Be a Samuel

        One fact that hasn’t changed since the beginning of time is the perception of a person is based on their appearance. I totally understand certain appearances are necessary for different environments. I agree as Christians our appearances should reflect that Christ is living in us. I know that since our body is a temple God created we should treat our appearance with respect. 

My parents- the first "Samuels" I ever had. They have fought for me my entire life because they knew my ability outshined my circumstances. They are a constant foundation I know I can always count on.

          But one thing I stand against is when a person’s ability is measured by their appearance. We don’t know what a person has had to endure in life and nine times out of ten their appearance is reflective of the battles they’ve fought. That’s why it’s so imperative we look past those battle scars and see their capabilities and worth.

My sister has been a giant of a "Samuel," in my life.  She has always been the first to cheer me on and celebrate my victories because she was the first to believe I could surpass the limitations before me.

        I think I’m so passionate about looking past appearances because I have had people perceive me a certain way based on my appearance. Growing up, my appearance mirrored the battle I fought, however; when people began looking past my appearance and saw my ability and worth, my cocoon of insecurities and lack of confidence from my teenage years fell away and I blossomed and bloomed into an independent woman no longer afraid to share my God-given abilities with others. 

My Grandma...what a "Samuel," she has been! She is always there with a listening ear for me to vent my frustrations and provided the comedic relief I needed to forget scary and uncertain days. 

         I believe this is why I have always felt a kinship toward King David in the Bible. Right before we are introduced to David in I Samuel, chapter 16 it’s clear that even the kind and God-fearing prophet who the book is named after wouldn’t have considered David as the next King of Israel. In fact, when he saw David’s oldest brother Eliab, who was probably tall, fair to look at, and regal looking, Samuel thought for sure this was the son of Jesse God had chosen to replace Saul. But God had this gentle rebuke for Samuel: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  

Lisa Harper- My mentor at Asbury University and such a special "Samuel," in my life. She is the first person other than family who looked past my appearance and saw my ability, therefore, I began to bloom into the woman God created me to be.

          I have to wonder if God didn’t check Samuel’s conscience or if Samuel didn’t heed God’s warning, would David have been anointed King that day? While the Bible says that David was ruddy, had a beautiful countenance, and was good to look at, he had two things that went against him- he was young and he was a shepherd. Those two things didn’t exactly emanate royalty.  But I’m so glad Samuel listened to the Holy Spirit that day because then we would have never known a lowly shepherd boy could defeat a lion, a bear, and a giant. We would have never learned that a lowly shepherd boy could go down as being one of the greatest Kings in history. We would have never believed a lowly shepherd boy could become such a fierce warrior. And most importantly, we would have never realized a lowly shepherd boy's bloodline could produce the greatest man who ever walked on this earth, Jesus Christ—  proving that appearances are not always what they seem. While Samuel was quick to judge who he thought “appeared,” to be King, he just as quickly took a step back, listened to the Holy Spirit and understood he needed to look for someone with the ability, worth, and heart to be King.

These girls are such huge "Samuels," in my life. From the very beginning, they saw my worth and that has given me the confidence to reach for all God has for me. They are the epitome of what friends and sisters in Christ should be.

       So my advice to you is be a “Samuel.” The next time you see someone and judge their ability by their “appearance,” take a step back and listen to that still small voice that is always near.  Build that person’s confidence by looking within them and acknowledging their worth and what they are capable of doing in this world because you never know…you just might unlock a “David.” 

Without those "Samuels," in my life, I would never be the woman you see in this photo-Grabbing every adventure and opportunity God gives me. It's my prayer I can impact others just as much as they have impacted me, giving other beautiful souls the courage to unlock their "David'."

Smile at the Endings

I’ve loved the topics I’ve tackled the past couple of weeks in my blog posts—

topics I’m quite passionate about. I didn’t know what I should share this week until a few days ago. I have a calendar with inspirational quotes that encourage people to go for their God-sized dreams. I absolutely love the motivation and drive these pieces of wisdom have given me.

