My (Our) God Is A Keeper

My name is Sharon Clark-Taylor. My birthday is February 20,1965. I'm a wife, mother of two and grandmother of three. My life before Christ. Well, I always went to church being that my grandfather was a Pastor/Bishop of the church I attended. We (my mother, brother and myself) lived with my grandparents. Those where the good old days. As a young child up until my teenage years, I always received love from my mother. My father loved me in his own way, but... he had a sickness. He would call me names, beat me (last beating at 14) and tell me I wasn't going to be anything in life. With that being said, the love I wasn't getting from my father I would try to get it from other boys. At the age of 15 is when I lost the most important part of me. As I have grown and matured into the woman I am now and knowing what I know now I would have waited until I was married... but I didn't. (1 Corinthians 6: 18-20). At the age of 18, I had my son. In order to support my son and myself I received welfare for a couple of months. One day I had to go to the welfare office for an appointment. I was upset because I had to sit there so long waiting on someone to assist. With that being said, I had to forget about welfare and get a job. My (Our) God is a Keeper. In the midst of God keeping me, I was still in and out of relationships. Not giving myself a break in between break-ups. Some of the relationships I was in were verbally and physically abusive. I would allow guys to use my car while I was working and would have to wait for them to pick me up like it was their car. I would spend money on guys trying to buy their love. I was living this type of lifestyle while still going to Sunday School, singing in the choir and ushering (Revelation 3: 15-16). Keeping it real. Thank the Lord I didn't get any type of disease from the way I was living. My (Our) God is a Keeper.

At the age of 26, I had my daughter. After I gave birth to my daughter I found myself torn between two men. One I really was in love with and the other I settled with. I'm just keeping it real- I married the one I settled with in 1995. When you do not put God first and you settle, things do not work out as you planned. (Proverbs 3:6). In 2001, we were divorced. Although I was divorced, I didn't allow myself time to heal from that marriage. I went right into another relationship and a year after my divorce (2001) I was married again. Even though this is the person I wanted to be with all along. I didn't give myself space. At that time, I was selfish. I was thinking about myself and not my children.

The second marriage put a strain on my relationship with my children (especially my daughter). As I stated earlier, me being the age I am now and knowing what I know I would have sought the Lord for guidance. Single parents: do not put anyone before your children. If they accept you but don't accept your children, then that is not the man or woman God has for you. You will be surprised how deeply our children can be affected by our decisions and relationships (marriages & dating) we choose. When starting a new relationship, don't introduce them to your children right away. I always knew I needed Christ in my life. As I stated earlier, I was raised in church. Being raised in church but not living the life that you're confessing is not a good way to live. Keeping it real- My true walk with Christ began 5 years ago. The first step I had to make was to truly forgive my father for what happened in our relationship (Colossians 3:13). I had to ask my children for forgiveness and most of all, I had to let go of the guilt I had towards myself wishing I could go back and change things. Like any relationship, you have to put time in for you to get something out. I started reading and praying more. As my mother would always tell me, put God first in everything you do. Walking with Christ has been GREAT!!! He is a Provider, Healer, Mender of broken hearts and relationships. Yes, there will still be good times and bad times. Just stay faithful and know, with the help of the Lord, you can do all things.