Go to them

I have married friends who work in ministry with international college students in New York City. They were recently in my town, which is the husband’s hometown, sharing about their ministry and some things they said struck a chord with me.

I know God has called me to share with and serve moms – young moms who don’t have much support, adoptive moms, birth moms, women who are surprised by pregnancy and not sure what to do about it, women who want to be moms but are in seasons of infertility and waiting.

That’s different than the Muslims my friends serve in the nation’s biggest city. But some things they shared made sense in my small-town heart.

We can ask people to come (into our churches and into our homes and into our lives and into our ways of doing things), but that’s not going to be their first steps. Instead, we should be willing to go to them. We need to step into their lives and stories with no strings attached. We need to love them wherever they are.

We need to stop saying “come ...” and be willing to go. {Tweet that.}

Who “they” are to you may not be Muslims or moms. But there’s someone who needs you to go to them. Maybe your neighbor or your cousin or your child’s teacher needs a friend. There’s someone – or maybe a group of someones – who need to hear your story so they can trust you with theirs. {Tweet that.}

I was thinking about this recently when my best friend and I drove 180 miles one way to have lunch with our other dear friend who moved away last year.

We miss her in our everyday lives so we just loaded up my mini van (which only held us and our kids because one of my kids was at church camp) and drove toward our friend. Meanwhile our friend drive toward us and we met in the middle. We ate and went to the park and then our friend’s mini van broke down. So I went to pick up her kids and we improvised ... and let the kids get in the spray park in their clothes.

A lunch trip won’t change the world, but being with people dear matters. To be able to serve well, we have to invest in the relationships that keep us grounded. These friendships have sustained me and give me inspiration to pour into others. And sometimes we have to go places to make that happen.

Of course, you don’t always have to go far – maybe just to your phone or your mailbox. Maybe you can go where you always go but linger long enough to notice the others in your paths. Or perhaps you’re supposed to go somewhere new.

As Christians, we like to do Bible studies and acquire more and more knowledge, which is fine, but that can’t be all we do. We have to go do something with what – especially who – we know. We have to go and serve and love.

And then we can invite them in to our churches and into our lives and into our homes and hopefully they’ll want to come. Hopefully they will know we are Christians by our love.
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An InLinkz Link-up

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#ThreeWordWednesday has been full of guest posting goodness this summer, so be sure to read any posts you may have missed. 

Susan Shipe shared about summertime fun. Melody Hester offered advice for navigating new seasons. Tiffany Parry shared about the joy that comes with freedom. Alecia Simersky talked about rejoicing in the day God has made, even with the day involves hard changes. Lyli Dunbar offered lessons on surviving summer storms. Joanne Viola reminded of the importance of rest. 

You can also download The Summer Not-To-Do List I made for you, if you haven't already, and find some book recommendations among the books I've read {so far} this year. 

A Special Rest

I love the change of seasons as I look forward to the change in scenery, each bringing a beauty all their own. The same trees, out back in our yard, bring an awareness and an awe all their own.

I never tire of the orange, red, and yellow hues of fall. Then the branches, devoid of any leaves, hold the splash of white as the snow falls, reflecting the brilliance of the sun. They change once more as little bursts of pale green and red buds peek through the tips, eventually giving way to full out green when the leaves fill in again. Every year I marvel at the varied shades of green.

Only our God, infinite in His creativity, could design seasons which would help us also manage the seasons of our lives:

• Fall. This season often reminds me of a fresh start, beginnings, perhaps because it brings a new school year. The smells of crisp leaves, the first fires, pumpkin candles, and apple pies bring a comfort all their own which is both familiar and unique. The season of harvest reminds us to be thankful for all that He has done in our lives.
• Winter. There is a reverence and peace which comes with the first snowfall. No matter how many snowfalls I have now experienced, each reminds me that I have been made whiter than snow.
• Spring. The season of growth. All that has been dormant, lying under the surface, begins to come to life and grow once anew. Spring brings a hope – of greater growth and production. It encourages us to get back out there in the arena of life and enjoy all that is before us.
• Summer ...

The season we are currently enjoying. The season of rest. These are the months we long for throughout the year. We desire the break from our busy schedules and routines which dictate our days. It’s the season of rest. I have found myself asking the question, “What is rest?” More so, what does God want us to do in resting?

“Rest” can mean a physical settling down of something at a particular place. “To rest” sometimes indicates a complete envelopment and thus permeation (both definitions come from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary). To rest should then mean a period of mental or spiritual calm, a relief or freedom from that which pressures us each day.

The messages are heard all around us. You know, the ones which keep pushing us to achieve more and work harder. “Do it now.” “Work hard!” “You’ll never get ahead unless you do more!” “Don’t stop.”

We need to close the lids of our laptops. Lay those cell phones down. And take a rest.

God knew the earth needed the season of summer in order to rest. {Tweet that.} How much more do His people need this same season? Listen to what He says:

“So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest.” {Hebrews 4:9-11, NLT}

God Himself worked hard yet He knew to take a rest. We need to do the same. But notice, we are exhorted to “do our best to enter that rest.” It strikes me funny that we need to work at resting or we will not rest at all. As we rest and our minds are calm, we are better able to focus on Him, gaining renewed perspective. Our hearts are softened, malleable to His touch. Remember the definition of “rest”? We become completely enveloped and thus permeated by His Spirit.

Enjoy these days of summer. Relax with family and friends. Laugh. Play games.

This special rest.

It is the most productive thing we can do this summer. {Tweet that.}
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Joanne Viola is a wife, mom to now adult children, and “Mimi” to two granddaughters. She began blogging so that her family would always know her thoughts as she processed through the journey of life. She is the director of partner care for The Lulu Tree, a non-profit serving women and children both in Uganda and Sierra Leone. You can find her on her blog, Days & Thoughts, or on Facebook and Twitter.
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An InLinkz Link-up

_____________________
#ThreeWordWednesday has been full of guest posting goodness this summer, so be sure to read any posts you may have missed. 

