SHE DOES NOT IMPOSE

Although this feature was available to me throughout my life through my parents, I didn’t know how to be this way until I realized how wrong I was by trying to do things my way, what I thought, and my expectations of others.  One fine day when I was finishing presenting a program called “Things of a Woman” live, they surprised me with a tribute video of my father.  He spoke beautifully, praised me a lot, but in one of these accolades he uttered a truth that was like an arrow in the middle of my forehead - She sometimes is very fair.

I left the program thinking about that little comment.  I had forgotten about all the praises.  It was then that I noticed a horrible defect that I carried, of ‘being better’ and ‘doing better'.  Because I wanted to be fair I would end up putting my ways on others.  My son was the one that suffered the most because of this.  I wanted my son to have the character of a man of God and because I wanted this I would constantly demand it from him but this would just make him separate himself more from the right path.  That eroded me inside.  All my plans for him since the day that I adopted him increasingly became more distant.  The pain in my soul was suffocating me.  

When I remember this it makes me want to go back and do things differently; the way my parents did with me.  But what’s the use now?  The best we can do is to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.  And that's what I did.  

I learned that our plans have to be made by faith.  Faith is believing even when everything around you says otherwise.  Faith is to persevere no matter how long it takes.  Faith is knowing that God will not give you the results of your plans in the same way that you planned to get there.  But He will give you - trust!

For a woman like me who likes organization and knowing how everything will be, this was one of the sacrifices that hurt me most --- sacrificing my son, his future, whom he would marry, well…everything that I would have liked to plan.  I gave him some room.  Do something --- give a pause.  Sacrifice.  I sacrificed what I wanted from him to know God is going to do His will.

Cristiane Cardoso 



Living Faith Evangelical Church
1235 Pacific Ave. Long Beach, CA 90813