TRUTH is... "Pretty Is Is Pretty Does"

7 states. 7 countries. 7 years of marriage celebrated. The journey of July has been full of crazy, beautiful adventures with many highs and lows; yet, from creation to culture, God continues to reveal Himself and His glory in intimate, diverse and unique ways. 

"You are wisdom unimagined. Who can understand your ways. Reigning high above the heavens. Reaching down in endless grace. You're the Lifter of the lowly. Compassionate and kind. You surround and You uphold me. Your promises are my delight. Your plans are still to prosper. You have not forgotten us. Your with us in the fire and the flood. Faithful forever. Perfect in love. You are sovereign over us."

Although joy is available throughout any journey, it is not automatic. The last few weeks have consisted of some of the darkest days of my life. Wanting so hard to find joy in the midst of confusion, frustration, and miscommunication, I found myself feeling empty and very much alone although constantly surrounded by so much love and support. After so many tears and prayers, God brought a precious person into my path to speak truth into my life. She encouraged me to write down the lies that I was believing, then use Truth to combat those lies. This concept did not change my circumstances; however, the Truth of Scripture changed my perspective and radically transformed my thought process. I realized that my spirit was starving for Truth, and when fed Scripture, my soul was satisfied and free.

I shared this concept while visiting with the teen girls at Wings of Life School in Kibera slum in Kenya, and my heart was completely overwhelmed as we listed the lies we sometimes believe, then we began to work down the list one by one, battling each with many verses of Scripture. "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." Hebrews 4:12

Below is a portion from my list of lies that represent the many different journeys that I am on - spiritual, physical, mental, emotional. Body image and social issues are a daily struggle for me. Working out like a crazy person and wanting to be liked by everyone is absolutely, completely exhausting. No journey is meant to be traveled alone, so whether it is a discipleship group, workout buddy, counselor, spouse, family member, or friend, allow accountability to be the key to living a life built on a foundation of TRUTH.     

I am not pretty, skinny, or smart enough. And... this hair, really?  

Psalm 139:13-18

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

    They cannot be numbered!

I can’t even count them;

    they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

    you are still with me!"

Everyone thinks that I am just a "goody 2 shoes".

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Galatians 6:9-10 "So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith."

My job is to please everybody and make everyone happy.

Galatians 1:10 "Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant."

I cannot mess up = Pressure of Perfection

2 Corinthians 12:9 "Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."

Because I am Positive Perky Planning Patty and always "half-full", I am not allowed to struggle or have a bad day.
James 1:2-4 "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Infertility = Punishment

Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right."

I am learning that it is ok to not be ok, and it is in these moments that freedom and true joy can be found. Temporary happiness may be found in a number on the scale or in a social circle, but only joy can be found in the eternal power of the Holy Spirit revealed to us through the Truth of God's Word. And just like Grandmother always said anyways, "Pretty is is pretty does."

Adoption Update: Please pray that our home study will be completed very soon so that we can submit our dossier to the Haitian government. There have been many changes in our agency and the Haiti program which has slowed the process down a bit, so pray for patience knowing that God's timing is perfect. Your prayers are most appreciated. Also, please continue to pray for the following as we desire nothing more than for God to be glorified through this journey:
- God's provision
- Our preparation for parenting
- Our child's spiritual, physical, and emotional health
- For those providing care to our child until he is brought home
- The people of Lifeline as they guide us through this process 

http://www.gofundme.com/cooperadoptionfund  

Worship in Waiting:
"Exhale" Plumb
"Touch the Sky" Hillsong United