Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was 21 months old. Her father could not bear his grief, and basically abandoned his child, giving custody to his wife’s parents.
Neglected in childhood, she lived in many ways like an orphan. Much of the time she was alone and lonely.
Growing up, she decided to be a writer. She was ambitious. She became quite good, but the results fell far short of her ambitions.
At last, drawing from the well of her childhood memories, Lucy Maud Montgomery crafted a story of an orphan girl named Anne. For a century now, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES has been a beloved classic, consumed by children and adults alike all over the world.
(After World War II, the series became a bestseller in Japan, where so many of the children were orphaned during the war. When they reached adulthood, many made a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island in Canada, home of the fictional Anne.)
The abuse Lucy Maud Montgomery experienced led to blessings for us.
A young boy grew up with a face disfigured by disease. It repulsed schoolmates so, they bullied him relentlessly. He would grow up to write fiction—helping Christians to imagine and see the spiritual warfare that takes place in our world.
He would also write a memoir of his childhood called THE WOUNDED SPIRIT, which has ministered to thousands of children and adults, who have suffered abuse. The abuse Frank Peretti experienced led to blessings for us.
A young boy received a crippling injury, which relegated him to become a thing in his culture. He ceased to matter. And then, the king said, “Come, live as my son, eat at my table.” And so, Mephibosheth joined the household of David and lived as a child of the king. The abuse Mephibosheth experienced led to blessings for us.
He illustrates, for us, what we can expect. No matter what has occurred in our lives that is crippling to us, God, the King, comes and says, “Live as my son. Live as my daughter. I am inviting you to my table. Not just today, but forever.”
And forever means a realm where someday, there will be no tears and no pain.
No tears and no pain—forever!
In light of your future with God, imagine allowing God to take the story of someone’s sins against you, and take your experiences from those awful events, and using that story to bless others. Imagine what it would be like to deed God ownership of that story. The abuse you experienced will lead to blessings for us.
Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)
1. Peter King had a touching story last week in his blog. He noted that twelve year veteran, Sean Morey, recently announced his retirement from the Seattle Seahawks, due to post-concussion-syndrome. A man of integrity, he worked out a plan to return the signing bonus he received in March from Seattle.
Morey was a dedicated player, who loved the game. This retirement came hard. What I found touching, though, was the response his coach, Pete Carroll, gave him. Carroll has been receiving a lot of bad publicity lately, but in an era when so many head coaches look at their players as widgets, Carroll responded to Morey in a decidedly human way.
The moment he told his coach, had to be a wrenching one for Monet. This was it. It was over. When he had finished, Pete Carroll said, in effect, “Let’s play catch.”
And they did.
I have never heard of this happening, yet, it touches me to think of Pete Carroll, as busy as he is, taking this vanquished warrior out on the practice field and doing what boys do in childhood—play catch.
2. Emmitt Smith’s words to Darrell Johnson brought tears to my eyes Saturday night. Moreover, I am amazed he was able to remember all of those names without a note. Even with my family members, I would have had to have said, “I would like to thank my wife [read from speech], Judy, my daughter [read from speech], Haleigh…” Incredible.
I think that since Emmitt Smith’s contract was not renewed by ESPN, he has dedicated himself to becoming an excellent communicator. And you know what, he has. He could now have a marvelous career as a motivational speaker. Moreover, last night I saw Al Michaels interview him on NBC, and I noticed he looked at Al and then the camera—back and forth—and he was very smooth. Emmitt is a goal setter. He has his heart set on excellence in communication. I think he will succeed.
3. Parental pride—I haven’t mentioned this for a couple of weeks, but I want to now. Congrats to Haleigh Edge for winning Best Camper for fifth session at Camp Deer Run. She loves Deer Run and this is her final year to be eligible to be a camper. The athletic accolades are nice, but I think I like this one best of all.
4. I am grateful for the last two Sunday mornings at Shiloh. It is amazing how two people, sharing what God has done for them, can make such a difference.
5. I am really looking forward to joining the good folks at the North Street church of Christ in Nacogdoches, Texas this Sunday.
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