Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Love had a plan for us

October 26, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

“When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory.
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
and how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us, oh,
oh, how He loves us,
how He loves us all.”

{Listen here}

We were singing that song in church and I was holding my sleeping Rachel. Cate was on my right side and Ben was not too far down on my left next to Gran-Gran. Greg sat on the other side of Cate. There I was, in the middle of a row of chairs at church in the middle of the family God created.

Our college friend Amber had been sitting in our row too, but by this moment she had already gone to take of the nursery kids. Behind me sat a couple who has loved my family so well and taught me about how the Bible applies to real life; my best friend and her family with whom so much of my life is intertwined; and other dear friends who have been part of my everyday life the past six years in a way that has changed me for the better. This is community.

Tears welled in my eyes because God did this for me. He gave me these people and orchestrated a story of family that extends beyond my house. This journey has looked nothing like I planned when I stopped taking birth control in December 2004.

Cate’s adoption and then Ben’s adoption followed a hard season of infertility. {Here’s a summary.} And then there was a hard adoption season we didn’t expect. We waited for this third child, not knowing if she was going to come. We believed we were supposed to have a third child but we had met so many closed doors I doubted I was hearing God right.

I heard other people’s stories of heartache as they waited to conceive or adopt. I have waited and was waiting, but I wondered if I was being greedy. I regularly wondered: Was it wrong to desire a third child whom I believed God said he would give when I knew so many other women waiting to become a mom for the first time?

I wrestled with it. But I’ve settled on this: God knows what he’s doing and it’s not my job to control the outcome. {Tweet that.} He gave us our third child, in surprise fashion but in accordance with his faithfulness. And that same God is working in my friends’ lives as they wait and learn and trust and believe.

Love had a plan for us and God has one for you too. {Tweet that.}

All of that got us here. Oh how he loves us. He loved us during the hard days and loves us still when we see some of the plan. Rachel is perfect in our family. She belongs here, just like I belong smack dab in the middle of my people.

_____________________

In that picture above, our shirts say “Love had a plan for me,” which is a line from my favorite Slugs & Bugs’ song. Randall Goodgame recently brought Slugs & Bugs back to the Murray area. Hope That Binds hosted the concert as a fundraiser and, y’all, what a joy to have two of my favorite ministries together in one place celebrating families, adoption and the gospel. {You can see all my pictures from the event here.}

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.”

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Filed Under: adoption, community, faith, family, music

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our ninth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear sixth-grade boy, and our joy-filled kindergarten girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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We are having fun — and some forced sibling love We are having fun — and some forced sibling love — at @wildernessresort in Wisconsin Dells. We’ve played at four water parks here since we arrived yesterday afternoon. 💦

#WildernessWI #WeAreFamily #WildernessResort #roadtrip #88daysofsummer #TeamTaylor #reallife #wisconsin #wisconsindells
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I appreciated the raw emotions of a wife, two brothers, and others learning of tragedy and processing the ripples of that moment. Of course, who doesn’t love a story set in the U.S. Virgin Islands? AND it’s this the first in a three-book series, and I’ve got the next two ready to go on my Kindle. 

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My kids had a yearbook signing party today. And ki My kids had a yearbook signing party today. And kids today don’t know how to sign yearbooks. Cate, my rising sophomore, says it’s because they have phones to take photos and text each other. She’s probably right. 

But the whole conversation and experience took me down memory lane. So much so, I got these yearbooks from my high school days off my bookshelf and read notes. Admittedly, I can’t remember a few people who proclaimed what a great friend I was and I never called some people who wanted to KIT — that’s Keep In Touch, kids — and left their phone numbers (and pager number in one instance!)! 🤣 

I also proceeded to text the three friends (well, really, five, because two girls married two guy friends of mine) with whom I do actually KIT. I have their numbers saved in my iPhone, thankfully. We have made grown-up memories together. We message and try to see each other. My husband knows their maiden names. 

Truly, how has it been 25 years since I graduated from Oldham County High School? I’m sitting on the porch now, rememebering how faithful God has been and thinking about how high school seems like a lifetime ago but also like yesterday. 💙

HAGS, everybody! 

#memorylane #highschool #livingfaithfully #yearbooks #choosingJOY #reallife
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#catsofinstagram #thirdchild #naptimeshenanigans #PorchStories #reallife #88daysofsummer #summerisbest
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But the real point of this post: we are regrouping and going to Wisconsin Dells next week. I’m excited to see somewhere new, even if it’s not what I’d been planning. Let’s be honest, the logistics to get to the cruise were already a lot, so maybe this closer-to-home trip is meant to be right now. 

Anyway, who has been to Wisconsin Dells area? We found a condo and have a list of things going, but I’m accepting all entertainment and restaurant recommendations.

#wisconsindells #reallife #covid_19 #covid #momlife #88daysofsummer #summervacation
I don’t really want to get into an abortion deba I don’t really want to get into an abortion debate here, but I will always champion the unborn, advocate for life, and support mothers and families. When I say “choose life,” I mean in and out of the womb. Choosing life begins with not having an abortion, but it continues to advocating for adoption, foster care, support for moms in lots of different situations. 

Western Kentucky is blessed with resources that do this, including @lifehousemurray in Murray and @_hopecenter in Mayfield. Those are great places to send your money and diapers, recommend to moms expecting or raising little ones, and keep in your prayers. 

If you know someone fostering, we have Partners In Care Foster Closet that offers clothes and supplies to western Kentucky foster families. No strings attached. 

I will forever be an open book about adoption, so I’ll be happy to talk about that with anyone who desires to know more. I even wrote a book about our adoption stories: bit.ly/PeaceInTheProcess #linkinbio 

My three kids have life because three women chose it for them. Those decisions changed my life for the better, and that’s only one piece of a much bigger story. 

#prolife #chooselife #adoptionislove #momlife #authorlife #livingfaithfully #PeaceInTheProcess #reallife #unplannedpregnancy #adoption #family #sisters #siblinglove #currentevents #roevwade #lifematters
Here we are halfway through the year, and so far I Here we are halfway through the year, and so far I've read 40 books. That pace is well beyond my usual number for the year. Last year I read 62 total. I don't join challenges, plan what I'm going to read next, or even have a goal. But I still love keeping track. 

Some things to know about my reading habits: I like actual books, but I've been reading often on my waterproof Kindle Paperwhite. I introduced audiobooks into my life this year and especially enjoyed some memoirs while I was driving around while the kids were in school. I will quit books if I can't get into them, and I've done that a few times this year. I almost always have a book (or books, hello, Kindle) with me, you know, just in case I happen upon some time to read. Here are some other tips for making time for books and reading more.

Today #ontheblog I'm sharing the list of the 40 books I've read so far this year. #linkinbio What else do I need to read this year?

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #librarybooks #bloggerlife #amreading #favoritethings #choosingJOY
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