
Family. We cannot live with them and we cannot live without them. My family is actually so unique and I realise that the Lord must have really loved me to have given me two families who love and accept me. You may ask, two families? Let me explain. I got saved a month after my 18th birthday. I was still living in my parents’ home, and even though they were serving the Lord as well, they could not understand the radical change that came over me after accepting Jesus as personal Saviour. You see, prior to that decision, I was a very quiet, scared, introverted girl, who preferred her own company above that of others. If you looked at me skew, I would burst out crying, and I generally only answered questions that were directed to me by name. I would not give my opinion about anything, and because I stuttered, I steered clear of crowds and anyone I did not know. I was a loner, and did not have many friends. Weekends I would be at home with my parents, listening to my music. Compared to this, 6 months after accepting Jesus, I was going to youth, and enjoying it. I was part of the worship team at our church, and I thrived on being at every meeting. Needless to say, this confused my parents. They could not understand how I could have changed so drastically overnight. What they did not realize was, Jesus had brought about such a change in my life that even the stuttering disappeared. I had a new confidence that made me want to be around others, and it was all because of Jesus. After many years of having to rely on the goodness of family and friends just to have a roof over my head, the Lord guided my footsteps to a new church and a new family. Initially, I accepted employment as the Senior Pastor’s Personal Assistant, but within 6 months I was accepted into the family, with an open invitation to move in with the family. Once I accepted this offer, my “new father and mother” announced that the only acceptable for me to leave their home would be when I got married. It has been over 20 years, I have never married and they still accept me as a member of the family. When the family moved to a new house, provision was made for me to have my own little place on the same property. What can I say, God has been super generous to me over the years. During that time, God has reconciled me to my blood family and I now have the pleasure of having two families. I must admit, it can be quite a challenge trying to appease both sides. Choosing which family events to attend, especially when they are on the same day, but so far God has truly guided me with the regards to making sure everyone is happy. One thing I have learnt through all this is, although family can be the cause of much heartache and pain, nothing compares to having a tribe you belong to. Having to leave my parents home all those years ago left scars of not really fitting in, and together with that came the fear of growing old alone. Fortunately I am still on the path of all these scars being healed permanently. Hallelujah, but it has not been an easy journey. So, if you still have your family, look past all the drama and treasure the fact that you belong somewhere.
Blessings
Eloise
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