Perspective on Family

It’s been brought to my attention recently, that perspective plays a huge role in life. It dictates how we interpret interactions and how we respond. Perspective can keep us or push us into challenging situations that could make or break us. With this, there are a few topics that have been on my heart. Hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll be able to share some of them with you all.

I have been wonderfully blessed in life. It’s not exactly much of a secret that I come from a pretty dysfunctional home. There have been some messed up moments in my life. But despite the multiple divorces and marriages, the strained, codependent and unhealthy relationships, and all the baggage and accessories that come with that, I’ve come to realize that I have been highly blessed in regards to family.

I’ve realized that it’s easy for me to look at my life, the family situation that I grew up in and think, “it’s been a hard road comin’ and you have no idea the challenges that have been faced and dealt with”, but even with that, I’ve never been without at least one person who I knew loved me and wanted the best for me. I have never been left to fend for myself. I’ve never had to feel the pain of disappointing my family with my choices because I know that I not only have their wise input, but also their full support in whatever I do. It wasn’t until I moved to China that I really began to see this. And it wasn’t until encountering other individuals here in China that have had to struggle with a seeming lack of support from family and the pain that is inflicted when one is forced to walk a path different from the rest that I really saw the blessing in what I have.

Sure life overseas is hard. It’s difficult being away from the familiar. It’s lonely living away from those closest to you. And often I find myself questioning what it is that made me pack up and move my life to the other side of the world, knowing that it would mean missing life events back home with friends and family.

My answer:

         My life is not my own.

I made a choice to follow Christ. I said I would go wherever He sent me, stay as long as He told me and serve however He equips me. I won’t pretend to have any position to tell God the conditions of surrender. And that was my choice: surrender. A surrendering all that was mine to the God who has all that I want.

So here’s a big shout out and THANK YOU to all of my family back home who have not only supported my decisions, but have always been an encouragement for me to keep pressing on and a small picture to me of what it means to love well. I love you.