The Christian Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

Amen.

My story begins in Houston, TX, on November 7,1978. By all accounts of that day it was a normal and wonderful beginning to a new life and a new story to be written. Then, just as in any good book, story, and movie, the plot thickens and there is a plot twist. The first twist and turn that would be woven into the pages of my life is that when I was two months old it would be discovered that I was born totally blind. The first expression that would be fitting of my story would be science and medicine comes so far, and then comes God. This would be very true for me. The doctors had no idea why I was born blind and there seemed to be no explanation for this. Then when I was 7 months old we saw God showing up in a big way in the very beginning of my life’s journey. When I was 7 months old, I was given my sight and I could see. I was blessed by God performing a miracle in my life. Although I have been and am legally blind, it was the most miraculous healing and blessing, for I was still granted my sight. In and through this it has designed the beginning of my life and given a message through my unique story to share with others.

As my journey continued I would come to the start of my journey of faith at the age of 5, when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, made the decision to believe in Jesus, and make my profession of faith. Throughout my younger years I faced many difficulties and trials as a result of my legal blindness. I had many struggles in school related to my disability and in my social life for most of my life, where I encountered much rejection. I dealt with much throughout my life in different areas, such as not being enough, not being sufficient, not being competent, among other things that have been a source of much struggle for me in my journey.

Fast forward to my adulthood following college. I would continue my story and journey that would now include the heartbreaking experience of a difficult marriage, to followed with a divorce by the age of 26. Once again, God showed up and brought to a place in my journey of faith another challenge and struggle. It would be in the spring of 2005 following my divorce that I would see where this difficult journey would lead me to. In Spring of 2005 I would meet the man who would become my husband in 2007 and be the father of my two children. John Cox became my Noah, my Boaz, and the love of my life. We had an amazing journey and love story beyond my wildest dreams. But unfortunately, our journey in this life would come to an unexpected, abrupt, and swift close with the passing and loss of my beloved John in April 2017.

This brings me to the most recent part of my journey through my faith and the path I now travel in my life’s journey. Even though my life has been filled with struggle and difficult challenges up to and until this point of April 2017, there has never been a point in my journey that was as hard or more difficult than the journey I now travel as a widow and solo mom, all  while being legally blind. I say all this not to shine a light on my life and all that I have journeyed through, but to share my story and a message. Also, I say all this to say that even though I have written the book on faith, Scriptures, spirituality, and culture today, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know everything. No one can because we are all different and have different life experiences and journeys. Seeking the truth of our faith will be different and our own individual journey that we travel in this life.

I do know this, if nothing else: that the only thing and way we have to travel through this life is our faith. There is only one path to the one true faith in Jesus Christ and the gift of God’s love and hope through the gift of salvation. It is this path and this path alone that we can travel to know the truth, be set free, and be saved, and find the greatest treasure that we could ever seek: our faith, hope, salvation, and new life in Jesus Christ and God the Father. I also know it’s because of this alone that I’m still here and standing, despite all that I have been faced with and walked through in my journey through life. I may not have all the answers. My journey hasn’t been without much and great struggle or challenges or without issues, some hard conversations and questions, maybe some evidence of argument, and much uncertainty, which still continues today as I continue to travel my newest path. This is the truth: that I know I don’t have all the answers, my faith in Jesus is the reason I’m still here and standing through it all, I have been given a story to share, and the only answers that can be found are in Jesus Christ and with my walk and faith in God. I hope in this book and all my writings to give a fresh perspective and provide food for much thought for consideration as each of us travel our own journey in this life. We all are traveling the path before us as we journey through this life, we are all seeking answers and the truth, and we are all making our way through this life and finding our own way. May we all realize we are all traveling through the same life and having our own journey, but may we all strive to seek and find the truth and learn to walk in faith in our own life journey.