Since my friend’s sweet dream in July 2013 (which you can read about by clicking here), the 17th of every month has always been called “Josiah Day” in our home–it’s a day in which I celebrate God’s promise of my future baby bird. I might go out to dinner with my hubby and talk about future nursery ideas, baby shower plans, or who gets up at 3 am for feedings. Or I will buy a cute outfit or shoes that scream, “Well, aren’t you just the cutest thing!” I might even write him a note expressing how excited I am to hear him one day call me mommy, or sometimes I write a thank you letter to God for what I know He will give me. No matter what I do, I celebrate the 17th in faith that Josiah will be snuggled in my belly or arms. And soon.
Celebrating without evidence wasn’t always easy and exciting. Faith wasn’t something I could grasp or comprehend. I would try to rationalize, analyze, and figure out faith and how to feel it, but one day, I realized faith wasn’t something to be felt. It can’t be rationalized, analyzed, or figured out. It’s not meant for me to comprehend. It is simply believing in something without having evidence. It’s as simple as being three again and using your imagination.
There was a time in my life when I would pass by cute onsies, funny pacifiers, or soft blankets that I wanted to purchase for my baby bird because I harbored the “what if” thoughts. What if I don’t get my baby bird? What if I heard God all wrong? What if He doesn’t heal me? Those “what if” thoughts spoke what I believed and they demonstrated my doubts.
Do you remember when you would play with your baby doll as a child? Did you sit there and stare at your baby doll and play with it in your mind? No! You talked and acted as if it were real. You called it by name and played with it as if it was alive. You had to feed, burp, and tend to its every need. You took it to the grocery store when you went shopping with your mom, and you made sure nobody hurt your baby. It was real.
Just like your imagination goes further than daydreaming and requires action, so does your faith. Faith requires more than just daydreaming about what you are hoping for because it sees it as real and takes action to demonstrate such a strong belief.
The Bible says, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Confidence: firm trust
Hope: joyful, confident expectation
Assurance: A strong and definite statement that something will happen
Hebrews 11:1 can be read like this, “Now faith is having a firm trust in what we are joyfully and confidently expecting and we have a positive statement about what we do not see.”
This is why I celebrate “Josiah Day”. I celebrate because I have faith in God’s promises and confidently believe He is faithful to perform His word. He is not a man who He should lie or a human being that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19). Just daydreaming about His promises to me isn’t enough. I need to back up my beliefs with words and actions.
What is it that you are hoping for in your life? Are you just daydreaming about it, or are you taking action? If there is something you can say or do to demonstrate your faith, do it!
Faith believes. Faith speaks. Faith acts.
To read about past Josiah Day Celebrations, click on the following links below:
Faith in Action
When Having Faith is Hard
Risking my Reputation
Did God Really Say…?
Silly or Not…Here We Go!
Putting the Cart Before the Horse?
He Is a Champion
My Name Is…
Today Is Different
Two Years Ago Today
It’s Josiah Day
I would love to connect with you more personally, so if you liked this post, pass it on. Then click here to find Waiting for Baby Bird on Facebook, or follow me on Instagram @waitingforbabybird. I can’t wait to “meet” you!
My husband and I lost our first two pregnancies within less than a year and a half of getting married…and we have been standing on the promise of God to fulfill the prophecies He has given us that we will have children of our own. 🙂 We bought a crib and put it together on a date night…and are eagerly awaiting the day that it is filled with our precious little miracle. So grateful I stumbled on your site…will be praying for you!!!
whoo hoo! I am so thankful you stumbled upon my blog as well! I love that you put together a crib 🙂 My husband and I did the same thing 🙂 xo
You are in my heart and prayers!! So proud of your faith and confidence in the LORD!!
My daughter had 2 miscarriages!! It was heartbreaking! But I didn’t give up HOPE; I told her I had enough for both of us!! God was faithful!! She got her boy! I’m thanking HIM in advance for you both; for all of you!! I absolutely love the baby’s room! Sending you so many hugs!!
Hi. So, I have been following you on Facebook for a couple of months now. I thought of you this week when made a ‘faith purchase.’ My husband and I are beginning the adoption process, and I fell in love with a little girl at foster kids’ camp last month. So, I purchased a $98 necklace (which I would normally never spend on a necklace for myself) solely based on the fact that it had the same name as her. I like this ‘Josiah Day’ idea, and I think I will declare the 27th of each month her day, since that is when I met her. I look forward to hearing more from you…you are a beautifully humble woman of God! Keep blessing others!
