Sunday, April 6, 2014

Hi there, blog world!!! :)

Wow, to be back in the blogosphere again! Or is that back in the saddle again..... Ok, never mind. ;)

Anywho, some of you may remember me as Miss Rebekah Ann S. from www.byhisgraceandforhisglory.blogspot.com. I began that blog at the age of 15 and faithfully posted on it for a few years. In more recent years, life got busy (read, my problem with procrastination grew! ;)) and I would go 6 months or a year at a time without posting anything. Due to this, when I finally went to sign back in to my old blog today (the blogging bug has started to bite again!), I discovered I couldn't even remember my old blog password! I know, I know, pitifully sad, right?

Well, long story short, that issue combined with the fact that I am no longer Miss Rebekah Ann S., but rather Mrs. Rebekah Ann Hargraves (eeeep!), caused me to think that it is time to begin anew. New life=new blog! :)

For those who were familiar with my blog before, you know that my passion was to educate and edify young ladies to be all they could be as Christians, as daughters, as sisters, and as unmarried young women hoping to be married one day with families of their own. The majority of my posts were centered around homemaking, marriage, Biblical womanhood, femininity, the issues with feminism, doctrine, etc. My hope was to inspire young ladies to read up on all these topics, to study the issues of the day so that when they might find themselves getting married and beginning homes and families of their own, they would not despair or feel inadequate to rise to their new tasks. It was (and is!) my firm belief that if we aspire to be godly, wise, strong, industrious, educated wives, mothers, and homemakers, it should be our life's work when we're unmarried young women to do all we can to prepare ourselves for those noble roles and tasks.

Well, now I'm on the other side of things! :) No longer am I the 15 year old girl dreaming about future home and family life, preparing to be married and to run a home of my own. Now I'm a 21 year old woman, married for 3 weeks (yeah, I know, only 3 weeks! ;) ), and working to make our house into a home. I am now a wife, helpmeet, and homemaker-those things I dreamed of being not all that long ago. And, let  me tell you-I do not for one second regret any of the study or preparation I put into becoming equipped for this life! As any of you who read my old blog know, I purposefully chose to not go to college or begin a "career" following high school graduation. Because I felt it was more important for me to prepare for the life's work that I felt the Lord would one day call me to. I spent the nearly 4 years between graduation and my wedding day babysitting; trying new recipes; studying nutrition; immersing myself in history and theology studies; advancing my home business; learning what the Bible had to say about Biblical womanhood and the blueprint the Lord has for us as women; discovering that wives are called to be helpmeets to their husbands, to care for their homes and make them a haven, to delight in, embrace and practice hospitality, and the list goes on. It was my desire to not just sit around pining for that time of my life, but to actually prepare for that life that I so longed to live out. And so, 3 weeks into my marriage, I (and my husband, I'm sure! ;) ) am reaping the benefits of all that study and preparation. If any of you young ladies happen to be reading this and have chosen that uncommon, unpopular path to spend your after-highschool years preparing yourselves for the blessed callings of wife, mother, and homemaker, then take heart! It is hardly all for naught! You will reap the benefits of that choice, I promise you. Because of the preparation I put myself through following high school (and even before that, really), I was able to come home from my honeymoon not dreading homemaking or wondering how on earth I was supposed to feed my husband or trying to figure out what the word "budget" meant and what to do about it. This is not to say that you ladies who entered marriage not really knowing how to do these things are any less than. Not at all! We're all learning new things each day of our lives (or should be! ;) ), and none of us has ever or will ever "arrive". I mean, take me for instance-I may feel at home in the kitchen or behind a sewing machine or when choosing color schemes for my home, but you try to put me behind a drill or screwdriver and tell me to put up a fan or light fixture.....well, let's just say you better have the fire department on speed dial for that one! So, take heart! I say all of this to simply encourage women-young or old-to delight in the roles God designed for them. To desire to be all you can be while living out those roles that were uniquely given to us as ladies.

I have to say, writing this post is so surreal for me. I remember the countless hours sitting in front of my computer screen in my room at my parents' house typing up blog posts for By His Grace and For His Glory, dreaming of the day when I would get to put into practice some of the things I was writing about. And now, here I am sitting in front of my computer in the home I share with my wonderful husband beginning a new blog to go along with my new life as a wife, helpmeet, and homemaker. Isn't God good? I'm reminded so often these days of the beautiful verse in Psalm 37, 'Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.' That verse is so true! And I am living proof of it today.

