‘God can turn your mess into a message’
GARCIANNE MORRISON’S testimony stands in line with the many others who can relate to the words of international singer Donnie McClurkin’s lyrics: “A saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.”
The 23-year-old woman told Family and Religion that she grew up fascinated by persons moving in the Spirit.
According to her, she longed to be like or greater than them, but unbeknown to her, the Christian journey was not a walk around the park.
It was at age 12 when she got permission from her mother to get baptised.
“I led on the choir, moderated children service, youth meeting was my favourite thing, until I started to shift my focus from God to ‘other things’, and though I was still going to church, my relationship with God grew cold. [I was] fornicating, my prayer life got dormant, I was searching for a love that only God could really give me. I was making a fool of myself because God can’t be fooled, many times I’d sin yet still want to pray then take part in church and feel like it was okay because God will forgive me, then next week or so, I’d do the same thing again,” she said, adding that she knew it was wrong but her flesh was very weak.
Morrison revealed that she eventually got pregnant while still a member of the Church.
She recalled how hard the period was for her, admitting that at one point, she made up her mind to accept whatever her fate may have been, including Hell. But she said God never gave up on her. “He had a purpose for me. Still attending church, I was tormented at nights, my dreams were terrifying, I got warnings in my sleep, I was uneasy, unhappy and miserable.
“One night, I dreamt that a flood came and washed me in a gully. The water was muddy and stony. I yelled, ‘Lord! No! Help!’ and when I almost reached in the water to be hit by a rock, I shouted ‘I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.’
“Immediately, I started to rise in the air and the water was drying up. I saw someone in a white robe and He said, ‘Take heed, I am clearing the way’, and then I was washed at my pastor’s feet,” she reminisced.
DOING GREAT THINGS
Morrison said since she resurrendered her life to God, He has been doing great things through her.
She noted the importance of “feeding the spirit”, adding that she tunes in online to the lessons of Dr Juanita Bynum, her spiritual role model.
According to Morrison: “I’m not where I want to be yet, but I still manage to press [along]! It’s since been some good years holding on to His unchanging hands, and trials are still many, but one thing I know now that I didn’t know then, I am purpose, and purpose, cannot die! God can turn your mess into a message, and I want to
encourage young people out there struggling with sexual weaknesses and other sins, believe me when I tell you that God can!”