I am used to being silent, sitting in a corner and pretending like no one can see me. No one can hear me if they don’t notice me, and the voice I had didn’t matter. I hid my talents from others. I wouldn’t volunteer to do more or go in the spotlight. If I didn’t volunteer, then they wouldn’t push me toward the spotlight—the spotlight that is often daunting if you feel others can be critical, judgmental, or try to stuff you in whatever box they thought they could fold you up in.

I learned that my silence gave me a small gift: observance. I watched others, heard others, and witnessed what others were doing. It gave me a chance to see what my silence was costing me. It was costing me the ability to share with the world, or just others around me, things I felt they needed to know.

MY VOICE GREW WITH ME

Being a minister has been a unique experience for me, from leaving the church I thought would lead me and guide me to be a good minister, to finding out that ministry is more than showing up in black and sitting in a pulpit. My voice to tell others about God didn’t stop on Sunday. My voice didn’t go silent on my social media because there were trending dances or sayings. No, my voice grew with me at every stage of my life.

That means my perception of things had to change too. I could no longer accept what I used to know, but rather what was being shown to me as the path I needed to go. In my previous life, as I jokingly like to call it, I only thought about what was important to me and what would press me forward in life. However, circa three years ago, things changed. There became this innate need to tell others about God and that the end was near. It was a pressing that could have only come from the Holy Spirit.

THIS PRESSING BEGAN IN 2019

This pressing began in 2019. This was the year that I received the idea for my book, Let Me Catch the Fire While I Can. I was on a fast for 30 days. No social media, no television, no phone—just me and God. I was only allowed to use the phone and computer at work.

In those moments during that fast, I discovered God in a real and dynamic way. I spent so much time in the Word and with Him that nothing else mattered. Not what made me happy, not what I thought made me successful, not anything the world told me was important. All I could do was feel His presence with me.

I remember very clearly praying, “Lord, if You are with me, give me a sign.” As I was praying, my phone was on my desk. It had been idle and was on the lock screen. All of a sudden, my phone lit up and began to play a song on YouTube. It was “Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone),” sung by People & Songs. YouTube wasn’t open, and my phone was locked.

WHY AUTHORING THIS BOOK WAS SO IMPORTANT

This is why authoring this book was so important. It was a reminder of my relationship with God at that time, it was a reminder of how much I had grown spiritually, and it was a reminder of an assignment that He had given me that wasn’t successfully complete.

Trying to complete something so important seemed so complex, so unachievable. I have been dreaming of being a published author since I was in the eighth grade. I had settled on just having peer-reviewed work being the closest to my authorship dream I would get. I didn’t believe I could do it, and I wasn’t even sure if people would take me seriously enough to read it. I thought about all the negative things you could think of and questioned every question I could think of.

Then I remembered that this book isn’t mine; this book belongs to Christ. Once I let go of that, I began to think bigger. I began to expand my mind of the possibility made by this book. How many people whose names I will never know, whose stories I will never hear, whose growth I will never witness simply because of the impact of this book?

FEAR WILL BIND YOU UP IF YOU LET IT

Fear will bind you up if you let it. If you trust God for His will and purpose in your life, then you will never have to worry about the journey. You should feel comforted that your steps are ordered and whatever is for you will be for you.

Authoring this book allowed me to see the transformation of my life and allowed for me to see God’s purpose for me. Authoring this book didn’t allow me to let fear take over; it allowed me to tread on scorpions and serpents with authority.

I encourage everyone to do what God has told you to do. Perhaps your book isn’t a Christian book, but it has a purpose for His people. So, just start. Starting was hard, the editing was challenging, the push for the vision was at the forefront of my mind every step of the way, but in the end the reward was great. In the end, like me, you will have been obedient and released His will in the Earth.

FROM A BUTTERFLY TO AN EAGLE

Butterflies can fertilize other flowers via butterfly pollination locally. However, an eagle can soar higher than a butterfly. He doesn’t feast on nectar, but he eats meat, much like we should as we mature in God. An eagle can fly higher and longer distances. He is respected everywhere he goes.

My scope of things had to increase from what’s around me to what is possible statewide, nationwide, and global wide. So, don’t think small, think big, and allow the finish work God has for you to come to fruition.