Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10
My past is something that I used to struggle with a lot. I have made many mistakes. I made mistakes in my personal and professional life. I have always been a hard worker and have a good work ethic, but the one thing I struggled with was friendships. I wanted lots of friends, and always wanted to be out and about having fun. I wanted to be part of a group of “in” girls. I tried way too hard!
One day, a friend of my mother’s saw the inward struggles I was having, and I will never forget the words she said to me that day. She said, “You need to hold your head up high and be proud of who you are. God loves you and that is all you need.” Those words have stayed with me for the last 45 years. They helped me to grow not only as a person, but also in my faith. They also helped me to understand why I didn’t need to be part of that group of girls!
My faith journey has been one that is different than most. I was born and raised in an Orthodox Jewish Synagogue. I remember attending Sunday School classes and going to the Synagogue on Saturdays for services. As I got older, the men I dated were Christian. I married a Christian man and we had three children and as a family, we attended a Baptist Church.
I loved the people there, but I never really fit in anywhere when it came to the beliefs. After I was divorced in 2005, I came to work at St. Luke’s. From the very beginning, I felt God in my life more than He ever had been before. It was a wonderful feeling! I felt like I belonged somewhere, and I fit in well with the people I worked with.
Jeff and I were married in 2008; we then became members of St. Luke’s. We both feel like we are part of a family, and we have God to rely on every day. I no longer struggle with my beliefs or with friendships. There will be new difficulties that arise in our lives every now and then, but I know with God’s love, we will be able to overcome any adversities.
Gabrielle Moon, Executive Director, St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