So, today, as I embark on a brand-new life in blogosphere, I welcome you to join me. Come along on this new journey and discover along with me day by day the riches there are in Christ. The beauty of loving and serving your husband. The joy found in making your house into a home where family, friends, and neighbors alike can come and find themselves refreshed. On this blog, there will be a ton of topics covered. Everything from Christian living, doctrine and theology, Biblical womanhood, marriage, homemaking, cooking and baking, diy projects, health and nutrition, feminism (and what's wrong with it! ;)  ), what it looks like to be a helpmeet, posts on our daily life and happenings at the Hargraves House, and the list goes on. And, of course, there will be plenty of articles directed solely at young, unmarried ladies, as well. Because my passion is still to come along side girls and encourage them in the ways of God.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited! I'm ready to begin this new journey with all of you, and I thank you for choosing to join me in it. I pray it will be a blessing to you!

In Christ alone,

~Mrs. Rebekah Ann Hargraves~

Note: For a little more about my former blog, check out this post.


11 comments:

  1. I just had to say.....WOW! I am so glad you are resuming your blog, as you have definitely been given a gift with writing, and the blog is a great way to share what you have learned and are learning with others. I am so proud of you, Bekah!!! Love you, Mama

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  2. Aww, thank you, Mama! :) That was so sweet of you and super encouraging! :) You'll have to keep me accountable with faithfully posting on here! ;)

    Love you, too!! <3

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  3. This brought back so many memories for me from nearly four years ago. :) I remember dreaming about my life prior-to marriage and all the things I was excited to do and be once God revealed His chosen man for me. THEN once I married, it was so surreal to actually BE in the place I had been preparing for. :) Be blessed today, and KNOW that the best is yet to come. :) Seriously. :) When Jesus Christ is in control, your marriage gets sweeter and sweeter with time. :)

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    1. Hi, Kristen! Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and to leave such an encouraging comment. The past few weeks have definitely been so surreal! I still have to remind myself sometimes that I really am married. lol That's so encouraging, Kristen, thank you! I'm excited about what the Lord has in store!

      Blessings!
      Rebekah

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  4. I'm so glad you're blogging again, Rebekah! I used to read your former blog and it challenged me in a lot of ways. I am also getting married (in 45 days!!!) so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts :)

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  5. Hey, Jen! Great to hear from you! :) I was hoping folks who used to read my old blog would find this one, but seeing as how I couldn't log in to post about my blog moving, I wasn't sure how much of that would happen! ;)

    I hope this new blog is a blessing to you! Thanks for stopping by!

    That's great!!!! I'm so happy for you. Congratulations! Married life is awesome! I actually have a post I'm mulling over right now about putting your husband first. You hear that a lot from women who have kids-the importance of putting your marriage ahead of the children, but this post will have an emphasis on putting your husband first as a newlywed. It's not always as easy as it sounds! ;) I hope it blesses you.

    Have a wonderful week, and happy wedding planning!

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  6. Thank you for your sweet comment! I'm so excited to be married, six weeks can't go by fast enough!

    I would love to read that post. My situation is a bit difficult right now, as I'm having to work outside of the home as well as wedding plan, and I imagine that it will be even more difficult with a husband and household! I hope to be able to cut back at work and devote more time to our home as soon as possible. It's tough right now though, because I'm bringing in a good paycheck as a nurse, and my fiance has the goal of paying down our debt as quickly as possible. I'm not exactly regretful of my degree, because I have the option of very flexible hours and relatively high pay if we ever fall on hard times, but wow....it's much more difficult than I thought it would be! I have come to agree with your point of view that, in general, it's better for women to keep home and family as their main responsibility. I hope I'm able to transition back to that soon!

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    1. I'm sure! :) The last few weeks are the slowest and then, looking back, also the fastest. It's weird. lol But the big day will be here before you know it! :D I hope the wedding planning hasn't been too stressful for you.

      I'm sure that's pretty overwhelming right now! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. That is a struggle, I'm sure, to think about striking the balance between fulfilling your role at home and working to pay down debt. I would say that the important thing is, while realizing the importance of your role in your home and family, that, when you're married, it's important to be that helpmeet to your husband, as well. And part of that is in fulfilling his vision for your family as best you can. That can be a way to put your husband first, too. Maybe y'all could sit down and just discuss a bit your desire to be home as much as possible to work there and create a welcoming environment for him as well as your desire to pay down the debt you have. You know, you may be giving me an idea for another blog post! ;) lol

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  7. Yes, that's pretty much where we're at :)

    We both hope to have me stay home eventually (or maybe work 1 day/week), especially if we are blessed with children. It's tough right now, but I know that it will pay off when we are able to live free of debt! I'd love to read a post on your thoughts, or one on wedding planning maybe? :)

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    1. That's an awesome goal, and it will be so worth the work it takes to get there. I'll be praying for you!

      Sounds great! I like those post ideas. I'll have to do some brainstorming on that! ;)

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    2. Here's the wedding planning post for you! :) Hope you enjoy.

      http://hargraveshomeandhearth.blogspot.com/2014/05/5-tips-for-girls-in-throes-of-wedding.html

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