I feel like there’s an expectation for our family to somehow have things more together, more figured out than others.  That we don’t struggle or have hard days or make mistakes.  Somehow being missionaries makes us larger-than-life, super spiritual, more sanctified than other people.  We’re not.  We feel like God has plans for everyone to follow Him in big ways and we’ve just chosen to follow the path He’s laid out for us.  We have disagreements, we have bad days, our kids aren’t perfect (though they are super cute!), we don’t (gasp!) always have quiet times every day.  We are not perfect people, we have never claimed to be perfect, nor will we claim to be perfect.  We will claim to be justified by the grace of God and that He is continually sanctifying us, showing us areas we need to give to Him so He can work on them. And I won’t ever say that we always willingly give things to God as we should.  We’re human and God will ALWAYS have to work in our hearts and lives.  If we begin to claim any different, we have no business sharing God with others because we clearly have come to a point we believe we are God.

I gave my life to Christ at the age of six, so God has been working on me a LONG time.  I don’t have life all together (just take a look at my house right now!), I don’t always say and do the right thing (I’m sorry if you’ve been at the receiving end of me saying/doing something wrong), and I’m not good at everything (though I have found that I can make a mean snickerdoodle), but I know who I am and I know WHOSE I am.  First and foremost I’m a daughter of the King, second (as is engraved in my and Toffer’s wedding rings) I am wife to my dear husband who I am fully convinced God intended for me to marry, and third, I have two boys who I am blessed  to have call me “Mama” and I pray daily for the other children God gives to our family.  Everything in me that is good, lovely, pure, and holy is by the grace and strength of God. I am weak, but He is strong.  I will never be perfect in this life and know that I will stumble and struggle at times no matter how close my relationship with God is.  My desire is to honestly and earnestly seek the One who saved me and follow the path He’s laid out before me.