twins

Family comes in all shapes and sizes and isn’t necessarily the family you were born into. Sometimes, it’s the chosen family that stands by your side when things get tough and with whom you celebrate milestones and holidays.And sometimes, like in the case of this man, it can take some time and hardships to find your chosen family. Once you do find it, though, there’s nothing like it.A Hard UpbringingTwin brothers Daquane Shamar Jacobs and Tavon Lamar Jacobs had a harder childhood than most. Their biological mother used drugs and didn’t know she was pregnant. When they were born, they only weighed two pounds each and addicted to crack cocaine. Social services immediately sent them to foster care.When the boys were two, they were adopted by a family who changed their names to Davon and Tavon Woods. While a new family may have seemed like a blessing at the time, things grew harder from there.“We had a very difficult childhood with our adoptive family,” Davon explained to Love What Matters. “We got physically and verbally abused, we were never given a voice, and they never once told us they loved us. It felt like we were just a paycheck, but we were too young and afraid to tell anyone what was happening at home.”That upbringing led the boys into trouble as teens. Davon tried to take his own life several times, but ultimately, he couldn’t leave Tavon alone.A Wake-Up CallThings looked bad, but when Davon and Tavon’s 17-year-old brother was shot and killed in 2016, the twins knew they needed a fresh start. So they packed up and headed to Georgia, where they only wound up getting involved with local gangs.“We saw people get shot in front of us,” Davon recalled. “There were times we got guns drawn on us. We could’ve lost our lives.”That all changed one day when the boys’ sister and brother-in-law came to visit and asked if they wanted to join them at church.“Everything changed for us when we encountered God,” Davon continued. “We had always wanted to do good, but we never had direction. God gave us that direction and transformed our lives. We’ve learned He loves us more than any person ever could and fills the holes we’ve had in our hearts for so long.”Finding FamilyDavon began piecing his life together and took on several jobs. One of those jobs was at a car dealership, which is where he was working when he met the Wilkinson family. Davon told the family his story, and they were touched. They felt as though he was always supposed to have been in their lives, and he felt the same way.“For my birthday, they took me out to dinner, and from that day forward they adopted me into their family,” Davon says. “I spend holidays with them, and I know my kids will never be short on family with them around. It was very emotional to me because they gave me love that I’ve never received.”Today, Davon says he has gained parents, brothers, sisters, and a niece. “It goes to show: color doesn’t make you family, and neither does blood,” he added. “Love makes you family.”Helping Others Like ThemDavon and Tavon feel blessed for the good things God has given them in life, and their newfound purpose is to help other kids who are growing up like they did. Today, the brothers work to raise awareness surrounding the foster care system.Last year, they even went on a mission to walk 20 miles in every state to raise hope for and awareness of foster care children. Their main goal is to open transitional housing for kids who have aged out of foster care to give them the support they feel they never had.“We want to be able to transform their lives and get them on the right path because a lot of kids in foster care — once they age out — they lose every form of support,” Tavon told Fox News.Keeping FaithThings weren’t exactly easy for Davon and Tavon growing up, but they found faith, purpose, and family by pushing through. It’s an inspiring story that gives others the courage to make positive changes when their own lives seem hopeless and reminds us that family is what we make it.Spread love and community by embracing others even if they come from a different path. If your biological family is harmful or unable to sustain a healthy relationship, it’s okay to choose yourself and walk away. And above all, remember that even when things seem like they’ll never get better, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.More from Goalcast:Black Couple Adopts a White Child – Shows Everyone What It Means to Be Family6 Siblings Were Separated in Foster Care For Over 3 Years – Then 2 Dads Adopted Them All10-Year-Old Nobody Wanted to Adopt Is Sent to Live With Foster Family – This Would Completely Change Both Their Lives