Sunday, February 20, 2011

A tree planted by rivers of water

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

In the summer of 2010 I was very clearly drawn to the first chapter of Psalms, which soon became thematic for my life. I memorized the first six verses and recited it often, unsure really of the deeper meaning of the words. One thing I knew without doubt, I did not feel like a tree planted by rivers of water, nor did it seem that we were truly prospering in all that we were doing. (And by prospering, I do not mean financially, though that subject could certainly be considered in reference to this passage). The daily grind with our business was lackluster. Though our customer base was ever-so-slowly growing, the impact that we were having seemed short of prosperous. At the time I had a head full of ideas and struggled having so many passions and interests, none of which I was sure how to act upon.

Over the past seven months, I have been “chewing” on this passage, reading commentary and reading Biblical reference material, reciting it to Jimmy, sharing revelations, asking God for understanding, and trying to see opportunities for application in my circumstances. Though I’m confident there is much greater truth to behold than what I have experienced, God has revealed to me nuggets of truth from this scripture passage. Learning from the Holy Spirit is the most exciting education— each revelation bringing spiritual edification and application right into my life!

One of the first opportunities for application was the acquisition of a second pest control business. Through a series of unbelievable events, God confirmed His desire for us to lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes. Hurst Pest Services doubled overnight. The work has been strenuous, but rewarding. We are both learning to become more efficient so that God can continue to grow and use our business for His glory!

Starting to feel more like a tree by rivers of water…

Secondly, I met a friend, Elizabeth, who shared my love of childbirth and who also planned to become a birth doula. We agreed in the first ten minutes of meeting each other to be accountability partners in this journey— a week later we were signed up for a doula training course (compliments of my Type A personality). As a true visionary and natural encourager, Elizabeth has nurtured my love not only for assisting women in childbirth, but also for prenatal yoga, allowing me the opportunity to lead her and four other women in stretching and relaxation throughout their pregnancies. It has been an incredible experience, and I look forward to helping many more women enjoy the benefits of yoga in the childbearing years!

Elizabeth and I, along with her sister, Becca, have pooled together our passions and resources to create a local doula network serving women and families in Lake Wales and the surrounding area. Doulas of Lake Wales, (as part of WeLoveBirth.com— an information resource for mothers and birth professionals) will be launching soon, offering birth doula services, water birth pool rental, prenatal yoga, and placenta encapsulation.

Here is a preview of the “About Us” page of our website:


Doulas of Lake Wales is a network of like-minded women seeking to serve women and families in our local birth community with love and humility. Confident in the God-designed birthing process, we aim to share with women their options for childbirth and to support them in making informed choices about their bodies and their babies.

We believe that women can embrace ideas and methods outside of the mainstream birth paradigm without compromising their faith or intuition! We encourage mothers to envision and prepare for a gentler, more satisfying birth experience for themselves and their babies. Our job is to support them every step of the way!

So what makes our Doula group unique? We are three women with distinctive personalities, strengths, and experiences whose lives have collided for a greater purpose. We are called to love and serve women and families with hands of acceptance and hearts of grace. This means meeting people where they are in their views towards birth and life— joining as they confront fears, concerns, and past experiences, and joyfully embracing their new hopes and expectations for birth. We serve women in hospital, birthing center, and home births and are honored to support women through both medicated and unmedicated labor.

For the city of Lake Wales and surrounding Central Florida area, we hope to see openness to preserving the beauty, empowerment, and miracle that birth really is. Doulas of Lake Wales looks forward to loving and supporting women during the glorious transition to motherhood.

4 comments:

WeLoveBirth said...

Woooo hooo! so exciting!

mama to many said...

I LOVE this!! true, hearing from the Holy Spirit is good stuff. Love reading about your journey-wish we lived closer and I would join your gals as a lactation consultant (my secret passion!)
can't wait to see God continue to bless and grow you, friend.

Joy said...

I'm so proud of you. It's so amazing that you guys are bringing such important services to Lake Wales. I hope one day when I have kiddos we can figure out a way to take the journey together...

The Hursts said...

Thanks, ladies! I'm glad so many women are excited about exposing birth for what it really is... a wonderful thing!!!

Joy- that sounds amazing! Now lets figure out a way to have lunch! ;-)