This morning I was reflecting on some instances in my adulthood when I was told by others to not do something. In my strong-will to prove the wrong I ignored their advice and good things came out of my perserverance.
You are not who people say you are.
You are who God says you are.
Don't let people stop you from achieving your God given destiny.
- 'You are no good at teaching. Go and find another job.' My first principal told me this. She constantly criticised me and failed my probation. She destroyed my self-confidence and she then left the school. I decided that this woman was wrong because I thought teaching was what God wanted me to be doing... the children in my class loved me... so I set about proving her wrong. I worked hard on my behaviour management skills and self-confidence (I was very shy). The next principal who came along believed in me and nurtured me....here I am 24 years later still teaching, helping many children to learn and showing them the love of Jesus.
- 'Don't leave your husband....you may never find anyone else.' This was the advice by my marriage counsellor when I was suicidal from the domestic abuse I was under. I again ignored this advice. I had made a very poor choice marrying him. I decided to make a better choice by leaving. And if that meant that I was to be alone for the rest of my life that that would be better then where I was. Again God came through for me and blessed me with a new wonderful husband and three gorgeous children.
- 'Don't meet Joe. He might be an axe murderer.' I met my new husband on the internet in a chat room in the late 1990s. He was in the USA. At this time there was a lot of suspicions about chatroom romances. When he said he was coming out to Australia to meet me there were many people who were negative and told me not to meet him. But again God was already there working in the situation. I have been happily married to Joe now for 12 years.
- 'You have no right to have children when you know you have a 50/50 chance of passing on the Crouzon Syndrome gene. It is selfish of you to deliberately pass on a gene that probably means that the children will need painful operations.' Oh yes I have heard this, and seen it written under my youtube videos. I have asked my children and they have told me that they are happy that they were born.... They are not resentful of the fact that they have Crouzons...it is just a part of them... and they have seen many other children who have worse disabilities then they do. They are happy, intelligent, fun-loving, self-confident children...they are a blessing. God made these children the way they are meant to be.
- 'I would never put anything personal on the Internet. You never know who will read it!' In the early days of the internet I made a website about my life with Crouzon syndrome - it is still floating around in cyberspace. If I had listened to what other people said, then I would not have made that website, or the youtube videos, or the International Crouzon Syndrome Support Group on Facebook, or even this blog. If I had not done any of these then there would be a lot of people in the world who would be less educated and many people around the world feeling very isolated who are not isolated now because of me. I have been able to help so many people. Another one of God's purposes for my life.
- 'Oh your child has Down syndrome. I am so sorry.' This was engrained in my psyche. I believed that Down syndrome was a really terrible condition to be born with which is why I became so depressed when she was diagnosed. But you know what? It isn't! Yes Jess has her challenges, but what child doesn't? Jess has blessed our family and she has blessed so many other people already in her short life. I still remember when Melissa was at the doctor's waiting room and there was a depressed teenager there - her Mum said she never smiled. Jess went up to the girl and was entertaining her. The girl smiled! The mother was amazed. Jess is meant to be on earth and God has a purpose for her life.
My kids made up a quick dance before bedtime tonight - here it is. They are awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np6fdH5YeH0
Delete the negative comments out of your mind. Focus on the positive and press on to doing the things that God wants you to do.
© 2012 by Jenny Woolsey
No part of this blog may be reproduced without prior permission
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