Recently, we’ve been studying about Nehemiah and the work he had to accomplish. He had a wall to rebuild. One that according to human eye, could not be reconstructed. However, Nehemiah trusted God and made up his mind to do what God called him to do.
Connections have always been important to me. Though I’ve read the Bible in its entirety before, today, Nehemiah’s day of completion stuck out to me. October 2nd, the wall was finished. October 2nd, the day my daughter was born. Interesting I thought and how are these two connected by more than just a date.
Nehemiah had challenging work before him. He was talked about, ridiculed and the enemy used people to try to get him off track and to intimidate him. But Nehemiah stayed focused and continued to work and accomplished in 52 days what others said could not be done. It’s a reminder that with God, any and all things are possible.
My daughter was born 3 weeks early on October 2nd and I know it was not by happenstance. She was created with her end in mind. The same day, thousands of years after Nehemiah accomplished his great work, I accomplished great work by giving birth to her.
Though I had planned for 3 more weeks for her to arrive, the Lord said she was ready to enter the world on Oct 2nd. My pregnancy was a difficult one. I was 34, high risk, in pain often, frequent doctor’s appointments including specialist, 2 amniocentesis because the doctor said lab work showed Bria was 70% likely to have down’s syndrome.
One of my close friend’s at the time even told me that I should have known something was wrong due to all my complications. I cried for a minute as I tried to understand how I would care for her then wiped my tears and said I will love her from the depths of my soul, just like I love my son, I was ready to do whatever was necessary to care for her. I progressed weekly without worry.
At 12:30 pm on October 2nd, I gave birth to a 5.11 lbs healthy, beautiful baby girl. She does not have down’s syndrome but she has had emotional challenges since birth. Already in her 10 years of life she has probably felt more emotions than the average 50 year old. She sees the good and not so good in people quickly. Unfortunately, her discernement makes her want to literally fight back or confront when she’s sees that the heart is not right.
She is a work progress, like we all are, but I assure you, just like Nehemiah, once her mind is made up, she will keep working until completion. Right now, I just have to keep talking to her about doing what’s right, not getting distracted or intimidated yet knowing how to handle situations. Instead of leading the dysfunction she sees, she has to do things differently and become comfortable with standing out and doing what’s right even when you know the heart of the other person is questionable. She is learning how to fight differently because she has a wall to build and she must stay the course.
I praise God for the example of Nehemiah to encourage her and all of us not to give up nor get distracted. I praise God for Bria…my mini-me, the one who came out fighting, filled with a fire, wonderfully made, perfect imperfection, bold & courageous. She’s learning things at 10 that I didn’t learn until I was grown. I also have a high level of discernment and would literally fight for myself and others when I was young. I’m thankful that I understand where she is coming from therefore I am willing to share my testimony, work through the struggle with her and hold her accountable to do what she sees me modeling. We are working through her distractions and when she has the maturity to focus fully on God, which is coming soon, she will be unstoppable. She will change the world.
As I put the work in with my daughter, it is pushing me to be a better person. She is a work directly from the Lord’s hand and so am I. It’s pushing me to take the same advice that I give her. We must tune out the noise of this world, keep working hard, seeking Him for strength and wisdom and must keep doing good.
May God’s peace and grace be with you as we keep pressing forward.
Sincerely,
Bryson’s & Bria’s Mama
Lasting Legacy 