Stacy Hawkins Adams is a Christian fiction author and former journalist whose love of writing was nurtured by family, friends and teachers from the time she could read. During a long career as a newspaper reporter and as the author of six women’s fiction novels, she has used words to encourage others to live joyously, pursue their purpose, and trust that because God loves them, they can love themselves. Stacy’s most popular novels among young adults include
Speak To My Heart, Watercolored Pearls, and the upcoming
Dreams That Won’t Let Go. She is a married mom of two – a daughter, 11, and a son, 8 – and lives in Richmond, Va.
She welcomes SUSIE sisters to chat with her or “sound off” about the big news in their world and how it relates to their faith. Visit her website to learn more about her work or find inspiration for your own writing efforts:
www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com.
Lindsay Lohan.
When you hear or read that name, what three phrases come to mind?
Mine are:
• Questionable choices
• Serious consequences
• Needs Jesus
What phrases would you use?
Unless you’ve given up TV viewing for the summer, and especially this week, you probably know that Lindsay is all over the news again; and this time, it’s just like the time before – because of her behavior instead of for the promotion of a new movie.
As I’m writing this, the actress is leaving a Los Angeles courthouse to begin a 90-day stay in jail for failing to follow the rules a judge gave her in 2007, when she was found guilty of possessing drugs and driving drunk.
The media is reporting that her second attorney quit because Lindsay allegedly failed to follow his rules, too – ones he put in place to help her shake the grip of drugs and alcohol.
Addiction experts view her actions – and the departure of two lawyers hired to help her - as common for someone who is addicted, and probably in denial about the depth of her problem.
Nevertheless, Lindsay reported to jail, where she is expected to serve only about two weeks of her sentence.
Watching the story unfold hasn’t left me pointing fingers or judging this young actress, whose movies I have enjoyed – from
The Parent Trap to
Herbie Fully Loaded to
Freaky Friday.
Instead, I’ve decided that while she is being forced to pay the price for choosing a lifestyle that is now controlling her life, like the rest of us, she needs prayer and grace.
Without a relationship with God, many of us could choose the wrong things to fill empty spaces within us.
Without guidance from the Bible on how to live in a way that pleases God, we too might decide to write inappropriate words on our fingers and display them for all the word to see, even in a courtroom where our freedom is at risk.
Without the knowledge that Jesus loves us just as we are, and is willing to forgive us when we mess up, we might find ourselves wrestling with demons like drugs or alcohol that on the surface appear to the be source of fun and good times, but in reality, can cause one to become a person no one recognizes – not even that person herself or himself.
My belief that Lindsay needs prayer isn’t the same as saying I feel sorry for her, but I guess a part of me does.
If anything, I’m sorry that such a talented actress has found herself in a place where her life and her dream career could be snatched away. Many paths may have led her there – we don’t know all the details about her childhood or about the influences around her as she was growing up. Still, she is accountable for her actions.
What do you think? Is she responsible for her choices, good or bad?
How do you feel about the judge sending her to jail because she apparently ignored the rules of her probation and left her home when she was sentenced to house arrest? Do you think the sentence is too harsh, or not tough enough?
Does she deserve our prayers?
If you know someone facing problems similar to Lindsay’s, will you pray for them? What can they, and you, learn from Lindsay’s experience?
All My Best,
Stacy