Wonders...

For as far back as I can remember...to a time in Kamloops as a young child of 3 or 4, getting myself dressed for a church meeting... Mom and Dad arguing over whether I should be going to an evening service...pants up, pants down...pants up, pants down....my dad won that argument and off we went in the old fume-laden, wood-panelled station wagon...turning around in my seat and watching my mom in the doorway slowly disappear from sight. I do not have a lot of memories before the age of ten...but the few I do have stand out. I was questioned yesterday regarding what I wrote...from someone who was not there...from someone who did not understand the vociferous elements that made up our family unit...from someone who wished only to defend a loved one....

As I sit sipping my hot cup of heaven this morning, worship music playing in the background I lay my hand on the bible and reflect on the one constant in my life...the hand of God has been and will always be my one constant...the wonders and miracles I have seen, including the birth of my children...the love from a few specific people as a 'ugly' child...or so my brothers would have had me believe, in true sibling fashion.

I was formed...by nurture, by nature all around me...running through the orchards of the Okanagan as a wild ginger child...exploring alone or following after my big brothers who taught me the value of pushing the limits, of hard work, of crises management and how to settle an argument with fists and then pick up the friendship once again once the dust settled.

I have felt the Hand of God in my life from such a young age I can only guess as to when...based on past conversations with my mom, whom I miss so very greatly every minute of every day, my first memory came at 18 months old...hearing her come home from a 12-hour shift at the Kamloops hospital...felt the love of a true Father...

The men and women He brought into my life gave me an underlying sense of who I am, a foundation of love and grace right where I was...loved for me...they reached a lonely, independent, suspicious child and showed me how to love in return....this morning as I sit with the scriptures beside me I reflect on forgiveness...on Saul on the road to Damascus as this was the scripture I opened to...His grace, His mercy, His love is for everyone....the only deterrent our own stubbornness...our own desires that lead us to destruction....

I hope you hear my heart this morning...I speak of those who deliberately inflame others...who wish only for their pain, their sorrow...those who have brought you dear lost ones, dear survivors, brought you low...tossed you into the pit, drowned you in betrayal and despondency....cast you in chaos and pulled you down into unimaginable anguish.

I believe in miracles...I do...I also believe in the free will of each individual and the choice to continue what they do will ultimately lead to their own destruction...to wailing and gnashing of teeth...unless they make a choice to change, this is their future...desolation in a wilderness unlike any we could dream up in our worst nightmares.

I believe in justice....I believe it comes with or without us....

So, arise warriors...walk tall and know that your God, or whoever you choose to worship, has this fight fully in hand....do what is right, do what is wise and walk with grace, with dignity and speak your truth. It is your time to shine...your time to see the fullness and goodness of all this life has to offer...to see the miracles God has waiting for you on this path we call life.

For you....you are worthy of all that is beautiful, all that is good, all that is peace and joy...worthy....step out and into a life filled with freedom, with love unceasing...

Go today with the blessing of a Father who will never leave you nor forsake you...who stands with you no matter where you place your feet, no matter where you fall He is there to pick you up, dust you off and set you on your way once more....journeying to a place of promise...meant only for you.

May you know His comfort today and every day forward...know His absolute pleasure in you, His child. You are loved dear hearts...loved beyond measure...walk in that today...walk tall and proud, a daughter or son of the King....meant for so much more than the pain, the sorrow, the anguish. See your way....see your way out and away from the chaos, from the betrayals, the physical abuses, the mental and emotional turmoil....there is a way for you.