As I reflect on my early childhood memories and try to pinpoint when I first heard from God, I couldn't recall the very first time. However, I do remember a few stories that are close to my heart. Many of these stories involved adults telling me that God does not communicate in that way. But let's begin with this one.
As a child, I distinctly remember "knowing" things and being asked, "How do you know that?" My response would always be, "I don't know." I am incredibly grateful that I now understand and recognize this form of communication in my life. It may have taken me years to realize it, but I am thankful for recognizing "the voice." Some people refer to it as intuition, their conscience, inner wisdom, and so on. For me, it's not an audible voice but an internal whisper from God providing me with information.
I think back to when my sister had her first child at the age of 17, and the story of her telling my mom she was pregnant. My mom was on the phone with someone and mentioned that Erica, my sister, and her boyfriend were coming over for dinner to talk. Instantly, I heard "the voice," and I blurted out that she was pregnant. My mom turned and gave me an incredulous look, shocked that I would say something so seemingly ridiculous. She was also horrified, contemplating the possibility of my statement being true. At that time, I had no knowledge of the situation or even thought about the activities my sister might be involved in. But when my mom made that comment, a deep knowing surged within me, and it became evident that what I had said was indeed true. Later that night, my sister confirmed to my mom that she was pregnant. I was only 12 years old at the time.
Years later, in my twenties, I continued to hear other things from that inner voice of deep knowing. I often asked myself, "How could I possibly know this?" About six years later, my sister had her second child. She wasn't in a financially stable position to raise more children, according to societal standards, and her relationship at the time was far from ideal. My sister decided to marry her boyfriend in a court ceremony, which our family did not attend. However, my relatives gathered to throw her a reception, and it was during this event that I heard "the voice" again.
As my relatives discussed my sister's situation and how challenging it would be for her to get her life on track, my mother made a comment, saying, "I hope this is it." I smiled because, once again, I heard "the voice" telling me that my sister was going to have a total of six children. With a playful and mischievous spirit, I decided to humor and startle my family by saying it out loud, "She's GOING TO HAVE 6 KIDS!" The look on their faces was priceless. My mom responded with, "Yeah, let's hope not." At the time, my mom likely couldn't fathom such a notion. Yet, 19 years later, my sister gave birth to her sixth child. With the arrival of the third, fourth, and fifth children, I kept reminding my family of what I had said: "There's more coming." I took immense pleasure in that.
Looking back and pondering why God showed me this information, I believe it was to prepare my mom for the news of each pregnancy. When I initially mentioned that there would be six children, I think God wanted to ease the shock and prepare her. Each pregnancy was a surprise and a genuine blessing. I am blessed with the most beautiful nephews and nieces: Johnathan, Jacob, Jayden, Jenna, Journey, and my sixth, the love bug Josiah.
I thank God for His blessings, His voice, His perfect timing, and His sense of humor. Thank you for choosing me as the messenger.
Erica, I want to express my gratitude for your courage and commitment in raising such a beautiful family. Children are a precious gift, and each one of your kids is a shining example of how truly amazing God is.