Susan Shipe shared about summertime fun. Melody Hester offered advice for navigating new seasons. Tiffany Parry shared about the joy that comes with freedom. Alecia Simersky talked about rejoicing in the day God has made, even with the day involves hard changes. Lyli Dunbar offered lessons on surviving summer storms. 

You can also download The Summer Not-To-Do List I made for you, if you haven't already, and find some book recommendations among the books I've read {so far} this year. 

Created by the Creator to Create

When I saw the Five Minute Friday prompt, I really wasn't sure where my words would take me. I did look up the word "create" in a dictionary just to give my mind some extra prompting. (It's been a busy-crazy-good week, people!) So, here we go, five minutes of writing on one word. Join us at Kate Motaung's place. 

Ready, set, go ... 

I create things all day long, but I wouldn’t always consider myself creative. I create meals and routines and memories. I like to create scrapbook pages and pictures with my words. I encourage my boy to create things from Legos. My girl creates by sewing and drawing and playing her keyboard.

To create is to bring something into existence or to cause something to happen as the result of one’s action.

That definition reminds me to create is to influence. That’s powerful. As a mom, I create what my kids will remember as their childhood. I create a home and a foundation for some many other experiences they’ll have. My husband and I create our marriage and in turn a legacy to pass to our kids.

And the foundation of it all is the fact we believe in and serve the Creator. We were created by the Creator in His image to create for His glory in whatever we do. {Tweet that.}

That alone makes us creative. So let’s create.

And stop.
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Build what matters

I saw the Five Minute Friday prompt last night on Twitter and immediately knew what I wanted to write about. When I finished folding some clothes, I typed this out on my phone. I love when one word spurs on so many thoughts and pulls together what's been happening in my mind. That's what Kate Motaung's one-word prompt did for me last night. 

Five Minute Friday is a flash mob of writers, all writing for five minutes about one word. This week the one word is BUILD. Write away. And then join us at Kate's place. 

Ready, set, write ... 

A year ago my husband, oldest girl and I were in Guatemala. That one week in a foreign land rocked my world. There have been related tears and joys and friendships and dreams – all rooted in one week in a land whose language I barely speak.

My first mission trip changed my perspective of pretty much everything. We went there to build houses and distribute clothing, food, and wheelchairs, yet God is building something bigger. I see parenting and church and service and relationships and society different than I did before stepping foot in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

For the past year, God has been building upon that mission trip I took to Guatemala. I know what he’s doing in my life, and I have to wonder what he’s still doing there with the seeds we planted.

Sometimes in the midst of everyday life, I still find myself wanting to let God build more, starting in my heart and mind and spilling over into all the corners of my life.

We moved into our new house June 18. Since then, we've unpacked {most} of our boxes and arranged furniture. The washing machine here didn't work so before I did my first load of laundry, we had to move some appliances around. We've had one toilet overflow twice and the plumbers have been here twice to fix two of the three toilets.

Ben had a pretty bad case of poison ivy the day before we left for a road trip that started with Greg's business meeting four hours away and continued with a stop-over in Louisville on our way to Buffalo, NY, where we visited my sister and the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. At the end of our trip, my nephew unknowingly shared his hand, foot, and mouth virus with Rachel. W came home to "road closed" signs near our house, thanks to crazy amounts of rain. A few days later lightning from another storm struck a tree that blocked us from the open portion of our road.

It all seemed overwhelming. I thought I had come into summer intentionally choosing a freer scheduler and then I found myself outlining my day on Post-It Note because I was worried I’d forget something. Summer has been more adventurous than I planned.

And then, right there with a Post-It Note slapped on my calendar, I remembered my week in Guatemala. I remembered what we were doing on July 7 and July 8 one year ago. I remember how building houses built my faith.

And I remembered that God is building a good thing here too. We are making a new-to-us house a home. We are creating memories and embracing adventures. We have work to do for God's glory.

All of that is the kind of building that matters.
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Read all my Guatemala-related posts here. 

Our Father's Faithfulness {and Rachel @ 9 months}

When I looked at the calendar and saw Rachel would be 9 months on Father’s Day, I invited Greg to the blog to share about fatherhood and our youngest daughter. If you’d like a peek into his life as a dad these past nine years, feel free to watch the video I made him. I’m grateful for Greg’s word here today, and, more importantly, the way he loves and serves our family. There’s nobody else I’d want to have beside me on this adventure!

Every year when Father’s Day rolls around, I am reminded that our God is faithful. It’s a time for me to look back and reflect on His goodness and grace in my life. I am so undeserving, and yet He has blessed me with three small souls to love and lead.

In looking back, I can tell you that He uses my children to change me daily. The Holy Spirit convicts me of my own shortcomings through the questions and conversations had with my two older inquisitive children. As we live life with them, I hope that they can hear and see the reality of God’s grace through my attitudes and actions.

My own father passed away in 2010, and I can tell you that I learned how to follow God by watching him. He followed God with his whole heart and was the example for me and my brothers on how to lead our families.

Hopefully, Kristin and I have learned a few things about parenting over the first 9-plus years with Cate and then 6 ½ years with Ben. Mostly, I think we’ve learned that the children need to see Kristin and I mess up, and see what it means to ask for and receive forgiveness from each other and God.

This year, in reflecting on Father’s Day, it is amazing to think about how last April, we had no idea that Rachel was even on the horizon. We had felt the Lord calling us to adopt again back in 2012 and looked into several options, but never had the right situation.

Kristin and I were disappointed and frustrated, but eventually we just realized that we had already been amazingly blessed by the Lord to have our 2 children. And so we mostly gave up our hope of adopting a third child. Our hearts were still pulled toward adopting a third child, but we finally had the grateful perspective that we needed. We learned a bit about being content in any situation and then, when we least expected it, we got a phone call from Rachel’s birth mom.

Rachel was born last September, and she been such an amazingly sweet addition to our family. Ben and Cate were immediately taken with their new sister, and she has responded in kind. Rachel has an engaging smile that she flashes to almost everyone.

