It Was There All Along!

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. –I Peter 1:18-21 (MSG Bible)

Dear Friend,

It’s a Sunday night and I can’t sleep. I pulled out some old photos, reminiscing over a past that was not all that bad. Met Kirk Franklin – he even heard my group and gave me some awesome critiques which I hold close to my heart & ministry to this day. I see pictures of me with Derrick Milan, Darius Twyman, Darryl Weathers, Michael Fletcher, Chris Jones, Joe Smith, Larry Callahan, Stephanie Pride, my spiritual parents from back in the day Marvin & Vickie Winans, my god dad Donnie McClurkin and many other people who have touched my life in one way or another—my peeps who I still look up to, to this day. My bro Kevin, Sis Teresa & Devon—my fam fa sho. There are millions of pics of me with my choir, VDPP & AC and even members of the Atlanta extension choir “The Exalted Praise Chorale”. Fam shots, my beautiful mom, grand moms, aunts—my fly lil brothers and my “ride-or-die” daddy (lol) who I know loves me! All these wonderful memories and I can remember and ask myself—“why was I so unhappy at times within my younger years? What was I searching for? What was this “it” that I was in pursuit of that kept me awake sometimes at night?”

I could remember many times thinking that I was not handsome enough, that I was not good enough—that I was not worthy enough. You know, the insecurities that most face when getting to know themselves (I’ve been though a few of these stages in my life thus far…). Either we are too short, or too fat, or just not right no matter how you chop it up, which causes us to constantly look externally for things to validate and strengthen us. BUT my friends, what I realized by looking through those old photos that contained many style changes, hair styles, hair colors (lol), attitude changes, taste changes, etc.,--what I thought I wasn’t was there all along (inside and out).

I believe that it was Kanye West that said it like this “everything I'm not may be everything I am.” Friend, I want to encourage you by daring you to live! Live by grabbing life by the horns, with all your issues and insecurities and make the best of it! So what you messed up—you’re going to mess up again & may even know you are about to mess up—get over it! Often times we mess up by trying to create a lifetime or a lifestyle out of what was meant to just be a season.

Friends, I can finally say “I know who I am.” Because it hit me life a ton of bricks—everything I thought I wasn’t, everything I was searching for in everybody and everything else…it was already inside of me. I just had to go through and be diligent so that I would become Christ’s image and not my own or someone else’s. Because, honestly if I would have thought that I was all that, I probably wouldn’t have worked as hard—but God has a way of keeping us grounded, doesn’t He?!?!

Not saying that I’ve arrived to my destined point, but I am penning you to let you know that there is someone just like you, who has gone through image and all other kind of issues and I made it through on the love of the great and awesome God I serve. No matter what you face, He can and will turn the tables—so the then underdog and victim is now the victor! The word says it like this…If I had not been for the Lord on our side, now may Israel say, if it had not been for the Lord I would have been swallowed up…Psalms 124.

My friend remember this, when you change the way you look at things—the things you look at change. You already have IT inside of you. What is this IT I keep speaking of? You have the power, anointing, ability, strength, will to do, love, peace, joy, long suffering, gentleness, kindness, meekness, beauty, faith, humbleness, etc., when Christ created you He equipped you to have everything you need already within you through Christ! So relax and know that if you work it, it will happen because… IT’S ALREADY IN YOU! (Laughing out loud...) It was there all along!

Much Love,
Clyde L. Webster