Purpose

Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

If you look at the leaves in the trees, each one has a story. They all have their own patterns, colors, and things they've witnessed. Some have suffered through disease while others have been picked on by birds. Some have been rained on, shaken by strong weather, and yet they've made it through. Others weren't so fortunate and broke down to the ground before summer ever started. Some enjoyed more sunlight than others. Some were better protected depending on their roots or where they grew up. Whether each one experienced a tragedy, adventure, or big part of history, they are noticeably different.  Yet, they all have a story to tell. 

Some are colorful...

plain...

or brown. 

Some have holes all over...

are noticeably messed up...

or are dark on the outside. 

Some parts are hidden...

while others show it all. 

Some seem completely amazing and you can't even tell that they may be ugly on the inside.

Some are toxic...

boring...

or maybe even dull.

Some have character...

are interesting...

or pleasant to look at all day long. 

Some are wrinkled.

Some are smooth.

Some are curved...

straight...

or round.

Some are fun.

Some are full of heaviness inside. 

Some are large...

and some are small. 

Some are quick to fall. 

Some hold on to the tree for longer. 

Some just exist

Some know their purpose

while others don't know where to start. 

No matter what, they all long to be accepted. 

Just like the leaves, we long to be accepted too. 

Thankfully, we've been accepted by the Tree of Life... the One who continues to stand strong no matter the changes in season. We all fall down. But as long as we look to the One who overcomes it all, we end up staying alive. It doesn't matter what we've done or where we've come from in our past. It doesn't matter what we look like or who's sins are bigger. 

And each of us, like the leaves, has a story. We were made with a purpose. One of my purposes in life was to be a mother of many. Your purpose may be something entirely different. Just like we accept the leaves for their beauty, we should accept the beauty that makes each of us unique in the eyes of God. Let our lives tell the story it was made for by our Creator. 

What a Little Perspective Will Do

       After little sleep from the night, the alarm went off at 4 a.m. My husband and I scurried to take showers and head out the door to CHOA for our son's cleft palate surgery. As we made our way through early morning traffic, we sat mostly in silence. My heart was pumping and I felt complete anxiety over knowing my son had a big operation in front of him. At only 11 months of age, this would be his second surgery. Jonathan has struggled through this first year of his life learning ways he can eat with a cleft affected lip and palate. The surgeon said his palate is wider than most cases he's operated on and will take more work at fixing it. Nonetheless, we had been waiting and anticipating this surgery as part of his long journey he will face being born with this birth defect.

     Not much talking was happening between my husband and I in the car. I felt far from cool, calm, and collected. Will it hurt badly when my son recovers? Will the anesthesia work all of the way? Will he be okay? All sorts of thoughts came across my mind.




     Just as expected, we arrived on time and checked into the surgical waiting area. As we sat there looking on to our smiling son, I glanced around the room at the many children in pajamas and comfortable clothing waiting with their caregivers for their name to be called. Many little ones were fussy and tired. Part of their fussiness was the rumble in their stomachs from not eating for so long to prepare for the anesthesia. A little boy near us kept waving to Jonathan. He smiled so sweetly and his parents smiled along with him.




     As we exchanged smiles, we began talking with the little boy's parents. They were waiting for their son to have a surgical procedure. He was born with cystic fibrosis with a life expectancy not to exceed past the age of 40. As the parents discussed this child's condition, my heart sunk. Sometimes, God brings into our life people who have trials much bigger than our own. It takes a little perspective to help us realize that what we have on our plate in front of us could be much harder to deal with than another issue.

     God was testing me that day as I sat there in that waiting room. There were children with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and others with down syndrome. To put it bluntly, my son's bilateral cleft lip and palate sucks. It's a huge challenge we work with each day. But at least we know there are ways to repair it. At least he can walk, talk, and do other things with his life. He may live until his 90s or he may pass away for another reason tomorrow. However, there are parents out there living and knowing the clock is ticking fast for their children. They know their children may never grow to experience certain things in life because of their conditions.


     Perspective can do many things for us. It helps us to realize that we can make the most of each day when we realize each day's potential. It helps us to remember that our faith in God should be bigger than the fears that surround us. It helps us to open our eyes with empathy and take a walk for a moment in someone else's shoes. Let me challenge you today to live with a perspective that allows for growth in your faith and hope for the future.

     As I write this today, I want to bring awareness of World Smile Day. There are children and even adults that were born with a cleft defect. However, they don't have the funds to repair it. Organizations such as Smile Train and Mia Moo Fund help to provide the needed funds to assist in those needing repairs. While my son has been able to have the surgeries needed so far, my heart breaks for those who haven't had that chance. We've experienced very challenging feeding issues this past year. Thankfully, we have had the chance to improve those conditions for him. Please consider looking into one of these organizations and get involved in some way. Because as you know, every kid deserves a smile.