At 9 months, she now gets around by crawling and she loves to grab, touch and taste everything she comes in contact with. We are so blessed to have her with us. We probably are a lot more laid back with her than we were with Cate, but hey, now we have a 9-year-old and 6-year-old to help us with little things around the house.

And the best part is that Rachel has two older siblings to look up to and learn from. I love watching her interact with them every day. So on this Father’s Day, I am going to reflect on the goodness of our Heavenly Father and rejoice in His provision in my life. I pray you can do the same.
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Other monthly update notes from momma :: This girl is fun. She’s into everything and curious about all the details in her world. I forgot how exhausting this phase can be, but it’s fun to watch her discover. Speaking of discovering, she loves the pool. Good thing because my big kids and I prefer to spend our afternoons there. Funny thing, she still doesn’t like her baths.

She’s crawling at fast speeds, pulling up quickly and thinking about letting go, and climbing the steps. She still loves to eat whatever and whenever we are eating and is taking {very} small drinks from her sippy cups. She takes usually four 8-ounce bottles a day, although I can tell she’s cutting back. Oh and she’s wearing 12-month clothes, except pajamas, shorts and bathing suits, which she requires 18-month size, but each day I had another garment to the pile of stuff she’s outgrown. Girl is growing, obviously.

Look back on Rachel’s growth :: One month. Two months. Three months. Four months. Five months. Six months. Seven months. Eight months.

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Supporting Foster Families {and looking after orphans}

Most people know I became a mom through adoption – three times. I’ve shared that a couple hard years of infertility is how God led Greg and I to adoption. We had no idea what we were getting into, but once we were there, we knew that’s where we were supposed to be.

Adoption wasn’t our Plan B, but infertility was the heartache God used to get our attention. Obviously, not everyone is called to adoption. But God does call his followers to care for the fatherless and orphans.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

–James 1:27

Sometimes caring for orphans does mean growing your family through adoption or foster care, but many times it looks like helping families who are walking through these processes, participating in programs that help feed and clothe orphans, or supporting businesses that give to orphan care.

Through the ministry to adoptive mommas God built up around me, I’ve gotten to learn much about fostering recently. I have friends who have foster babies in their homes right now. I know others who are getting certified so they can serve this way.

I’ve been thinking about how when we – as believers – claim to be pro-life, we have to do more than protest abortion. We don’t have to adopt or foster, but we do have to serve children who need love and moms who are choosing life. And some of those children and mommas are wrapped up in the foster system.

May is National Foster Care Month. So I wanted to share some ways you – wherever you are, whether you’re married or single, regardless of how big your family is – can serve families who are choosing to foster. {Tweet that.}

Show up with a meal. Any time a regular routine is interrupted – even with something happy like new life – it’s hard to get to the grocery, plan meals, and prepare meals. And whatever you bring doesn’t have to be gourmet. Go to the local BBQ restaurant and get enough meat and sides to provide a few meals to the family adjusting to its new normal. Have a pizza delivered to them. Double whatever you’re making for your own family.

Offer specific help. Think about this family’s life and offer to do something specific – go to the grocery, do laundry, sit with the baby so momma can shower, or mow the lawn. Texts that say “Let me know what I can do” are well-intentioned, but saying “I’m at the grocery store, what I can I get you?” are more practical.

Provide care for other children. With the foster system come many appointments (pediatrician checkups, visitation with bio family, etc.) the family doesn’t have much control over. If you know a family who is fostering a little one, offer to help with any older kids in the home.

Be on call to get supplies. Foster situations often happen with little time to spare. If you know someone who suddenly has a new child in the home, offer to run to Walmart to get diapers, formula, clothes, activities, or whatever else that child may need. Children often come into foster homes with almost nothing.

Let parents give gifts. Foster children have a lot of people in and out of their lives. So, if you have something special to give a child, let the parents do that for bonding purposes. Depending on your relationship with the family, you may get a chance to bond with the child too, but give that time.

Understand you may not understand. Even if you weren’t called to foster, your friend was. Be a listening ear and be there for whatever practical support is necessary, but don’t judge the way she’s bonding with a child that may not be in her home forever. This child needs love – and with that comes attachment. Yes, it’s hard. But God doesn’t promise he’ll call us only to easy things. He calls us to sanctify us – and that usually means doing something hard. In fostering, there’s the emotional challenges as well as the complications that come with a flawed system and its logistically issues.

If you do some of these things I shared – or other things that make sense for the people in your life – then you’re serving orphans because your friends need you while they’re in the trenches. And my guess is you’ll get a whole new perspective that draws you nearer to God.
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Thanks for your grace last week when I had a schedule snafu that threw off the post I thought I had prepared for #ThreeWordWednesday. Life happens sometimes. I'm glad to be back this week! And I've got several giveaways opens, if you're want to join me there too: "The League and The Lantern" book for tweens. Jeremy Camp CDs. The new "ESV Family Devotional Bible."

An InLinkz Link-up

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Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

Reading & applying Bible together {a review & giveaway}

I had a complete meltdown this past weekend. I argued with my husband in front of my kids and then cried when we had a family pow wow to regroup. My husband prayed over us all and I cried some more. As much as I wish the ugliness didn’t happen, I hope my kids takeaway one truth: We all need Jesus.

Even Mom. Perhaps especially Mom.

And that’s why I love resources that help families focus on this truth. We live in a society that is saturating our kids’ minds (and our adult minds!) with so many things that don’t matter in the big picture. It takes intentional effort to come together and focus on what matters.

The new “ESV Family Devotional Bible” from Crossway helps do that. With devotionals sprinkled throughout the family-friendly Bible, there are topics and questions that are relevant to the truths that matter. It’s all set up in way that you could read the Bible together in a year. But even if you’re less organized about it, this Bible will spark conversations that are worth having.

That’s certainly a better way to remind your kids we all need Jesus – and it may even ward off any forthcoming meltdowns and arguments!

