“Will you do it? Will you do it for me?”

She knew exactly what it meant. She also knew the idea was not hers. She would never have chosen this path. It was God’s idea. He spoke clearly through the image that depicted his great sacrifice for her: from the cradle to the cross. The entire Gospel depicted in one remarkable image, challenged Gail to do the unreasonable: Forgive what seemed to be unforgivable … and take one step toward restoring a marriage that seemed to be far from redeemable.

I had heard parts of the story that same week from Rodney Brooks, my church’s minister of music, when he shared about the many testimonies of how First Baptist Atlanta’s Christmas program has impacted the community in the past 12 years.

He asked me if I knew Gail and Ron, since they are members of my choir. But a group of almost 300 singers makes it almost impossible to know everyone. Nevertheless, the story warmed my heart, and I could not believe it when I “happened” to sit at the same table as the couple during a luncheon a few days later. I knew then that I had to tell their story, which they graciously allowed me to share with my readers.

Gail and Ron had been married for 37 years when a series of circumstances, culminating with the tragic death of their 26-year-old son in a motorcycle accident, sent their marriage into a downward spiral. The pressure of the loss was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and three years later, they started divorce proceedings. Gail had no intention to reconcile — until that Sunday afternoon in December 2017, when God challenged her, as she sang the last chorus of “Amazing Grace,” eyes fixed on the cross being lifted behind baby Jesus’ manger:

“When we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun. We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun.”

Forgiveness. Redemption. Grace. She was to offer those gifts to the father of her children. She candidly told me the story, as Ron listened, his hands around her and eyes filled with tears.

“I did not want to do it. Not for me, nor for my children or grandchildren. But I would do it for Christ.”

“It was my Christmas miracle,” Ron said, tears dripping down. “I could not believe it when she called to tell me she was coming home.”

This is one of several stories about how First Family Christmas has impacted the community.

When asked about when the preparations start each year, Pastor Brooks did not hesitate: “Oh, I start praying and planning next year’s program when this year’s ends.”

I am not surprised. Having been involved in the program for eight years, the quality of its content never ceases to amaze me. The musical is entertaining for the entire family, always featuring the fun traditional Christmas songs and popular traditions, as well as masterpieces uniquely arranged to deliver chills to the audience. From a complete orchestra to a nearly 300-voice choir, from renowned artists to breathtaking audio-visual effects, FFC is sure to fulfill its mission every year: Prepare Atlanta for the true meaning of Christmas. This year, the production presents the incomparable Babbie Mason and Voices of Mobile as its featured artists. On Friday night, the program is offered for free for residents of shelters around the city, which is, personally, my favorite presentation.

For Gail and Ron, this year’s program marks the first anniversary of the beginning of their reconciliation. And they will be standing in the choir loft together, praising the one whose love, forgiveness and grace prompted the couple to give love a second chance.

First Family Christmas will take place Dec. 8-9 at First Baptist Church Atlanta. For information and tickets, visit www.fba.org.

This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – November 24, 2018.

Christmas message gives couple's marriage a second chance. Read about it on my column for the @AJC
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From visionary director Ava DuVernay, Disney based this epic production on Madeleine L’Engle’s acclaimed classic. The story takes the audience across a dimension of time and space, in a feast of flawless visual effects that left me dazzled, from beginning to end. But behind the dance of colors and masterful display of technology, the movie is filled with meaningful lessons. It is a story about discovering one’s strength by embracing our individuality and flaws, and overcoming fear and darkness by the power of love.

Meg Murry, the main character, is a problematic middle schooler who struggles with the typical insecurities that come with adolescence, heightened by her father’s sudden disappearance. As she joins her gifted brother, a school friend and three celestial guides on a journey through the universe in search of her father, Meg must face her weaknesses in order to harness the strength to defeat the darkness that is quickly enveloping the universe.

At a point in time, when the kids are getting ready to cross to a new dimension, the three guides cannot follow them. That’s when each of the guides bestows a special gift upon the children. Mrs. Whatsit, the flamboyant, comical guide played by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, gives Meg a gift that makes the audience chuckle.

“Meg, troubled, problematic Meg — to you, I give you your faults. You’re welcome,” Mrs. Whatsit says.

The irony of the statement lies behind the fact that we hardly consider our flaws a gift. Rather, our tendency is to reject them, hide them and strive to change what we don’t like about ourselves. The plastic surgery industry knows it too well. According to an article by the Business Insider, Americans spent a whopping $8 billion on plastic surgery in 2016. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong about desiring to look better or striving to overcome our flaws. But when it comes to our personality traits, the truth is — many of what we consider flaws are simply strengths that need to be harnessed for good.

I think about one personal trait that, for many years, haunted and sabotaged my relationships: my tongue.

God gifted me with a love for words. According to my mom, when we traveled to my grandparents’ house four hours away, 2-year-old me would start either singing or talking when we backed out of our driveway and would not be quiet for the entire journey. As a teenager, I was involved in debate club, poetry and theater. I was the president of my class from sixth grade through high school. If you needed someone to represent the students, my hand was up in the air. Count me in! I was always ready to present my case.

But my strength quickly became a shortcoming as an untamed tongue brought about hardship and broken relationships. Soon I started hating my “gift.”

It wasn’t until many years later, after becoming a Christian, that I understood that God did not want to change my personality traits. He says his children are “fearfully and wonderfully made” — flaws and all! He just wanted me to surrender my weaknesses and allow him to transform them. In my case, he added two key elements to the gift he had given me: wisdom and discernment. Words without wisdom and discernment can start wars, damage relationships and break spirits. But when they are infused with wisdom and discernment that come from God, they are like a healing balm and a directing compass for those around us. He also taught me the value of holding my tongue — a truly priceless gift!

Words... infused with wisdom and discernment that come from God, are like a healing balm and a directing compass for those around us.
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Indeed, our greatest flaws have the potential to display God’s work and glory to the world. They keep us humble. They keep us dependent upon him. And it is when we acknowledge them and allow God to harness them that they can become our greatest gift.

What is your Achilles heel? Has one of your personality traits become your greatest stumbling block? Could it be that God is waiting for you to surrender it so that he can turn it into your greatest gift?

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – April 28th, 2018.

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