Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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How benches can become sacred spaces

March 21, 2018 by Kristin 20 Comments

My endocrinologist was listening to my heartbeat during a recent checkup and noticed my necklace. It had two charms: a silver circle that’s engraved with “Your Story Matters” and a bench.

“What’s the significance of the bench,” he asked as he pulled the stethoscope from his ears.

I told him about how I believe stories matter and I always want to be willing to sit down with someone, share mine, and hear theirs.

Sometimes our stories get to be
intertwined when we least expect it.

{Tweet that.}

My endocrinologist is from Guatemala but is raising his family here in Kentucky. In 2015, we talked about the mission trip I went on to his homeland. He told me about how missionaries like the ones we support are how people’s lives are changed there, especially in the rural villages outside Guatemala City.

I told him at this recent appointment that I was going back to Guatemala for a week this summer. He thanked me and asked about what we would be doing.

Like our trip in 2015, we’ll be spending most of our time in and near Chichicastenango in the mountains. This time we’re taking both Cate and Ben. We’ll help build houses, distribute wheelchairs, visit families in their homes, and distribute clothes, school supplies, and toiletries. We’ll see needs like education sponsorships and building projects that Bethel Ministries will continue to meet long after we’re gone. We’ll pray with them and for them to our God who works over our language barriers.

I haven’t even gone yet, but he thanked me for my willingness.

In the doctor’s office recently, we each shared a small piece of our stories and that brought understanding and gratitude – as if we were on a bench together.

Sit down on the bench.

Linger at the table after dinner.

Meet at the park.

Start conversations in waiting rooms and check-out aisles.

Be willing to share pieces of your story because that’s one way to be a faithful steward of your life.

Hear pieces of someone else’s story because, really, we aren’t that different.

Recognize that God meets us in those conversations and works all things together for His good and our good when we’re following Him.

When that happens, benches become sacred spaces.

*****

The necklace was a gift from my two best friends not long after I initially self-published “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” as an ebook in 2014. (That ebook has since been expanded to include more of our story and is now available in a paperback book as well.) I wear the necklace regularly, love the conversations it starts, and am grateful for the deep friendships it represents.

I’m sure I’ll talk more about Guatemala here as our trip approaches and once we return, but you can always read more about our trip from 2015 and how it changed our family. Until then, our family and team appreciate your prayers as we prepare to go.

Of course, #PorchStories is one of my favorite places to share stories, so thanks for being here. If you haven’t already I’d love for you join me on my virtual porch, where we can continue sharing stories with each other.

*****

Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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Filed Under: Guatemala, Porch Stories Tagged With: faith, friends, stories

Comments

  1. Lesley says

    March 21, 2018 at 6:21 am

    This is a lovely post! I agree, there is so much power in taking time to share our stories. Your trip sounds exciting!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 7:12 am

      Thanks for being here, Lesley!

      Reply
  2. Barbara H. says

    March 21, 2018 at 7:50 am

    This is especially convicting to me because in our neighborhood I regularly see 2-3 ladies sitting in lawn chairs under a tree, and as I pass by and wave on my way to and from errands, I think, “How do they have time to do that?” I have been thinking I should probably stop and join them sometimes. I’m too often caught up in my to-do list. God knows what He wants me to do, but He also wants me to make time for people on the bench, in the lawn chairs, in the grocery store aisle, etc.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      I know the temptation to put projects before people, and my to-do list still sometimes distracts me. I’m hoping you get some people opportunities – maybe put them on your list! 🙂 Thanks for being here, Barbara!

      Reply
  3. Meghan Weyerbacher says

    March 21, 2018 at 7:51 am

    Love this today, Kristin. Stopping to take time is so precious. We leave seeds along our life’s path, and also glean from others. Our lives become a beautiful work of art by God’s leading! Thanks for sharing this. Praying your trip is all it can be according to the way the Lord wants it.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:30 pm

      Thank you for your encouragement and prayers, Meghan!

      Reply
  4. Becky Hastings says

    March 21, 2018 at 8:07 am

    What a beautiful reminder that we need not seek out perfectly arranged opportunities to share our hearts; we need only to use the moments we are given.

    Love this: “Recognize that God meets us in those conversations and works all things together for His good and our good when we’re following Him.”

