Who Am I?

Have you ever had an experience that makes you feel like you’ve just had the rug pulled out from under you? Maybe it was a hurtful experience, or a shocking experience, or maybe a revelation about your life that just seemed to come out of left field.

We generally move through childhood believing what we are told by our parents because, after all, why would we not believe them? It’s a well-believed thought that they know more about us than anyone, and why would we think that we would not be told the truth?

All of this is generally true, until you consider the life of an adopted child, which is often enshrouded in mystery and secrecy. There again, the child is left with no choice but to believe, or at least accept, what they are told by social workers or the adoptive parents. You grow up with all the usual questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Who is my family? While these questions are not really an issue for most families, for the adopted child it stems from a deeper curiosity of wondering “Why was I given away? Who are my ‘real’ parents? Didn’t they love me? Why didn’t they want me anymore?” Within that child is a very real need to know.

It’s up to the adoptive parents whether to be honest with this child about the details of the adoption, or to sugar-coat the situation, or to just avoid the questions altogether! Each choice has lifetime consequences in the life of that child. If you are honest with the child, the child learns to trust and knows that you care and understand about his or her feelings. If you sugar-coat the situation, and the truth comes out later, then the adopted child feels that maybe their whole life was a lie. For the adoptive parents to avoid the questions, leaves a child wondering, “What is wrong with me? Why CAN’T I talk about my ‘real’ parents? Why are there secrets about my adoption? Was I bad? Were they bad?’” The questions that go through a child’s mind are endless.

When those answers come to light later in life, and they are different from the answers that were given throughout the life of the child – chaos reigns within that child, even as an adult. It can be a very overwhelming experience to find out that you aren’t at all the person you thought you were. It doesn’t really change your character or your personal integrity, or even who you really are inside, but it changes how you look at yourself, and once again, it creates more questions than answers.

Transitions can be good, or they can be bad. Sometimes they are neither good nor bad - they’re just transitions. Life is full of transitions, and how we handle them, no matter how much they may shake our world, is important to our well-being. Can we stand strong, in spite of the often overwhelming changes these transitions bring to our lives, or will we cave in to what seems like an absolute shattering of everything we have ever known or believed.

The choice is very personal and differs with each individual, but it’s a choice that will have lifetime consequences.

Very Special Treasures

I think most of us will agree that friends are a valuable part of our lives. A good friend shares our joys, our sorrows, our ups and downs – sometimes for only a short time, sometimes for a lifetime.

I have been reminded though, that there is nothing more precious than a friend who will pray with you. I received a phone call today from a friend I had not talked with in quite a while, and she had called to check on me and see how I was doing – both emotionally and physically.

We talked for a while about things that have been going on in our lives – then came the best part of our communication. Before we ended our conversation, my friend asked if she could pray with me before we parted once again. It really meant a lot to me that my friend had not only called to check on me and encourage me, but that she also wanted to take the time to pray with me.

I have some very special friends who have found some very unique ways to pray with me - and for me. Some, like my friend today, have called and prayed with me, and some have sent me very special prayers through e-mails. I have even had friends awaken in the middle of the night and pray for me while I was on the road traveling.

Praying friends are an amazing source of strength and blessings!!

Praying friends are special treasures sent to us by God, and He has richly blessed me with a strong and caring group of these "very special treasures". They have brought a lot of peace, comfort and encouragement into my life.

I pray that God will bless them as richly as He has blessed me - by bringing some “very special treasures” in their lives also!!

Patience and Trust

We humans tend to be an impatient lot, don't we? We want God's support, and we often pray for His guidance in a decision, but . . . too many times we want the answer we want, and we would certainly like to have it NOW! Seems to me that we are pretty lowly creatures to be going up against God! I mean, there are people here on this earth that I wouldn't want to confront or hand an ultimatum to, yet we often have no qualms about "laying it all out there" to the One who really does have our best interests at heart.

