Forty years ago a single, young woman was about to give birth. She didn’t know how to afford a child without her parents’ help. She hadn’t talked to her former boyfriend in months. She couldn’t reach him, didn’t know how to tell him she was having his child.
This young woman attended church some, yet her dialogue with God was stilted. How could God let this happen to her? What would her life be like now?
A baby girl was born, and upon holding her child this young lady knew things would be OK. Perhaps this baby was a gift, not a burden as she supposed.
This woman raised her daughter the best she could, and while she wanted to give her child more than she had . . . history has a way of repeating itself. When the daughter became a young woman, she found herself in the same situation — living at home, pregnant and scared.
The daughter knew she could raise this child. After all, her mom had done it. But what would her life be like? How could God let this happen to her?
If you haven’t guessed already, I was the daughter born to a single mom and as a teenager became a single mom myself. At age 17, God gave me a son. My boyfriend was out of the picture, and I faced raising a child alone with little education, no money and, maybe according to the world, little hope for my future.
Now if you take this story at face value, I am nothing more than a statistic. According to government research, most daughters of young mothers will be teen mothers themselves. They face lives of hardship, living on welfare for the most part — becoming a burden rather than an asset to society.
Yet, I am not a statistic. Why? Because God doesn’t do them.
Did you hear that?
God doesn’t do statistics. In fact, He likes to blow them out of the water.
You see, God has a history of seeing something no one else does . . . like seeing a king in a shepherd boy named David, seeing an apostle in a young zealot named Paul and seeing a mighty warrior in a frightened nobody named Gideon.
God’s X-ray eyes see right through any outward characteristics or national statistics. His X-ray eyes scan down to the heart.
And what did God see? He must have seen something worthwhile. Because . . .
At age 40, I’m a multi-published author of magazine articles, Bible study notes, curricula and 15 books. My book for teenage mothers was nominated for a prestigious award. I’m a national speaker, traveling to share God’s good news.
While in my 20s, I helped launch a crisis pregnancy center, started numerous abstinence programs and began support groups for teen moms.
Now, if I were not a believer, I could really tout these things. But honestly, I can say it doesn’t have to do with me at all.
It’s about:
A BIG God with BIG dreams.
A God who has made an agreement with me that is eternal, final, and sealed.
A God who is constantly look after my safety and success.
A God who is be strong in my weakness.
A God who sees the future, sees the past and has a perfect plan for me.
Well, I guess the whole truth is that I do have something to do with it. It’s only a little something, but I guess it makes a pretty big difference. See, God can be all those things in my life, only if I let Him.
There is one thing I must do . . . and that is be available.
Keep an eye out for continued posts about being available to God.
Tricia, I love your heart so tenacious after God’s. If God actually did statistics, we couldn’t keep up for all the praising. How many lost souls has He redeemed? PRAISE! How many hearts has He turned towards Him who go on to make it their mission to tell the world about His great love to each person? JOY! Thanks for sharing these wonder-filled insights to ponder…and thank Him for.
Thank you so much, Donna!