Back by popular demand is Believe.com’s second “I’m a Believer” campaign, celebrating some of the newest Christian contributors and community members who are committed to sharing their faith and advice. We hope their transparent honesty will inspire your personal walk with Jesus as well.
Letisha Hines recently joined the Believe.com team of contributors. She would like to share with you her testimony of why she believes in Jesus Christ, as well as why she is thrilled to share her faith with the Believe.com community. To view more testimonials and other contributors, click the banner above.
Just because I was raised Chrisitian did not make me a believer. Then everything changed. I’m Letisha Hines, and this is my story.
Raised as a Believer
Growing up in a family of pastors and ministers, it’s easy for one to assume that my relationship with the Lord was inherited and easy to understand. Quite the contrary, though baptized at an early age and very involved in church and all the activities and traditions that came along with it, I can honestly say that I did not come to truly know God as my Savior and Lord until a series of events, which resulted in great losses, brought me to a place of emptiness, loneliness and grave despair.
When It All Fell Apart
My most vivid recollection of my “come to Jesus” happened after graduating from college where I found myself at a crossroads. It was Valentine’s Day, and my father, who since childhood I considered to be my forever Valentine, dies less than a year before and I struggled to comprehend how my life was to be in the years to come without him. In addition to that grief, it was a strange time in my life where within several months time I was in a car accident, was experiencing difficulties at work, and was without a place to live, finding places of respite at the generosity of loving friends. In addition to all of these woes, I was stitching patchwork on a 7+ year relationship that was once headed toward marital bliss and now was sure to be a huge bust!
When God Saved My Life – Literally
So this particular Valentine’s Day I found myself on the road headed home from a very uneventful Valentine’s Day and with the weight of all I was dealing with came crashing down and I felt very helpless and hope was fading fast. It was in that moment that I felt as though the only way I could be relived of my angst and emotional turmoil was to run my car off the highway or into the center divider with the hopes of ending my life. The mere thought of it gave a glimmer of false peace, but before I could fully resign to it, I had to first build up my courage. After a series of thoughts which convinced me that everyone else would be better off without me since I had been such a huge disappointment to them (in my mind) I finally resolved to taking my life. I started to increase my speed on the highway and at the moment I decided to execute my poorly planned suicide, I heard a voice, that I know was no one else but God, say to me ever so softly, “But I love you!”
How Could God Love ME?
It caught me off guard. But I knew it was God. My response to Him was, “No! If you loved me then…” I was at a loss for words. And then again I heard those words again, just as sweet as the first time, “But, I love you!” This time when I heard the words from God, I felt a literal warmth inside of me that I can best describe as a hug on the inside of my soul. The grief in my heart that I held since my father’s death began to swell in my soul and pour from my eyes as tears and I began to state my case as to why I was justified in taking my life. I felt like such a failure, a disappointment to say the least. The image I had of myself sharply contrasted with my reality and I couldn’t see a way out of the pressure I felt in my life at that time. Before I knew it, I was flooded with songs. Songs I never heard before. They were beautiful and they spoke my heart and how I was feeling in that moment. But the difference in what the song conveyed was a hope beyond my present state in life.
Jesus Changed Everything
Face swollen from crying and unsure of where I was, after gathering my bearing I realized that I was almost home! I made it home…alive. In that moment, though raised in a family of believers, I can truly say that I met the God, Lord and Savior of my life and soul! The rest of the night I stayed awake writing songs for the first time in my life, a number of which have gone on to be recorded and sung by choirs. The message of hope I received that night saved my life and had I not been willing to receive His everlasting, pity-party-crashing, rescuing love, I would never have met my phenomenal husband, my beautiful children nor would I have lived to see the day when the grief and loneliness of a now small season of my life, has become a testimony that has encouraged many others to live to see another day!
Jesus is First and Always Will Be
So, if someone were to ask me if any of my life’s roles as a wonderful mother, loving wife, compassionate pastor, and caring friend to others would be used to best describe who I am, my answer would be a definitive and resounding, “No!” I am a believer in Jesus Christ, Lover of my soul and Savior of my life! I am not because my mother or father raised me to know Him, which they did, but rather because I’ve had an undeniable encounter with the Creator of the Universe who thought so much of me to meet on a dark highway traveling home one night, to tell me how much He loved me to save not only my life but also the life of my marriage and children to come, as well as the many lives He’s graced me to touch over the years in offering a sliver of hope in sharing what He did for me that unforgettable night.
Find Letisha Online!
When Letisha isn’t busy raising three kids under 11 years old and working as a pastor in a steadily growing church, you can find her posting and writing throughout the web. Drop her a note and say hello. We promise – she’s a friendly, Godly person who has a pretty rockin’ style if we do say so ourselves.
Website:
She pastors a beautiful church in California’s San Fernando Valley. Check it out!
http://hopeshouse.com/about-us/our-pastors
She and her husband teach organizations and individuals about leadership. Are you ready to grow in this area?
In her “spare” time, Letisha is a professional singer, songwriter and author of a new book coming out this Fall. We’ll definitely be featuring her work throughout Believe.com, but get a sneak preview here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letisha.ducreehines?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HHCM_I_Am_HOPE