Every Friday, the Five Minute Friday writing group sets their timers for five minutes and starts writing with one chosen word. This week, I wrote a bit longer including two weeks worth as I started on this last week and never had a chance to finish. This is a great community to join. Anyone with a blog and a desire to write may join. Come check it out at www.katemotaung.com.

Cleft Palate Surgery

It's been awhile since I've shared any updates on Jonathan. We are a week away from his next surgery (Sept 12th). This time, they will be closing up his palate. We will go up to CHOA the night before. And he will be staying one night after the surgery as long as he eats well afterwards. This next one will be another big step in helping improve his eating and over-all well being. He'll be able to eat more solids as well.

He did loose a lot of weight being that he hasn't been able to eat solids very well yet and is only eating what I pump. Being close to 10 months of age, it's hard to sustain his weight without the extra calories normally given through solids at this point. He's in the 6% for weight. So the goal is that he will be able to start taking in more soon after he has healed from this next surgery. We may need to start supplementing formula to help too.

Please keep little man in your prayers and be sure to email me some pics if you are sporting your t-shirts. I haven't been on Facebook in awhile but you are welcome to email me your pictures to unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement with our little man. He is such a happy little guy who doesn't let this stop him from enjoying life.

XOXO,
Carrie

When We Stay Humble

It's such a freeing feeling when we can live our lives in a way that doesn't come across that we have everything together. When we admit our weaknesses to others and share the realness of life, we connect in a deeper way. I've been in relationships with others where it seemed like we could never share on a deep level our authenticity. Everything came across as "fluff" and "perfection." And do you know where that got us? Not very far. In fact, those kinds of relationships leave a person feeling like they are very neutral and fake.

God wants us to put it all out there. He knew we needed community and honesty. He didn't create any of us to be perfect or prideful. It's all pretend as no one can be perfect, except Christ. We all have our strengths, but also our failures. And when we are willing to admit it with others, we can have better conversations and much more enjoyable relationships.

I love it when I go to someone else's house and they don't feel like it needs to look "Pinterest Perfect" just for my arrival. I know they live there and will have bills out on a counter top. Or they have some dishes near the sink. I love it when it's real life and there's no need to feel perfect. I can look around and say, "Yep, that's my life every day!"

I love it when someone doesn't have to have it all right. They don't need to look, act, or be perfect in order to be them. They can admit their screw-ups and moments when they had meltdowns. We can both laugh and agree that we've had similar days. When we are real and genuine, we can relate. When we sit there and point fingers at others in their missteps as though they weren't perfect, it becomes superficial.

I read this quote recently that said, "True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know." When we are around someone who always has to be right, thinking they are higher than others, and act prideful towards others, they can be a real drag. There is no chance of even being responsive as it's too difficult to make any conversation with them. Those who know something already or even think they know will still listen to others. It's like speaking with a child and when they are excited to share their knowledge, a good parent listens while getting excited along with them, even if the parent already knows it. If a parent begins to talk over them, showing they knew already or tries to correct the child's moment, it's a real disappointment.

I have this wonderful Aunt who always listens and gets excited when another person talks. She is very empathetic and understanding when you talk with her. She's an easy person to have a relationship with, but also someone I feel that I can go to when I'm unsure of something as I know she carries with her great advice. This is the kind of relationship we all desire. To be heard and to be real is the best kind.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to be authentic. People assume that being a mother of a large family means that I have it all together. There are many days I fall apart. I have meltdowns and moments where I don't even know how to handle a situation. I get anxious, worry, and have so many imperfections, it's actually kind of funny.

In a world filled with social media and sharing only our best, it's easy to assume everyone else out there has it all together. Instead, we need to admit we are all messing up every day. We all have kids who have inconvenient meltdowns or cereal nights where we just don't feel like cooking. Or we have days where we feel like the monster from the other side. But we also, recover and pick back up our own two feet. And until we readily admit we just don't fit that expected, perfect mold that the world wants us to think exists, our relationships with others will sink.

It's easy to get in that prideful mode as we all at times think we are superior to others in one way or another. If I were honest, if someone compliments our family's manners in public, I sometimes get a little prideful thinking our family is something else. I really have to remember that although I just love my family, we also have our troubles too. In order to build better relationships, we must admit fault, even to one another. And then move back to being humble.

So next time you feel like you need to have it all together, DON'T!!! Having humility in our relationships with others makes us honest and true. And with that, we will be a better friend to others.