    Keep on friend, keep on.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:29 pm

      Your comment is a blessing to me, Becky. Thank you for being here. xo

      Reply
  5. Michele Morin says

    March 21, 2018 at 8:21 am

    It’s amazing how much gets shared from our bloggy benches, and how near and dear the friendships can become. I’m thankful, too, for my real life benches and for the people who join me there.
    Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:28 pm

      Yes, I’m grateful for both relationships, and I love seeing God connect people however possible. Thanks for being a faithful friend here on the porch, Michele. xo

      Reply
  6. Rachel says

    March 21, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Benches can become sacred places- I 100% agree! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks for sitting here with me, Rachel!

      Reply
  7. Joanne Viola says

    March 21, 2018 at 8:53 am

    It is amazing how God crosses the paths of people both on our real and virtual benches. I am most grateful He crossed ours!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:27 pm

      I’m truly grateful to share this virtual bench with you. You encouragement so much, Joanne. xo

      Reply
  8. SUSAN SHIPE says

    March 21, 2018 at 9:53 am

    Benches. Couches. Dining room table and chairs. Porch swings. Beach blankets. Sand chairs. ALL SACRED PLACES. Really liked this post, Kristin.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 21, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      Amen. Thank you, Susan!

      Reply
  9. Simply Beth says

    March 29, 2018 at 8:25 am

    I “believe stories matter and I always want to be willing to sit down with someone, share mine, and hear theirs.”
    Me too, friend. 🙂

    As I started to write again, I wondered if you were still hosting a link up (that comment shows I haven’t been good with keeping up… sorry). I’m not sure if I’m ready to begin linking up again but nice to see you building what looks to be a beautiful community.

    Blessing and much love,
    Beth

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 29, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      Beth! I’m so so glad to see you here, my friend. You’re welcome to link up any time. I love you dearly. xo

      Reply
  10. Lauren Sparks says

    March 29, 2018 at 11:54 am

    I listened to that podcast and love your thoughts here. Thanks for caring about our stories and sharing yours!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      March 29, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      I’m so glad you’re here, Lauren!

      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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I drive the same routes over and over. I know wher I drive the same routes over and over. I know where I am likely to see deer — even if I have to look closely. God sure did camouflage these creatures for this time of the year when trees are bare. 

I think about how everyone is going through some things. We are journey through lives, our paths crossing as we navigate circumstances and feelings people can’t always see. But we should know they’re there. 

Maybe we are waiting to fall in love or have a baby or get a new job. Maybe we are in the midst of grief from a friendship falling apart or a business decision providing in ways we never expected. Maybe decisions are haunting us or stumping us. Maybe we are anxious about the future or facing our past. Maybe we aren’t sure what’s next. 

There’s a million little and big things we face that not everyone we meet can see. The situations and emotions are camouflaged while we survive daily tasks, caring for our people, and figuring out how to adjust once again to whatever life throws our way. 

I don’t know what you’re facing, but I am certain you’re not alone. Your story won’t be camouflaged forever. The seasons change. New life comes. The deer usually travel together through the woods along my routes, and I’m convinced our lives are best when we journey together too. 

#countryliving #bettertogether #livingfaithfully #PorchStories #lessonsfromnature
Romantic comedies have fit my mood lately. I reall Romantic comedies have fit my mood lately. I really enjoyed this story and the characters’ history being woven into their current circumstances. I did have to skim some sex scenes that didn’t add much to the story for me. #amreading #romcombooks #bookstagram
I’ve loved Cate’s school experience at @ncca.l I’ve loved Cate’s school experience at @ncca.lions, a small but growing classical, Christian school. I knew there were both advantages and sacrifices of keeping her in a small class for middle school and agonized over possibly moving her to a bigger school. I only considered moving her because I wasn’t sure what her classmates, some of who are freshman this year, were going to do for high school. But they stayed, and we stayed. Now she’s an eighth grader in a class of nine. 

A couple years ago, I prayed for more girls. God gave her class two. Sometimes people move on, and sometimes people move in. But this sweet class of eighth and ninth graders has been faithful — to each other, to our school, to an unknown future. They’re paving a way for the students behind them, including my other two kids. 

God has been kind to my momma heart and given me some assurances she is where she’s supposed to be. One of these provisions is a basketball team that has become competitive with the other teams we’ve gotten to play. It’s more than just some games, though. I’ve watched my 13-year-old daughter become more confident on the court and in life. I’m grateful for her friends and their shared love of this game. I’m thankful for where God has us. 

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