Last night
as I scrolled Facebook, I ran across one of Lisa Harper’s posts, and it hit me
hard. I wanted to share it today, but let me give you a little context, just in
case you aren’t familiar with her.
Lisa is a gifted Bible teacher,
and I’ve been learning from her via her writing for years. She’ wise, intelligent,
and also hilarious. Her wit is perfectly presented, and I just love reading
what she offers in what can sometimes be the toxic world of social media!
Lisa has never married, but several
years ago, she adopted a little girl from Haiti. Missy was maybe four or so
when she came to live with Lisa, and now she’s a teenager, and I love the Missy
posts. She has the joy of the Lord in a way I’ve not seen in most teens (or,
let’s be honest, even adults).
So this story made me
sad:
Missy is deeply kind and
almost always sees the glass as more than half full. Based on the extreme
hardship that followed her first mama, Marie's, death in Haiti, she has
legitimate reasons to be pessimistic & self-protective, instead she's quite
the opposite. And please don't tell me she got it from me. Her tender heart was
already well-formed before God allowed me to become her second mama. Believe
me, I got the long end of this proverbial stick.
However,
some days the hard edges of life poke her soft heart in a way that breaks mine.
When I picked her up yesterday, I could tell by the atypical downward slope of
her shoulders she was sad. After a while she shared how a girl ~ whom she
thought was her friend ~ held up her hand up when Missy approached in a social
setting & said, "That seat's saved."
She
explained tearfully, "Mom, I know I'm different from the other girls but
it hurt my feelings that she wouldn't let me sit with them."
Of course
I wanted to bellow words that aren't in the Bible about how that insensitive
(likely insecure) young woman behaved. But that wouldn't have been
helpful...especially since the sentiment of, "That seat's saved"
doesn't end after high school & the feeling of not fitting in or not being
wanted is unfortunately a very common experience for most ~ if not all ~ image
bearers.
So
instead we spent several hours last night strategizing how to build up
"kind callouses" so we can respond compassionately even when it's not
reciprocated. Then we ate ice cream & watched a funny movie all the while
Holy Spirit was pouring comforting oil over the fresh scrapes on my miracle
daughter's beautiful soul.
This
morning we bellowed the truth of who our Heavenly Father says we are before she
shouldered her backpack and walked bravely into another day of being viewed as
different.
Aren't
you grateful that Jesus hold ups His nail scarred hand and waves us over with
an unconditionally loving, "That seat's saved especially FOR YOU"
greeting every time we stumble toward Him? What a kind God we serve.
Oh the timing of this post. It
was a night in which I swam in the waters of questioning everything about every
decision I made in every area of my life. I nodded vehemently at “The feeling
of not fitting in or not being wanted is unfortunately a very common experience
for most – if not all – image bearers.”
Speaking truth over my own life is
something I’m still learning to do. (Spoke about that recently!) So I cracked
open my Bible to Psalm 139 and read again “I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.” I may not always like myself. Those around me may not always
like me. I’m guessing some of them don’t ever like me. But all of that aside,
He made me. He made me to be who I am, and even when I feel I am falling short
at every turn, I am still fearfully and wonderfully made. Missy is. Lisa is. I
am. You are.
If you click on that link above
the story, you can sit in on Lisa and Missy singing truth over Missy’s life.
Maybe you need it sung over yours like I needed it sung over mine??
I am fearfully and wonderfully
made, no matter what anyone says. And so are you!
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