Being Betrayed By Fear

Eight months ago, before Jonathan arrived, I had no idea what was in store for our lives. I feared the unknown and my heart carried with it so much worry. And while there are still moments I struggle with the unknown for his future, whether it's the surgeries or bullying he may face, I can truly say that fear is a liar. It's there to rob us of any hope we have in Jesus. It's there to attempt to make changes to important decisions that God is leading us to make. It's there to misdirect our hearts and shout it's ugly head in places we don't feel we can measure up. It's there to create division in our families and a spirit of discontentment in our homes.

Is this what we really want? Do we really want to allow the enemy to spit these weapons of lies into our very presence to weaken our attempts to be filled with hope? Are we going to allow ourselves to be captured and controlled this way? Do we really want the torches of Jesus we carry to be dimmed and put out because we don't think we can make it to the finish line?

I mean, just look at this sweet face. We've been through months of doctor's appointments and a major surgery already. Sure, it was hard. Handing over a baby to be worked on is not easy. But, we made it through and God knew we'd get here. He knew this was the place and time we would be. We were able to thrive so far through some difficult moments.

If we can just lay our fears at the feet of Jesus. If we can just surrender what we wish we knew about tomorrow. If we could just spend more time soaking in His presence while releasing the very things that make us anxious, we'd be better off. We are being fed lies each and every day. It's so easy to listen to the lies versus stepping past them towards the truth.

It's time to call it's bluff. No matter where you are right now in your life or what lies you are being fed. It's time to face them head on and say, "I'm not allowing you to control me. My fear is in God and God alone."

Maybe you are fearing a relationship right now in your life and how to make it work. Maybe you are afraid of the illness or injury happening to a friend or family member. Or maybe you are in a place of loneliness and feel you don't have anyone to help you through a hard thing.

It's time to get brave and seek Jesus. Now is the time to give your worries to Him and Him alone. Don't allow those fears to ruin your life.

Unspeakable Joy Exchange Round Four Giveaway

This is a giveaway that I am hosting as a bonus to bless someone who has donated to Cleft Kids, signed up for the exchange, and shared about the event on social media.

I am so thankful to you for your donations, support, prayers, and willingness to get this out through word-of-mouth. Because of your generosity, this is for you.

One winner will be chosen after the exchange has closed through Giveaway Tools. If you are here by accident and have not completed the things mentioned in the first line, go back to here to get started:
http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2016/04/unspeakable-joy-exchange-round-four.html

This giveaway features a $25 Amazon gift card and a book called Fast Friends.

To enter, go here:

Entry-Form

http://giveawaytools2.com/share.php?giveaway=27796231490

Unspeakable Joy Exchange Round Four- Cleft Kids

People assume that since a child is born in the U.S. with a cleft, they are able to have easy access to medical care. Realistically, many families in the U.S. don't have insurance or enough insurance to cover all the costs of medical care. According to Cleft Kids.org, "the reality is that raising a child in the U.S. with a cleft costs approximately $100,000 more than raising a child without a cleft. The cost of a single cleft repair surgery often exceeds $25,000, with most cleft children needing multiple surgeries. "

Cleft Kids was founded by a cleft-affected family. They wanted to create a place for families to help support other families. They assist families who have needs to cover their medical costs. Also, they send out cleft care packages to those children getting ready to have their surgeries. You can read up more about this great organization by going to: http://www.cleftkids.org/

This organization is very near and dear to my heart as I have a baby who was born with a cleft. He is going to have his surgery coming up on May 9th. So I understand the worry and fear that these other families face. Our family is blessed with great insurance and wonderful support from our community. There are some children that don't have either of those options.

Here's our little guy, Jon Luke!

For this round, I am offering two plans for this fundraiser. Depending on what you are able to give, pick the one of your choosing to do. The first plan is you can send a $5 donation to their website that goes to help others in need. There are three options for donating: Paypal, credit card, or check. Go here for this option: http://www.cleftkids.org/donate.html

The second plan is you can sponsor a child through a donation of $15. This goes toward a cleft care package that is sent to the child of your choosing. This package is created to help the child through their surgery with items like a stuffed animal, books, etc. The link for their sponsorship program is here: http://www.cleftkids.org/store/c7/Sponsorships.html

Here's the cool part! You get to decide how you are able to be apart of this round for the fundraiser. If you can only give $5, then choose the first option. If you can give more, choose the second option and send a care package. I will leave that part up to you to decide.

Are you able to pass on that Starbucks coffee today to help bless another family in TREMENDOUS ways? Let's do this, friends! Let's come together as a community and help these families out by bringing an anonymous smile to their faces.