A habit of mine before I go to bed is to flip the page of the calendar and read the quote for the next day. On Tuesday, I turned the calendar to this quote- “When you say “yes,” to God-sized dream, you are committing to a significant investment in your life. That means cutting back on extraneous emotional and energy expenses in other areas. Because many dreamers are big-picture idealists (which serves us well in many ways) we often underestimate the “cost,” of what we’re undertaking.” 

Wow! That hit me really hard and I knew God was trying to teach me something. Especially when I looked at the quote again yesterday and realized I had actually flipped the book to August 24^th – which is today. I’d say the timing is ironic, but I know there’s nothing ironic about God. He always orchestrates experiences the exact way they are supposed to take place and at the exact time, they are supposed to happen.

After the first time, I read that quote, I laid in bed and pondered what it meant and what God was trying to say to me. I realized this quote was connected to the season of life I’m in right now and the recent blog posts I’ve shared with you. I’ve said “yes,” to my God-sized dreams and I’m on the brink of new beginnings. I truly feel in my spirit that a lot of changes are in my horizon. But with all new beginnings, something must take place first— endings.

I’m a big dreamer so I can say with assurance that the author nailed it on the head when she said that dreamers are “big-picture,” idealists. This describes me perfectly and quite often I’m “dreaming,” about the future final result—  when the dream is a reality. As I look back on my life, I see many times where I only dreamt and thought of the final result and when the dream finally became a reality, I was crushed when it ended.

God knows this about me and I believe He’s cautioning me to take stock of my endings. I honestly don’t know what could or what will end from this present stage of life, but this little check from the Holy Spirit has made me realize I need to treasure everything in my life now. I’m so thankful I have this time to prepare my heart so I can be content that old opportunities are ending and have peace that new opportunities are beginning.

Dr. Seuss is definitely not Biblical, but I find that his quotes are often quite profound. One of my favorites is, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” This is what I plan to do. When milestones end and experiences become a memory, I won’t cry because they are over. I’ll smile because they happened.

A Life Worth Celebrating

I have already been faced with the question if I’m planning on bringing life into this world.

I’ll never forget the day when the genetics counselor at the National Institutes of Health, (NIH) sat me down to discuss my newly discovered gene mutation. With a serious face, she asked this question- “Will you want to have children if you could potentially give them this mutation?”

My response was equally serious. “Yes, I do,” I told her. “I have lived a great life and if my child has this same gene mutation, they will live a great life as well.”

Having MAGIS Syndrome has made me passionate about many things. I’m passionate about the fact that I am MORE than my disease. I’m passionate about the fact that MAGIS has given me a story to share. I’m passionate about my life mantra that I’ll define my disease and surpass every limitation it sets in my path. Most importantly, I’m passionate about life.

I believe without a doubt that life begins at conception. Whether a life is a three-week baby fetus or a 100-year-old person, that life should be celebrated.  

If my mother’s doctor knew I had a gene mutation when my mother was pregnant with me then there’s a good chance the doctor would have sat my parents down to discuss their “options.” Had they believed in options and not wanted a child with extensive health issues, then there’s no doubt what they would have chosen. But look what they would have taken from me— A life full of opened doors. A life full of opportunities. A life full of victories. 

Mothers and fathers who find out they are going to have an ill child have many reasons for choosing other options instead of life and I believe it’s because the focus is on the pain and the “cannot” their son or daughter will experience in life. But the focus should be on the joy and the “can’s” they will experience in life. I can say this because I am a CAN who could have been a CANNOT.

Believe me, I don’t understand why a person in a supermarket aisle is dying from cancer, but the person right beside them in that same aisle is perfectly healthy. My mind can’t comprehend why an adult with a disease has a wonderful quality of life with a long lifespan, but a child with that same disease dies before they even have a chance to live. It breaks my heart and I probably won’t have the answers this side of Heaven. But here’s what I do know… the life of that person who had cancer and the life of that child who died way to young had purpose, meaning, and worth.

The time will probably come in the future where I will have life growing inside of me, a son or daughter who could be born with MAGIS Syndrome. Whether my child never lives to be placed in my arms or whether they live to give me grandchildren they will never doubt this fact: Their life had a profound impact on mine, their life gave mine worth, and their life was celebrated.