The Honor of Guest Posting

My sweet friend, Carrie, asked me to share one of my songs and the writing process with her readers. It is such an honor and joy to be invited to share my heart. Check out the post and then check out all the amazing things God is doing in and through her family. You will love her. I mean, how could you not love this family. Just click this awesome picture to head over to the post.

The Love of a Mother (a letter)

Mom,

There is so much you have done for which I should be saying thank you. You cheered me on. You cried with me over hurt feelings. You listened. You said yes. You said no. You sat with me when I was sick. You taught me the value of mental health days. You supported me when I chose to speak against the “powers that be”. You grounded me. You made me read before I could watch tv. You made me RSVP and write thank you notes. You prayed for me and with me. I could go on and on, but I really want to focus on one thing for now.

4 years ago on this very blog, I alluded to a story of a time I felt forgotten. I also made sure to remind you then and again now, that that moment was years ago and I am not scarred for life from it. And I will tell you why. It is because you didn’t forget about me. You did come for me. And you felt so bad about me having to wait and wonder. So, yes, I felt forgotten for a bit but I was not forgotten. I was not abandoned.

Let me share with you a couple of other memories. First there was the time I asked to go down the street to play with Shannon and Shelby. I was probably about 8 years old. I walked down there but no one was home, so I turned around and headed home. I was in our yard when the grandson or nephew or some boy that was staying across the street came over and asked if I wanted to play. I did. So, I went to Wendy’s house to play. I was shocked when I got home and found myself in trouble. You gave me a spanking for not being where I said I was going. In my 8 year old mind, it wasn’t a big deal. I was just across the street. But you were so upset. And then I was upset because no 8 year old wants to be spanked.

And then junior high... We were at a speech competition at St Agnes. Seth and I, along with 4 others, decided to walk across the street to Pizza Hut. We did tell the adults (really), but they apparently didn’t listen because you came to pick us up and we weren’t at the school. Again, trouble. And again, now as a 12 year old, I thought you were being ridiculous. I know that I argued and screamed about how it was unfair and stupid and I was TWELVE YEARS OLD not a baby.

But mom, as an adult, I know you were upset because you love us. You were upset because you can’t imagine anything happening to your babies. All the “call me when you get there’s” and all the “be home at some absurd hour to the teenage mind’s” and all the “no hiding in the clothes rack’s” were about the love of a mother and father.

I was blessed to have parents, to have a mom who was terrified when she couldn’t find me. The Lord set Seth and I in a family that loved…loves us. A mother that would do anything to keep us safe. A mother who saw her children growing in the Lord and as a result pursued Him even harder. A mother who I see still growing leaps and bounds in Truth.

But there are children all over the world who are not loved. There are girls in India who are abandoned…sold by their families. There are daughters that are beaten. There are motherless children going to sleep in the streets. Their parents aren’t worried if they will come home safely. Moms aren’t checking in to make sure their little girls got to their friend’s house.

Those little girls in India don’t have what I have in you. But, this Mother’s Day I am giving to As Our Own in your honor so that children in India might know what it is to have a family that loves them. As Our Own is rescuing these girls from abuse, abandonedment, and a life of enslavement. These girls, according to the circumstaces they were born into, should have been wandering the streets. These girls should have been sold at six years old in order to bring in more revenue. But instead, they are singing and dancing. They are in school. They are growing up with sisters. They are loved. And perhapes as a result, the mothers that work in the red light district might see their daughters fall in love with Jesus and they themselves begin to grow leaps in bounds in Truth.

Thank you for not leaving me in the carpool line, alone and feeling forgotten. Thank you for loving me.

Love,
Erin

Want to say thank you to your mom in a special way this year? Here's how:


STEP 1:: Give to our Thanks, Mom! campaign to honor your mom on Mother’s Day, May 8.

STEP 2:: In the donation comments box, tell us what you appreciate most about your mom.

STEP 3:: Download a certificate for your mom that explains the gift you’ve made in her name.

