Welcome

Hello, and welcome to Receive and Respond! My name is Abigail and I am excited about starting this new blog with the hopes of sharing life with anyone who chooses to read it.

My previous blog, Cause for Gumption, focused on my life as a student and a new wife. In this blog, I plan to share information, stories, pictures, projects, and everyday life adventures pertaining to my current role as a stay at home mom. God has answered my prayers and has given Drew and I a little one to raise. I feel so honored to be able to devote all of myself to our child and my husband and create a loving home for both of them.

I named this blog Receive and Respond because it sums up what I believe the Christian life is all about. Becoming a Christian requires no "work" of our own; God simply asks us to receive his grace and mercy. He loves each of us abundantly, so much so that he sent his only son to live among us, to teach us, and to die for us; I would definitely call that merciful. To receive his mercy, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Once we do this, the Holy Spirit enters our bodies and becomes the One who guides us from within. Now comes the responding...our response to accepting Christ is to LET GO of our strongholds, accept ourselves as new creations, and commit to yielding to his direction for the rest of our days.

Life after receiving Christ doesn't end there. We must continue to receive spiritual guidance as we walk with the trinity down the path he has laid before us. God has set our paths, Jesus has walked our paths, and the Holy Spirit guides us down the path. There will be obstacles all along the way, and at times we might feel lost or confused. But, the Holy Spirit will be faithful in sending us directions- this can come in the form of scripture (found in the bible, AKA the book of direction), a sermon, a friend or family member's counsel, various blessings, or spiritual tugs. It is up to us how we choose to handle these directions. We must always be open to receiving them, and be wise about how we choose to respond.

My goal each day is to be in a submissive mindset, one that is willing to listen and receive directions for my life. My desire is to then be obedient in the way that I respond- with my words, actions, and thoughts. Join me in this walk...I pray that it is a honest testament for what God has done and what he is continuing to do in my life.