What Is Your Story?

A little over a year ago, I attended a prison revival. Not as a participant, but as an inmate. During that time, I met some phenomenal people in my life and heard quite a few amazing stories.  The prison chaplains all over the state organized this revival and put it together every year to touch lives and win souls to Christ.  I went one particular night and the teaching was given by Mr. Michael Randle of Kansas City, MO. His beautiful wife, Linda Tate Randle, delivered the song. These 2 grasped my attention from the word go because first, they looked like my parents and second Luke 15 is one of my most favorite chapters in the Bible.  The parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son all share the same meaning and in so many ways I could relate. I felt like God was talking directly to me through clones of my folks!

I wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it!  It didn't matter who I had to get through to get it!  At no point in my life did I consider myself disrespectful, but when I think about it, I was! Very disrespectful. Disrespectful to my husband, to my boys, my extended family and even to myself!  Shoot, I was even disrespecting the Man upstairs!  By taking matters into my own hands and not waiting on Him showed my lack of trust in Him.  "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." (Isaiah 40:31) is my favorite Bible verse, but that made me hypocritical in some aspects, because I prayed for God to make away; all the while clearing the path myself.

The message was phenomenal. I cried and cried because my soul was injured. I knew that God has a way of gaining your attention.  He used Mr. and Mrs. Randle to talk to me in song and in Truth!  Lord was I blessed! So much that I had to share my story with them.  They both prayed for me and she even told me that God was going to do something miraculous in my life (remember this statement) and I needed to be ready because it was going to happen soon! My story was going to touch souls. They couldn't wait to read my story, and they HAD to stay in touch with me. Get ready to make my ministry worldwide. WOW....yeah that's the same thing I said.

The next day, I mentioned the story to one of the volunteer chaplains that were there. She asked me if I had read the Daily Bread a few days before as I shared with her that I wanted to write a book about my journey. I told her that I hadn't (which was the one day I missed). She had THAT PARTICULAR DAY torn out of her Daily Bread and in her Bible. She didn't know why she had because she never done so but felt led to.  She then told me that it was meant for me!  The entry was called "Story Time" and was dated January 26, 2013 and the scripture reference was 2 Corinthians 3:1-11 "You are an epistle of Christ...written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." Her name was Ms. Emma and she told me she would look every week in the stores for my book. THE SAME THING THE RANDLES TOLD ME!

A few weeks later, I heard it again...My story would be a bestseller and they couldn't wait to read it! During that time away I had been writing a story about my life and had come to a standstill.  But just before I transferred facilities; I heard from a really good friend and sister in Christ: GOD IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING MIRACULOUS THROUGH YOU!  BE READY SISTER, BE READY TO MOVE IN A WAY THAT GOD INSTRUCTS YOU! Me, in denial, just agreed.

Fast forward to last night...Saturday night. I was at a Bar & Grill with my husband for a little dancing to a local live band.  We had a ball and this one particular lady I've never met before in my life, said to me "I love your spirit! It is so warm and refreshing! GOD IS GETTING READY TO DO SOMETHING MIRACULOUS IN YOUR LIFE!" I instantly teared up because this lady NEVER met me before and to hear that from a complete stranger (like the Randles) was total confirmation from me! I told her I receive that in the name of Jesus! Lord, I receive it! 

All day Easter Sunday, this has been on my mind.  What story am I telling to the world about me? Is my walk and talk aligning? Are my testimonies touching the heart or are they bouncing upon deaf ears? Are those who I support wholeheartedly supportive of what I am attempting to do? Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that "he who has an ear, let him hear..." I have come to realize that I may never meet the person that my story touches. The person that needs to hear motivational words may not ever press "like" or "share" and it doesn't mean I should stop. I am not doing this for me! My life is not my own. When I decided to pick up my cross and follow Jesus, I let go of what others think of me. I let go of how others feel and just be obedient. Each person that shared the will of God for my life didn't know the particulars of my situation and each time....EVERY SINGLE TIME...I was going through something in my life, unbeknownst to others...CAN'T be a lie! I KNOW that God has something in store for me!  I KNOW that God is going to bless me! I KNOW as a lady in prison told me that I am "GOD'S CHILD" (her nickname for me). I KNOW I have favor! I KNOW all of this! So who am I to let MAN define me. Let MAN talk me down from what my FATHER has promised me! Every moment of my life is a testimony to the goodness of God! How He has brought me out of the muck and the miry clay! If you don't want to hear about that, then that's your loss!  But God has been so good......I JUST CAN'T KEEP IT TO MYSELF! So all that stuff you THINK you know about me, check your sources baby...God has just started with me, and He ain't finished yet!