Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Joy goes beyond circumstances

December 9, 2016 by Kristin 9 Comments

I shared this on Instagram last night and then 40 minutes later Kate Motaung announced this week’s Five Minute Friday prompt was JOY.

So I knew I needed to write. Five minutes, just write. On your mark, get set, go …

*****

fmf-joy-12-9-16

The kids and I were looking forward to a Wednesday afternoon and evening at home. I happily had my pajamas on by 2:30 p.m.

And then my 14-month-old Rachel face planted into the corner of a piece of furniture. I heard the cry from around the corner and knew she was hurt. I saw blood, realized she knocked a tooth loose, and hurt her gums.

I didn’t know what to do so I called our pediatrician and ended up going to see my sweet relative who works there. Then she called her husband who is a dentist.

They took care of us, even those the prognosis was wait and see if the tooth tightens back up. I’m not good at waiting.

Rachel was restless that night. I’m sure her mouth was sore. We also went cold turkey on the bedtime bottle because I worried the bottle was further loosen the tooth.

But she woke up smiling.

I was more overwhelmed than she was. I followed her around yesterday, hoping and wishing and praying she didn’t fall on her face again. Y’all, that alone was stressful. I’m not the mom who usually worries about her kids hurting themselves. But Thursday the fear and anxiousness overwhelmed me.

And then I felt guilty for worrying about something whose worse-case scenario isn’t nearly as bad as circumstances other families face. It took me most of the day to shake all the emotions.

When Rachel decided to use two presents as a chair while I was cooking dinner, I stopped and snapped pictures because I wanted to capture her joy. I wanted the joy she is to trump all my temporary emotions. Joy lasts.

Her joy radiates regardless of the circumstances and continually reminds me that God is for us.

*****

I’m linking up with Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday. You’re welcome to join us. Set a timer for five minutes and just write. Then link up with this fun crew. 

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Filed Under: Five Minute Friday, JOY Tagged With: motherhood, Rachel

Comments

  1. Mari-Anna Stålnacke says

    December 9, 2016 at 7:33 am

    Yes. Kids can teach us a lot. May we all radiate God’s joy! Thank you for this. God bless you and yours!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 9, 2016 at 2:06 pm

      Indeed! Thanks for being here today, Mari-Anna!

      Reply
  2. Joanne Viola says

    December 9, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    I loved seeing these photos. Rachel truly does exude such joy. My favorite is the bottom left 🙂 Praying for her tooth to tighten. Blessings!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 9, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      She was hilarious when I took these photos yesterday. She would go sit down, make a face, and then come look at the screen to see herself. Then repeat. Again and again. God knew I needed her in my life. 🙂 Thanks for your prayers. xoxo

      Reply
  3. Tara says

    December 9, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Kids are so resilient. So glad that she’s okay. I’m in the 4 spot this week.

    Reply
    • Kristin Taylor says

      December 9, 2016 at 4:07 pm

      They certainly are! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Susan Shipe says

    December 14, 2016 at 8:40 am

    So glad she is okay and you are too!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      December 15, 2016 at 7:25 am

      Thanks, Susan! 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Things from December says:
    December 28, 2016 at 6:01 am

    […] I knew mouths bled a lot, but I didn’t know anything about teeth being able to re-tighten!) Rachel face planted into the corner of a piece of furniture and taught me these things. You’d have thought she was my first child for as traumatized as I […]

    Reply

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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 eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool 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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