Hope.

I've seen God's faithfulness over and over this year. I'm in the baby business and spend a lot of time with new moms and dads. Every October, in honor of Pregnancy & Miscarriage Awareness Month, I photograph moms who have profound losses - losses that shape their lives, their faith and relationships. It affects their hope in the future and in God's path for their lives. Some of them have lost one baby, but many more have lost baby after baby after baby or have not been able to even get pregnant.

I believe that God is faithful now and will forever be. He hears our prayers and knows our wants and needs.

2 Timothy 2:13 - "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself."

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Recently, I watched a short video on Facebook of Pastor Steven Furtick, from Elevation Church, speaking about lyric ideas he had for a song that he called "my heart is an altar". After toying with the idea for awhile, they just couldn't make the song stick or come with any ideas on how to use it. Just when they were about to trash it, God changed the game. He stepped in and changed the lyrics to Furtick's song and it became "Oh Come to the Altar", which is one of the biggest songs in worship music.

I love that picture of God - waiting until we give it all to Him to redeem it.

I say that I've seen God's faithfulness over and over this year, because I've seen a number of my Grace Session moms become pregnant and give birth to beautiful babies, one of them being one of my favorite friends in the world. Prior to her pregnancy, we spent several mornings together over coffee, sharing tears about her wanting to become pregnant so badly.

After many months of medications, and stress-filled doctors' appointments, her and her husband decided they were done trying and were ready to be content being a family of three. I remember her telling me that she felt great peace and the stress was lifted. Even though they had decided to close that chapter of wanting another little baby to love, little did she know that God hadn't. Shortly after, they found out they were pregnant with their second son (and are due this week)! Happy tears were shed - at her pregnancy announcement, as well as her baby shower and many moments in between. When she gave it all to Him, he gave it all to Her.

He is already so loved.

{taken July 2017 at Ocean City Maryland}

#BerksCountyPhotography