Last week I shared a picture with you, the "Purple Princesses" or "Lilac Ladies" or "Mujeres Moradas" picture:
Left to right: Lolis (13), Angie (17), Martha (12), me (34), Ruth (5), Ana (4), Diana (16), Jocelin (8) and Martita (15)
Left to right: Lolis (13), Angie (17), Martha (12), me (34), Ruth (5), Ana (4), Diana (16), Jocelin (8) and Martita (15)I mentioned in that post that I was overwhelmed the first time that I uploaded this picture onto the computer and saw it on my screen! I was overwhelmed by the fact that these eight precious girls are my daughters! I was overwhelmed by their inner and outer beauty, knowing all that they have gone through, how far the Lord has brought them and perceiving a small part of the visions of where He wants to take them. I was overwhelmed at the realization that the Lord has given me such an INCREDIBLE honor and huge responsibility of loving these girls to wholeness in Him; of teaching them His ways and the wonders of His Word and His world; of showing them how to be ladies in such a depraved world, especially after that deprivation has touched nearly all of their lives in sickening ways.
Along those lines, I have been reading the book "Bringing Up Girls" by Dr. James Dobson. This morning I read a chapter that contained information that I already knew, but was faced with once again. Following, in italics, are quotes from the book: "Bringing Up Girls" and my responses.
"Your children's successes or failures in many of life's endeavors will depend on the quality of the relationships you share during their childhood years. Indeed, how they navigate the storms of adolescence will be influenced directly by the security of that bond. It is very important for parents to know that the first three years of life are vital to everything that will come later."
Dear Lord, have mercy! Of eight daughters, I have only had one in the womb and one other since birth! The others joined are family at ages 7, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13! How do you prepare for adolescence when you never had a childhood together?!
"There are 'critical periods' during a child's early years when certain opportunities for learning must be grabbed or forever lost."
This may explain why school can be such a challenge at times and why unique educational programs are needed for each of our children!
"Infants are highly vulnerable and easily wounded by anxiety, fear and confusion. Children who are subjected to prolonged periods of emotional trauma experience surges of stress hormones, principally cortisol, that flood through their immature brains, causing irreversible neurological damage. In extreme cases involving abuse or neglect, an individual may eventually lose his or her ability to "feel" for others, which has implications for violence in days to come. There are tragic cases on record of toddlers who have stood alone in cribs for hours, hungry, sick and scared. Some of them have even grown up to be cold-blooded killers who murder strangers just for the thrill of watching them die."
Oh, Father in heaven, have mercy, Lord, have mercy on my children who have lived through these and similar experiences! My girls, Jesus, your girls! I cannot share names, they will each tell their story when they are ready, but I want to share just some of what our girls have lived through:
Our little Ana is living proof of this! Her birth mother openly rejected her from the time she was in the womb and, despite the fact that Ana is only 4 years old and that we have had her since teh day she was born, she has emotional challenges that are not present in our birth daughter Ruth, who was loved from the time of conception. She has a very hard time receiving compliments, calls herself "ugly", gets angry easily and rejects affection much more frequently.
Wow! This is all true and I agree with the research presented in this book and Dr. Dobson's conclusions. So, that means that we are now in the business of defying modern psychology through the power of Jesus Christ! He is REAL! He created each one of these precious girls and not a one of them was an accident! His word tells us that "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7). These are the most beautiful jars of clay that I have ever seen and the power to transform them into priceless vessels does not come from them, nor from us as their parents, but from ALMIGHTY God!
"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)
I felt just like the disciples as I read the chapter in "Bringing Up Girls" this morning: "Who then can be saved? Who can be restored?" But Jesus tells me: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." It is true! Man tells us that these girls cannot be restored, but with God all things are possible and it is happening right before our eyes!
Praise the Lord for being God of the impossible; our God of all hope; the God who makes all things new!
My dad shared the following verse with me several years ago as his prayer for our children, and it continues to be our cry to the Lord!
"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." Joel 2:25
Ana and Martha - 2006
Angie and Ruth - 2005
Lolis and Ruth - this is an example of the most beautiful sight for my eyes - my children, biological and adopted, loving each other!
