Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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The Middle Matters {an Easter post}

March 23, 2016 by Kristin Leave a Comment

“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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152 Insights to My Soul


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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“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’.

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Filed Under: faith, holiday, Meet Me In The Middle, Three Word Wednesday

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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 high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade 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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🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness 🎶 All throughout my history / Your faithfulness has walked beside me / The winter storms made way for spring / In every season, from where I'm standing / I see the evidence of Your goodness / All over my life … 🎶 @joshbaldwin in “Evidence”

I love summer. But my summer has started off busy: appointments, book edits deadline, establish new habits with the kids at home. All that’s necessary and good, it just cuts into my down time beside the pool. 

Today we have two open gyms for our basketball players, my book study with a few friends, a new weekly high school girls’ book study at our house, and a monthly dad-son character study. 

I long for a little more white space on the calendar, but I also wouldn’t change a thing because the kids are only 16, 13, and 7 once. This summer will only be this summer once. And I’ve already learned time flies with big kids. 

So here we are finding out footing, singing praises with church friends on our porch, grilling delicious chicken, and squeezing in the wide-open spaces when we can. This is evidence of the good stuff. 

#84daysofsummer #poolpeople #momlife #momconfessions #faithlife #livingfaithfully #favoritethings #choosingJOY #countryliving #reallife #PorchStories
The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat ha The Hill family reunion at @shelterpointretreat has become a favorite tradition to kick off summer! The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed one another. 

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Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ #TeamTaylor #girl Hello, #84daysofsummer! ☀️ 

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But this made me wonder: how do we know if a book is going to be weird, contain elements we don’t like, or go places that don’t make sense? I don’t like to read much about a book before I read the book. Usually, I do a better job of picking books for myself. 

#KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #donotrecommend #bookofthemonth @bookofthemonth
I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant we I needed this low-key weekend that was pleasant weather, a mixture of productivity and rest, and had plenty of wide-open space to enjoy our property and each other. 

#weekending #TeamTaylor #poolpeople #countryliving #favoritethings #choosingJOY #maydays
And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watch And that’s a wrap on soccer season! I love watching them both play. 

#soccermom #weekending #springtime #momlife #girlmom #boymom
On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a On Mothers Day, I wanted to sit by the pool with a book, but I didn’t know what I wanted to read. Whenever I have indecision about books, picking up a thriller usually helps because of the story’s pace. 

“The Only Survivors” worked well because there was a lot happening! Lots of creepy, mysterious moments. Only so many people could be guilty of infiltrating a small group who had lots of secrets! 

I loved the timeline of this one. The back story about an accident was told in seven one-hour segments. The present mystery was told in seven days. 

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I want to savor the #84daysofsummer and I want to embrace this new season. And it’s almost time. Three more days of school. (Deep breaths.) 

Meanwhile, I’m going to keep collecting the moments — the hard, hurried, happy, and heartfelt. The seasons do change, but this is the life we are living. 

“The moments you collect may not be loud or flashy. They might be quiet or covered or a far-off view you were lucky to catch. But this I know to be true: A moment savored says to your soul, ‘You have lived something beautiful.’ And it keeps you buoyed. It sustains you when you’re running empty. It lifts you up and carries you forward.” — Joanna Gaines in @magnolia summer 2023 journal issue no. 27 

#momlife #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #summerisbest #teenagedriver #choosingJOY
I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but t I’ve read quite a few World War II novels, but this one by Soraya M. Lane focused on three nurses, their friendships, and how the war changed their lives. It’s a hard story, but it’s full of love and hope despite the destruction around them. 

And it’s the second historical fiction audiobook I’ve listened to in a row! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #audiobooks #Audible #KindleUnlimited #historicalfiction
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