A man from my past, recently made contact with me. Oh, the joys of social networking and FaceBook. He reminded me of how far I have come since my turbulent teenage years and reintroduced himself to me.
After his most welcome email, he and I exchanged a few more detail rich emails in which he filled in some gaps in my memory to that sad time in my life. He was a lot older than me back then and his recollections of that period of time is without doubt clearer than mine could have been.
Today I opened my email account and found this most touching letter.
Jennifer,I am so proud of you! You have take what may have seemed like an insurmountable situation and changed it into some thing good. It brings to mind two things:1. An old Sunday School Chorus that you might remember-"Something beautiful, something good,All of my confusion, He understood.All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,And He made something beautiful of my life."2. And the story of Joseph, whose brothers sought to kill him, sold him into slavery, and then when he had risen to the top of the heap, lied to him about the final words of his father. They told him (afraid now that their father was dead, Joseph would take the opportunity to get even) that on his death bed their father had commanded Joseph to forgive his brothers. Joseph stopped them mid-stride. He said "Am I God?" What you have intended for evil; God intended for good!" Some translations of Gen. 50:20 read "What you intended for evil, God changed into something good." How appropo when I consider your journey, "sometimes the journey is the destination."And there you have it. What began in your life as an evil, has become something good, something beautiful! Who would have thunk it back on XXXXX. But you have take this evil and redeemed it. Wow! I am so proud of you, and I am so glad that I may have played some small part in your redemption.Regarding the newspaper articles about you. Somewhere in my personal archives I have kept a copy of the original article. When I find it I will send off a copy. The original is yellow and tattered, so it will not scan well, but I will make a copy and send it off as soon as it surfaces (I will include the story of how I found it and the thrill that rose in my spirit when I read it).For now, hold your head high, "I will cause the rains to come, when it is time there will be showers of blessing" (Eze. 34:26).Blessings
Pax
