2012 July — We are THAT Family

Boxing

10:03 pm Bykristen

We are moving in 10 days.

This is what my garage looks like:

This weekend my hubby packed it up and stacked boxes to the ceiling while I packed the kitchen.

He walked in and saw a dozen boxes and said, “How are you going to cook dinner?”

[Insert evil laugh]

I foresee a lot of sandwiches and salads in our future.

It turns out jet lag and packing boxes sort of makes us grouchy and aggressive. Who knew?

Y’all have a happy Monday.

P.S. Blessings Unlimited (a Dayspring store) is having a huge sale, up to 64% off

Filed UnderMy Life 11 Comments

My Mess is the Perfect Place for His Glory

4:02 pm Bykristen

“You inspire me” she says as she hands me a bag full of baby clothes for Mercy House. ”I wish I could be like you, but I’m just a mom.”

Her words sounded like an apology.

I offered a feeble smile.

Because at the moment, I didn’t even want to be me.

Filed Underincourage 3 Comments

The Power of Forgiveness

6:44 am Bykristen

I shared with you her beautiful story.

I’ve seen the transformation with my own eyes.

It’s breathtaking.

But hearing it in her own words, seeing her chubby son, thrive, it leaves me speechless.

And it reminds me what I need to hear the most today: He is good and this is His.

If you’re holding onto unforgiveness today, let it go.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” -Lewis Smedes

Filed UnderMercyHouse 8 Comments

WFMW: That Bugs (Instant and Natural Itch Relief)

9:38 pm Bykristen

We spent the last few weeks sleeping with our windows open under mosquito nets. We are still taking malaria medicine because in many countries, mosquitos leave more than a bothersome itch, they deliver debilitating malaria.

Even with taking precautions, we still have a few bug bites. My five year old is especially sensitive (and whiny) about those itchy spots. I quickly learned that rubbing a bar of soap over an itchy spot offers instant relief! After verifying it online, I found a host of tips to help defeat the dreaded itch that often accompanies summer.

That works for me!

Jetlag, however, does not work for me. {yawn}

Filed UnderWFMW 38 Comments

Sometimes I Don’t Want to Be Brave

3:03 am Bykristen

Nearly three weeks ago, the night before we left for Kenya, I let my fear get the best of me.

I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t keep the worries away.

The what-ifs filled my heart, my mind, the room.

I trembled.

I woke my sleeping husband and asked him to help me fight my fears.

I sobbed into my pillow as he prayed for peace to cover me.

When someone peers into my life from the outside, sees that I was bold enough to try and start something from nothing, dares to take my young children into a third world country, they say, “you are brave.”

And my fear, just under the surface, grips.

Because I am not courageous.

Again on a particularly challenging day during our trip, when my answers mocked all the questions, I quaked with fear. I am often overwhelmed with the unknown and my own inadequacy.

But bravery is sometimes being the only one who knows you’re scared to death and acknowledging just how much you need God.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. For now you are traveling the road between who you think you are and you can be.” -Meg Cabot.

Sometimes I don’t want to be brave.

But even more, I don’t want to be afraid.

Because this is more important than fear:

I think laughter may be a form of courage. As humans we sometimes stand tall and look into the sun and laugh, and I think we are never more brave than when we do that. -Linda Ellerbee