My Story
I was a teenage mom (1980), I survived a divorce (1996), Hurricane Katrina (2005), and the death of my son (2011). Then, as if I hadn’t had enough, I had what I’m calling my final wakeup call when I had to visit the emergency room in 2021 with a blood pressure of 192/127. God had spared my mind through so much and now my body and I plan to take advantage of it; I am going to do things differently.
I recognize my life is a gift from God and I’m not going to spite the giver by being careless with the gift.
God is patient, merciful, and full of grace. God is love.
As I seek to visit and revisit the markers of my life, I am able to see that not only was God always there, but He was always making a way and plotting the steps of my story. And I am so thankful that my story is just a subplot of His story. And better yet, He’s still writing my story.
I asked Jesus into my life at the age of eight. Now, from that time on I lived like He was my Savior, but not always like He was Lord of my life. This went on for almost two decades. I would study His Word, but I lived it when I didn’t have a better plan or greater desire.
I got married at age 24 and knew I needed more of Jesus. I started to surrender in more places, not realizing God knew my heart and the choices I would make and where they would lead me. God was always preparing me to live my choices, but not apart from Him.
I am so thankful that I know God is always pursuing me. That has been evidently clear in my life. He looks down from heaven looking to see who is seeking Him, Psalm 53:2 God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
But He doesn’t just look for those who are seeking Him, He has also been drawing my heart to Him. That longing I’ve had inside that nothing on earth or no one on earth can fill is my longing to be with my heavenly Father. John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
Thank God that He has been pursuing mankind from the very beginning of time. God created us for His glory and even when we sinned against Him, He still made a way for us to be together with Him, albeit, at a very high price, I might add - the death of His Son on a cross. We see this pursuit in Genesis. When man sinned, He ran and hid. But God was walking in the garden to be with man and He didn’t allow his hiding to stop Him from wanting to be with him. He still sought him out. Genesis 3:9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
I don’t know about you, but I’m really grateful that God is longsuffering. 2 Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
So in my 30s, I got divorced. One of the hardest things I’ve experienced in my life, but through that hardship, I learned to release more and surrender more to God. Now, He wasn’t through with me yet and I still had (and have) more to learn.
At age 40, Hurricane Katrina destroyed my home and I ended up displaced, so I thought. What I saw as displacement was God making a perfect placement. He was putting me, not just where He wanted me, but where He would use me with things that were to come and where I would be ministered to as things would come in my life.
It was in 2005 that God no longer gently pointed me towards Him. It was in August, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, that through His powerful love for me, He completely broke me. Everything that I thought I knew, had, or was capable of, He took it all away. But that was His mercy towards me. He wanted to use me in greater ways, but He couldn’t do it until I ceased to be the captain, but rather became very grateful to be the vessel.
Now, almost 18 years later - longsuffering, He is once again showing me He is not done with me.
I believe the acquisition of knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a waste of time. We acquire knowledge to change the way we live. I want to share with you how to make God’s word applicable to our everyday lives.
If Christ isn't my first waking thought, I'm going back to bed.
I recognize my life is a gift from God and I’m not going to spite the giver by being careless with the gift.
God is patient, merciful, and full of grace. God is love.
As I seek to visit and revisit the markers of my life, I am able to see that not only was God always there, but He was always making a way and plotting the steps of my story. And I am so thankful that my story is just a subplot of His story. And better yet, He’s still writing my story.
I asked Jesus into my life at the age of eight. Now, from that time on I lived like He was my Savior, but not always like He was Lord of my life. This went on for almost two decades. I would study His Word, but I lived it when I didn’t have a better plan or greater desire.
I got married at age 24 and knew I needed more of Jesus. I started to surrender in more places, not realizing God knew my heart and the choices I would make and where they would lead me. God was always preparing me to live my choices, but not apart from Him.
I am so thankful that I know God is always pursuing me. That has been evidently clear in my life. He looks down from heaven looking to see who is seeking Him, Psalm 53:2 God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
But He doesn’t just look for those who are seeking Him, He has also been drawing my heart to Him. That longing I’ve had inside that nothing on earth or no one on earth can fill is my longing to be with my heavenly Father. John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
Thank God that He has been pursuing mankind from the very beginning of time. God created us for His glory and even when we sinned against Him, He still made a way for us to be together with Him, albeit, at a very high price, I might add - the death of His Son on a cross. We see this pursuit in Genesis. When man sinned, He ran and hid. But God was walking in the garden to be with man and He didn’t allow his hiding to stop Him from wanting to be with him. He still sought him out. Genesis 3:9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
I don’t know about you, but I’m really grateful that God is longsuffering. 2 Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
So in my 30s, I got divorced. One of the hardest things I’ve experienced in my life, but through that hardship, I learned to release more and surrender more to God. Now, He wasn’t through with me yet and I still had (and have) more to learn.
At age 40, Hurricane Katrina destroyed my home and I ended up displaced, so I thought. What I saw as displacement was God making a perfect placement. He was putting me, not just where He wanted me, but where He would use me with things that were to come and where I would be ministered to as things would come in my life.
It was in 2005 that God no longer gently pointed me towards Him. It was in August, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, that through His powerful love for me, He completely broke me. Everything that I thought I knew, had, or was capable of, He took it all away. But that was His mercy towards me. He wanted to use me in greater ways, but He couldn’t do it until I ceased to be the captain, but rather became very grateful to be the vessel.
Now, almost 18 years later - longsuffering, He is once again showing me He is not done with me.
I believe the acquisition of knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a waste of time. We acquire knowledge to change the way we live. I want to share with you how to make God’s word applicable to our everyday lives.
If Christ isn't my first waking thought, I'm going back to bed.
Scripture says…