Give it a year.

When Jenny first walked into my life she was a 13 yr. old girl who looked about 10. She she small and thin and shy and sad. Her short life had seen much disappointment and fear. She was a worship dancer at heart but did not have the freedom to express her worship in this art. As our shared time together grew she opened up to me and shared all the things in her troubled heart. I would say "Jenny I don't know why this is happening to you but give it a year and see what God will do." I always wanted her to realize that these hard times were temporary so that she would not loose her courage to go forward.I knew that God wanted to use these things in her life not only to mold her but to use her help someone else like herself. Always..in a year's time things would change and always she could look back and say "Look where God has brought me in this time." There were many tears, fears and even times when we would frustrate each other. Jenny knew it was safe to get mad at me and for me to be angry with her. Ours was/is a covenant relationship. Our love for Jesus who placed us together compels us to love each other..always. Jenny has come such a long way in these 11 years. She is now a confident woman and a registered nurse in a children's hospital. She dances before the Lord in grace and beauty. On Saturday Jenny will marry. The season of her childhood riddled with insecurity and doubts is over. She is a woman of God and now she is not just looking back over the last year but she is looking forward to the next one. Looking forward with hope and confidence knowing that she is loved. By Jesus, by Josh and yes, by me.
posted by Gwenn Mangine at 1:46 AM on Jan 9, 2009