Live Your Story

'"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."'- Jeremiah 29:11

Good morning my friends! I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far! I know that I'm having a very good, but long, week this week. Mostly that's because I'm going away with girlfriends this weekend to just relax and enjoy each other's company and I can't wait!!! But I'm also excited because I got a new coloring book and it's been awesome! I know what you're thinking "Amanda, you're really going to do a blog post on a coloring book?"

Just hang in there with me guys.

This adult coloring book (which PS I love that adults get coloring books aimed at them now because as much as I love coloring Disney Princesses, sometimes a girl wants something a little more age appropriate) is called Joy For the Journey, which is obviously why I initially chose it. It was smaller than my current coloring book so I was a little skeptical, but something about the title just caught my eye. This coloring book was just screaming out to me to look at it. I'm SO glad I did because it has all different scriptures (my current book is just the Psalms) and it just was very me.

 

 

The First Page

It is just very simple, but still has a lot of little details that make them awesome! This one has the scripture 1 John 4:8 which says "Those who do not love do not know God because God is love." which was an awesome way to start my night last night. Sometimes I can't wrap my head around why some people are so negative and have so much hatred in their hearts, and then I remember this verse. Those that don't love don't know God, because God is love. When these attacks happen around the world, or people are emotionally attacking others on Facebook, I have to step back and really look at the problem. The problem isn't just that they're bitter, it's that they don't have Jesus. They don't have God on their side.

 

 

 

The Second Page 

I draw so much hope from this page. When I turned the page after finishing my first coloring page and saw the phrase "Live Your Story" I couldn't help but to think of the song My Story by Big Daddy Weave. When I saw them for the first time at Soulfest 2015, this song had just started being played on the radio, so not many people knew it when they started singing it. Me on the other hand? I sang along to every word in the front row. And ironically in the music video they use a typewriter, so that makes it really ironic.

 

My favorite line in the song is "If I should speak, then let it be of the grace that is greater than all my sin...Oh to tell you my story is to tell of Him".

 

I was chatting with a woman yesterday who also is going through fertility issues almost the exact amount of time I have been, and who happens to be on the same cycle day as I am this cycle, and she was having a hard night. She told me that she has had a hard time with the God factor of her infertility, because why would God allow us to have these diseases and these problems when all our heart desires is a child. The conversation went back and forth, but this song was still stuck in my head "To tell you my story is to tell of Him" and that's what I told her! Maybe God isn't performing those instant miracles because he wants our story to tell of Him and His goodness!

 

I really believe that God is using my diagnosis not to hinder me, but to build me closer to him and to connect with people and show them His love! I have been trying to get pregnant for a little under 2 years, and my faith and trust in God has grown so much in the past 2 years. I never thought this would be our life, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. If putting me through pain and struggles is what it was going to take to trust God fully then I'll take that pain any day!

 

I don't have a HUGE following on my blog (compared to some blogs out there) but I check to see how many people are reading my posts and where they're from. I know that people from the US are reading (since it's where I live and I have friends who read it) but I was SHOCKED to see people all over the world read too! I tried to find every country that read this blog, which actually is impossible because if I look at the "all time views" it only shows me the top 10 viewed countries, so I had to do a little digging, but these were the other countries I found represented in the past few weeks: Russia, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Iceland, Netherlands, France, Indonesia, Slovakia, Poland, United Arab Emirates, Columbia, and India. I was absolutely shocked to see all these countries that I'm reaching with my story. Not just my story of infertility, but the amazing grace of God. If I was able to reach one person who might not have heard the love of Jesus, then all the pain and suffering and pills and tests and blood work that goes along with infertility will be worth it.

 

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." and that is EXACTLY what I am trying to do. If Jesus wants me to go out and made disciples of all nations, then that's what I'm going to do. It might not be me physically going to all these different nations, but if I'm able to reach at least 15 countries with the word of God, then I'd say I'm living out that commandment pretty well.

 

I'm going to leave you with one last scripture, the scripture that goes along with my next coloring page "Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." -Psalm 130:7

 

God Bless

Amanda