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| Christina Jean Birmingham--Class of 2016 |
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Christina,
From the very beginning, you have been a source of energy and happiness in our home. Your vibrant spirit and love for life has been a wonderful complement to a family filled with often super-serious task-oriented people. Although the busyness of life and the constant chaos of a large family can test the limits of anyone's expressions of joy, I appreciate the way that you are able to routinely cut through all of that and bring levity to our home. Your passion for people and commitment to your family has been vital to our home and I know will continue to be.
It is my prayer that no matter what hardships, difficulties, or trials this world brings your way that you will continue to express your vibrant and loving personality in ever-increasing conformity with the character of God. Just as the Lord has given himself for us, we are called to give of ourselves for others. As we are all called to do as image bearers of Christ, I charge you to "in humility, count others more significant than yourself." Philippians 2:3
Though there is always uncertainty in the future as well as regrets from the past, one thing that can be known with absolute confidence is the certainty of God's unending love for you and His perfect plan for your life. I have been elated to see your passion for the Lord and his Word increase. Our discussions on living as a Christian in a world that is aligned against a biblical worldview have been some of my happiest moments.
Paul expresses this mindset beautifully in Romans 12:2
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing, and perfect will."
No matter what path the Lord takes you on in the days ahead, always foster a discipline of thinking according to the revealed truth found in the word of God and expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. Let his truth infuse every single aspect of your life, and you will never be able to be shaken, no matter how crazy the storms of life may be, whether coming from within or from the world around you.
You are entering a culture that systemically gives no consideration or glory to the God who is Lord over all. It will not be easy to stand in the midst of such opposition. But the God who loves you more than anyone will be your ever-present help. The writer of Hebrews addresses this best, and I will paraphrase for you: "Run with perseverance the race marked out for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. Because of the joy set before him he endured the cross (death and persecution). So consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
We love you,
Dad
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Dear Christina,
As I
contemplate the occasion of your high school graduation, I am amazed again by
the fingerprints of God in your life. I
am grateful to your birth mom for choosing to give you life. I am grateful for the neighbor who happened
to hear you when you needed help. I am
grateful for the paramedics, policemen, and E.R. physicians who cuddled you up
before my arms could, who cared for your wounds, and brought you to a safe
place to recover. I am grateful that the
resident doctor who “happened” to be on call on your hospital floor that day in
2001, “happened” to be your future Daddy, so that his hands, which would be so
instrumental in caring for your later needs, could also have a part in the
healing of your tiny frame. I love that
you arrived on Mother’s Day. I love how
you and Rebekah captured my heart from the moment I saw you, and how you have
it still.
If ever you
doubt how precious you are to God, consider what had to happen to bring you all
the way across the country and into our arms.
God had to blow up my plans for how and when I would have children. He closed my womb. That is all there is to it. The doctors said, “There is no reason you
cannot have children.” But there was a
reason! My heart had to be opened to the
possibility of YOU! He brought the right
people to speak gentle truths to us about how God might be building our
family. He softened our hearts and moved
our feet into foster parent training. Then He allowed me to miss multiple
placement phone calls—infants, tiny siblings—always placed in other homes by the time I could
call back. He moved me to begin
feathering my nest—for girls! He
knew! And then He took the tragic
circumstances of your early life and redeemed them, placing you where you would
learn of Him, of His love for you, of the gifts He has given you, and of His
plans for you.
And what
wonderful gifts you possess! My earliest
memory of you is of walking into the facility where you were brought after your
release from the hospital. There was a
sweet, smiling redhead leaning against a table—and, streaking across the room,
a tiny, curly-headed toddler with chubby cheeks and a great big grin. It is a
perfect picture of you, as you have continued to approach life with that same
spunky attitude and enthusiasm. For
better or worse, you are fearless and adventuresome. You are brave and curious and full of wonder. This has led you to the edge of a precipice a
time or two, but God, in His providence has always provided a pair of strong
hands—sometimes His, sometimes ours, sometimes others’—to pull you back. Take this not as a desire to curb your
freedom, but rather as a sign of His great love and protection!
What I love
about you: Your wonderful sense of
humor. Your tenderness toward the weak,
hurting, and disabled. Your intuition
and your observations about life and people.
Your industrious spirit. Your love
of music. Your willingness to help with
absolutely anything that needs doing.
Your instinctive and instructive way with children. Your protectiveness toward your family (no
beady-eyed vultures be gettin’ those boys!)
Your increasing love for and submission to the Lord.
My charge to
you: In ALL your ways submit to God and
He will direct your paths. Embrace
adventure, live fully, say yes to opportunity, but do it under the protective
and loving gaze of your Heavenly Father.
There is freedom in His statutes and they will enable you to get the
most possible joy out of life. Make your
closest friends people who love God as much as or more than you do, but never
forget there is a world full of hurting people who need the love and truth that
you have. Always try to serve them and
see them as God does. Bad things will
happen, but remember, God is the redeemer.
You have seen Him redeem the past and you can trust Him for the
future. He is faithful.
And finally,
I want you to know how very much we love you, how proud we are of you, and how
glad we are that God has allowed us to be your parents. You are a treasure and a gift, and I can’t
wait to see what God has planned for your life!
All my love, Mom
