the real me....

The real me is a child of God.

Born…. And protected by God my entire life.

As a child my parents took me to church, chapel, vacation bible school, and they were involved in the church wherever we moved, serving and leading small groups and youth.  I had an excellent example! My dad had wanted to be a pastor, but God had a better plan for him.

One night as we left church late it was dark in the parking lot we ran to get to our car, my dad was away at work and it was just us girls, running in the dark.  “Whoooo” my mom said, as she rushed us to the auto, “we have to hurry we don’t want the boogie man to get us!”  “Oh my” I replied, “God will not let anything bad happen to us.”  My faith and the fact that a 5 year old would say it shocked my mom into calm. 

I grew and adjusted…. God continued to whisper into my ear… I listened. As a young child I was somewhat concerned that I would not confess my sin enough…so I prayed a lot.

At 14 I went to a Bible Camp in the mountains of Japan, there was an evangelistic speaker, Dr. Cook, who took us through the steps to salvation.  I had heard those before but for the first time I realized I didn’t have to continually ask to be forgiven.  I stood up and told my testimony to my group that I always knew God was for me and that I was saved but this was the way to find peace.

~~~ after 16 I had a heart break, a young girl with a broken heart is mad at everything, I turned away from God, and decided to do everything my way… It was a sad and confusing youth, the details that are not necessary to share…

One night at 19 years old, I was alone in my apartment, sad, worried, lonely, and self-evaluating….

I prayed for God to help me and told him I could not continue on my own because all my ideas had ended in more sadness and loneliness…  within a half hour, a couple of people knocked on my door and handed out a flyer for a new church that just opened up nearby… I knew this was the answer.  I attended and got baptized.

I continued to follow God and thought there were times of desert and times of full spiritual engagement… there was always God.

I have to say that in Christ is the way to peace… in Christ is the way to wisdom…. In Christ is the way to grow spiritual strength.

I think that there are times and seasons, for everything in your life… and there are spiritual gifts that sometimes show up when God needs you for them and then are not in your life for a while, or ever.  I have had many seasons and there are times I have had wisdom and times I do not… times I had discernment and times I don’t.  It goes on… and I know I am his.

When does adulthood start... when should it?

OK

I find these two facts interesting...
1- When I was a teen (mid 70's), young adults were expected to pay for their own college and those who did well and were motivated did just that... not for everyone, but the smart and dedicated. Now everyone is expected to go to college and parents are expected to pay for it.   Could this be one reason why are there so many adults acting like big kids... ?returning home to be taken care of after college and putting off joining the adult world till the early 30's.
2- When I was a teen, a young couple who wanted to get married were supported by both parents in that decision and usually a majority of the cost was paid by the parents.  This would support the couple by launching them into the adult world.  Now young adults put off getting married and when they do decide (later and later) they end up paying for everything themselves. They go into debt to have a "fantasy day".  Instead of striving to become responsible adults in their early 20's they "live together" and think that replaces the commitment and legal connection of a marriage.  
No wonder we have so many young adults who are acting like kids.