About As Our Own

The extreme poverty in India places girls at great risk for exploitation, enslavement, and neglect. Girls are regularly abused and degraded, forced into lives of bonded labor, either in organized begging or the sex trade.

These girls will face a dark, horrific future—unless someone intervenes.

God has opened the door for As Our Own to rescue girls before they are exploited, giving us the privilege to care for each one as our own—for life. We are building strong communities through our Lighthouse church network and training strong leaders and pastors at our Hope College, all to break these cycles for girls in future generations.

Your gifts make a lasting difference for these girls. Thank you!

Chosen Series: An Interview

Before we move to Peter (It’s coming I promise! My goal is next week.) I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Debra. I have talked about wanting to have some other women join this conversation and have been praying about who all to ask. I just wasn’t sure who would want to do this or who would catch the vision. Then I went to Captivated Together this month. We talked about shame. (Yay!). When the lovely ladies on the CT team shared their own struggles at the end of the night, it was clear as could be, I needed to ask Debra to let me interview her for the Choose Me series. So here we have it. The first Choose Me interview. Meet Debra.

(I took this from your FB. :) Hope that's ok.)


E: Tell us a little about yourself.

D: Hello. My name is Debra. Is this already feeling awkward?
Formally speaking, I could be known as a children’s event planner, but I am more commonly called Mom. I married my high school sweetheart whom I call E. Fourteen years later and we now travel with an entourage we affectionately call Parker Party of Six. I definitely have a love for sarcastic words, but to know me is to know that I am completely serious about Jesus and striving to love like he loves.
(Debra is also part of the Captivated Together team and writes a blog)

E: So, have you and do you still struggle with wanting to be chosen?

D: I have struggled with a desire to be chosen. Some days I still do.

E: At what point in your story do you think this desire to be chosen was most obviously affecting your actions?

D: In junior high I tried to become someone I was not. Literally.
I made up a fake life to friends who did not go to my school. For one summer I tried my hand at cussing, kissing, and pretended I owned a set of pom poms. I currently hear my 10 year old son’s Haitian voice saying, “That’s a big fat lie, mom.” I traded lies to feel chosen.

E: Where do you think this desire stems from?

D: Being adopted, or being abused as a child, or watching my family go through financial struggle, all could be, and probably are, factors of my desire to be chosen. I think for most of my young life I simply felt lonely.

E: What would you say to your old self?

D: I would hug that girl and look into her eyes and tell her I am sorry she is hurting. I would tell her how Jesus loves her. I would beg her to find her worth in Him. I would show her stories in His Word, and beg her to look for His love in her everyday.

E: Have you seen this play out in your daughter or girls your work with? How?

D: I have watched many girls struggle through this loud desire to be chosen. I have seen girls forsake themselves, using all manners of pain, for the attempt to be chosen by someone. Thankfully, I have also had the opportunity to look into their eyes and say what I would have said to myself. It is now more intimate as my own daughter is coming of age.

E: What are you doing to steer their desire to be chosen to Christ?

D: I believe that God has blessed me, as a woman, with a keen awareness of my desire for Christ. It is a thirst I seek to quench daily. It is the desire to be chosen. This desire set me on a journey to find the One who could fill my empty place. I struggle every morning to get out of bed early to read the Word. It is reading the truth that daily reminds me, no matter what my circumstances may be, I am chosen.
I try to live my life with enough transparency that girls see they are not alone. I also know that I cannot fill their desire to be chosen. I share my story as a tool to point them to Jesus. It is ministry. I try to love like Jesus when I get up, when I go to sleep, when we laugh, when we meet for coffee, when I tuck her to sleep, and even when I cry.

E: Is there anything else you would say to our readers?

D: Whether you are in a high place or a low place, run to Jesus. Fall asleep talking to Him. In the morning, run to Him again.


There you have it girls. I hope you are encouraged by Debra’s transparency. I know I have been blessed by her in just the short time I have known her (and known who she was before I could actually say I knew her). Take some time today to run to Jesus, just as Debra advised. Let Him speak over you. You are His. He chose you.


Happy Journey!
Erin