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Keri Ann Thompson

I will not allow who I am to be erased. Will you?

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By Keri Ann Thompson, CWA Staff

I have several roles in my life that I cherish and would not want to change for any amount of money or treasure. They are: wife, mother, daughter, sister, godmother, and aunt. There is a feeling of belonging and identity that happens with those words.

I am a wife. My husband chose me, and I chose him. I didn’t earn it. He saw something in me that made him want to cherish me, protect me, love me. I saw something in him that made me want to walk beside him and be his confidant. As my husband, he is my provider and protector.  As his wife, I am his constant companion and support. We are different, yet we are equal.

I am a mother. Again, I didn’t earn it. This title is so incredibly precious to me. I was told at a young age that I would likely not have children. We were so surprised after seven years of marriage to find that I was pregnant. We had a beautiful son, then found out about two years later found that we were pregnant again. Tragically, we lost that baby to miscarriage.  Blessedly, we have our rainbow baby girl who came along about a year-and-a-half later.  Hearing them call me “Mommy” is one of the greatest blessings of my day each day. No other person will be their mommy, just like no other person will be their daddy.

I am a daughter. Once again, I had no choice in the matter. Biology made me a girl.  God’s wisdom gave me my unique set of parents. I played with both G.I. Joe and Barbie with my friends; I skateboarded and rode bikes; I climbed trees and jumped out of them; I wore a dress to church on Sunday. These things didn’t make me a daughter or a son. Biology did that.

I am a sister. What a unique bond sisters have. My sister and I did not get along well when we were kids, but now we are an integral part of each other’s lives. I did not choose my sister.  She was chosen for me, and I for her. To say that we are “siblings” is technically correct but does not connotate the depth of feeling and relationship that we have. There was a time when “sibling” would have been enough for me. Now, only “sister” carries the weight of our bond.

I am a godmother and an aunt. These relationships are the same to me, except that I got to choose to be a godmother. I did not choose my two nephews, but I did choose my goddaughter and godson. I love these four as if they were my own children. I want what is best for them. I love getting to spoil them, teach them, pray for them, and interact in their lives.  I love that they can see me as a second mother to them.

I have other roles in life. I am an employee, a teacher, a friend, a confidant, a counselor, and many more things. None of these things carry the weight to me that those listed previously do.  There is a responsibility in those words. There is honor in those words. There is character in those words.

The 117th Congress of the United States of America has decided that those words no longer have any meaning. This small group of people has decided that who I am, what I am, how I identify myself does not matter. As women, we have fought for centuries to be seen as having equal rights with the men around us. We fought for the right to vote.  We broke through stereotypes and became business owners, leaders in our communities, and even members of Congress.  We have worked so hard to be seen as equals. “Equal” does not mean “erased.”  Why are we now allowing ourselves to be erased?

I am a spouse, but more than that, I am a wife.

I am a parent, but more than that, I am a mom.

I am a child, but more than that, I am a daughter.

I am a sibling, but more than that, I am a sister.

I am a relative, but more than that, I am a godmother and aunt.

I will not allow who I am to be erased. Will you?

Day 22 – A Prayer of Hope

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Heavenly Father,

I thank You for my life today
For each day is never promised.
I thank You that You are in control
Because I know that I certainly am not.
I thank You for Your mercies
For they are new each and every morning.

Lord, Your Word tells us that it is out of Your mercies
That we are not consumed, because Your compassions fail not.
Great is Your faithfulness.  My soul says You are my portion
Therefore, I will hope in You.  (Lamentations 3:22-24)

Though I do lift our leaders up to You for wisdom and guidance,
I do not put my hope in government to save me.  You are my refuge,
My strength— a very present help in trouble.  Therefore, I will not fear.
You, the Lord of hosts, are with me.  You, the God of Jacob, are my refuge.  (Psalm 46)

Lord, You are faithful.  You are sure.  You are steady.  You are all-powerful.  You are never changing.
You are all- knowing.  You are wise.  You are good.  You are just.  You are loving.  You are merciful.
You are holy,  and I praise Your name— the Name above all names. I ask, Lord,
That You remind me daily of Your presence and Your work in my life.
That when I try to take back my worry, my shame, and my uncertainty,
You remind me that You are all of these things and so much more.

Lord, I humbly ask that You take this time
To mold me ever more into a vessel that is useable for Your service and Your glory.
Continue Your work of sanctification in me that I may be a reflection of You
To those I come into contact with.  Create in me a clean heart,
O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  (Psalm 51:10)

Open my eyes to see where You are at work around me
And show me how I can join in that work.
In Jesus’ precious and holy name,
Amen.

 


This prayer was submitted by CWA Constituent Services Representative Keri Ann Thompson. Click here for more prayers from our “30 Days of Prayer in the Midst of Covid-19” effort. Here for more coronavirus-related resources.