I know that in this world we will have sorrows, tribulations, disappointments etc....
but take heart Christ overcame this world and He can help you to overcome it
as well.
I know it is possible to rise out of whatever "hell" that one can encounter in this life...
do you know my story?
Here's a look at my early life-- I was born into abject poverty in North Carolina, my
family lived in a racist area and we endured much persecution and hardships.
Black people were held in very low regard, we were suppose to "Know our place"
and to bow to their rule.
We lived in a shack, no electricity, no indoor plumbing --just a rustic 4 room wooden
structure with a tin roof.
As a young black child I faced being sexual abused/harassed by a family member
and suffered through the inappropriate things the white men would say about black
girls, it was pretty degrading talk.
I told it all to the Lord and changes came in the form of us moving, the family member
joining the Army and I learned to stand up for myself and I would speak the Word of
God to them and that brought about changes in how certain ones would treat me.
Going to school...
I dreaded school but I also enjoyed learning, a real love/hate relationship with school
began early in life. School life wasn't easy for me either, I stutter and this made it
especially hard, I got made fun of a lot, by students and some of the teachers.
As I got into high school, things didn't improve much for me there either.... I had to
see a guidance counselor since I was a black female from a "single parent home" (my
mom was widowed in her thirties) -- the teachers didn't care about that, to them it
was all the same as being an unmarried woman who had children. They didn't consider
my faith, all they saw when they looked at me was another black girl who would wind
up on welfare with a bunch of out of wedlock children. I know this because I'd seen
my student files and I also overheard them talking about me. I took the course
that taught us girls how to cook, take care of home and children-- so I could be prepared for
my lot in life. The 1980's was when teen pregnancies increased -- and eyes were on
me, as to say-- You're next! This wasn't to be, I wasn't running around with boys
nor was I having sex and I wasn't going to parties or putting myself in situations
where a guy could pressure me into sex. Since I was a teen girl saying no and meaning
it, it didn't take long for the guys to leave me alone.
The only person who believed in me and my dreams/goals was my mom. She prayed
for me all the time (she does that for all her children.) I could only look to God to get
me through those times and He did that! Often people would come in and out of my
life just to encourage me or to be a blessing in some way that I needed it.
I asked the Lord to establish me in life, I didn't have any family members who were
well off... I had God and I knew that He's the real owner and creator of everything and it
would be the Lord who would get me into the right place or places so I could bloom/prosper.
God opened doors for me when no one else could!
I went to work for a nursing agency and in time I found a client who needed someone
full time and the family approved of my work and eventually they bought out my contract
with the agency and I went to work privately for that family.
It wasn't all rosy there either, they had some prejudices to overcome and in time we would all become real close.
The mom was my client and later on her daughter would also be my client.
When the mom died, the daughter inherited a fortune and according to her mom's wishes she gave me a nice share of what she inherited and a couple of years later before I got married in 2002, the daughter made it possible for me to retire at age 37!
That had been a dream of mine for SO long!
I had no idea how in the world it would come to be-- I just kept talking to God
about it and I kept sensing in my spirit that He was going to work it all out, and so He did!
I could easily of allowed all the bad stuff in life that happened to me to rule over me
but I choose to apply the Word of God in my life, I learned to take thoughts captive
and make them submit to Christ. I learned the importance of putting on the full armor
of God each day. Through much prayer and seeking out those who could mentor me
and be prayer partners, I matured spiritually and became a stronger Christian.
You don't have to face battles alone, get yourself connected with mature Christians
in your area who can mentor you, find a mature Christian woman who can be a
prayer partner or get connected with several ladies who can be your prayer partners.
It doesn't profit us---
I don't believe we should sit around so much wondering why did this happen to me
or trying to figure out all the whys.
Since we are now Christians we are to understand that in this world we will face trials and tribulations, we should remember that as Christians
we are targets of the enemy(the devil) and he's here to kill, steal and destroy-- the devil
aim is to derail you from your faith walk, steal your joy and ultimately to destroy you
and he will apply any method or means to keep a Christian from maturing in his or her
faith.
That's why it's so important for a new Christian, struggling Christian, or those who are
young to be properly discipled. I urge you to get connected with mature Christians and
to be in the Word of God on a regular basis, to limit the amount of worldly input and
watch your associations with people who aren't so keen on honoring God and the Bible.
Lastly...
One of the most powerful things a Christian can do is forgave those who
wounded/hurt them.
Refusing to forgive leaves an open wound in our soul that festers into bitterness, resentment, and depression etc.
For our own good, we simply must forgive.
Just as we trust God for our salvation, we have to trust him to make things right
when we forgive.
God will heal our wound(s) so we can move on.
