WHAT INSPIRED ME TO WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, DAY 1

The year 2016 was life changing for me. I welcomed my youngest son, Andrew, in January. I tell you what: That boy came pointing me to Jesus right from the start! The meaning of the name Andrew is –manly or the mighty one.

Andrew, Peter’s brother in the Bible, always pointed others to Jesus.  And like him, my son arrived pointing his momma to her Savior –Jesus, the Almighty One!

Most believers are very familiar with Apostle Peter, but it was Apostle Andrew who brought his brother Peter to meet Jesus (John 1:40-42). It was Andrew who brought the little boy who had the five loaves of bread and two fish to Jesus (John 6:1-14). It was Andrew and Apostle Philip who brought certain Greeks to Jesus when they came looking for Him (John 12:21-26).

The significance of Andrew in the Bible and God’s use of my dear Andrew to bring me into a relationship with Him was something I discovered in hindsight, 2 years after his birth, as I was studying the Bible. I made the connection when God reminded me of the story I am about to share.

Right after Andrew was born, I developed postpartum depression. Even though I was not clinically diagnosed, looking back, I knew that was what I had. I’m not sure if it was because of my disappointment of not having a girl or if I was just tired, but I was at a very low point when I left the hospital that lasted for a few months.

The experience was very stifling, and I lost all motivation to assert myself beyond the minimum required of me. I still had my two older boys, who were 3 and 6, to look after. My usual routine was to drop them off at school and return home to be with my newborn. I would lie on the couch until it was time to pick up the older boys, only getting up to tend to my baby.

I could not exert myself beyond the minimum energy required to care for my children. I was going through an unexplainable period of overwhelming sadness. I was dissatisfied with life in general. Clinically, this is known as dysphoria, though I did not know how to call it that at the time.

Even in the midst of going through this terrible experience, I still maintained my daily habit of watching Joyce Meyer on television. Her program was the only television I watched, and God used her to help me survive the heavy weight of my emotions.