Cherishing Un-Biological Family
Family runs so much deeper than our bloodlines and our gene pools. God places people in our lives that, many times, play a vital role in how far we go in life. They are an expansion of who we are. They’ve planted seeds in our past lives. They nurture us in our present lives. And they may even be an essential part of our destiny. But many times, somewhere between our past and our future, we move on and forget those who have functioned as our un-biological family. How unfortunate! We should not allow passing years to erase them or their godly deeds from our memory, and regardless of how elevated we become in status, we should never take on the mind-set that we no longer need them. Life often comes full circle, and if we burn those bridges, we have destroyed the only road that will lead us back to safety.
As I was in the process of writing Fifteen Years, my latest novel, I began seeing one of the messages unfold that God was teaching through this tale. In the story, Josiah “JT” Tucker, is taken away from the foster family that he’d spent six crucial years with as an abused child, and placed back into the care of his neglectful biological mother, only to be disappointed by her again. Despite the insurmountable odds, JT manages to rise above the statistics, and with a college degree and an executive title, he’s the picture of success…on the outside. On the inside, however, he is a broken man and a tortured soul, and he knows that the only way he is going to find closure and completion, is to find his way back to his humble beginnings. To the people who loved him unconditionally; the people who introduced him to love – and to Christ.
God often gives us un-biological family in the form of sister-friends, prayer partners, mentors, sorors, fraternity brothers, ministers, etc. These are our “foster families,” and they stand in the gap when biological family members fail us or just aren’t readily accessible. They take us under their wings, nurture us, love us. But sadly, when some people get to a certain level in life, they often push aside or otherwise forget those that God sent when they needed guidance and understanding the most. Instead, they latch on to what looks like “the star” because they think that if any road can take them to where they want to go, the one that shines the brightest must be it. But God often works His mightiest through those people that appear insignificant. Often times, the people we take for granted; the ones that we overlook are the ones that hold the key to our blessings.
Recognize and appreciate the blessings that God provides, and cherish those “angels” that He uses to deliver those blessings to you. They are your un-biological family; your God-appointed lifeline to your kingdom destiny.
About the Author
KENDRA NORMAN-BELLAMY is a national best-selling author and the founder of KNB Publications LLC. She is the organizer of Visions in Print, an Atlanta-based national organization for faith-based writers, and The Writer’s Hut, an online fellowship for African American Writers. She is the founder of Cruisin’ For Christ, a groundbreaking at-sea ministry that celebrates writing, gospel music and other God-glorifying arts, and also serves as a motivational speaker.
A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kendra currently resides in Stone Mountain, George with her family. For more information, visit http://www.knb-publications.com/.
About the BookView the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at http://bit.ly/FifteenYearsBlogTour.
