Following God's Call to Seek Justice: A Brave Journey Toward Becoming a Guardian

By Rachel W. Rains

God's Brave Women - Rachel's Story

I got married when I was just 20 years old. You could say I went straight from one man taking care of me to another. So, there are certain things I never had to do or learn.

Things such as changing the smoke detector battery, or changing the lightbulbs, or mowing the yard, etc. To this day, I still don’t know how to change the time on the microwave. Although, I’m sure I could figure it out. That is, if I set my mind to it… and God called me to it!

I’m a right brain thinker by nature, a creative by trade, and an introvert in crowds. But I’m also an Enneagram One. And by definition, an enneagram one is known as “the Reformer,” or as I like to say, a “Justice Seeker.” God knew all of this when He called me to chase justice and become a ‘forever guardian’ to my orphaned, twelve-years-my-senior, special needs cousin in early January of 2015.

The Lord had lovingly prepared my heart and cleared my proverbial plate when the call came that changed the trajectory of our lives forever. The journey required me to do all of the hard things I once relegated to others; driving long distances, reading complicated legal documents, making small talk, understanding processes that take more than three steps. (Right brain thinker, remember.)

Not only that, but I would have to face some incredibly hard, scary days—alone. Time and distance made it a necessary fact. As someone who was used to relying on others, this journey would require me to bravely step out on my own to answer His call.

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