Story Swap with Corella Roberts

I love a good story! Stories captivate our imaginations, impact our lives, and have the ability to shift whole cultures. Swapping stories with a sweet friend over a cuppa hot something is just the best. It's a joy to welcome Corella Roberts to Story Swap today! (Every Saturday I post a Story Swap feature on my Instagram).

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself. What does a typical day look like for you?

I'm a mom of three kids (2 bio, 1 adopted) living in northern Thailand. In this season, my days are a mix of typical homemaking tasks, writing projects, and coffee dates with my high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband.

2. When and how did you meet Jesus?

I stepped out of general belief about Jesus into the deep-end of life with Jesus when I was eleven at a summer camp. I've followed him imperfectly but wholeheartedly since then through college, teaching in bush Alaska, parenthood, and now "serving the servants" in Thailand.

3. What are you passionate about?

Truly, I'm most passionate about seeing people authentically connect with Jesus. Life with him is meant to be holistic, undivided. He wants to reach and redeem every fiber of our beings and every page of our stories.

4. How are you making the most of your current season of life?

Now that our recently adopted son is in Kindergarten, I have more room to write! I'm currently in the middle of a book that will offer practical soul restoration to those struggling to come out of ministry fatigue and burnout. And I'm soaking up all the precious moments we're having as a new family of five. Adoption is both incredibly hard and unbelievably beautiful!

5. How do you prioritize the Word of God?

My best time of day with Jesus is right after lunch, so my rhythm this year has been to eat a meal then eat the Word by handwriting my way through the Gospel of John. I'm taking it slow and finding it so rewarding.

6. What has God been speaking to you about and how has He moved in your life recently?

Jesus has been showing me his heart of compassion. It started with the incredible book "Gentle and Lowly" by Dane Ortlund, then came to life through the process of adoption. His steadfast, unflinching, all-encompassing love has floored me again and again over the past few months. He not only forgives our sins and loves us in spite of our flaws, he actually draws closer in our darkest hours and deepest pits. The way I want to embrace my son when he pushes me away or cries angry tears is just a fraction of the tenderness God feels toward me when I do the same. He enters our mess (see the stable of the nativity), touches our shame (consider the lepers he healed), and even chooses our betrayal (Judas, Peter, the cross ...). Our stories might seem broken with failure, but the story he wrote for his own Son, for himself, shows his heart to immerse himself fully in the stink of it all and touch every part with his cleansing love.

7. What is the biggest thing you've had to trust God with?

Raising a family overseas and living off of support as a missionary has been a big one, but adoption has definitely trumped that. It took over 6 years for our son to come home, and we still have at least 3 more years until the whole process will be finished. I've had to give God so many fears along the way, but I can honestly say he has met me with his peace every time. And now, in the middle of our adoption miracle, I am witnessing too many gifts from God to count.

8. What story is God writing with your life?

I love this question because I absolutely believe that God is a brilliant author who only writes good stories! I hope that my life story attests to God's faithfulness and what a beautifully wild adventure it is to trust him.

Corella Roberts makes her home in Northern Thailand where she and her husband partner with an international school to "Serve the Servants." Their first missionary teaching assignment landed them in the remote bush of Alaska, which you can read about in her book, Colliding with the Call. From tundra to tropics, her life of following Jesus has pushed her to the edge of the spiritual wilderness time and again, and she loves using her experiences to encourage others to connect deeply with God at corellaroberts.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, or meandering their local produce market in search of mangosteen and lychee fruit.