Jolaine Miner

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

These were the words I clung to as a child. They were told to me by an uncle who had guardianship of me and my siblings off and on throughout my childhood. I was a child of divorce, the subject of abuse, abandonment, mental illness, regret, substance abuse. However, I was also loved by many; and most importantly – a child of God. My story is a story of rescue. A story of hope, love, and planted seed.

I was born more than eight weeks early in September 1968 with my greatest blessing. We survived. We went home at Thanksgiving near our due date, but I had complications and did not return home until Christmas. God had a plan for us. I was typically sick and had needs due to a bleeding disorder for which I had to have blood transfusion at the time. At approximately two years of age, my mother gave me to one of her sisters who lived in Texas. My grandfather made her get me back so that my twin and I were raised together. He knew we could not thrive without the other. Praise God. I would not, without a doubt, have survived the coming years without her at my side. She is my confidant, my conscience, my counselor, my personal comedian, and my best friend. 

At eight years old, our parents divorced and with our mother’s mental health and a neuro-physical condition, it was very difficult for her to care for us. This led to a reliance on alcohol and prescription drugs to get her through daily tasks. There were numerous events of having to be removed from our home in the middle of the night due to emergency response, or having to move in with a family for an extended period of time while she received treatment. Regardless of the event, there was always someone there ready to open their arms and their homes to help us. Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles with families of their own who unselfishly gave of themselves and taught us how to live, how to be of service, and how to love others. 

At age 10 or 11, I attended a church service with another uncle and his family. I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to go forward at the alter call. I remember feeling an uncertainty and trepidation from being around unfamiliar people, but also overwhelmed by a sense of peace. I accepted Jesus as my savior – and that he was – over and over, again. 

My story is complicated and expansive, but the one thing that remains clear to me is that every time we were in need, God placed someone there for us. Every-single-time. My uncle spoke truth to me. I cling to that truth every day. 

At approximately 14 years old we moved to Elkhart, Illinois, where we met the pastor of the local Christian Church and his family. My sister and I were so desperate to reconnect with Christ in Church after being in our Aunt and Uncle’s home. We would beg to go to church on Sunday and at any time we could. The pastor and his wife became our safety net and support at this time. It was then I made the decision to be baptized. The bible I was given at my baptism had the scripture “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” [Deuteronomy 31:6] Sound familiar? 

We moved back to Springfield around 15 or 16 years of age. Life continued to be tumultuous after Elkhart and years beyond. I would eventually fall away and not be active in Church although I still clung to the hope of Christ, but not acting much like it.  

I got into an unhealthy lifestyle and relationships. Still clinging to the promises of God, but not allowing him in. I married in my 30s and my husband accepted my son and daughter as his own; we then had a daughter together. I married into a Christian family although my family and I would only occasionally go to church with my in-laws, visit my uncle’s church, or go to church with my sister and her family. When my oldest daughter was a teen, my family was met with a tragedy and God would once again intervene. My children had to know that there was hope. They had to know there was someone who loved them more than I did – someone who would never leave them nor forsake them. God led us to a local church that quickly became our church home and family; I spent the next 20 years there. Two of my children were baptized at that church. I grew in my faith and relationship with Christ, and was active in the children’s ministry and youth group. I left in 2023 because my sister was moving back to the area and we wanted to join the same church so we could worship our God together. We joined RLC together in the fall of 2023. It is something extra special to praise God with your greatest blessing beside you. 

Through the years my sister and I would share bits of our story with our children. Today, my sister’s son works with soldiers struggling with mental health; my oldest daughter is a foster mother; and my youngest daughter is a foster care worker. God is using our story to shape the lives of others – to protect others and share his Love and Light. How will God use your story?