ABOUT THE BOOK :: The “ESV Family Devotional Bible” is designed to help families read and apply God’s Word together. This full-color edition features the complete ESV text interspersed with engaging illustrations and gospel-centered devotions related to key Bible stories — guiding families through the entirety of God’s Word over the course of a year. Each devotion also includes discussion questions and suggestions for additional reading.

This hardcover Bible with 1408 pages was published by Crossway (April 29, 2016). Learn more at Crossway’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

GIVEAWAY :: And there’s a copy for one of you! Use the Rafflecopter widget below for different ways to enter. The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents through Monday, May 23. A winner will be randomly selected the following day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

Celebrating other women {who made me a mom}

Mother’s Day was especially hard one year, right there in the midst of my own hard, emotional infertility season. And then God led us to adoption and I became a mom one week before Mother’s Day 2007.

That’s how dreams are sometimes – they seem so far out of reach and then they happen in an instant and we realize the timing is perfect. Of course, when I was waiting to be called “Momma,” I didn’t think the timing was very perfect!

But hindsight offers perspective.

Truth is, I wouldn’t be a mom if it weren’t for other women who chose life for their babies and then chose me to be their mom. Dreams have a way of humbling us and pointing us back to the Creator of it all. {Tweet that.}

Three times, I became a mom because of adoption. Sure, infertility led us there, but since the day we stopped trying to conceive a baby, I’ve had no doubts this was God’s plan for our family.

Adoption is relational to its core. Always rooted in grief, adoption is a redemption process that builds families and connects people beyond the walls of one home. The earthly process of bringing a child home this way mirrors the spiritual adoption of God choosing us for an inheritance we share with Christ. It’s kingdom work that sanctifies.

{Join me at God-sized Dreams for the rest.}
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10 Ways God is Different from Us – and why that’s a good thing

I like to be in control – of plans and people’s reactions and my own emotions. Yet, when I get around to surrendering that desire to the One who is actually in control, I find freedom. Honestly, that paradox never made much sense to me, but while reading “None Like Him” by Jen Wilkin, I found myself nodding my head and realizing claiming God as my savior comes with many surrenders and contrasts.

Because God is different than us.

And that is indeed a good thing.

I should note here that the subtitle of the book is “10 Ways God is Different From Us (and why that’s a good thing).”

Specifically, “None Like Him” looks at how God is self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, infinite, and incomprehensible. We’re not – and that’s a good thing.

My favorite chapters were the ones on God being self-existent, eternal, and immutable. And when I say “favorite,” I mean those are the attributes that struck me deepest because those are the faith concepts that bring me to the cross over and over again.

Wilkin brought to life for me what it means to be an image bearer of God – and that’s quite different than aspiring to become like God. We are designed to reflect his glory, not rival it.

If I would continually surrender to that, I’d be a whole lot less controlling and have a perception that makes me quicker to trust God’s ways, which are unchanging. Yet because he’s unchanging, my habits and circumstances are able to change.

“None Like Him” brought so many paradoxes to life, showing me how often I try to be the god of my own life when there’s a God who is perfectly fitted for that role and created me to be who I am. I marked long passages that I need to revisit. But I wanted to share one of those sections with you:

“The sadness or frustration we feel about changes to something that we believed to be unchanging reveals our tendency to ascribe what is true only of God to people, possessions, or circumstances that are not him – to expect earthly places to be heavenly. I tell myself that my love of routine and my aversion to change are a longing for the God who does not change, but if I am honest, they are just plain idolatry. In truth, I am telling temporary, changing things, ‘I need you to be God. Please just stay the same.’ … The worst part is that, when confronted with my own entrenched sin, my immediate defense is to say, ‘That’s just who I am. I can’t change.’ … Whether uttered in hopelessness or defiance, this statement is a lie. Only one person does not change, and that is God. … Just as my assurance of salvation rests in the fact that God cannot change, my hope of sanctification rests in the fact that I can.”

{Jen Wilkin in “None Like Him,” page 87}

This book would be a good one to read, study and discuss with other women. Each chapter concludes with questions. Scriptures are also referenced throughout, making it a natural Bible study.
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ABOUT THE BOOK :: Our limitations are by design. We were never meant to be God. But at the root of every sin is our rebellious desire to possess attributes that belong to God alone. Calling us to embrace our limits as a means of glorifying God’s limitless power, author Jen Wilkin invites us to celebrate the freedom that comes when we rest in letting God be God.

“None Like Him” is a 163-page paperback book published by Crossway (April 30, 2016).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :: Jen Wilkin is a speaker, writer, and teacher of women’s Bible studies. During her 15 years of teaching, she has organized and led studies for women. Jen and her family are members of the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. She is the author of “Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds.”

GIVEAWAY :: And I have a copy of this book for one you! This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents through Monday, May 16. A winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday, May 17. Use the Rafflecopter below for multiple ways to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review, thanks to Propeller Consulting/FlyBy Promotions. FlyBy is also providing the winner of this giveaway with a copy of this book. If you have won a prize from Propeller/FlyBy in the last 30 days or have won this book from another blog, you are not eligible to win.

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

Where I Am

I spent this past Saturday with a dozen other adoptive mommas at the second annual Hope That Binds retreat. We ate well, shared our stories, asked the hard questions, pointed each other to resources, laughed, and cried. We looked at the past, talked about the present, and pondered the future.

Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going matters. {Tweet that.}

Yes, we should not dwell on the past, but it’s important to remember how God has been faithful. Sometimes the present is full of contradicting emotions, but that’s okay because sadness and joy can co-exist. The future is always an adventure and God is the Ultimate Planner, but he’s also a God of order and dreams.

One of the exercises I loved was when we all wrote on small slips of colorful paper words and phrases that told about our present. I am … peacefully sad, waiting for a season of rest, grateful, refreshed, working through birthmom relationship, wanting to count it all joy, thankful, drained, content, excited for change, out of shape, connected, learning, embracing change, emotional, patiently waiting, overwhelmed, longing, healing, curious, enjoying this time of the year, not where I expected, starting new adventures, saying “no,” and in need of beach therapy.

