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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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His Wish Mary Ann Bird was born
with multiple birth defects. She
suffered not only from her physical impairments but also with the
emotional trauma of "being different" from others.
Here is her story in her own words from her personal memoirs
entitled, I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. When schoolmates asked, "What happened to your lip?" I'd tell them I'd fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me. There was, however, a teacher in
the second grade whom we all adored -- Mrs. Leonard by name. She was
short, round, happy -- Annually we had a hearing test. Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back -- things like "The sky is blue" or "Do you have new shoes?" I waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, "I wish you were MY little girl." Because of our sin, YOU and I are in a dreadful condition – not because we are different from others, for ALL of us share this common malady (Romans 3:23). The prophet Isaiah described our condition well: "ALL of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Yet because of His GREAT
love for us, God says to you and me, "I
wish you were God redeems us and "adopts" us into His family when we: by faith in Christ (Acts 16:31) turn from our sins in repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Then, as His "children"... we are instructed to follow in the steps of Jesus for the rest of our lives (1 John 1:7). It doesn’t matter how badly you have messed up your life. God’s wish – His desire – is for YOU to become His child. Your acceptance of His offer will change your life – forever!
David A. Sargent,
Minister To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchsearch.org Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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