After you have donated, please send the following information to my email at unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com:

Name:
Address:
Email Address:
Instagram/Facebook/ Or Any Other Social Media Info:
Favorite Bible Verse:
Home Décor:
Favorite Colors:
Hobbies:
Favorite Snack:
Any Other Info About Yourself You'd Like To Share:
Prayer Requests:
Do You Mind Shipping Internationally? Y/N

***What is this exchange and why am I sending you this information? This is so you can be paired up with another Sister in Christ. You will send them a package in the mail and they will send one to you. It's a fun way to not only help a family anonymously above but also get to know another believer from around the world/U.S. You are also welcome to email me the above info to unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com. Here's more info about it below***


You have until May 2, 2016 to sign up for the Exchange. After that date, I will be contacting you with your mail partner's information. With the information you receive about your sister in Christ, you will send them some fun surprises in the mail based on the info they shared with you that would bless them. This time's challenge is to send your exchange sister: something with their favorite color, something from nature, and the last item of your choice. (Ideas: something with their favorite Bible verse, journal, Starbucks/iTunes gift card, scarf, book, coffee mug, washi tape, picture frame, jewelry, snack, lip gloss, an item that goes with their home décor, you name it!). Perhaps, you are a creative person. Feel free to make them something handmade. The sky's the limit!

There are 3 items total you will be mailing to them (or more/less depending on how you'd like to do this- please use this as a guideline to help you or be as creative as you want to be), and they need to go out NLT May 20, 2016. This does not need to be an expensive exchange. The minimum does need to be about $15.

Here are the steps for this exchange:

Step 1:
Donate to Cleft Kids using one of two options.  
Option #1: Send $5 to their organization at this link: http://www.cleftkids.org/donate.html
Option #2: Sponsor a child to receive a cleft care package at this link: http://www.cleftkids.org/store/c7/Sponsorships.html
Remember, you cannot participate in the exchange until you have donated. This is the purpose behind the fun! :) We are helping to bless another family in whatever way we can.


Step 2:
Sign up for the exchange by emailing me this info to unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com
Name:
Address:
Email Address:
Instagram/Facebook/ Or Any Other Social Media Info:
Favorite Bible Verse:
Home Décor:
Favorite Colors:
Hobbies:
Favorite Snack:
Any Other Info About Yourself You'd Like To Share:
Prayer Requests:
Do You Mind Shipping Internationally? Y/N

Step 3:
Pray for the family you sponsored!!! Or pray for the Cleft Kids organization that they will be able to get the help to someone in need. Get the word out about the exchange through your social media sites. Even if you do not intend to participate, we need to get the word out in order to get enough participants in this exchange. So share away!!!

Step 4:
You will receive your exchange sister's name/info NLT May 5, 2016. I am generally quick with getting that info out. But in the event that something happens, you will have that info by that date above. Be sure to check your email for the info. If you do not receive it by that date, please let me know. I may not have received your info for the exchange. After you've received your sister's info, pray for her the next couple of weeks. Feel free to send her an email and introduce yourself. If you have a social media account, find her there.

Step 5:
Get the package together over these couple of weeks. Feel free to use this as a guideline as to what to send them:

1. Item of your choice
2. Something from Nature
3. Item with their favorite color.

If you have another plan of what to send them, you are welcome to it! If it's only one item or more than three, that is up to you.

Step 6:
Mail the package by: May 20, 2016. I am trying something different with this round. I am asking that you send me your tracking number once you've mailed it (unspeakablejoymccoy@gmail.com). I want to insure that everyone receives their package. If I do not receive your tracking number, I will contact you. If you do not receive something from your exchange sister, please let me know. I don't want anyone to walk away from this exchange empty-handed.

Step 7:
If you have an Instagram/Facebook account, please share what you are sending to (all wrapped up) or receiving from your sister. Include the hashtag #unspeakablejoyexchange2016 and #unspeakablejoymovement This helps those in future rounds to know what to expect. (You can look back at other's examples using #unspeakablejoyexchange2015)

Step 8:

Finally, share about this exchange with your friends and family. The more we have involved, the merrier.

PLEASE NOTE: Even if you will not be able to donate at this time, please pray for the children listed on that site who are getting ready to have their cleft surgeries. Even more, please share this with others. My prayer is that we can help other families out with donations, prayers, and word of mouth!

FINAL BONUS:
NOW... If you have donated, submitted the info for the exchange, and shared about this with family/friends through email or social media, you are eligible to enter into a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a new book called Fast Friends. Wendy Simpson Little was a former teacher of mine and a friend of our family. You will be inspired by her new book.

Follow this link to the giveaway page to enter. You can enter in daily until the exchange closes and a winner will be chosen at random by Giveaway Tools. Go Here Now...:
http://unspeakablejoymovement.blogspot.com/2016/04/unspeakable-joy-exchange-round-four_22.html