So Can Change REALLY Happen?? REALLY?

Oh You Bet It Can!  

I was casually talking with a sweet lady who said she read a poster in an office that stated something along the lines of "You are your history!"
It was suggesting that there is no real change.  If you come from a difficult background and make mistakes, they will follow you the rest of your life.  If you were abusive a long time ago, you will be abusive for good.   If your behavior was terrible before, it will continue to be so.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!  
Not only do I disagree with this statement vehemently, I am compelled to blog about it! :)

Such hopeless statements have no place anywhere!  ANYWHERE!

I am compelled to shout it from the houstops!  Whoever will listen!  PLEASE LISTEN!

There is hope in Christ! There is Triumph in Christ!    Even for me! :)

Whoever wrote that statement  has never lived in my shoes.  They have not met the countless parents, children  and friends who have made real changes in their lives that are not just real, they are permanent!

They must have never met my girls.  They must have never met me.

You see, God is in the business of changing lives!

That statement reminded me of a conversation from many  years ago when we announced we were going to adopt our Anna.

A woman at our church came up to me and said, "You don't know what you are getting yourself into!"
"You have a great family, you have done a good job with your boys!"  "But to adopt a child... it will ruin your family!"
I was fuming inside, I must admit.
We had asked for prayer for our situation in beginning the adoption process for our sweetie, and that was the first direct comment we got.  Negative! NEGATIVE!  WOW......

I held my breath and shot up a quick prayer as this lady was speaking.... and then the words came to me.
"I see.  God can't change the life of the prostitute. He cannot change the life of the alcoholic man, or the divorced woman. He cannot help the addict or the person who has committed a crime, so how in the world can He help a FIVE YEAR OLD?"

And I walked away, sad.

I felt like I had faced Rachel Lind in Anne of Green Gables. She is the one who said, "That's the kind that puts strychnine in the well!"

We DID walk forward in the will of the Lord,  and we did adopt. And the truth is, our girls' history is there, but their history does NOT define them! NO IT DOESN'T!  IT DOES NOT!

Does our history  have an effect on our lives?  Of course it does.  Some of the problems our children have faced in this life would make the average person shudder in fear.  I am a mom to some of the bravest children I know.


And YES! We have had to work through some very difficult things. But they have worked hard and yes, they have changed.  Oh how they have changed.
They are no longer living in fear and insecurity... they are walking in LIGHT. They are walking in triumph OVER their histories!

Don't buy into the lie that your child who comes from a hard place cannot succeed or change.
They can!

And you can too!

Where do you place your hope?

I need to make a slide show for Erika. :)  Oops!
We are a family my friends! And we'll keep on fighting till the end! We are  a family, WE ARE A FAMILY no room for losing cuz we are a family!!! YES!