Epilogue - Day 1 of 5: During #31daysofcalling, there were some big, dramatic stories told. Massively generous people, traumatic experiences turned meaningful, beautiful relationships. It’s important to know that in the midst of these dramatic things that God did in our lives, there were thousands of normal, mundane, and sometimes plain old bad days. Our lives are not a spiritual fairy-tale…they are normal. I oversleep, I yell at my kids, I forget to get the chicken out of the freezer, I get mad at Tim, I miss deadlines, I accumulate mountains of laundry, etc.

There’s a pastor named John Piper who says that God is always doing 10,000 things in our lives, and we might be aware of 3 of them. That’s a good summary of what I’m trying to say here. While these big dramatic things were happening, I couldn’t see them. I worried whether I’d ever find the right person to marry...and then look at Day 1. I spent weeks of my life being bummed about living in Atlanta...and look at Day 13. I worried about a million things before we took 15-month old Sam to Ethiopia...and look at Day 26. I despaired after the loss of my stepdad...and look at Day 21. I worried about not having friends in Ethiopia...and look at Day 18.

Now I can look back and see the beauty that God was weaving in those parts of my life, but at the time I had no idea. I could only see what was right in front of me, so I wasted a lot of time worrying, questioning, and feeling like my life wasn’t making a difference for anything. I wouldn’t have believed many of the things that ended up happening if you had told me.

So amidst your normal days, your boring days, your what-am-I-doing-with-my-life days, your bad days—remember that God is weaving a story together even if you can’t see it yet. #lovesinethiopia