This week you started your Jumor year in high school.

Unbelievable! I am beyond measure for you. Little

girls are supposed to admire and look up to their mothers, and
I hope that in some areas you are able to do so. But many
times I fmd myself looking up to you, not only physically,
which I must do since you are currently about four inches
taller than I look up to you in rtlarty other areas as well.
You are a compassionate, open-hearted friend. You value
honesty in relationships, whether it's pleasant at or not
You know how to work hard and have fun at the same time.
You are determined and trustworthy. You are unusually
thoughtful of the feelings ofothers, particularly those whom
you love or pity, And yet you are very strong and opinionated
(I see the same tightening of the jaw as your father in an
argument and know the battle is already won!).
I must remind you, Annie, that all we have, we have received
as a sacred trust from God. Our talents, our family, our
.genetic make-up which detennines our form and features and
many of our personal a te.ndepcies--all of these are
gifts to be developed to - their . fullest and employed in
extending His kingdom. Augustine said, "Let God be all in
all tO thee, for in F!im is the entirety of ali thou lovest'' Our
heritage, our beginning, our lives in all their parts, and our
ending are "in Christ". Truly, "we are not our own, we are
bought with a price ... " (I Corinthians 6:19). The fact $at
you are not your own has been a hard lesson for you. because
of your strong personality.
From earliest infancy you have. behaved so independently.
You let Daddy and me know that yo.u were yOur" oW.n person"
very early. "I can do it myself', was y90r motto, showing a
nature not easily bent and swayed Your attitude seemed to be,
"If I want it badly enough, it's worth the spanking." "Lord," I
prayed in a poem I wrote about you; "Turn her self-song into
symphonies of praise to you.. Even now atune her baby heart
to hear Your voice." And He did, praise His great Name! I
have never known another 16 year old girl who loves Jesus
more than you and tries to bring "evecy thought captive" to
Him in her life. Oh, don;t misurtdetstand me--I see the
. struggles, at least some Ofthem. ,And, as you know, I know
about some of the bumps in the road. But I urge you never to
The Counsel of Chalcedon October 1990 Page 16
: give up or give in. I pray for you every day that God will
continue to give you the victory over sinful habits, tendencies
and actions.
Keep Proverbs 14:1 constantly in your mind: "A wiSe
. woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with
her hands." Can you picture a woman whohas been given a
beautiful home; setting out with sledge.hanuner and crowbar
to Wl"eek it? Or maybe the quieter approach woUld be to set
loose a jar of termites at the foundation so that the base is
slowly eroded and destroyed. Utter foolishnes; we think. But
if we allow sinful thoughts to teaSe us irt our idle moments,
they will one dl!.y possess and destroy us, but for God's
intervening grace. Never think anything is t96 small or
insignificant to be of concern to God. Unconfessed sin will
grow like a malignant cancer until it destroys you. Homes
have been destroyed, lives ruined and kingdoms fallen because
of a failure to deal adequately with indwelling sin. You have
been given an ocean of potential, numberless blessings and a
future full of hope and excitement as you are faithful to Christ
and His Word. It would be a great tragedy to see such
potential blessing re-channeled into smaller streams rather
than an ocea:n, carrying all those with whom you come into
contact along in its strong current. Annie, you must fear sin
more than death because it has die real potential to destroy
you and all that is dear to you.
How Urrilling it is to watch you grow in strength and inner
beauty that radiates outward in your beautiful face and loving
personality. Keep "building your house" on God's truth in
Christ, Annie, and.no matter how strongly the winds blow or
the waves crash against it, it will stand firm to the end.
"the faith, once delivered to the saints", and by God's grace
passed down to you. Your name, which was also your
grandmother's, means "grace". Grace means a free gift,
getting what we don't deserve instead of the wages which our
sin has earned. Hold this gift of faith close to your
Annie. Nurture and proclaim it fearlessly, even as you do
now. I know that as you do, God will open His storehouse of
riches in glory and pour down more on your life
than you can ever imagine. May He receive glory from your
life. This is my fervent prayer for you, child of God's
grace, my precious and friend 0