Many of those emotions and circumstances could apply to any of our lives. The exercise made me slow down in the midst of a busy life and appreciate where I am. So today I thought I’d make a list that claims my present while being aware of what God has done and is going to do.

I am …

• a momma to three.
• almost 37 years old.
• married to a fellow first-born who invited me out for ice cream in college.
• a daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.
• excited to live in the country.
• requiring helmets for anyone who rides our four-wheeler.
• loving the sunshine and ready for summer.
• in disbelief my oldest is almost 9.
• missing a couple dear friends.
• eager to see what God does next.
• grateful I get to stay at home and work on the side of being a mom.
• thankful for lessons in #choosingJOY.
• a reader with a big list of books I want to read.
• a writer with a few projects on my mind.
• understanding my son in a new way.
• purging my house.
• anticipating some summer plans.
• looking forward to May.
• making sure Rachel doesn’t pull down the living room curtains or put any cords in her mouth.
• excited to see Rend Collective in concert this coming weekend.

Tell me about where you are – the ordinary and the extraordinary, the lovely and the hard, the joy-filled and the messes. This is the stuff that makes up life. These are the things that will become memories of God’s faithfulness. Even if we feel stuck, life won’t be like this – just like this – for long.
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An InLinkz Link-up

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable and I have a fun surprise in the upcoming May newsletter.

Looking for Lovely

Somebody told me recently that Greg and I make beautiful babies. Well, actually we don't. For various reasons, we haven’t actually made babies. But we do know our kids are beautiful and love their birth moms for that and so, so many other reasons.

But it doesn't stop there with their outward appearances. Because these women chose life, Greg and I get the opportunity to make these babies into people – beautiful people. God willing, these babies who were all born with dark hair and easy smiles will grow up to be lovely from the inside out.

Adoption always begins with a darkness only God can redeem. Adoption is rooted in grief and loss and poverty and brokenness. But God brings light and purpose and fullness and joy to situations only he can make new.

“The pain of broken families and broken hearts sometimes is deeper than words can describe. But there is beauty in choosing to feel that pain, in calling hurt what it is, and not pretending everything is okay. Whatever tragedy you have experienced or are currently living through, the most beautiful thing you can do is LIVE. Keep walking, keep weeping, keep eating. Don’t ignore the hurt. Don’t attempt to avoid it and just move on with your life. Feel it all, and invite people in to feel it with you.”

{Annie Downs in “Looking for Lovely”}

When I read this, I thought about the adoption group I host on Facebook, where we share resources and prayers and praises. I remembered where I’d been and what God has done with that brokenness. And I offered thanksgiving – yet again – for my kids’ birth moms who made brave decisions in the midst of messy circumstances.

I can’t think of anything more lovely.

That’s why holding my sleeping babies in church has always been holy for me. It’s so ordinary, yet it’s proof God hears the desires of our hearts and calls us for a specific purpose. A sleeping baby who is at home nestled in the crook of my arm is evidence that God brought light to the darkness.

I held Rachel this past Sunday and remembered when coming to church was hard a decade ago because people kept announcing pregnancies and I was ready to do the same. I remembered how Cate was born on a Sunday, Ben on a Monday, and then Rachel in a Saturday. Announcing their births was nothing short of miraculous. They’re all proof God redeems and makes new, that he makes beauty from ashes.

Church is different now than it was a decade ago. Cate has claimed Christ has her savior. Ben is wiggly but learning to read the words on the slides during worship. And Rachel sleeps. They all belong and I have no doubt Greg and I were chosen to be their parents.

I can't think of anything more holy than that.
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Annie Downs’ new book – “Looking for Lovely: Collecting the Moments that Matter” – released yesterday. It has nothing to do with adoption but everything to do with finding God in the midst of pain and sadness and brokenness.

In the book, she tell stories of her everyday life – sitting around the tables with friends, running from pain, and discovering hope despite loss. She offers glimpses into where she finds lovely. I don’t love sushi or have my spots in Nashville like she does, but I have found ordinary loveliness in my own life.

The cover of this book is warped because I carried it with me for a few days and found lovely in it while I found lovely looking up from the pages to see my oldest daughter riding a horse, my son learning to ride a bicycle, and my baby girl figuring out how to crawl.

“Looking for Lovely” is a reminder that when we have Jesus, we can find loveliness in everything else. {Tweet that.}
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ABOUT THE BOOK :: 208 pages. Published by B&H Books (April 5, 2016).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :: Annie F. Downs is an author, speaker, and blogger based in Nashville. Flawed but funny, she uses her writing to highlight the everyday goodness of a real and present God. While she loves writing — books, blogs, articles, thank you notes — Annie also enjoys traveling around the world speaking to young women, college students, and adults. Annie is a huge fan of bands with banjos, glitter, her community of friends, boiled peanuts, and football games. Read more at anniefdowns.com and follow her on Twitter.
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An InLinkz Link-up

I received a free copy of “Looking for Lovely” from Icon Media Group in exchange for an honest review.

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable.

The Middle Matters {an Easter post}

“My corrupt soul wanted to run, fast and hard, away from the hurt that swirled on all sides. I knew in my mind that I was born again – destined for a new, eternal, no-tears-in-heaven kind of life. I knew my salvation was a direct gift from the blood and sacrifice of the spotless, uncorrupted, unstained, untainted blood of the Lamb of God; but in the darkness of night, I couldn’t help but wonder how that knowledge was supposed to help me in the present moment. I could concoct a whole host of scenarios in which the afterlife would be the most amazing, fulfilling, Guinness Book of World Records worthy, mind-blowing, God-honoring experiences where I (Lord willing) would be reunited with lost loved ones. But what about life on this side of the veil, the one we’re all living right now?”

{Megan Nilsen in "A Beautiful Exchange"}

I’ve met people and seen circumstances that make me wonder how I’m supposed to reconcile this life with the eternal life that’s coming. Why wouldn’t someone choose hope when it was right in front of them? Maybe they couldn’t see out of their own despair. Maybe they had been burned by hope before.

