elaine-and-me

When I hold you in my arms, something magical happens.

All the grief pressing down on my soul seems to lift a bit……………

and life feels so full of hope…………..

all over again.

I love you so much, little Elaine Adaya.

I want your world to be perfect.

Free from sadness.

Free from tears.

I want to protect you from everything wrong in this world,

and I want you to grow up seeing yourself as the treasured little wonder that you are.

But deep inside I know……………….

I know that no matter how hard I work

or how many hours I spend plotting and planning………….

life won’t always be easy.

There will be days when you feel the sun shining brightly on your sweet face,

but there will also be days when it’s hard to imagine the sun ever rising again.

I’m writing this for the sunless days.

The days when you feel alone or discouraged or not enough or rejected or excluded or hurt.

I want you to know NOW that no matter what this world hurls your way,

YOU ARE A TREASURE.

I want you to know that before you even entered this world,

I was praying for you and even more than that………….

God was feverishly working,

knitting you into the little human you are today.

And He has a beautiful plan especially for you.

He will use every struggle you face to make you stronger.

Like a potter shaping and reshaping a mound of clay,

He sees the finished product even as He stretches you in ways that seem to feel nothing close to beautiful.

Here’s what I want you to do, little Elaine, every time life is tough:

Look up.

That’s right.

Lift your head above everything pulling your heart away from joy.

See the clouds?

See the stars?

See the tall branches of the trees?

There’s more to life than what you’re facing today,

and the “more” of life is the part of life that truly matters.

Look in.

Take time to think about your thoughts.

Are they good?

Are they pleasing?

Are they pure?

Are they lovely?

Your actions will follow your thoughts……………

so look in when life is tough and adjust what needs adjusted in your mind.

Daily.

Hourly if needed.

Look around.

You’re not alone in your struggles.

Others are hurting, too,

and sometimes the best therapy for a wounded soul is to become the medicine for someone else’s pain.

Love conquers all,

and I have found the more I share God’s love the more I feel it in my own heart.

Look down.

That’s right.

Look at your feet.

Are they leading you closer to God or further away?

This is a question I want you to ask yourself even on the good days –

Where are my steps leading me?

I hope I’m around to see you blossom into an adorable toddler,

rambunctious elementary school girl,

active teenager,

and beautiful young adult woman.

But if I’m not,

I want you to know……………….

I’m cheering you on.

I’m here for you even if it’s in the clouds floating by

or the face of a friend who is hurting

or in your daydreams

or in the stepping of your feet.

I am here.

I believe in you.

 I know God is bigger than anything you’ll face in this world,

so lean on Him.

Always lean on Him.

He is right here too.

He brightened the stars for me the day you were born.

He added color to a sometimes black and white world.

You are exactly what “Adaya” means………….

“A Precious Jewel From God.”

Don’t ever forget that.

And to anyone who happens to read these words besides you,

you are a precious jewel from God too.

You are treasured and adored.

And your life matters.

Look up.

Look in.

Look around.

Look down.

It may take a little “looking” and things may not always make sense,

but no matter what……………..

God is with you,

and He has a plan.

He always has a beautiful plan.

Eccl. 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

He has also set eternity in the human heart;

yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.