I’m not going to lie. I was quite aggravated earlier today. I’ve spent practically the entire day doing college assignments. There were so many other things I needed to be doing, and even more that I wanted to be doing. I thought my days of spending Saturdays in front of a computer screen or with a textbook in my hand were over, but no. Here I am at 32 doing it all over again. How did this happen?!

Then I saw this quote:

“Sometimes life takes us places we never expected to go. And in those places, God writes a story we never thought would be ours.”

I started thinking about how there are so many things in my life that I would have chosen to do differently. 

I wouldn’t choose to live 4 and 14 hours away from my family. 

I wouldn’t have chosen to work in public school and have to take classes again. 

I certainly wouldn’t choose to battle infertility and be walking through the adoption process.

But….

I live 4 hrs from my family because God has allowed Justin to pastor our sweet church for 8 years…and 14 hrs away from more of my family because God has them sharing the Gospel with the sweet people in southeast Oklahoma. 

Because of the 8 years I’ve worked in public school, I’ve been allowed to love so many children. God has also given me many opportunities to share Christ with them.

Not having children has shown me how much I need the Lord, and how faithful He is. I have been forced to throw myself upon Him over and over again, and His arms have never once faltered or failed to carry and comfort me. 

He has also given me opportunities to comfort others walking the same road. We’re not alone…and it just does our hearts good to hear that sometimes.

The adoption process is scary and invasive and sad, but I’m very aware of what it means to be a part of the family of God. 
I was born into another family that cared nothing for me except for what they could get out of me. I never did anything to deserve for my Father to take notice of me. In fact, I hated Him. But my scars and filthiness and hatred for Him didn’t stop Him from loving me. He loved me and loved me and loved me until I started loving Him. He chose to go through the pain it took to pay the price to bring me into His family. Now, He loves me just as if I had been His child all along, because in His heart, I have been His child all along. 

I truly believe one day, Justin and I will have the opportunity to tell this story to our child/children and let them know that they may not have had the most traditional entrance into our family, but they are and always have been loved by us and by God.

What a privilege to have these opportunities!! Yes, there has been grief, but it has not nor could it ever outweigh the joy!

While I have often found myself in places I never expected to be, the unexpected plot twists have made my story so much more amazing than I could have imagined…

And God did it all.

And it isn’t over.

Can someone pass the popcorn? I can’t wait to see what happens next. ❤️