Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Gratefulness & Guatemala

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I don’t want for a thing. Not a single item.

I’ve been known to spout lectures to my kids about how they need to be grateful and appreciate what we have – every single last thing.

But gratefulness isn’t just about things. Gratefulness is an attitude, a perspective. Yes, all the things are part of it because that’s the kind of world in which we live.

Gratefulness goes far beyond the things and takes root in our hearts. {Tweet that.}

My husband, oldest daughter, and I went to Guatemala last year. {Read more about that here.} We spent a week there, helped build some houses, and distributed wheelchairs, clothing, and food. And that one week spent in a foreign land almost eight months ago has rocked my own world.

While building houses there, the beginning was a concrete slab. The middle involved metal walls, a roof, and a couple windows. The end result was a sturdy, blue-painted house that far surpassed these families’ previous housing.

Yes, the houses were blessings that I’m sure spurred gratefulness in these Guatemalan families. How could they not? But I’m not sure the houses were necessarily the intended result. The hearts of the people – the ones who call Guatemala home and those of us serving – are what ultimately matters.

Sure, those families are better cared for because they have a roof over their heads, but I pray they know the love of Jesus in a new way too. We gave them food, but did they realize we really wanted to give them love that truly nourishes. Absolutely, God cares for our physical needs, but he yearns for our souls. {Tweet that.}

I’m still feeling the effects of that one week. That trip spurred on a couple new friendships and offered a new perspective. In any given moment, I appreciate my life and my things while longing for a simpler, less cluttered lifestyle.

And I understand gratefulness in a new way that I’m praying overflows onto my kids.

“The very thing most parents long to give their kids – a grateful heart – is destroyed in our attempt to simultaneously give them the world. It’s hard to have both because true thankfulness is experienced when we first understand we are missing something. And that’s hard to teach when we are trying to give them everything. When we have everything, we are thankful for nothing. When we have nothing, we are thankful for everything.”

It’s nearly impossible to live the American dream and long for God’s Kingdom at the same time. But the everlasting kingdom is better than any fleeting dream, so that’s what I want to hold onto here in the middle of it all.

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I’m excited to join Britta Lafont for her Meet Me in the Middle Project during Lent, when I’m going 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 or reference Britta’s introductory post.

#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.


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Want more insights? Subscribe to get new posts in your inbox and a monthly newsletter with content not available on the blog. When you subscribe, I’ll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 

 “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’.

When Life Changes {In the Middle}

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Last week Rachel was sitting in the bouncy seat I bought right after she was born recently. But instead of just sitting kind of slumped over like she did in the beginning, she was swatting at the hanging animals and adjusting her posture. I used to put her down in it and not worry about her scooting out. Now she has to be buckled in – otherwise she may slip right onto the floor.

As soon as she swatted at those animals, I remembered a picture from when she was tiny – not that people are huge at 5 months old. But she seemed huge in that moment compared to a few months ago. So I compared the pictures – the one I remembered and the one I had just snapped to compare. I texted them to my husband and a couple friends with “How did this happen?”

Well, of course, I know how it happened. She eats and sleeps and grows. That’s a baby’s job. But, geez, the time has flown by. I feel like it was just yesterday we met Rachel’s birth mom and started sharing the news that we were going to be a family of five.

At the same time, we waited so long for her. Years, really. In 2012, we started the process to try to adopt a third time. We met Rachel’s birth mom in May 2015. That’s after updating our home study a few times, meeting with two agencies that weren’t the right fit, having situations that seemed hopeful never pan out, and letting go of the pursuit altogether because God told us to.

We weren’t sure we’d ever have a third child, but now we can’t imagine our lives with her.

In the middle, sometimes the waiting grows weary. We get restless and try too hard to make something that’s not supposed to be come true. We doubt God’s promises and wonder if we’re hearing him. (That’s where I was in 2013, especially.)

But sometimes in the middle, time flies. We are delighted in what God has done and want to hold on to every moment. We want to tell everyone of God’s faithfulness that managed to show itself at exactly the right time. (That’s where I am presently.)

What’s your middle look like right now? Regardless of what kind of middle you’re living, snap a photo – even a mental one – so you can look back and see what God has done. {Tweet that.}

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I’m excited to join Britta Lafont for her Meet Me in the Middle Project during Lent, when I’m going 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 or reference Britta’s guest post from earlier this month.

#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.

And one more announcement: Subscribe to get new posts in your inbox and an all-new monthly newsletter starting in March with content not available on the blog. When you subscribe, I’ll send you a FREE #choosingJOY printable. 



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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, or follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’.

Note to Self

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I type blog posts and other ideas in my phone notepad while I’m feeding Rachel or waiting for the big kids at the bus stop and then email them to myself. I copy and paste texts into emails because once the notification is gone, I may not remember. I use Post-Its and a paper calendar. I make lists of where I need to go.

“Note to self” is a regular practice around here. (Those before and after photos above are my real where-to-go list from last Wednesday.)

Like I wrote about last week, life is lived in the middle. And, for me, that means life isn’t compartmentalized.

I’m a mom and writer and vacation rental property manager and wife and sister and daughter and aunt and friend and … the list goes on, depending on the day. Sometimes I’m more a chef and less of a chauffeur. I’m the grocery shopper and clothing provider. I do the laundry and dishes and home management schedule. I make appointments and plan outings. And many moments I’m wearing more than one of those hats at time.

Life in the middle overflows from one responsibility and adventure to the next. It’s nearly impossible to separate my roles as I go about my days.

But that’s exactly where God has met me. He’s shown up when I’m frustrated and offered inspiration when I didn’t have any. He’s reminded me of what matters when I’m overwhelmed by the to-do list that can wait.

It’s in the middle where we’re changed and redeemed and pressed but not crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). {Tweet that.}

Jesus lived in the middle. His days on earth were spent in the middle of God’s will, knowing where he’d been and where he was going. He stopped in the middle of his journeys from one town to the next to have conversations and meet people wherever they were. That’s where he encouraged and healed – right next to wells, while people were eating meals, on the roadside, during a wedding reception, and while he hung between two criminals on a cross.

Because Jesus lived – and died – in the middle and then rose again from the grave, we can have life. That’s a note worth writing to myself over and over again.

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 I’m excited to join Britta Lafont for her Meet Me in the Middle Project during Lent, when I’m going 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 or reference Britta’s guest post from earlier this month.

 #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. 


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.”