Testimony Tuesday: Kelly

Merry Christmas Eve folks!.. The blog isn't stopping. And this testimony is just in time for the Christmas celebration.  I met Kelly when I first moved to Wake Forest for seminary back in 2007.  We both went to Bay Leaf and have had the opportunity for our friendship to grow over the past years through Bible studys, coffee/ice cream dates, and fun parties. 

Meet Kelly...

Hello, my name is Kelly & I’m a true Raleigh native. I was born here, grew up here, went to college here & don’t have any intentions on leaving here any time soon. When people first meet me the first thing they probably notice is that I’m a “little person” but without some of typical, standard dwarf features that are often portrayed on television. When I was around the age of 3 I was diagnosed with a rare form of Dwarfism called Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia or “SED”. There was no family history of this and since this was the late 80’s, there weren’t many technological advances to know the long term prognosis. My parents decided the best thing to do was too not treat me any differently and to make adjustments as needed. I’ve been so blessed that I haven’t had to have any surgeries related to Dwarfism & that I grew taller than the doctors expected. Being different from my peers really didn’t start to affect me until I was in elementary school when kids would taunt and tease me for being “little”. There were days where there were many tears, & through that I relied heavily on Psalm 139: 14,“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” I can’t even begin to express how comforting this scripture is to me! I would say that growing up & getting through adolescence this was one of my life verses. God doesn’t make mistakes and although I may never fully understand why he made me the way he did, I have faith that HE is using me being a “little person” for a greater good.

It was after one VBS when I was around 5-6 years old that I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord & Savior. I remember feeling a tugging at my heart and knew that I was a sinner who needed to be saved. Although I was saved at a young age, I still continued to grow in my faith as the years went on through being involved in Sunday School & Youth Group activities. Later, I became very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ during my time at Meredith College. Anyone who knows me will tell you that when I talk about college my face lights up & I’ll often say it was the Best.Four.Years of my life (so far)! I grew so much with becoming independent and made so many life-long friendships..

  As I’ve learned WE ALL have good days & bad days. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m very blessed but there are times, especially during the holidays, when it’s just easier to focus on what I don’t have (a spouse, family of my own, etc) than to focus on what I do have. It becomes so easy to think this way when you see pictures of friends getting engaged at Christmas, friends announcing pregnancies or even friends showing off what that creepy lil Elf on the Shelf is up too each day! I know for me this leads me into a downward spiral of pondering why God has me in this stage of life or why he even made this way. Especially when I’m struggling with aches and pains from my back & legs or getting frustrated when I can’t reach something in the grocery store, or having to pay more money to get clothes altered or having to take apart my pedal extensions just so I can get my car tuned up. It’s just a vicious cycle of self-loathing that tends to happen for me each December. A few weeks ago at church the pastor gave the quote, ”The absence of joy is an indication that you've lost touch with God your Savior and have magnified something else." Hmm talk about conviction! Since then I’ve been trying to choose JOY each day even if I don’t “feel” like it. Some days have been successful & others not so much, but it’s a process & I’m learning how to walk through that. I recently came across Habakkuk 3:18 which says,“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior.”  Yes, this is what I needed to hear & be reminded of!

I know if I’m struggling during the holidays, then I know others may be too. If that’s you, I would encourage you to make a “joy” list (things big or small that give you joy) & keep it somewhere close so you can reflect on during those dark, emotional days. God’s people were waiting and waiting & waited even more so for HIS prophecy to be fulfilled.  While they had hard days, they still had the hope that their Savior was coming. But the wonderful news is that our Savior did come! He was born, died & was resurrected for you and me & if anything else, that should give us JOY during this holiday season!

Merry Christmas Eve! 

Kelly lives in Raleigh with her fluffy puppy Zaxby and works as an administrative assistant at a local church. She is currently attending the Summit church in Raleigh & enjoys being involved with her small group.  She is actively involved with her alma mater by being on the Meredith College Young Alumnae Board & enjoys helping with various alumnae events on campus. She enjoys trying out new restaurants, coffee & movie dates with friends, and especially spoiling her niece & nephew, Harper & William! 

PS- This would be an example of a fun party - Redneck Party 2009 - Hot mess.