The beautiful young woman has an irresistible smile.  Her eyes sparkle. You would never guess what she had gone through.  She had grown up in a dysfunctional home, where she had taken on the role of the mother while she was still a child.  No one protected her from the men friends who came and went. She was an alcoholic and failing school at 14. But now my friend is a mom; she has a beautiful daughter with an irresistible smile and sparkling eyes. Another is on the way and these children will grow up in a godly home.

There was another beautiful young woman, so beautiful that her husband fell in love with her from the first look.  She had the perfect past, and she could not have asked for a better life. But she fell for a lie and committed the first sin in history.

Although a functional, loving home life does improve our chances, our upbringing is not always a predictor of our outcome.  At some point in life, we can no longer blame our past for our choices. However, one thing must happen before anyone will find his or her way out of the kind of existence my young friend had endured.  Someone has to help.  In her case, grandparents took her to church, and there a tiny bud of hope emerged.

For the first time she was able to connect with other women who helped her find her way.  She says she has several ‘moms’. What did they do? They just cared. Each one, in her own way, helped my friend value herself. Through their actions and words, God helped her find healing for her wounds. She excelled in her last year of high school and went on to graduate from college.

Eve made her mistake, but even her life bloomed when God showed he still cared. If we know the Lord, someone cared enough about us to share a word of hope as well. Be that person for someone you know, and love will bloom in their lives.