What Potty Training Reveals about My Soul

We are taking the plunge sooner than later into the terrifying world of potty training. We've decided, per our social worker's encouragement, to potty train both of them at the same time.

Typing those sentences terrifies me for so many reasons. I can only imagine the amount of rogue urine and feces that will show in places in our house beyond the toilet. I anticipate crying and screaming and exasperation from parents and children alike.

Truth-be-told, I'm most afraid of being incompetent and out-of-control and messy. I'm not just afraid of these things in potty training. I'm afraid of them in life. Yet if there are 3 descriptors of my life these days, those would probably illuminate how I feel many days in many contexts. And it brings pain.

And healing. And wholeness. And freedom...when I choose into dependence on God and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

So, in potty training and leadership and marriage and friendships and growth, I choose dependence and the way of Jesus.

Back to potty training. Your stories and encouragement would be ever-so-helpful for me as we approach this daunting task. Make us laugh and give us perspective, but don't scare the $*#@ out of us. That'll happen naturally. Your prayers would be equally appreciated. And if you want to buy me Chipotle, I don't think Baby Diaz #3 would say "no".

Here's to underwear!

Blessing Baby

A couple weeks ago, shortly after announcing Baby #3's life within me, I walked into a group of about 20 high school students praying passionately. They were declaring their identity in Christ, praying for courage, praying for blessing, praying for more of God. It was every youth pastor's dream.

They stopped praying for a moment, saw me sitting in the back, cheered congratulations for our baby, and asked me to pray. In the moment, all I wanted is for them to pray for me, our family, this baby.

For the next 10-15 minutes these students, whom I've known, loved, and poured into for years, prayed over this baby, our family, and my pregnancy. To say it was moving would be an understatement. Many of these students laid hands on me and passionately prayed all kinds of blessing and prophetic prayers into our family. As one of the students was praying, he announced that this was a Blessing Baby, our baby is a blessing and is to be a blessing. Speechless. I was and am so deeply grateful for every heartfelt prayer submitted before God on our behalf.

At the end of their prayers, their leader spoke this pasage over our family. I couldn't help but think this was exactly what we needed to hear about this unexpected pregnancy...

Isaiah 55:8-13 [The Message]

"I don't think the way you think.
   The way you work isn't the way I work."
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
   so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
   and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
   and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
   producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
   not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
   they'll complete the assignment I gave them.
 "So you'll go out in joy,
   you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
   bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
   exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
   no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
   living and lasting evidence of God."

 Out of the mouths of babes, WISDOM speaks.

Colorful Family

Several weeks ago we were talking with some close friends about our yet-public pregnancy, and all of a sudden our friend a shocked look came across his face. He looked at us and announced, "Oh my gosh! I just realized this baby isn't going to be black. WEIRD!" Brian and I looked at each other and had the same shocked reaction. What?!? But our children our black!?!

Literally, multiple times over the past several weeks I've caught myself in the reality check that, indeed, this baby will not be Ethiopian. This will be a Caucasian-Puerto Rican baby.

We've chuckled that our biological child will be the minority of our family. Typically, the concern in multi-racial adoptive families is that that adoptive child will feel like the minority, but in our colorful family [white momma, Hispanic daddy, 2 Ethiopian babies, and 1 multi-racial baby] we're all mixed up.

I think God must be happily chuckling, too. Seriously, I must keep reminding myself that Baby #3 won't be black. Add that to the "crazy things" about being pregnant list.