Freedom: Part 1

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of prison to them that are bound. Isaiah 61:1

Freedom: Part 1
It started, I believe, on January 13 of this year. I told my Higher Power that I was done running into invisible walls and hurting people around me when I tried to force my way through them. I told Him what I wanted, and said I would do anything – anything He asked of me in order to change.
The answer was slightly surprising to me. I was to write a book. About freedom. What surprised me even more was that I was to finish it by the time I went to Arizona – a mere four weeks away. I’d told Him I would do anything, however, and I meant it.
Fast forward three and one-half weeks. I had put together one presentation for Arizona, but the overall flow of the day, especially my portion of it, had not yet been completed. I’d experienced some of the most intense soul searching moments yet during those three weeks, and the process of writing had given me more insights than I knew were there to be had. Yet there I was, three and one-half weeks into the experience, knowing I still had much to do to prepare to speak, not to mention travel arrangements and my day-to-day work. Physically, I did not feel well either, and I wanted to save my strength for the youth I would be addressing that weekend. Even more, although the writing was not quite finished, I felt I’d learned the lesson I was to learn through the writing process. It was time for me to move on, prepare for the Arizona forum, and maybe catch up a little on the sleep I’d been missing.
I went to bed. Thirty minutes later, my phone rang. I answered to C’s voice. It had been months since we talked, but he’d had some life changes and he wanted me to mentor him again. Through the course of our conversation, I realized that I couldn’t just give it up, even with such a small amount to finish. I got up and got to work.
The writing was completed on schedule. Thank heavens for C. This meant, however, that I did not have time prepare a polished speech for the rest of my Arizona audience. I left trusting that it would all work out, just as God had said it would. He said that if I would do my part in writing the book, He would take care of the rest.
According to the promise, everything did work out. Lives were changed in Arizona, including mine. As has often happened to me before, words and ideas came in the moment they were needed. After the conference was over, my speaking partners and I were able to go to this beautiful building, which in itself was a miracle.


This was only the beginning.