I get it because sometimes I feel stuck in the middle.

With Easter coming in a few days, this middle place has been on my mind, but, more importantly, so has hope.

Sometimes we skip over what happened leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and what his death was like because we want to get to the glorious end. We know he rose again and lives forever. But it wasn’t pretty getting there. There was blood and meanness and weakness and physical pain. But there also was endurance and hope.

After being whipped and insulted, Jesus hung on a cross in the middle of two criminals. He died in the middle of day.

The middle matters.

Even his resurrection comes in the middle of the story. While the stone being rolled away is certainly the highlight, it’s not the end.

The middle matters.

How we got to where we are matters, but God doesn’t want us to stay there because the best is yet to come.

The middle matters because of the future we are promised. {Tweet that.} That future includes an inheritance we share with Christ because are adopted into God’s family. We are children of God, made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12).

Maybe you love where you are and who you’re with, like I do. But maybe you’re waiting for whatever you’re dreaming of next, longing for circumstances to change. I’ve been there too.

Tears and pain and endurance and hope are probably part of your middle too. I know they have been mine. Maybe you see God moving. Or maybe you believe God is moving but you’re waiting for evidence.

Wherever you are, this is the middle of the whole story. This is the week to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrate his resurrection because that’s why the middle matters. The redemption and resurrection and celebration only are possible because of the hurt and betrayal and pain that happened first.
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This is the last post in the Meet Me in the Middle Project. Britta LaFont challenged me during Lent to slow down and notice the pieces of life I bypass in a rush. Find all the details about the Meet Me in the Middle Project here. {You can read all my preview posts about the middle, if you're new here.}

#ThreeWordWednesday friends, I'd love for you join in Meet Me in the Middle by linking up there and here, but the weekly #ThreeWordWednesday link up is open as usual even if you're not participating in this Lenten project. I'm always so glad y'all are here.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

Surprise! God's got a plan ...

It's time for Five Minute Friday with Kate Motaung and other writer friends. The prompt is revealed on Thursday night and then there's a flash mob of writing. Just write. Just write whatever comes in those five minutes. 

This week's prompt is SURPRISE. 

Ready, set, go ... 

I’m hard to surprise – probably because I ask a lot of questions. Part of me likes surprises, but much of me likes a plan.

Yet God has managed to surprise me with almost every detail of my life.

I live in a town I thought would be in my past after college graduation – and love it so much I consider it home after more than a dozen years.

I thought I would be a big-city newspaper reporter, but I worked in a small-town newsroom before I became a momma and now I stay at home with them – sort of. I do some work-type things on the side, between mothering moments.

I have three kids – which was what I thought would happen. BUT they didn’t come like I expected. God surprised me with three adoption stories I wouldn’t rewrite, even though there are some hard chapters.

God has surprised me with community when I least expected it and given me dreams and hopes I didn’t realize I’d ever have. And even this prompt 13 hours after I wrote this on Facebook: May your day be full of fresh views & sweet surprises.

God has surprised me with all the details of my life. But he’s not been surprised for a moment. {Tweet that.}

He knit me together in my mother’s womb and gave me an extroverted personality with introverted tendencies. He started writing my story long before I acknowledged him as the author.

I’m seeking him as the author of it all now, but I’m guessing there are still going to be some surprises around the bend.

And stop. 
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I'm linking up at Kate Motaung's place with other Five Minute Friday friends. Come join us. 

Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

On why you should have Slugs & Bugs' new CD in your home

My kids sometimes bust out on the Ten Commandments in silly voices.

I barely notice, really. But this is Randall Goodgame’s influence on my family.

Goodgame is the creative singer/songwriter behind Slugs & Bugs music. And he’s managed to sing scripture in a way that seeps into kids’ hearts once again with “Sing the Bible Vol. 2.” Oh, who am I kidding, this album helps me learn and remember scripture too.

I may have left it playing one morning when the kids weren’t even in the minivan with me. Now that’s a true testimony to how good this music is. Yes, it’s music aimed at children, but it’s so good even adults want to listen. {Tweet that.}

So, yeah, Randall Goodgame has my kids reciting the Ten Commandments in funny voices and saying things like “Honor your parents, Clarence.” But he also has the word of God dwelling in their minds.

Here’s the song list and the corresponding scriptures …

1. Do You Not Know – Isaiah 40:28-31
2. Let Your Light Shine – Matthew 5:14, 16
3. The Ten Commandments
4. The Love Of Christ – Ephesians 3:16-21
5. Masterpiece – Ephesians 2:8-10
6. Whoever Sows – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
7. Hear, O Israel – Deuteronomy 6:4, 6-7
8. Stars – Philippians 2:14-16
9. Raisins – Song of Solomon 2:5
10. Above Yourselves – Philippians 2:3
11. In All Things – 1 Peter 4:12-13, Romans 8:28, John 16:33
12. Do Not Worry – Matthew 6:25-26, 28-33
13. You Forgave Me – Psalm 32:1-5
14. By His Wounds – Isaiah 53:5-6

My kids would probably tell you the Ten Commandments song was their favorite, but they also laugh about raisins and recognize truth about things working together for the good and not worrying about tomorrow.

Some of my favorites: “Let Your Light Shine” is an anthem of why our good deeds matter. “The Love of Christ” is a fun, upbeat song that makes includes a gospel choir. “Hear, O Israel” proclaims God’s presence in our everyday lives and makes me want to clap my hands.

Here is more about the CD from Randall Goodgame himself:

“Almost every day, I pray my kids will grow more aware of God's love for them. Just like you and me, when kids know they are loved, they behave differently. They transform. I've been calling ‘Sing the Bible Vol. 2’ a ‘musical handbook for the Christian home’ because the verses give practical instruction for those transforming people. Of course, without God's love and transforming power, we are left with a bunch of rules we can never fully obey. That's why this CD also highlights Scriptures which bring to mind God's presence and power, his limitless love and his ultimate sacrifice. Taken together, listened to (over and over) in the minivan and in the home, these songs provide raw material for the Lord to use to build strong faith in parents and kids. Oh yeah, and it's really fun and groovy. And there are monsters. And raccoons. And a sharkbug. And raisins.”

