The Whitest Girl Alive

tomyfuturespouse:

Every night, I say a prayer for you, asking God to keep you safe and happy. I’ve waited so long for you but I know that He is preparing our hearts, minds and souls to be completely compatible with each other’s…so I’m being patient. There’s no one more worth the wait than you.

I know it’s the day after Christmas, but I feel like this story needed to be told. I wrote it down in a hurry last night before I fell asleep, and decided that I would post it today. I know it’s long, but please read the whole thing. It’s worth it.

My mom’s friend Adrienne stopped by for Christmas dinner with her son, Tony. I had been feeling bitter and empty all day, because of my brother’s severe drug addiction and refusal to get help. After dinner, her and I sat alone at the table sharing stories. She began by telling me how she had grown up in Taiwan, and came to America about five years ago with her son. Her husband ordered her to come here while he stayed in Taiwan and continued his affair with another woman. Not speaking any English, she struggled to perform simple tasks like buying food from the grocery store. She was so lost; she had no way of getting around, and had no idea where to go. Her and her son were starving and terrified. Last night she explained how she had reached the point to where she wanted to kill herself. She felt like she was failing her son and would cry herself to sleep every single night. “I was hurting” she said pointing to her heart, “I felt like I wasn’t being a mother to him, I wanted to die.” One night, she began to pray. Coming from a traditional Taiwanese family, she was brought up Buddhist. However, she prayed to the one and only God. She said that she told Him how she had been brought up in a Buddhist household, but had always believed in Him. Now that she was in America, she felt that she could now truly talk to Him. She asked God to help her and to tell her rather or not she should stay in America. Even though her husband would beat or even kill her if she were to return to Taiwan, her and her son were starving and lost in this new foreign place. Adrienne said that she sobbed for several hours after praying, before she drifted off to sleep. That night she dreamed of Jesus, Joesph, and Mary. She said she immediately knew who they were and each of their names just by being in their presence (she had no prior knowledge of who they were before this dream). She knew the father’s name was Joseph, the man in the middle was Jesus, and the beautiful young woman was Mary, mother of Jesus. She said all three were standing before her; Jesus with brown hair and beard, Mary a young woman with beautiful rosy cheeks, and Joseph who had black hair and a black beard. Adrienne begged them to help her, to answer her prayer, and tell her what to do. Instead of answering, all three of them smiled at her. She said it was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen. She repeated her question several times, yet all they did was smile. Finally, Jesus and Joseph left, but Mary stayed behind. She said that Mary stroked her face lovingly, like a mother caring for a child, until she felt a sense of peace and joy and drifted to sleep. She woke up from the dream and sprinted to her phone. She called her mother in Taiwan and asked her what this dream meant. She explained how beautiful and vivid it was, but that she had not received an answer. Adrienne was also very worried her mother would be angry with her for praying to the “Western” God. However, her mother said “Adrienne, they did answer you. They were smiling. You are the smiling girl, you always have been. It’s who you’ve been since you were born. They were telling you to be yourself, to be happy.” The frightened daughter was overjoyed with her mother’s response and was filled with a renewed spirit as well as hope. In the following weeks, things began to look up. Her brother in law, who lived in a neighboring city, called her and offered to bring her to get groceries every Sunday. She found a local community college that offered ESL classes so that she could learn English. Over the past five years, this strong woman has managed to make a life for her and her son. In June, her son Tony graduated from high school. This one dream gave her the courage and strength necessary to carry on. Through God she was able to overcome obstacles and find meaning in life. It is stories like these that make it impossible to not believe in God. He reached out to a woman who had not worshiped him a day her life! She was a different religion for goodness sake! But he loved her. He wanted to save her.

By the time Adrienne finished her story, I was sobbing. It was in this remarkable woman that I found the true meaning of Christmas. It isn’t a time to reflect on what we don’t have or what we’ve lost. It’s a time to rejoice for the Lord our God, who gave up His only son to save us all. God loves us. We have a merciful God, and his perfect Son is our Savior. The King of Kings. Let this story fill your heart. Know that you’re not alone.

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21