Staff Writer - Carol Cato
As I walked away from Paula, I had a flash-back of my life…. most of my boys are dead, Shawn got a bullet in his head. ‘Hugs’ ended up in a mental institution after deciding it was better to use the dope instead of selling. Jerry was the only Brother that made it out; he met a lady name Beth, and did the settling down thing. I’d been stabbed, knocked unconscious, imprisoned. When I look back at what I’d come through it could have only been the Grace of God that saved me.
My mother is a good Christian; she was always on her knees praying for me. I use to say to her “Mum, God can’t give me what I have now!” I told her “you sit and pray, but you’re still struggling to survive”. I thought I was happy. I led an exciting life, I had respect, but on the street, everything came at a price, life was short, always looking over your shoulder for the police or the next brother wanting to take your patch.
But now, I’m stepping out in faith. I thought you had to be a good person to be a Christian, never thought God would want me! I thought I was The Man. Yet somehow, in the middle of all the craziness in my life, I managed to get a University Degree – God has been with me longer than I knew.
A few months after moving back to my parents home, I was offered a job in Atlanta. I didn’t want to go, but I had a feeling the Lord needed me to leave town. I’d never been to Atlanta, but knew it’s where my destiny lay. I arrived in Atlanta a day before I started my new job and I found an apartment. I’d Let my home in Brooklyn and left the three other condos to the mothers of my children. I only had a little money in the bank and a job I knew very little about.
When I arrived at the office, I didn’t feel a good vibe. But I believed that God had sent me here, so I couldn’t have got it wrong. There was a reason why I was there; I’d stepped out in faith, leaving everything behind, just like Abraham, walking away from his family and friends. But despite my efforts, after a few months I knew the job wasn’t for me. During this time, I had found myself a local church and became friends with the Pastor, John. We talked regularly about my life and about my situation. I asked Pastor John why God would send me to a job that I didn’t like and a town I didn’t know. Pastor John reassured me I was here for a reason, it might not have been the job, and he urged me to be patient. He reminded me that Christianity is not easy, that I needed to pray in order to find out what God wanted for my life. At home that night, I got on my knees and prayed, I cried as I surrendered all to him.
I finally left the job, I couldn’t take another day. I could live on the money I had for a while, but I would need to find another job. The US was in the middle of a recession and jobs were hard to find and I questioned whether leaving my job was wise. I wanted to hear from God. I spent my time looking for a job and studying my bible. I joined a local gym and met a young lady named Karen. Karen lived local and was a practicing Christian; we got on very well and within a few months we were dating. In my heart, I felt the Lord told me this was the lady for me, I knew I wanted her to be my wife..
One night, while watching the television I noticed a commercial for franchises in a well known restaurant and made a note of the number. Without a job things were really bad. How life has changed for me, from living the high life to now living in a rented apartment, trying to scrape together money to buy food. One morning as I was praying in the spirit I heard God’s voice reminding me about the number for the franchise that I had put in the drawer a week ago and forgotten about. I called the company and was invited to their offices the next day. I liked what I heard and felt if I could get the money together I could make it work. I called Karen after the meeting to let her know how I got on. While talking to her I had the desire to ask her to marry me. I invited her over to my place later. Karen didn’t seem herself that evening but I didn’t question it. Instead, I went down on one knee I said “Karen, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” I waited to hear “Yes”, but she said “NO.”
Continued next week……
