31 Days: Pathway to Perseverance - Re-framing Our Point of View

I have learned a lot about life and about God through the eyes of my children.  My daughter's example is one that I love to share. We first met when she was three years old.  She was placed in my home through the foster care system and she needed someone who was willing to adopt an older child.  A little girl whose earliest years were framed and fashioned by someone else.  She had emotional and physical scars that were a testament to earlier trauma.  Yet, she somehow my little Pearl always had a natural tenacity.  She simply was not going to allow anything or anyone to define her and she refused to be characterized by her circumstances. 

I had many other children in my home through the years and moving from victim to freedom was hard or sometimes impossible for some of the children. Yet my Pearl seemed almost unscathed.  She moved so deeply into my heart and into my reality.  I can hardly remember life without her.  When I look through photos or recount memories to a friend, I have to remind myself that I do not have a labor and delivery story to tell about her.

How did my Pearl push through the pain and redefine her life at such a young age?  She re-framed her perspective. She  no longer viewed herself as a victim of circumstance but a deeply loved child. A young lady who now had the freedom to explore, to love, and to develop.  She knew she had a forever family who loves her deeply and she loves us in return.  She boldly sang "Jesus Loves Me" because she was secure in his love.

Romans 15:5-6 tells us that it is God who gives us endurance and re-frames the way we think of one another so that we can respond like him instead of one who has been beaten down and can easily be taken advantage of.  It may not happen in the same way or as quickly as this re-framing happened for my daughter, but through Christ, there is hope.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 15:5-6

  

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