As I sit here today, thinking about what a wonderful God we serve, I am fighting back tears.  Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy over the things that God has brought me through and how he has taken care of me down through the years.

 

Pastor Harvey and I were discussing our childhood and our upbringing and how we had SO many opportunities and doors opened for us that we didn't take advantage of. It's so funny, our stories are so very much the same.  We were both given many opportunies to succeed when we were young, but because of our ignorance and bad choices, we came to God through tears and stress. It didn't have to be that way!

 

For me, growing up in a large family, I believe that my childhood was an exception. Because I was the baby of 9, and with so many other people who had needs in the home, I have always wondered how in the world they afforded my lifestyle. My grandmom, my mother and my siblings really made sure that I had the best of everything.

 

I was in the Girl Scouts, I took piano lessons, violin lessions, was in school plays and supported by my family, I was in beauty pageants, participated in different church groups and was exposed to different cultures.  I have to say that for poor folks with all those children, I really did have a good childhood.

 

But I didn't take advantage of those opportunites that my family sacrificed to give me. I was pregnant at 17, lost an awesome opportunity of a college scholarship, became addicted to cocaine and marijana. I married into an abusive relationship and had 2 more children before I was 22.  And the worse reality for me is that I chose this way.  But God is so wonderful and so forgiving that he saved me out of my mess.  He had work for Angela to do and even though he could have left me in that place of darkness, he didn't.  And I'm so glad about it.  I remember one evening when I had enough of the drugs and all of the partying and I went to a service with a friend.  The preacher must have discerned our sorrow because he prayed for us and looked me in my face and he promised me that, that night, was the beginning of a new life for me.

 

Guess what? He was right! God gave ME a second chance.  It's been over 20 years now and sometimes I rejoice like it was yesterday.  Thank you God for my second chance.  I don't know what you have been through in your life, or if you are still in your mess, but know this......God Loves YOU. And the only thing he wants to do, is to use you for his glory.  Surrender today and let God give you a new start.  He is a God of a second chance!

 

 

 

 

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