If Your Heart is Hurting

During Spring Training, I had the privilege of attending a luncheon put on by Baseball Chapel and Pro Athletes Outreach for players wives. It was a fantastic, refreshing time. I learned a lot and had some great fellowship with other gals in this lifestyle! They also gave away tons of great goodies, one of which was a book! There were a few to choose from, and I ended up with "Every Reason to Leave: And Why We Chose to Stay Together" By Vicki Rose. Her book chronicles her story of how God restored her broken marriage, when she really did have every reason to leave, and shows that the effort is worth it.

I learned a lot from this book. Don't get me wrong, our marriage is great right now! But the principles Vicki shares for married couples to follow, along with the lessons she learned throughout her 35+ years of marriage, are so great to understand and prioritize. 

The Biblical truths she shares don't just apply to marriages, they apply to everyones life. I have a friend going through something really difficult right now. It sucks. It doesn't make sense. But that is life, we are thrown curveballs and have to do the best we can to handle it and persevere. Fortunately, we have a God who cares and doesn't abandon us in our darkest hours. The trials and struggles we face in life can be a beautiful opportunity for growth. If you are hurting, take some time to look up these verses and consider how they can apply to your life. 

Draw near to the Lord in your day to day life
- Pray in earnest amidst your spiritual battle (1 Chronicles 5:20)
- Pray constantly  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
- Spend time in Gods word daily (Matthew 6:33, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:97)
- Pray Gods word (1 John 5:14-15)


God has promised his children:
- Righteousness and His kingdom (Matt 6:33)
- The desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)
- Overwhelming blessings (Malachi 3:10)
- A future (Jeremiah 29:11)
- He will be near you (Psalm 145:8, James 4:8, 1 John 5:14)
- With God, all things are possible (Matthew 10:26)
- He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)
- He will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40)
- When you trust Him, He will make your path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If you are hurting, going through something hard, you are not alone. You are not abandoned. Take heart, you are loved. If you need some encouragement, shoot me a text or email, I would love to chat.

xo,
Hannah

Note: Obviously I am a Christian. I know not all everyone who reads my blog holds the same beliefs as me. My faith is important to me though, so I don't hesitate to share it.

So... What Do You Do All Day?

Cy has his job, I travel around with him while he does that. So, I get the question "What do you do all day?" a lot. Or sometimes it's more like "It must be so relaxing not having to do anything all day."

Well, kinda. 

I think sometimes people assume that Cy makes big money playing baseball so I just don't need to work, and since I don't have a career I just live a carefree life. That's not quuiiite the case. I briefly mentioned in this post that minor league baseball salary is definitely not anything to call home about. Realistically, it's just kinda hard to get a job when you're only in town for a few months and you might have to leave at any given moment with no notice, and your availability revolves around your husbands game schedule. (I'm still on the job search though, hopefully something works out! *update for clarification:  I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and love that, but I am referring to an actual job to go to during the day.) 

It's definitely nice being a "stay at home" wife. I enjoy having the time throughout the day to do laundry, or get dinner in the crock pot for after the game, or go to a yoga class or for a run. I get to explore around town, visit local shops and attractions, and spend time visiting with other girlfriends when they come to town. It's so awesome to be able to meet new people all the time at games. I have plenty of time to work on this lil blog ;) 

But honestly, it's hard for me to not have a role that I can use to define myself. Saying "Oh I'm a baseball wife" doesn't make me feel very credible most of the time. I have always been really involved in several things at once, so transitioning to my main responsibility being in the home is a bit tough- especially since we live with a (wonderful) host family and so it's not my home to run haha! 

However, it has been really good for me to have to really look at where I find my value and what I place my identity in.

I'm learning to be confident in who I am and in my role as a traveling baseball wife. These are things I have to remind myself: Having a job doesn't define my worth. I am not any less valuable to society because my role isn't in the workplace. The fact that I travel around with my husband doesn't make me any less smart or driven. Being my husbands #1 support is an important role in this crazy baseball life, and I'm glad I am able to be that. 

As a Christian, my greatest priority is to know God more and to spend my time and effort growing closer to Him, and helping others to do so as well. 1 Timothy 5:10 talks about biblical womanhood, that a Christian woman should be "well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lords people, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." Having so much free time right now really frees me up to do that. I love that I have the schedule flexibility to listen to podcasts, take part in different activities with a local church, and just spend time getting to know other people here. One day I will have kids, and having all kinds of time to spend doing bible study or investing in other people will be a luxury and not just part of my regular routine. I am learning to cherish all the free time I have right now!

So to wrap it all up... I try to keep myself busy. I try to make the most of my time. It's not quite as fabulous as it may seem. I'm learning more about myself each day, and I'm learning that I am in exactly the role that I am supposed to be, and I am so thankful that my identity is in Christ regardless of what is happening in my life. 

Thanks for hanging with me through all of this word vomit. Getting my thoughts and feelings written down really helps me to process what I am figuring out!

Xo, Han