We Keep Growing!

We've been busy growing! You know how businesses will post those annoying signs that say "pardon our progress" because they closed down their bathrooms for renovations? I feel like I need to wear a giant "pardon my progress" sign as I grow my family. We birthed our fourth child, Liam Built Ingles, into the world on February 27, 2017. He's the best baby. We love him so much. We are very proud of this progress. But I can't help but feel like I'm slacking at my children's pastoring job or my curriculum development. I'm not able to do much when I'm pregnant and I'm definitely moving slow six weeks after my fourth child is born. I feel unproductive and like a burden to the people around me.

I took a personality test once that revealed that I place a lot of value in how much I can produce each day. And I like tangible results. The fact that I produced milk and fed my baby seven times today is not a tangible result. My husband is so merciful. He constantly reminds me to let myself off the hook. Even when I feel unproductive in my ministry or housework, we are still progressing.     

Two years ago when I had my third child, a little girl named Noa Kathryn, my oldest son asked where his baby brother was? At that time I didn't think I would ever give birth again, so I informed my firstborn that he would have no brother. He informed me that he would have a brother and his name was to be Built. We laughed and said something like, "Kids say the darndest things." One year later, I was surprised to find out that I was pregnant. I immediately knew that this was Built. We did find that it was a boy and decided to use his prophetic name Built as his middle name. Liam was a special name to us because of it's meaning. Liam means fierce protector. And we claim Ephesians 2:22 as Liam Built's life verse. "And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit."

We are so proud of our growing family. It is building us into better dwelling places for the Holy Spirit. It is making us better children's ministers, but that may not be apparent today. It will be the long row that we plant that produces hidden fruit for a season, until the harvest comes.