INTRODUCTION

Th date was 9:11, 2016 when I was chosen to dedicate my life to God. Immediately, a transformation began taking place within me. I began to view my life in a whole new way; one filled with possibilities, bright lights and colorful. I started ascribing beautiful colors to all of my experiences, good or bad and they now make up the rainbow tapestry of my life. 

Our lives can be viewed as a work of art. Similar to a painting, we start life on a blank canvas. As time passes, for each experience, depending on the situation and our interpretation of those events, we subconsciously assign them a color. Positive perspectives are often assigned bright colors such as yellow or orange because these experiences allow us the opportunity to develop or grow. In contrast, some of us, far too often, choose dark colors such as black or navy for the experiences we interpret as dark because those experiences often lead us to nurture shame, guilt and or fear. 

It is impossible to control all of the experiences that happen to us in life, but what can always control, is our reactions to them and how we choose to paint them on our canvas of life. Will we paint them as experiences that move us forward or hold us back or treat them just the same? When we choose to paint a past experience as black, we are usually unaware that even when we try to paint over the black with a new vibrant color, the shadow of darkness still mutes the brightness of a new color. Even a bold color such as red must submit to the power of black and have its own primary color transformed into a hue of amber. 

Black and white, are neutral colors and cancel each other. Nothing can wipe away experiences painted with the darkest black in your life but by first painting over it with its opposite neutral—white. Those experiences, once neutralized, can be made ready for fresh, new and bright colors. This is how God changes our past into a testimony for his glory. He erases darkness, restoring us to a blank canvas and then paints a new color on our soul.

Now a prism for God, we can shine as bright as the rainbows in the sky, letting our light come through. With the skills of a master painter we can learn to paint each experience bright even if it’s one of adversity because we now know that adversity is meant to build our resilience and faith muscles. It allows us to have a heart full of gratitude towards God because, had it not been for his grace and mercy, some of us would still be painting shadows of darkness over our lives. With God as our master, we can look at our life as a pattern of many colors, seeing the beauty in each experience regardless of their origins. Rainbows in the sky are a reminder of God’s covenant and promise never to allow floods to destroy us again. Likewise, we need to use the colors of our tapestry and our lives as a promise back to Him to always live in the light. Today more than ever, I am keeping my promise to paint my life with the colors that I see in the rainbows of the sky. I refuse to live in fear or self-destruction. Each facet of my life now represents a different dimension that makes up my life’s beautiful rainbow. This simple but powerful strategy allows all of us to continuously strive to become the best version of one self which is or should be a never-ending process. I wouldn’t be where I am today without God’s grace and infinite mercy.

This collection of poems is an exaltation to the Highest for the protection and the grace he afforded my life. My purpose now, is to help transform women across the world as we learn together how to turn each of our lessons into blessings, breaking the shame and guilt cycle once and for all.

T. Nechelle

9:11

9:11 is the day God chose to save me

It must have been an extreme emergency 

Could just feel the sense of urgency 

My heart began to beat real fast

How long was the feeling going to last? 

Never felt nothing like this in the past 

For the first time it wasn't about anyone else 

My legs seemed to walk to the altar all by themselves

Can't act like I knew what was about to happen

Everyone just stood around cheering and clapping

My body felt joy but I wasn't in control 

The Holy Spirit had taken over my soul

What do I do now, join a church? 

To somehow try to prove my worth 

So, I too can quote every bible verse 

Or look at people funny when they slip up and curse 

Honestly, these were just my thoughts at first 

Stereotyping it what most of us do 

But upset when someone turns around and does it to you 

Quick to judge and have no facts, no foundation 

Looking at God’s house as just another organization 

When God is building up an entire nation 

And it's going to happen in my generation 

Peace will come to eliminate all this frustration