A Witness Account
The Gospel or good news is the same story told four ways. A witness account from different perspectives. While one account or point of view might not catch your attention you might very well turn to the next book in the Bible and be able to see yourself on those pages. How is it even possible? Well with God, all things are possible and I have come to live to tell that He definitely makes it a habit of doing some pretty impossible things!
I have a love for writing. I write out my thoughts and my emotions on a regular basis. It is a physical act of clearing my mind. Not only do I write out my thoughts but also I keep my writings and my journals and every now and again I go back and read what I wrote years ago. At the beginning of this year, I reorganized and decluttered a storage closet in my home. I gathered a box full of journals and nicely placed them in a storage bin. After seeing how many I had, I became curious of the stories they held. I sat down on the floor of my family room and while surrounded by a very unfinished projected I decided to skim through just to look at the dates of some and to read what was in them. I have to say it took forever to complete that project but here I am in November still thinking about some of those entries. To read the words and have the ability to compare my growth and life from then to now was mind blowing. For the most part, I vividly remember a large majority of those entries. I pictured where exactly I was while writing and could easily almost feel my state of mind at that very time. God allowed me that quiet time to read and rethink on not just the emotions but also the growth and the strength and the changed perspective. As I flipped from one book to another I was able to see a consistent change and visibly see how God has matured me step by step.
The shocking part of that time of reading was not my words but His words. There were pages where God had given me a word for myself and I had forgotten all about it. I find it easier to remind others of what God said about them and encourage them, out of excitement of what is to come, than it is to do so for myself. It took some quiet time to realize I generally am not talking to myself about myself so it is harder to remember certain things. That is why writing it down is such a benefit.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
While I am able to look back on past entries and perspective, it gives me hope for my future. Not because I see it as some perfect walk of life but I have my own testimony and my own perspective of God’s grace and His hand upon my life. I do not have to rely on someone else to remind me of what He is able to do; I can remind myself with my own words! Now imagine if there were multiple people giving firsthand accounts of your life or my life for a certain period. In addition, those same people took their perspective, wrote it down, and pieced it all together. What would that story look like? When someone says ‘looking from the outside in’, they are giving a different perspective. And, to know that you can have those different perspectives and they are all created around one life, one journey, one story.
The Gospel gives hope to the lost; it gives hope to the forgotten. Not every person you meet or cross paths with can take one view and see it as it is written. Some need more explanation. Some require the picture painted in full color while others prefer it in black and white. We are/were created in His image but we are not all the same yet, one sacrifice was made for us and that shed blood covers us regardless of the detail we require for full visibility.
1 Peter 2:9-10 KJV
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Regardless of our individual paths and what our personal journey requires, our end sight is the Kingdom of God. I will not, you will not always have someone in the moment to remind you of what ‘thus saith the Lord’ and that is where your own account of your journey can be your saving grace. His word spoken over your life written by your hand might be the jarring that you need to pull yourself up and keep going. Keep going so that you can say, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as stated in Philippians 3:14 KJV. This requires constant movement and pressure being applied on our end to get to that high calling. We do not know who is giving a witness account of our life on a daily basis but we can be sure someone is watching.
Rochelle is a native to Las Vegas, Nevada and has been married to her high school sweetheart, Bryan for 20 years. They have three children Daviontae-21, Jordan-19 and Saria-4 years old.
Rochelle’s passion for writing started as a young girl when she used journaling as a way to voice her emotions. Over the years, God has taken something that was solely therapeutic, gave it a voice and is now using it to encourage and uplift women and people from state to state.
Rochelle has worked in healthcare for over 15 years. In her “free” time, she enjoys writing, cooking/baking, creating new recipes and spending time with her family. Having a strong inner circle as well as nurturing the lives of others is very important to her. Rochelle has a passion for encouraging women and helping them to see the value in knowing their self-worth.