Hey there Jen! Thanks so much for commenting! And I just want to encourage you to keep making those faith purchases and keep celebrating on the 27th. Another follower of the blog started doing this a few months ago and I just learned yesterday that after 11 years of infertiltiy, she is supernaturally pregnant! God loves when we exercise our faith and I just know He is going to love seeing you step out as well. Thank you for following this blog and encouraging me through your sweet comments. You are awesome and I am praying for you right now. I am asking that as you step out in faith and delight yourself in Him that He fulfill the desires of your hearts beyond your wildest dreams. Hugs! xo
I just met an RN today that is 20 weeks pregnant and she is 49 years old. Hold onto your faith❤️
Oh, and I forgot to mention we have been married 8 years (not quite your 9…happy anniversary!), our anniversary is also August (4th), and I am also 32 years old. We have been struggling with infertility for 5+ years and found out in April that I have a T-shaped uterus. While I know God works miracles, we feel called to adoption for the time being. Sending love and prayers your way!
We have so much in common 🙂 And yes…God is in the miracle working business 🙂
I love this! I bought my first baby outfit 8 years ago and felt so foolish but I just knew one day I’d be a mom. 8 years have gone by and I’m still not a mom but I know it’s not a matter of IF but when. It will happen.
Amen!! Love your faith ❤❤
We had a room…
When people knew we were trying they gave us things. We bought things. Painted the room. Dreamed. Then this past January, almost 5 years in to this journey, I just couldn’t look at it anymore. I gave it all away. My friend was expecting and also my niece. I told them to take it and I didn’t want it back…it hurt too much to look at. Maybe one day I’ll find my hope and faith again.
Thank you for sharing your journey and raw emotions in your blog posts.
I totally understand EXACTLY where you are coming from. There are days I just can’t even look in there…and so I have to close the door because I can’t walk down the hallway without seeing it. But on the really hard days…the days I just want to put it all up for sale (you know what I mean)…I go in there and and I just cry. And I ask that my tears not just make me more sad, but that my tears purge me. Purge me of the hopelessness, the fear, the frustrations, the anxiety, the doubts, the anger. I want them to purge me so that there is an empty place inside of me that can be filled with hope and joy for what I have faith to come. Some days I only need to cry for a few minutes while other days it’s a few hours. I am praying for you sugars! Praying hope to spring up like never before and for faith to rise to believe once again. Love you, sugars! xoxo
Dear Elisha, did you know that according to some sources, the 17th day of Nisán is a very special day in the Bible? Maybe you knew that already, but I just wanted to let you know in case you didn’t. 🙂
“There are a surprising number of key events in Israel’s history that occurred on this exact date. The 17th of Nisan (the first month in the religious calendar) is a very key date associated with resurrection! Here is a list of the events that occurred on this day:
– Noah’s ark comes through the waters and rests on the earth for the first time bringing new life to Noah and his family on the 17th of Nisan.
– The feast of firstfruits (symbolising new life) would occur on the first Sunday after Passover (Passover was on the 14th of Nisan (Ex 12) so any time this falls on a Thursday, the feast of firstfruits was on the 17th of this month).
– Israel came through the Red Sea on the 17th of Nisan having left at Passover on the 14th. For them this was death to their old life (with the drowning of the Egyptians) and resurrection to a new life in God on the 17th!”
etc. etc. (Source: http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/quick/genesis8.htm)
Isn’t this amazing? 🙂 Blessings from Europe!
I’ve found this in my Facebook feed, as a “suggested for you”…literally the day before the 1yr anniversary of losing our son at 14 weeks gestation…coincidence? I think not…many critics have sighted our ages (im 47 and my husband is 53, this is both our second marriage and we have 7 children aged 13-25 from our previous marriages) among other reasons it’s “crazy” to even contemplate hope or desire for an “ours baby”…I know he or she is making known their desire to be our baby…I don’t know how or when, but I feel it will be soon—thank you so much for your active faith, hope and support on this very real and heartfelt topic.
I had a miscarriage many years ago & when I became pregnant again, we named him Josiah. When I looked up the meaning, I kept finding two different meanings. “God has heard” and “God has healed”. He’s 17 now & I still tell him all of the time how much I love his name.
I love this. I was in the same shoes. We had ran through all the options. Ivf, iui, fostering, etc we finally came to terms with it might not be. But I kept faith and when we moved 2 states away for a reset in life, I told my husband I couldn’t give up the crib or infant car seat we had all set for the pregnancy that ended at 15 weeks. I kept them in the spare room ready to go. 6 months after our move to reset I found out I was pregnant naturally. I was shook. I took pregnancy tests till the day I got a positive ultrasound and sometimes when I was having a hard time feeling like things would work out I would take one 🤦🏻♀️ he is now 20 months old and the best surprise ever. ♥️ I pray soon that all your faith will reap harvest.
I have been infertile for 15 years, since I was 28 and we got married and hoped for a baby. 12 years I cried monthly but eventually we understood that God had another plan with us, so we adopted two twin boys. They were 5 and a half years old at the time and are now 8. They are wonderful, smart, good-hearted
rebellious and very challenging, my hair has gone gray in these 3 years because of them but I think God gave us this incredible gift and also this cross to bear in order to save and to better these children’s lives. I might never get pregnant but I am a mother, hopefully these guys grow up to be real men.