The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. Psalms 18:1-3

“I put on my big girl britches this morning!” I said as I bolted toward the nurse who attended my daughter. Due to some pregnancy complications, my precious, beautiful daughter was born ten weeks premature. At just two pounds and fourteen ounces, she spent the first eight weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

My tiny daughter lay in her incubator with all types and colors of tubes coming out of her little body. I sat by my daughter in her incubator, talking with her and praying over her, when a nurse came by and said it was time to change out her IVs.

“You don’t have to stay in the room while I do this,” said the nurse.

“I’m fine; I wore my big girl britches today!”

I had awoken early that morning to spend some time with the Lord before heading to the NICU. During my quiet time with the Lord, I opened my Bible and read Psalms 18. These verses tell of the comfort and strength we can receive by holding on and relying on the Lord. There are many difficult situations we may be forced to deal with in life and God may ask us to step-up our faith or to “put on our big girl britches.”

What can we do to grow our faith? We can start with prayer, reading scripture daily, attending church and developing Christian friendships. During times of challenge, the most important thing we can do is to hold to the Rock of our salvation…Jesus Christ our Lord.

With a slight giggle from the nurse…a deep breath from me… and a high pitched cry from my daughter, the nurse removed one IV and reinserted another into my brave, precious daughter’s arms.

Be brave. Let God lead you through the difficult times.

Abbey Medcalf Cooler is a dynamic and energetic speaker with a heart for women. She has a Masters of Arts in Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education from Gardner-Webb University. Abbey has served as the Associate Director of Elementary Ministries and as the Preschool and Children’s Director before moving on to teach sixth grade. She is currently residing in Acworth, Georgia and is a stay-at-home mom. Abbey is married to Adam and they have a daughter, Ava. Read Abbey’s devotions