My Health and Strength

Goliath stood at 10 foot but was reduced to 6 as he kneeled on his knees to let out loud amounts of laughter. David stood at 5'7 with only 17 years of mileage on his young frame. David continued his sentence that produce the laughter that spread through the philistine camp,"Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head." Breaking his laugh, Goliath rushed forward to mutilate the young boy. As he had done when the bears and the lions charged his position, David removes the rock from his sling but this time is different. 

 When God throws a stone from a man, its not a thing in this world that can live to tell about it. When I was a senior in High School my hormones overcame my love for God. I've always loved Jesus and I have always desired to follow him but when you are the butt of every 3rd wheel date as a teenager you tend to abandon what's important. She was a senior too and I knew what I could do, because she was known for her relationships with guys and all I want was one time. Well I'm not good at being in someone's  life for one time and before I knew it was in love with sex. 

  She had cheated on me and I knew it without actually knowing it but God was calling out to me. He was trying to break me of the hold  sex had on me. I knew I didn't love her but the sinful moments we had was what I loved. Then God used the stone that was Auburn to drop the giant but the  giant didn't fall easy. Claims of pregnancy began to reverberated as the ground shook from the giant's fall. I remember crying desperately on my knees for hours asking God not to give me a child, for I knew I wouldn't go to school just to provide for what would be my family. Then I got the call that finished the giant, "I'm not pregnant."

It was these famous thieves from Chicago that always stopped by a church to pray before they pulled a job. Someone asked them, "What did they always pray for, forgiveness?" The robbers said, We ask God for Health and Strength, and We'll steal the rest." We pray for so many things in life: God I want that girl, I want that job, I want that car but when our health come into question everything fades away. As a sophomore in college I started to notice bumps forming in place they shouldn't be, my lips and other areas without getting into specifics. I also felt very sick a lot of the time. The thought crossed my mine that maybe I escaped children but still found consequences of my sin. I've never felt so helpless as I waited for the call of Nurse Judy to give the results of what coursed through my body. I thought about all the stats she gave me, like 1 in 3 college students have an STD or that your 85% at risk of catch anything with a condom. Did I lose all my future for one time? As the phone ranged to give information that would transformed my life, I told Jesus I would steal the rest if he gave me health and strength.

 Lord I'll steal a beautiful wife that follows you, Lord I'll steal a job that puts me on a stage that glorifies you,and  Lord I'll steal children that shall be raised in you and your likeliness. I missed the call, so I called back and I've never been more happy to hear negative, negative, negative, negative, and negative. A second chance to be a father was unjustly given so like David exclaimed before God as his stones from heaven dismantled a giant. I shall proclaim God's beautiful grace that save me and gave a second chance. I pray that you may hear my story only to avoid the mistake I made. I only did it a couple times with one person but just that one time almost stole my health and strength.                     

My Father's Name

"Diane, I want you to change my son last name to Curry." That's what my dad told my moma over and over again throughout the years of my life, while he lived. It's good to still hear her tell that story even if I've heard it one more time than I needed too. I was had out of wedlock but the lock was secured soon after that and my parents never spent a day without each other until.....

 I like to tell a story of how my dad told me not to drink  right before he died, it's actually no truth to that at all. He actually died before I could visit him, but his cold hand that I held that was alive just 5 minutes ago wrapped in mine made me promise as if he was alive. I told him I would learn from his mistakes and live a life free of the thing that destroyed him and decapitated our family. For the most part every word I whispered to my father that day I have kept and honored.

We have all heard the Lord works out things for the good of those who love him and who he loves. Since November of my 5th grade year of elementary school, I have believed with all my soul that is why I am fatherless today. I still do, I am a greater extension of my father who fell to his addictions. The main reason he died is to teach me not to succumb to mine. We are all linked to what was done wrong the generation before us and in a way it's our job, life mission, purpose, and struggle to do better than what was left to us. From the garden, to the red sea, and on to the cross, it all follows us. I challenge you to find whatever your parents are ignorant too, fell short of, dropped the ball on, or didn't even care about and do it better than they did it. We all hold a piece to the broken world shattered before our time. Are you willing to join me to put this world together?

You know if the kind lady that I may one day share a marriage with allows me to name my son RJ (Ronald Junior) out of hope to fulfill my father's wish, I could die a happy man. Most importantly because he will know that he is only here because of the lessons taught by his father's father and that he is responsible for being a better man than his forefathers to this world and his family. I guess that would make dad a martyr,and he would definitely think that was worth dying for.