Time. We all seem to be wrapped up in it. No matter who you are, the world tells you that there’s not enough of it. It seems as though most of the battle is trying to not waste it or forgetting to savor the moments we experience. Especially in the U.S., we seem to be constantly on the move. For some reason, I seem to be the opposite. Time to me is a way you can show that you care. It’s something that you measure, but there is no specific currency tied with it.
My entire life I’ve been asked what I plan to do in the future and where I came from. No one ever asks the question, “What do you want to do with the time you have now?” I seem to be missing out on this incessant need to rush through time. There are times I would like to press the fast forward button, but yet I know it is crucial to enjoy it.
As you look around, you’ll notice many jigsaw pieces that look like they form a puzzle. That’s because it does. These pieces resemble my story. Some pieces fit together perfectly, whereas others don’t seem to fit together at all. They seem as though they don’t belong.
For much of my life, I seemed to think that my life was missing a crucial piece. No matter how successful I was, measured in academics, athletics, socially, etc. I always felt like I didn’t belong. I now know I do, but this relates back to my need to hold onto memories. This is because I was adopted at four years old. Four of the most developmental years of my life are lost and are nowhere to be found. I don’t know who I came from, or quite where I came from.
All I know was I was found at a post office and brought to an orphanage in Changsha, China around March 5th, 2002. The only concrete date I have in my life, as well as earliest memory, is of when I met my adoptive parents at the embassy for the first time. This was the turning point in my life, my redemption, my missing pieces. They not only filled the necessities I needed as a child to be loved and nurtured, but they forever care about me unconditionally. This is a perfect picture of my faith, too. I was lost, but I was rescued with a purpose. I believe that the one community I belong to is with Christ and that I belong. It’s time for you to find yourself. Follow the pieces that are strewn around.