Who wouldn’t that for their family? I know we’re glad we’ve let Slugs & Bugs – the music, not the creatures – into our home and hearts.

Head over to the Slugs & Bugs’ website and get your copy. It officially releases March 18, but you can preorder it now. And while you’re there, get the first volume too. (“Sing the Bible Vol. 1” is also available at Amazon.)
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If you've been around here long, you know we love Randall Goodgame and his Slugs & Bugs music. Nobody asked me to review this CD. I got some early copies that I've already gifted because I supported the album's Kickstarter campaign before it was even made. I knew it was going to be good!

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Want more insights?Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

Are you tired?

I’ve watched Rachel fall asleep a few times recently.

At first she looks around, mentally fighting the urge the sleep. She seems to think about what she might miss if she closes her eyes. Then her eye lids flutter open and close, but she’s no longer mentally fighting what she knows she wants. Her breathing changes and then her eyes stay closed. Rest comes.

(Let’s not even talk about how she doesn’t really like to be put down in her crib before 9 p.m. Thank God for the swing, which she’s sadly outgrowing, and her pleasant demeanor.)

I know what it’s like to be in the middle of wanting to rest but fighting to slow down and be still.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

{Matt. 11:28-30 The Message}

Having a baby in the house again after six years has reminded me of how God cares for us, his children.

Rachel needs me to do everything for her – make her bottles, feed her, change her diapers, dress her, buckle her in the car seat, carry her from one place to another. At almost 6 months, she’s able to roll around, slowly getting from point A to point B, and manages to feed herself Baby Mum Mum crackers. But she’s still got a lot to learn and needs me.

God is the same with us. He tends to so many details of our lives, gives us opportunities to take care of things as we mature, and is always teaching us. Like a baby learning some independence, a faith journey is a process of maturing. {Tweet that.}

Regardless of our age or how long we’ve walked with God, we’re living in the middle of new life in Christ and our eternal home. In the middle, we are sanctified, but we won’t be perfected until we call heaven home.

The middle can be exhausting, especially when we try to carry all of life’s details ourselves. In Jesus, there is another way. He wants us to walk with him and learn from him – and that often means slowing down and finding real rest. As we do, our steps become more confident, our faith stronger, and our life freer.
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I’m excited to join Britta Lafont for her Meet Me in the Middle Project during Lent, when I’m going to slow down and notice the pieces of life I bypass in a rush. Find all the details about the Meet Me in the Middle Project here or reference Britta's introductory post.

#ThreeWordWednesday friends, I'd love for you join in Meet Me in the Middle by linking up there and here, but the weekly #ThreeWordWednesday link up is open as usual even if you're not participating in this Lenten project. I'm always so glad y'all are here.

An InLinkz Link-up

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This isn't the first time I've written with these verses about the unforced rhythms of grace on my mind. Read other related posts here and here. Obviously, rest is a practice I'm always needing to learn about. 

I'm sharing this post with Dawn Boyer's new Grace Moments link up. Come join us there for more encouragement. 

Want more insights?Subscribe to get new posts and/or a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog in your inbox. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

Gratefulness & Guatemala

I don’t want for a thing. Not a single item.

I’ve been known to spout lectures to my kids about how they need to be grateful and appreciate what we have – every single last thing.

But gratefulness isn’t just about things. Gratefulness is an attitude, a perspective. Yes, all the things are part of it because that’s the kind of world in which we live.

Gratefulness goes far beyond the things and takes root in our hearts. {Tweet that.}

My husband, oldest daughter, and I went to Guatemala last year. {Read more about that here.} We spent a week there, helped build some houses, and distributed wheelchairs, clothing, and food. And that one week spent in a foreign land almost eight months ago has rocked my own world.

While building houses there, the beginning was a concrete slab. The middle involved metal walls, a roof, and a couple windows. The end result was a sturdy, blue-painted house that far surpassed these families’ previous housing.

Yes, the houses were blessings that I’m sure spurred gratefulness in these Guatemalan families. How could they not? But I’m not sure the houses were necessarily the intended result. The hearts of the people – the ones who call Guatemala home and those of us serving – are what ultimately matters.

Sure, those families are better cared for because they have a roof over their heads, but I pray they know the love of Jesus in a new way too. We gave them food, but did they realize we really wanted to give them love that truly nourishes. Absolutely, God cares for our physical needs, but he yearns for our souls. {Tweet that.}

I’m still feeling the effects of that one week. That trip spurred on a couple new friendships and offered a new perspective. In any given moment, I appreciate my life and my things while longing for a simpler, less cluttered lifestyle.

And I understand gratefulness in a new way that I’m praying overflows onto my kids.

“The very thing most parents long to give their kids – a grateful heart – is destroyed in our attempt to simultaneously give them the world. It’s hard to have both because true thankfulness is experienced when we first understand we are missing something. And that’s hard to teach when we are trying to give them everything. When we have everything, we are thankful for nothing. When we have nothing, we are thankful for everything.”

(Kristen Welch in “Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World”)

It’s nearly impossible to live the American dream and long for God’s Kingdom at the same time. But the everlasting kingdom is better than any fleeting dream, so that’s what I want to hold onto here in the middle of it all.
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I’m excited to join Britta Lafont for her Meet Me in the Middle Project during Lent, when I’m going to slow down and notice the pieces of life I bypass in a rush. Find all the details about the Meet Me in the Middle Project here or reference Britta's introductory post.

#ThreeWordWednesday friends, I'd love for you join in Meet Me in the Middle by linking up there and here, but the weekly #ThreeWordWednesday link up is open as usual even if you're not participating in this Lenten project. I'm always so glad y'all are here.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Want more insights? Subscribe to get new posts in your inbox and a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

You're Already Amazing {a review}

I’ve had the privilege of sitting at a table with Holley Gerth. We talked about infertility, adoption, writing, marriage, and faith. We shared how all of those aspects of life work together and become part of our purpose.

