Living Life with Faith, Hope, and Love
…and a few questions
I’m 3rd of 4 in my family. Definitely the middle child since the first two are only 15 months apart. I was the quiet one growing up, never as loud or fast as the others. They were capable, I was afraid to try. I was the “sensitive” one, easily hurt, always hiding.
As a child living in the chaos of a crumbling marriage, I craved quiet, peace, stability. Writing stories saved me from getting lost in the anger and confusion of a broken family. I spent hours creating and living in a fantasy world of my own. And as I look back, I see God present in the life of a timid middle child who needed what only He had to offer—unconditional love, unwavering presence, and peace.
What I didn’t understand was why. Why would He, the God of the Universe, love me if my own father didn’t? Why would He care about the perennial “last pick”? I soaked in, unintentionally, what others said (or what I was sure they were thinking)—quiet, afraid, not as capable/fast/strong/funny. I couldn’t hear His voice through the noise around me until well into my adult life. (I’m a bit slow on the uptake!)
So while I didn’t set out with this theme in mind, it makes sense that the characters in my stories wrestle with identity. They struggle with names given to them by societal norms, or other people’s opinions, or who they think they should be. Through their journeys, they learn the Truth. They discover and eventually accept their real identity—given to them by the One who made them: dearly loved & set free.
Isn't that true for all of us? We give too much weight to the opinions of others and too little to the opinion of our Creator God. In the verse below, know that YOU are God's special possession. Valued, priceless, worth dying for. He wants you and me to be who He created us to be, to proudly take our place in His Kingdom and live with unshakeable faith in Him, hope in the future, and love for Him and those around us.
I hope you’ll journey along with my characters as they answer these important questions: Who are you? And who gets to decide? Perhaps God has something for you to learn about His love for you, as well!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
STACY MONSON
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
Stacy Monson is the author of the award-winning Chain of Lakes series and is a founding member of The Mosaic Collection. She lives outside the Twin Cities metro area with 15 chickens, an old dog, and lots of wildlife (which includes 7 grandchildren).
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
Psalm 139:14
