Saturday, August 6, 2011

Our testimonies are for ourselves!

A few years back, I felt led of the Lord to begin writing down the miracles and testimonies that have happened in my life as a gift to my children. In June of this year, I finally completed it and sent it off to my editor for proofing and further refining. The books title is 'Promises Kept' and tells of many of the great things God has done in my life as well as many of the failures and pain. But through it all, God is seen and glorified
As I wrote it, I tried to be as honest and transparent as possible, even to the point at times of being downright critical of my shortcomings and failings. Indeed, all of us, when we stop to look at our lives through an objective lens, will find fault and ill conceived choices we've made.
The editor I chose for this book is a woman who is an accomplished doctor of education and has been a dear friend of ours for as long as we have adopted. She personally knows many of the stories I write of because she helped us work through them. So it was that I asked her to write the Foreward to the book. It was short and to the point. And I have learned a great lesson from it.
As she relates, there are many stories in these pages that tell of 'rubble' in our lives. Adopting as many children as we did is not easy, nor is it advisable for most families because it often brings turmoil. But the lesson she reminded me of is as good a lesson for me as it is for any of our detractors and critics.
Don't judge before it's time. This is a scriptural lesson found in 1st Corinthians 4. God always has the last word on everything. He takes what looks bad or out of control and turns it around for His glory.
There have been many victories and many defeats and failures through the years, but in all of them, God has shown Himself faithful to us at the time and in the years that follow.
It's not about me. It's about Him!
It was good to be reminded of that.
Kevin Haislip