That’s what the new “You’re Already Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You To Be” study is like.

Who wouldn’t want to sit at the table with Holley Gerth? She’s an encourager of women. She wants people to find their place in God’s kingdom. She gracefully dispels the idea women have to be all things to all people and rather encourages women to be who God created them each uniquely to be.

But she doesn’t want figuring that out to mean doing more. She understands the pressures of this world and how they distract us from what matters.

In this study, which is based on her book by the same name published in 2012, she asks questions, offers encouragement based on scripture, and shares real-life stories. I’ve been working through it on my own, but it would be a wonderful study to go through with your closest friends or women in your bigger circle.

There are six sessions – each with a section in the workbook and then a video that’s about 10 minutes long. The sessions are called: Who God Created Us to Be, What’s True No Matter How We Feel, Our Amazing Journey with Jesus, God’s Plan for Our Relationships, God’s Purpose for Our Lives, How We Can Thrive for a Lifetime. There are sections in the workbook to answer specific questions, journal thoughts and prayers, and do other creative exercises.

While some sections of study come directly from her original non-fiction book, you could do the study without having read the book. Likewise, even if you’ve read the original book, you’d still benefit from the study because it offers new information and has the exercises to make practical applications to your own life.

During the second session on emotions and God’s truth, I got a new perspective on one of my favorite passages of scripture (Phil. 4:6-7). Holley writes about the armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-17 and how the breastplate of righteousness covers our hearts. In other words, that’s important because “choosing to do what is right in spite of our emotions protects us” (page 54).

Whoa, says the girl who has been known to respond with my emotions when I should have focused on the truth. Like Holley shares in the video for the second session, “emotions are good messengers but bad bosses.”

Then she brought me back to the passage from Philippians I love:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Will guard your hearts and minds. Our emotions matter, but they aren’t always based in truth. Holley does a believe job of teaching why replacing lies with truth matters – in your own life and how your life overflows to others for the glory of God.
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Learn more about "You're Already Amazing" LifeGrowth Guide & DVD at Holley Gerth's website as well as on Amazon {LifeGrowth Guide // "You're Already Amazing"}. I received a free copy of Holley Gerth's "You're Already Amazing" LifeGrowth Guide & DVD for being part of her launch team. The insights here are my own. 

I'm linking up this post at Holley Gerth's place. 

Want more insights? Subscribe to get new posts in your inbox and a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog. When you subscribe, I'll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

"Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'.

Limit {a Five Minute Friday post}

I saw this week's Five Minute Friday prompt last night and had absolutely no thoughts about what I would write. When I came back to it this morning, I still wasn't sure what I was going to write, but I started the timer anyway. 

LIMIT. Five minutes. Just write. And then link up with Kate Motaung and her crew.

Ready, set, go ...  

For far too long I’ve limited God with the box in which I’ve housed him. I made plans and wondered why God was interrupting them. I set expectations that wouldn’t bend with life’s changes.

And then I learned that’s no way to live.

I mean, I learned it in my head. I still work on learning in my heart.

But I know limiting God is pointless. I know when I stopped pursuing adoption the third time and started seeking the One who makes families, he heard my desire and fulfilled it in his time – which was years after when I thought it was best. But I would have missed other people and places He’d called me to if I had a baby a few years ago. And that’s just what I know about through my limited view of the world.

God’s got a wide view and somehow manages to see it all – from then to now to what is to come.

An old friend found me on Facebook today and when we were messaging about our lives I told my life looks nothing like I expected but I love it anyway. The life I had planned surely would have limited God. Here I am, aware of my human ways, but wanting the Limitless One to take over. I want to hold on to Him tightly and everything – even my marriage and kids – loosely so I don’t limit what God wants to do in us and through us.

And stop.
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Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

Taking the Steps {a #ThreeWordWednesday post}

I want to get back to walking regularly. I don’t really love exercising, but I do love clearing my head, catching up with a friend if I’m able to walk with her, and reading a book while I want on the treadmill.

One recent morning, I got on the treadmill with a library book – “The Lake House” by Kate Morton – and started walking. I read a few pages, but combination of the font size and lighting (or lack thereof!) in the room made me strain as I was bouncing from the steps on the treadmill. Note to self: THIS is why I prefer my Kindle while walking on the treadmill.

So I closed the book, scrolled through Facebook and then sorted thoughts in my head. And I realized with each step I took, I wasn’t actually going anywhere. And isn’t that like life sometimes?

I know it’s how I’ve felt this week. I’ve struggled to find a groove – in chores, in errands, in writing – coming off a week that had my kids going to school twice and lots of fun family time. Last week was like an unplanned staycation and I loved every minute of that not going anywhere.

I’ve been in life seasons that had me stuck too. We waited a long time to have a baby the first time and even longer for our third. I’ve waited for healing to come in relationships. And I’ve waited for God to say, “Now.”

We take steps that we hope to move us forward but days and months and maybe even years later we find ourselves in the same place. And, you know, sometimes that’s okay. Sometimes God has us where he wants AND HE WANTS US TO STAY THERE.

Yes, there are times God calls us to go elsewhere.

But many times, being brave means taking the small steps, knowing full well our environment is going to stay the same. Even then, though, we’re not going to be the same because when we take the small steps toward a great big God, we’re changed from the inside out (Romans 12:1-2).

So take those steps, seek God, and be grateful for where you are. {Tweet that.}

Call the friend and invite her in – in your house and into your life. Tell your story – and not necessarily to the masses but to the friend you know needs to hear it. Be willing to teach your kids counter-culture ways, even when that’s hard and goes against “what everyone else is doing.” Eat meals around the table. Play games with your kids.

Right in there in the midst of life, of feeling like you’re taking all the steps but going nowhere, God is working. He’s weaving together these small details of our days into stories. {Tweet that.} And I get the feeling these are the stories we’ll remember when we’re in a different season, wondering how time escaped so quickly and praising God for what he has done.
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An InLinkz Link-up

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."