Aloha,
For those of you reading this who don’t know me (which I suspect to be most), please let me explain something about myself that’s very dear to me. I lost my dad at age 7 in a roll-over car accident. That day will be forever seared in my memory. My mother, oldest sister and brother came into the room and gathered the rest of us kids around to tell us this devastating news. The shock was unreal. How was my mother of 5 under one roof going to pick up the broken pieces and care for her children that depend on her? How are my brothers and sisters to move on? Our dad – our superhero – never failed to come home and make us laugh or brighten up a dull day. But there we were, left speechless with our world shattered in front of us.
As Christians, of course we turn to our heavenly Father and Jesus our Savior who are the only ones who can truly understand and heal us. But I was 7. How was I to make sense of all of this?
I want to first thank God for giving me a pastor and uncle who took the time to visit the fatherless and the widow. It truly healed my broken heart. After this tragic event in my life, I remember many different days of Uncle Kale coming over for a visit, or my mom calling him up and asking if he wanted a cup of coffee and some oatmeal topped with nuts. I remember going to the church many times to ask for help in my years of growing up. It was these times together and his helping me in Christ, that in time had picked up the pieces – and through Christ’s healing, those pieces were miraculously pieced back together.
Accompanying these fond memories of him visiting, laughing, and eating together, are times of my being verbally corrected by him. And most of the time – as any kid would – I didn’t like it. It isn’t easy to admit your fault or swallow correction, but if you are true to yourself – you know you’re wrong. Does anyone remember being in a sport and your coach screaming in your face or at the team for a lousy performance? That same coach pushing you through practices – but pushing you for what – to belittle you? No, to bring out the best in you, to push you beyond what you think you can do, and show you what you’re made of. This is exactly what Kale did for me. And in all his times of counseling, He ALWAYS pointed to Christ – with no interest in self gain.
Growing up, I suffered in school from the snickers and naysayers, and was treated like an outcast. You think this did me any good? Feeling belittled didn’t leave me without tears and insecurities. Living under this cloud daily was brutal. The sneers and glares of gossip and distance. But as Jesus explains, persecution is needed to bring us into perfection – so I can only thank God for being worthy of this call.
What more can I say? I am more than glad to defend Uncle and the church and take on ANY who claim him to be anything other than what I’ve shared from the depths of my heart. Kale loves righteousness. His pure intention of correction is to keep us from evil. You can’t tell me that most live a life free of sin, free of lying, hatred, and harsh words, to say the least. Are you living and upholding the Word of God and living a pure life? The hurt I have, and the tears shed from seeing his name dragged through the streets and spit upon is devastating. I can only hope and pray that those reading this will seek the truth, because the truth will set you free.
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