Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.” So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do. Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Welcome back my friend Holly, as she shares one of most powerful posts I’ve ever published here at 7DT.
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Julie Ann Knight was a sweet-natured, compassionate young woman with a solid sense of humor and an unsophisticated understanding of God. Although her understanding of her Heavenly Father was simple, it was pure and innocent and she loved Him very much.
Julie Ann Knight was my mother. And she was beautiful. She had a heart of gold and she laughed so much it was contagious. She didn’t have a great childhood, being raised mostly by a single mother who worked long days to make ends meet. While her mother loved her deeply, she wasn’t one for emotional moments or affection unless there was a reason, which was how she was raised. (Call it generational, if you will.) But Julie, she was as affectionate as a puppy. She longed for people to love her and like her. I tend to take after her in this regard.
Julie was easily liked, and she found out later in life that would get her into trouble. My mother found herself pregnant in the summer of 1982 and quickly made the assumption she wasn’t ready to be a mother or able to provide for a baby. Julie, pressured by her internal struggle and people in her life, came to the conclusion to have an abortion.
My grandmother, Judy, tells me “this is where her faith really took a shaking. She could not fathom the love of God as her Father, as she had just killed her own child. And she wrestled with the thought of His forgiveness for months.”
Then a short 12 months later, she found herself with child again, vowing this time to keep the child and raise her to be a good woman, with great courage and faith. Luckily, this child was me. I was born December 20th 1983 to a single mother living in poverty, but who loved me more than life itself. My mother’s faith was restored. We lived in a single room apartment in a run-down area of town, surviving on generosity and kindness from family and friends.
My mothers’ faith never wavered. I have more than 10 handwritten notes addressed to me from my mother telling me over and over how God is and will continue to provide. How God blessed her with such a giant blessing in such little form that she didn’t feel worthy care for such a blessing. I have one note, in particular that is both sweet and haunting at the same time.
“God will watch over you when I am unable.” I’ll tell you that for a long time as I grew up I hated that line. And my hatred for that sentence made me question a lot about myself, God and my faith. Let me explain.
In 1986 my precious, sweet-natured and faith-filled mommy was murdered by a man who lived next door to us. We were coming home from the mall with my aunt and her two children when we started up the stairs. The moment we reached the top, our neighbor was standing there, pointing a gun directly at my mother. She was 27 years young. I was 2 ½ and had my mother not set me down five seconds prior, I would not be here to tell you her story.
When I approached my 27th year of life, I began to really take a deeper look at things and understand them from a different perspective. I no longer hate that sentence. I cherish it. My mother knew one day she would not be there for me, whether that meant in two years or twenty. One day God would take over, and until then she did her best to provide and take care of me.
In 2 short years of my life, my mother found a new understanding of God and who He was. She baptized and accepted the Lord as her savior, had me dedicated to the Lord for my life(which holds true to this day) and became my earthly savior. My mother saved my life. Literally. From my conception, to her last moments. So I cherish that sentence. “God will watch over you when I am unable.”
(Last photo taken; May 1986)
I share this delicate part of my life with you for 2 reasons.
I want to encourage you.
No matter where you are, or what you are going through. GOD WILL PROVIDE!
We had nothing but each other and my mother’s faith in God. And although I lost my mother at the age of 2, God is still providing far more and above any of my wildest expectations. Don’t give up. God hasn’t brought you this far to leave you!
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ” ~Matthew 6:25-26
The second reason for my story is to inspire you.
I want you to be inspired. Look back over your life. How many times can you see God moving in subtle whispers, or in thunderous waves? Have you shared your story?
“Jesus said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ~Mark 5:19
The power of a testimony is that you never know who is going through something similar.
You never know how God is going to use your story.
Don’t you want to be used by God?
PS: Happy Birthday in heaven to my Mother Julie Ann Wright. She would have been 57 yesterday (the 26th of January.)
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Did this story touch your heart? Let’s show Holly some love for her vulnerability, courage and willingness to encourage us all. Join in a leave a comment here.
Holly is a born Navy Brat, turned proud Army Wife to her Infantryman John, and fur-mom to Bootsie Blue, the chihuahua. Holly has served in several charities and varied ministries for 18 years where she’s had the privilege to live and work all around the world. (Pais Project, Teen Mania Ministries, YWAM,) She is currently active in her PWOC as well as her FRG at Fort Lewis, Washington. Floridian by birth, she has a fierce passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures. She also loves writing, baking, British television, anything Jane Austen and a good cuppa tea with a fantastic novel or great conversation.
Linking up today with my friend Kristin over at Three-word Wednesday and having a little Coffee for your Heart with Holley.
