When I was a little girl, I had a wonderful Sunday school teacher named Miss Fanny. A petite woman, she pulled her hair back in a bun, wore black lace up shoes, and a little hat with a veil that fell across her forehead. She never missed the opportunity to give my sister and me a hug when we arrived Sunday morning and to tell us how happy she was to see us. I thought she was the sweetest, wisest, and oldest, woman in the world.

She taught us the Golden Rule:

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

She taught us “Here’s the Church”, remember that?

 “Here’s the church,

 Here’s the steeple,

 Open the door

 And see all the people.”

And she taught us the song “Jesus Loves Me.”

She was a caring person who knew that difficult times were inevitable in life. I believe her purpose in life was to make sure every child in our class heard the reassuring messages -- “God loves you” and “You are precious in His sight” so that when difficult times came, we would keep our eyes focused on God.

The greatest gift she gave me was her faith, and my faith story includes Miss Fanny.

Chapter 2 in my faith story is “When Dreams Don’t Come True”.

At 26 years old, I never imagined that I would be childless. Yet, here I was in the examining room being told by my doctor that “due to a birth defect” I would most likely never be able to have children. During this crisis, I did turn to God and acknowledge that he was in control and if he intended for me to have children it would happen. I had accepted God’s will ... but only in my head.

I confess that for many long painful years I continued to hold on to my dream in my heart. It wasn’t until my friend Sally encouraged me to lay this burden at the foot of the cross and leave it that I bowed my head and prayed, “Lord, forgive my disobedience and self-centered ways. I surrender my will and I trust you, knowing that your will for my life is good and perfect.”

Chapter 3 in my Faith Story is “Victory Statement”.

Few things seem to paralyze faith more readily than the word cancer. Nine and a half years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer and scheduled to have surgery 4 days later. Cancer literally drove me to my knees.

One morning as I struggled with my situation, I lay face down and prayed: “Lord, I confess that I am a sinner and am undeserving of your grace. The desire of my heart is that I want to live. But if that is not to be, I accept your will. Give me your strength and courage to face what lies ahead."

As I finished praying, I heard a voice say “It is finished”

What did that mean? I was healed? I was a new person in Christ? Today, I understand these words to be God’s victory statement. God was telling me to hold firm to the assurance that his sovereign power will ultimately win and His purpose will be carried out in the end.

Chapter 4 in my faith story is “Bloom Where You Are Planted” which tells how I tried to bloom when Bill and I were relocating from east coast to west coast.

My professional training is education and guidance counseling and I enjoyed my career as an educator and counselor in Richmond and Baltimore, respectively. However, when Bill and I moved to Chicago, there was a shortage of students nationwide, and educators were not in demand.

Thus began my “blooming” struggles.

Eager to break into the business arena, I took a job as a production planning and scheduling analyst for a health care company. My job was to order all the parts, like, needles, syringes, cotton balls, for surgical trays and to schedule their assembly at the plant. When I left that company - I was the only who ever had a box car filled with cotton balls dedicated to them by a Jackson, Mississippi plant.

As I reflect on those different job experiences: sales rep, account manager, consultant, relocation director, business founder and partner, I realize that God planted me in many gardens to grow stronger, while He pruned me and prepared me to bloom for His purposes.

God wants us to bloom where we are planted. And the Master Gardner promises to give us all that we need to bloom where we are planted when we trust and obey Him.

Where am I today in understanding what my purpose is in life?

I know that God created me and that he did not make a “defect”.

I know that I am his beloved and he chose me to bear fruit.

I know that God has called me to be a part of Ministry Placement here at Harbor Covenant Church using my God-given gifts and encouraging others as they answer God’s calling to serve

And, I know that when I trust God and forget about myself, my fears and my painful situations and become a part of His purposes, like going to visit an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

His glory will shine and I will know true joy.