Using your talents, sharing testimony

 

Talents: Using What’s in Your Hands

God placed unique skills, passions, and experiences within you for a reason. None of them are wasted—not your career background, your creative interests, or even your struggles.  I hope you can take some time to think about your journey, and thank God for even the hard times that brought you here.  And I hope that you can see how He's redeemed those hard times.  

I'll take this opportunity to share my story.  It is multi-faceted, and there are so many areas that I can now look back and say, "God was working there," or, "He is now using that to bless and encourage others, but I'll take just the area of preparing me to be a foster and adoptive mom:

I was in middle school and grinding through some difficult geometry homework in my bedroom when I heard my parents raising their voices, the dogs begin to bark in excitement, and accusations get slung back and forth.  Another fight!  I grabbed my younger brother and sister and we retreated to my room to pray, "God, help them to work this out", while my older brother tried to get in the middle of them with reason. 
"I can't make enough money to make you happy," my dad feels helpless.  "I'll go back to work," says my mom, which is a threat to my dad who wants for her to be able to care for the kids.  Somehow this struggle, repeated, ends up forceful.  Desperation, anxiety for covering the bills and the kids' activities, and feeling utterly alone.  My dad would sometimes be without a job, and then it was to the food stamp line my mom would go, driving 45 minutes away and us kids scared for how much more we'd be giving up.  

I grew up in a family where both parents had experienced some degree of trauma, violence, and poverty, and struggled to live with that broken off.  My dad knew what it was like to run with his family at the sound of bombs exploding overhead.  My mom's father was himself an orphan, and never received to in turn learn the loving care his children needed. I heard and saw my parents verbally and physically fighting as I grew up, and in the midst of 3 other children, saw the stress they carried.  They did not regularly attend church or study God's word, and fear, shame, and paranoia kept them from connecting to others.  They were pretty much doing it on their own, and without community- for lack of trust of others.  

During a Vacation Bible School at a neighborhood church, I gave my life to Christ at around 7.  Within that year I experienced God answering prayer, and directing my heart, giving me the mission of adoption.  "may another child not go unwanted, because I brought you here."  Of course, there was not much I could do at that point in my life, but as I grew in age and maturity, and in the Word (I studied the Bible on my own and listened to Moody Broadcasting Network and Family Life Radio), God equipped me.  I went through rebellious stages and learned I could make my own choices and pay my own consequences.  I also decided that as broken as my family was, it wasn't my siblings' fault, and I wanted to connect with them.  That in itself, and later forgiving my parents, has been a journey into adulthood.  A journey that has helped me have compassion and understanding for parents of kids that come into care, as well as the processing the children are going through.  

After High School graduation, moving on to college, and re-dedicating my life to Christ, I started picking up opportunities to work with "underprivileged children".   Through Big Brother Big Sister I adopted a "little sis", I volunteered at the local Boys and Girls Club, and I counseled at the local Crisis Pregnancy Center.  All of these things along with my own experiences and mission trips gave me more insight into struggling families.  I got my degree in business, Human Resources and Administration, and got my first job at a wonderful Christian-owned company.  The owner of that company started a side company that has now grown to nationwide, based on the purpose of helping other families adopt- I got to see him go through the international adoption process and blend his family.   

Shortly after Chris and I married, moved away from our family, and got a year in at our jobs, we got pregnant.  I gave up my job to become a full-time parent, and manage all things in our home.  Having both come from families that didn't grasp the "village" concept, we went through a lot of struggles on our own.  Thankfully, even in that, and in our training to become foster parents, God equipped us and would use these experiences to help us have understanding and compassion.  My background in business helped us stay afloat, and though I often wanted to fire somebody (learning to not repeat what we saw in our upbringing is tough), we have continued to seek God and pull together.  

Even those things that I had not originally done out of submission to God, He can use, because I now live in submission to Him.

I can now look at all of these experiences, with a lot more detail, drama, and the violence and fear that was my norm, and see how they, submitted to God, were part of preparing me for taking in children and having compassion on broken families and a "broken system."  Even now, as we begin to look at how we can impact others on their journey, that business background and all of my education (completed over 20 years ago), are coming in handy.  I am finding that even those things that I had not originally done out of submission to God, He can use, because I now live in submission to Him.  We're learning to break off the poverty mindset and trust God with what we have- no longer judging anything as little because whatever we trust Him for and give He can and will multiply.  We're learning to trust Him for all of our relationships- for redemption and restoration, and new relationships that we can learn from.

Whatever your background, your journey, or the place you're in now, God can use it when you submit to Him.

Whatever your background, your journey, or the place you're in now, God can use it when you submit to Him.  What better place to surrender it all, than to the One who created the heavens and the earth and said, "this is good"?  Who created mankind for relationship with Him, and gave Himself in His perfect Son so that we could be redeemed and have relationship with Him despite our sinful nature.  Even death on a cross with all the weight of the sins of the world was not enough to keep God separated from His Son.  We can trust Him and unload what was to take up what He has for us.  He will make beauty of ashes.

We can trust Him and unload what was to take up what He has for us.

As an adoptive parent, you have a story that carries hope. Accept God's grace over your life, and grasp that He really does have better for you.  Someday, starting today, you can share stories in a way that brings Him Glory.  Your testimony can encourage others walking the same path.  Maybe it's your childhood story.  Maybe it's the experiences you've had as a foster parent.  The rough patches are not for shame, but for release: for God to redeem.  

You don't know where your platform would be?  How or when or to whom would you share your story?

Ask yourself:

• What do I naturally love to do or gravitate towards?

• How can I use that to serve God, my family, or others?

• Then pray as you serve, and you will see opportunities to share your story and encourage others.

Maybe you’re a great cook—use it to bless other families, and take a little time to ask how they're doing, where they could use extra prayer.  You may find God's connected you for a deeper reason than that meal.

Maybe you’re organized—help another parent prepare for their home study.  Spending extra time in the intimate place of their home is a great opportunity to encourage and pray- even silently.  Find out what their biggest fears are, and what they are most hoping for.  Share some of your experiences as appropriate, and testify to what God has done.  Remember, speaking aloud what God has done, or you're believing Him to do displaces the enemy.  Believe out loud, and speak God's word over their family.

Maybe you’re creative—use art or writing to advocate for adoption and redemption.  Be prepared for people to interpret your work based on their experiences, and share the joy the Lord has brought you to despite any difficult experiences.

Every skill, experience, and passion becomes sacred when offered back to God.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” — Colossians 3:23