trial...

before i started this little post, i typed in "trial" to see what the exact definition was.  now, hold your horses.   if you know me, you know i attempted law school for a year.  ya'll, it was just plain ugly.  i say this because i don't want you to think i am going to throw some legal tactics and jibberish your way.  whew...feel better?  read on....

i was riding in the car the other day NOT listening to the wiggles or other toddler-reared tunes.  it was a heavenly departure from the norm.  i often drive with nothing "on" just to enjoy the quiet, but i decided to turn on my favorite christian station to listen and just relax a bit.  the most amazing song came on.  i wish i could tell you the artist.  i wish i could tell you the title.  i wish i could recite each and every word that resonated from the lovely's singers voice.  what i CAN tell you was the ending portion to the chorus...

"what if trials of this life are HIS mercies in disguise"

i mean, how true is that.  it is such a beautiful, in-depth sentence yet uber-relatable and personal.  i don't know why but i can't get that lyric off my brain this week.  i think because i see that "cycle" (the hardship....work through it...reap god's reward and see HIS path for your life cycle) on repeat these days for the parsley family.

it's funny because when we couldn't get pregnant, i remember praying to god that i would never complain about or ask for anything once he gave me a child.  i remember thinking a baby would be like a perfect golden egg that nothing bad could touch and nothing could take away from.  even before we brought the twins home from the hospital, though, there were already hurdles and hardships we were asking the Lord to help us with.

god knows that each time we ask for something, it is not our last.  we don't get that, but He does.  the trials we all go through, each and every one, is a little caveat in the intricate map He has made for our own little life.  it's crazy to think He crafts it that way.  i just have to know that His amazing gifts he gives us are His "mercies" that were in disguise until we get THROUGH things.

i don't know about you but life with kiddos doesn't resemble the facade of perfectly-smocked bunnies and bows:)  my precious outfits that are hung on pink and blue mini-hangers are often covered with spaghetti.  my twin's pristine monogrammed accessories are often doused with pear juice or danimals yogurt.  there new toys are often losing parts that are lost forever.  i thought my life with twins and a precious hubby would be ever-so-perfect and wrapped up in a neat, tidy package around the clock....yes, cue the laughter.....

in spite of the trials these twins tag-team and even sometimes create, i have to know that in the end the amazing blessings God reveals through them is what holds us all together.  i decided to include some funny images that show just how life looks BEFORE the mercies are revealed......

in spite of teething...

even during tantrums...

even when breaking mommy's or gigi's ornaments...

even through ANOTHER tantrum...

even when smashing brother or sissy's fingers...

heavens...even during a marker mess....HE is there