19 years

Today is a special day. Nineteen years ago, today, my parents were married.

The story of my parents is unique and wonderful. You see, my Daddy (Kevin) is actually my step-dad...but I would never call him that. My biological dad left when I was about 2 1/2 years old and, to most people, that would seem like a sad story. However, maybe they don't realize that our God is a God of redemption and power who can turn any circumstance into something that shows His glory and love for us.

So I am going to tell you a story.

After my biological dad left, my mom was devastated and went through more heartache than I can express here on this blog. I am the youngest of my three siblings, so I don't remember much of this time. And, on top of that, my mom did an excellent job of keeping her wits about her so that we could continue our childhood somewhat normally. Most of what I remember involves going to the library and reading TONS of books and our cat having a litter of really cute kittens. (Orangey, Blacky, Stripey... I was really good at naming cats haha...) What I also didn't know was how the Lord was providing miraculously for us during this time.

When my dad left, he took all of the money with him. So we were left with nothing except bills... and a house with a mortgage...and three children to feed...and my mom without a job. As we grew older, my mom would tell us stories from that time -- people showing up with bags of clothes on our doorstep every school year, people providing meals every week for months and months, coming home and our lawn being mowed for us, someone giving my mom a job, and even people paying our tuition for the school we were attending. Pretty much, people from our church, friends, and family took care of us for about two years.

Then, my mom moved to the Singles Sunday School class at church and that's where my Daddy first saw her. He thought she was absolutely beautiful. But, when he found out she had three kids, he said never mind. A few months later, my Daddy started helping some people in the class who were taking meals and checking on us. He felt the Lord drawing him closer to my mom and so he asked her to go with him to a party their Sunday School class was throwing. My mom was very wary, but tells us of how she started to feel God's peace over their growing relationship.

Eight months later, they were married.

You see, the Lord was taking care of my family every step of the way. He provided people around us who took care of us - down to the very last need. He provided comfort and strength to my mom. And, ultimately, he restored my family to something even better than it was before. The Lord redeemed my family from destitution, despair, and abandonment. He showed His power to redeem us to something far greater than we were and far more than we could ever hope or imagine. And my Daddy was the final piece.

My parents are the best parents anyone could ask for. (I might be a little biased) And to me, my Daddy represents Christ's power to redeem our lives from despair to glorious riches. You see, my Daddy loves me and my siblings like we are his own. You would never know that I am not his biological child because of the way he loves me. And that is how God loves us when we accept Him into our lives. He rescues us from the despair of sin and death and gives us a new family, a new name, and becomes our new Daddy. And it is more than we could ever hope or imagine.

My life verse:
"The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm... The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." -Zephaniah 3:15,17

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