Significant Person #1: A Kindred Spirit

Along with significant moments, I feel compelled to write about some amazing people that have deeply touched my life.

Kimberly was like an older sister to me, a kindred spirit along the lines of Anne of Green Gables. We both loved Debby Boone and gave each other nicknames based on her haunting song, "Micol's Theme." Who else knows that song from the 1970s? Though Kimberly taught at a university and was very talented, she gracefully made the transition to motherhood and being at home to support her husband and baby. I saw firsthand a woman living by her values and putting relationships above personal gain.

When I was preparing to go to Africa, Kimberly invited me to go see "Mulan," a story about an Asian girl bravely fighting for her country's freedom. This line from the film forever pierced my heart: "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." Kimberly knew about the struggles I'd had in my life, and the steep climb towards wholeness and freedom. That line also confirmed something God had spoken to me while I was at Bible school. Driving home one afternoon, I was passing some barren fields with only dry brush. Suddenly I saw a rose bush, and in my heart God spoke that "a rose in the midst of other flowers was ordinary, but a rose growing in the midst of this emptiness was spectacular." Then He said, "You are that rose." When I got home, I felt compelled to open my Bible, and I read Isaiah 35:1: "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus." I did a further study and found that the type of rose or crocus mentioned specialized in growing in difficult places. God confirms His Word and His purposes for our lives, in gentle ways that we can understand.

Back in March, I wrote about having difficulty looking into a mirror in "Significant Moment #2: God's love reflected is beautiful." The theme song of Mulan is called "Reflection," which was the cry of my heart back then. It's been a process to reconcile the outer image displayed to the private me inside. On this current journey towards restoring health to my skin and balance in my life, I have come to an uncomfortable place of feeling vulnerable and exposed. As growth takes place, old things are forced to be shed, whether they are habits, thought patterns, or even coverings that hide the real you. It's like going from winter to summer and trying on a bathing suit that you are eventually going to have to appear in public wearing. The initial shock and dismay can be enough to make you run and avoid going to the beach all together. But then you'd miss the sunshine and the waves and the warm sand in between your toes.

God brings wonderfully special people into our lives as an extension of His hand and to draw us closer to Him. The love of a sister like Kimberly, who looked deeply into my heart and affirmed me, helped me share that kind of love to others who were broken but so full of potential. She also played a significant part in confirming God's purpose for my life. Her example as a passionate woman of God, faithful wife and devoted mother still inspires me today. Thank you, Kimberly, for embracing me and being the older sister I'd always wanted.

By the way, "Reflection" is song #9 on my playlist at the bottom of this page.

Look at me, You may think you see who I really am

But you'll never know me

Every day it's as if I play a part

Now I see if I wear a mask I can fool the world

But I cannot fool my heart

Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me?

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

I am now in a world where

I have to hide my heart and what I believe in

But somehow I will show the world

what's inside my heart and be loved for who I am

Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me?

Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Must I pretend that I'm someone else for all time?

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

There's a heart that must be free to fly

That burns with a need to know the reason why

Why must we conceal what we think, what we feel?

Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?

I won't pretend that I'm someone else for all time

When will my reflection show who I am inside?