Many people wonder how I ended up here in Texas. I usually tell them it is a long story and the short version is I had to move to Texas. I used to feel trapped here and a captive of circumstances. The truth is, I am EXACTLY where I am supposed to be. God has our lives already planned out for us. We are usually the ones who get in the way and alter His plans through the choices we make. Sometimes it is because of choices other people make and we get caught in the crossfire, so to speak. It would be so much easier for us if we just listened to Him and followed the path He has already designed for us. I'm glad I have been through all of the different experiences and valleys I have walked through. If you don't go through the valley first, you cannot fully appreciate the mountain top you eventually stand on.
So here is my brief testimony of how God has used painful events in my life for a greater good. I would not change a single minute of my life. I have discovered exactly where I am meant to be and the purpose God has put me here on this Earth. I am forever grateful for my wonderful son, Joshua Caleb, that God has entrusted me to raise and for the ministry and dream God has placed in my heart!
I was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Orange County to upper-middle class parents. My parents provided me with a solid foundation that I would use later on in life to raise my own son. I was a competitive figure (ice) skater in the late 1970's and early 1980's and my mother was my biggest fan. My life was wrapped up in my mother's existence and in March of 1980, her unexpected death (at the age of 45) sent me on a downward spiral filled with hopelessness, despair, and feelings of abandonment. I stayed strong, tried to be the perfect daughter, and the champion skater. I had developed an eating disorder during that time and started self-destructive behaviors all the while still remaining the "good daughter" and the dedicated skater. I tried committing suicide and had a nervous breakdown ten months later at the age of 16. These events would later lead me into retiring from my skating career at 18, risky behavior the later part of my Senior year, and into a dangerous marriage the year following high school graduation. Throughout the marriage, I was the victim of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by my husband. My father died suddenly during my first year of marriage and because of the abuse and isolation, I was not able to be that close to him. When it became clear that I was still not safe even after the divorce, had to leave California to come to Texas. My plan was to only stay with an aunt for a few months until reporting to Army Boot Camp. That's right, with no immediate family and no real future, I decided on a new life and wanted to join the Army and become a medic. However, that was not to be and I am grateful for the son I got instead.
At this point I was still walking with God and had a relationship with Him, yet I was still struggling with issues from my past. A few months after moving to Texas, I found myself pregnant, alone, and with no real permanent home. I did know that God was the source for everything and if I was going to give my child a future I would have to go to college. With God's grace, mercy, and educating myself on financial aid options, I began college. It was a long, tough walk along that part of my journey raising my baby alone, going to school full-time, working, and taking the bus everywhere since I could not afford a car.
Despite living in poverty for many years and all the hardships that come with it, I continued pressing on toward my goal. I knew that with every step I took, God was walking right there beside me. Earning my Associate's Degree in Medical Assisting Technology was not enough since I needed more money to become totally self-sufficient and not require assistance throughout my son's life. I decided to stay in school and embarked on a four year degree in education to become a teacher.
Earning my Bachelor's Degree was no easy feat. It was a long, hard struggle still filled with poverty, sacrifices, and courage. Some days I don't know how I did it at all. Many nights were spent in tears because how hard it was, but God was in the middle of it all providing a way for everything as I took each step toward a better future. I started working on my Master's Degree in Education immediately after I graduated with my Bachelor's. God blessed me with a full-time teaching position at a high school six months after receiving my teaching degree and certificate.
Through all these years I have been walking with God and talking with Him each day. I still face the same struggles and trials that everyone faces. I have been growing and maturing in my walk. Through daily prayer, faith, perseverance, learning from great teachers at my church, and a deep relationship with Christ I have overcome many of the things from my past that have followed me through the years. I now live life as a victor with Christ by my side instead of as a victim. In one chapter of my book, I characterize myself as a "little girl" lost and alone in the world. That is not the case today! God has truly turned my mourning into dancing and I sing praises to the Lord daily ( I really do! I get the honor of singing for Him all the time and during praise and worship at church as part of the Summit Christian Center choir).
I know God is waiting to do the same for you! All you have to do is ask Him, then trust Him, take a chance, and go for it! He loves you too much to let you stay the way you are today. He wants you to have a life filled with grace, peace, joy, and abundance. He is waiting for you to call on Him! Do it now, you won't ever regret it!!
God is my heavenly father, my Abba Father (my daddy), and my husband. It is amazing all the wonderful things He has done in my life. It isn't all smooth sailing. God never said He would make things perfect for us. But He has promised that His burden is easy and His yoke is light. If we focus on Him, He is with us through all of our trials, tragedies, heartbreaks, and struggles. Never focus on your circumstances. Keep you eyes focused on God.
God has totally blessed me through all of these trials. It has been 29 years since my mom died and I begin that downward spiral, but God has always been there for me and has never left me. I know He never will. My son will be 17 in a month and a wonderful young man of God who loves serving people, especially kids. God recently made a way for me to be in a big house, in a wonderful location, and with enough space to run my ministry and help other single mothers out there. The next house He will provide will be Oasis House, the transitional maternity home He has put in my heart to build. Please pray with me about God making provision for His vision here in San Antonio. Blessings to all of you!!!
Chelle4him
aka: Michelle Rodriguez
http://www.riversofgraceministry.org
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