Ana - three months old, 2006
Jocelin
Angie, me, Diana
Ana - last year
Martita and I
Ruth - 8 months old, 2006
Along those lines, I have been reading the book "Bringing Up Girls" by Dr. James Dobson. This morning I read a chapter that contained information that I already knew, but was faced with once again. Following, in italics, are quotes from the book: "Bringing Up Girls" and my responses.
"Your children's successes or failures in many of life's endeavors will depend on the quality of the relationships you share during their childhood years. Indeed, how they navigate the storms of adolescence will be influenced directly by the security of that bond. It is very important for parents to know that the first three years of life are vital to everything that will come later."
Dear Lord, have mercy! Of eight daughters, I have only had one in the womb and one other since birth! The others joined are family at ages 7, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13! How do you prepare for adolescence when you never had a childhood together?!
"There are 'critical periods' during a child's early years when certain opportunities for learning must be grabbed or forever lost."
This may explain why school can be such a challenge at times and why unique educational programs are needed for each of our children!
"Infants are highly vulnerable and easily wounded by anxiety, fear and confusion. Children who are subjected to prolonged periods of emotional trauma experience surges of stress hormones, principally cortisol, that flood through their immature brains, causing irreversible neurological damage. In extreme cases involving abuse or neglect, an individual may eventually lose his or her ability to "feel" for others, which has implications for violence in days to come. There are tragic cases on record of toddlers who have stood alone in cribs for hours, hungry, sick and scared. Some of them have even grown up to be cold-blooded killers who murder strangers just for the thrill of watching them die."
Oh, Father in heaven, have mercy, Lord, have mercy on my children who have lived through these and similar experiences! My girls, Jesus, your girls! I cannot share names, they will each tell their story when they are ready, but I want to share just some of what our girls have lived through:
- watch her birth father murder her birth mother in front of her 6 year old eyes!
- accompany their birth mother to purchase drugs
- share one egg cooked over an alcohol burner (like a small candle) as that day's food
- grow up with no mother at all, since her mother died upon giving birth to her, due to domestic violence wounds inflicted by the birth father
- survive her step-mother attempting to murder her by hanging her in a noose from a tree
- have a loving and healthy mother on a Sunday afternoon and watch her be buried on Thursday of that same week
- be abandoned repeatedly by their birth mother
- be handed over by her birth relatives at age 12 to form a marriage relationship with an older boy
Our little Ana is living proof of this! Her birth mother openly rejected her from the time she was in the womb and, despite the fact that Ana is only 4 years old and that we have had her since teh day she was born, she has emotional challenges that are not present in our birth daughter Ruth, who was loved from the time of conception. She has a very hard time receiving compliments, calls herself "ugly", gets angry easily and rejects affection much more frequently.
Wow! This is all true and I agree with the research presented in this book and Dr. Dobson's conclusions. So, that means that we are now in the business of defying modern psychology through the power of Jesus Christ! He is REAL! He created each one of these precious girls and not a one of them was an accident! His word tells us that "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Corinthians 4:7). These are the most beautiful jars of clay that I have ever seen and the power to transform them into priceless vessels does not come from them, nor from us as their parents, but from ALMIGHTY God!
"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26)
I felt just like the disciples as I read the chapter in "Bringing Up Girls" this morning: "Who then can be saved? Who can be restored?" But Jesus tells me: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." It is true! Man tells us that these girls cannot be restored, but with God all things are possible and it is happening right before our eyes!
Praise the Lord for being God of the impossible; our God of all hope; the God who makes all things new!
My dad shared the following verse with me several years ago as his prayer for our children, and it continues to be our cry to the Lord!
"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." Joel 2:25
I invite to continue with us on this journey of redemption: pray diligently, give as the Lord leads and come and watch the miracle yourself!
May their faces inspire, their stories convict and their lives impassion us!
Martita, Diana, Angie
Martita, Diana, Angie
Ana and Martha - 2006
Angie and Ruth - 2005
Lolis and Ruth - this is an example of the most beautiful sight for my eyes - my children, biological and adopted, loving each other!
Ana - three months old, 2006
Jocelin
Angie, me, Diana
Ana - last year
Martita and I
Ruth - 8 months old, 2006
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