in books, in the newspaper, at the mall...! We have become tolerant of it all, because it's everywhere! Half the time we probably don't even blink an eye about it, because it's just normal for us to see it. If you were to go back 50 years ago, things would be so different than they are today. Fifty years ago if you had told people that the word God or prayer would not be allowed in schools, they wouldn't have believed you. Today it's not allowed in public schools. Fifty years ago, if you had told someone that abortion would become legalized and that it would be government funded, they wouldn't have believed it! Just imagine the changes that will occur in the next fifty years!

I don't even want to imagine the changes that will occur, but we can't just stand by and let them happen! The morals and values of people aren't what they used to be! This week I read a comment posted on a sweet friend's blog. Tamara has a precious little girl named Abby and she blogs about her life as a mother of a special needs child. Her blog is such an inspiration and is full of life! She and her daughter are the sweetest people one could ever meet, yet, an anonymous person felt that they had the right to leave the following comment on her site www.sweetlittlelamb.blogspot.com:

Anonymous said... November 08, 2008

It is so cruel to put a child through so much. People who do this are selfish. They do this for themselves. You could have aborted the poor little soul would have gone on to something better. How sick it is to do this in the name of religion. How ignorant. God does not approve.


This comment got quite a few fellow bloggers stirred up, as you can imagine! The thing that really got me was the fact that anonymous said that "people who do this are selfish." WHAT?! How could this be selfish, knowing that they are doing what is asked of them, and knowing full well that their life would no longer be about them at all! Caring for a child with special needs is the farthest thing from selfish! It's a life filled with enormous responsibility and dedication, not selfishness! This comment saddened me so much, but just proves how corrupt our world has become! As a mother to a VERY special child, I know how hard this road can be! I also know what a blessing this calling is! We have been called to care for someone so weak, that they are unable to care for themselves in the least. We do this job, not out of selfishness, but out of love, always trusting in God's promise to never give us more than we can handle. We know that God is faithful and that we have been given a gift! Although our children are weak, their presence in our life, has helped to make us strong! We become fierce advocates for our children and you better not offend us our our child! We are forced to become people that we may not have been before, but we are happy with the changes that we see in ourselves! We learn so much from our children and wouldn't change having them in our life for anything! I love this quote about those with special needs; "They have an important purpose here on earth, not to learn, but to teach." If only the world could see this truth!

With all of this, I have become fired up this week! I am tired of worrying about offending the world with my beliefs! The world could care less about offending me! I'm tired of not bringing up certain subjects, with certain people, knowing that they would just get angry by them! I'm tired of not being able to be myself in this ever changing world! I've decided to not care anymore! This is me and these are my beliefs! If you don't like it, who cares?! I'm always kind to those, whose beliefs I don't share. The same respect should be shown to me! As true christians, more than ever, we need to stand up and fight for the one and only true God! God wants us to! This blog is titled, "Gavin's Voice" and I named it that because that's what I'm trying to do here. I'm trying to be a voice for Gavin and those who may never have a voice in this world! Having Gavin in my life has given me the courage to use my voice, and each and every day my voice is getting stronger with Gavin's help and the help of my AWESOME God! I don't know about you, but I'm prepared to to stand up and fight for my child, fight for my world and especially to stand up and fight for my Lord! After all, He DIED for me!

I woke up this morning singing the following song:


1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
his army shall he lead,
till every foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.

2. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the trumpet call obey;
forth to the mighty conflict,
in this his glorious day.
Ye that are brave now serve him
against unnumbered foes;
let courage rise with danger,
and strength to strength oppose.

3. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
stand in his strength alone;
the arm of flesh will fail you,
ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armor,
each piece put on with prayer;
where duty calls or danger,
be never wanting there.

4. Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
the strife will not be long;
this day the noise of battle,
the next the victor's song.
To those who vanquish evil
a crown of life shall be;
they with the King of Glory
shall reign eternally.

I am a "soldier of the cross" and I'm going to fight for it as hard as I can! I want my children to continue to have the freedoms that our country has been blessed with! I know that even though we may be losing many battles, WE WILL WIN THE WAR! How do I know this? Because "I've read the back of the Book" and it says so! Thank You Lord for this wonderful book, The Bible, and Thank You for choosing little ole me!


"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 2:3