Well God, this is what I need and this is how I want it to be worked out, and by the way, I'd like to have that as soon as possible! Imagine our response if one of our children made a request in this manner, yet how often do we approach God with this attitude.

Due to the wisdom that comes from maturity and experience, parents often have the ability to "look down the road" and know in advance what the consequences would be of fulfilling a child's request - whether good or bad. What we often fail to realize is that God has an even greater ability to see the whole picture of our lives - where we've been, and where we are headed. In our human impatience, how easy it is to forget that, like a parent, He really does know best.

I'm at the point in my life where I realize that I've really done a lot of "messing up" in trying to run my own life. As my friend used to say - hindsight is always better than foresight." But why learn everything the hard way, if we don't have to? I've found that my life is made so much easier by praying for the Lord's guidance in my decision-making, and then actually standing back and letting Him lead! He has never once steered me in the wrong direction!

As I stand at the point of another transition of my life, with another move and all the changes it entails, I'm finally learning to stand back quietly and allow the Lord to give the help that I have requested. Instead of being stressed about what might, or might not be, down the road for me, I've decided to leave it in the Lord Hands, and let Him lead me along in my journey through this transition. It has made things much easier to face and cope with - including the one who is the cause of this transition and the mixed bag of emotions it has created.

God's ability to love and nurture His children is even greater than that of an earthly parent. He will never lead us in a way that is not good for us, or that would bring us in harm's way. He wants to give us the best of what He has, and He has love and strength overflowing!! He is never too tired or too busy to hear and honor our requests for help. All we have to do is step aside, put our trust in Him, and let Him lead where He will.

~ If God is your co-pilot, you'd better swap seats! ~

The Joys of Friendship

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
for he has no one to help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10


I have recently been reminded again of the value and joys of true friendship. Today, after a very busy, and sometimes frustrating morning, I spent the afternoon with a very dear friend. She needed help setting up a new phone, and I needed help getting some business taken care of in town. We helped each other, and greatly enjoyed the company during our "exchange of favors." Afterward, I was rewarded with the blessing of sharing a meal with her at her home.

During recent weeks, with the necessity of a sudden move thrust upon me, it has, at times, been difficult to gather my thoughts, and the strength, to accomplish what needs to be done. There is so much that needs to be done, and so many things that need to be acquired or purchased in a short time, in order to set up housekeeping in a new apartment. Once again, friends have gathered around me and come to my rescue with loving support in the form of encouraging words of wisdom, loving hugs, and gifts of household items.

I truly believe that friends are "angels on earth" that God has put in our lives to give us the added spiritual and emotional support that we need. God created us to be social creatures, needing companionship and support from one another. Man was not meant to be "an island unto himself." God has given us many gifts and talents to share with one another, that enable us to give each other just what is needed.

God has truly blessed me with friends who are true, and not afraid to be part of an honest, healthy relationship. I think more than anything else in my life, other than my relationship with God, I am most thankful for the friends who have been with me through thick and thin! They have truly made my life a blessing, and they are to be greatly treasured!

May God bless my friends as richly as He has blessed me!

Prayer for Your New Year

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But my making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God's love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

~ anonymous ~

The Top Ten Predictions for 2007

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-appointed preaching.
6. There will still singing of praise.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

A New Year

It is the beginning of the New Year - 2007. As we begin a new year, we usually think of it as a time for resolutions, new beginnings, and hope for better times. It's time for turning over a new leaf, and thinking of the changes that will come.

As I move forward into this new year, I think about the changes that are coming into my own life. I'll soon be moving to a new apartment, in a new town, and in the coming weeks, I will officially become a senior citizen! The new year already shows promise of being a season of many positive changes for me. I look forward with eagerness, to this new chapter in my life.

As I begin this new chapter in the book of my life, I will share with you bits and pieces of my journey, and my thoughts and reactions to what life reveals during this journey into new horizons. My prayer is that it will be a better year for all of us, and that God will richly bless us with the gifts of friendship and love.