Uncovered

Shant’e Smith

Description

A MESSAGE OF HOPE
This book includes stories of Hope, Strength, Resilience and Freedom.

Sujets

• Vie de famille
• Parentalité et Éducation des Enfants
• Relations familiales
• Personal Memoirs
• Inspirational
• Biography
• Forgiveness
• Self-help
• Hope
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Trafford Publishing
• Date de parution: 18 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781698714523
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Uncovered
A Memoir and Message of Hope
SHANT’E SMITH

 
 
© Copyright 2023 Shant’e Smith. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.
 
isbn: 978-1-6987-1454-7 (sc) isbn: 978-1-6987-1453-0 (hc) isbn: 978-1-6987-1452-3 (e)
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
Trafford rev. 04/18/2023
www.trafford.com North America & international toll-free: 844-688-6899 (USA & Canada) fax: [phone]
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
 
Chapter 1Going in the Wilderness
Chapter 2Going Through the Wilderness
Chapter 3Coming Out of The Wilderness
Chapter 4The Power of Choice
Chapter 5From the Pit to the Palace
 
Final Word

Dear Shante,
You took a leap of faith to write your testimony of your life to Jesus. I am so proud of you for giving me the privilege to share your first book, your first spiritual baby.
May the Lord continue to bless you and use you for his Glory!
Your Sister in Christ
Elizabeth Benlian Dianovich
Published Author of seven best-selling books including:
God Saved Me in the Orient Express and I Came to America

This Book is Dedicated
TO MY GRANDMOTHER
“GLORIA CLARY”
What a precious gift you were to me and what a privilege it is to be called your granddaughter.
I MISS YOU, GRAN!
Acknowledgments
I ’d like to give all praises to my God, my heavenly Father, Friend, Husband, My Source, and Provider. Almighty One, thank you for giving me the strength to author this book and the courage to share the dark moments of my past. As I reflect on my life, God is and was with me the entire time. Providing, Protecting, and Preparing me for everything that I’d encounter on my journey. “Jehovah Rapha~ The God who Heals”, thank you for healing me and my memory from the trauma I experienced. Thank you for your mercy that is new every day and for loving me unconditionally.
You gave me the power I needed to hold on firm to the visions you gave me. You Preserved me for the Purpose you placed on my life. You protected me so many times from myself and from what the enemy meant for my evil. I am so glad I do not look like what I went through. After going thru hell…Heaven doors opened and out of it flowed a Crown of Beauty in exchange for my ashes…The oil of Joy for all the sadness I experienced. I am so grateful for every Trial, every Mountain, every Experience, and Storm. It all helped to shape and mold me into the woman I have become.
May this book bring you Glory, Lord!
~Mommy, I thank you for giving me your blessings and allowing me to share our story. The good, the bad, and the ugly…Thank you for your powerful letter to other mothers’. I Thank God every day for mending our wounds and helping us to forgive, reconcile our differences and love each other. The bond we have I would not trade it for anything.
~To my daughter Iliana…my heartbeat for you, you’re my world. I love you so much and I honestly don’t know where I would be if you didn’t choose me to be your mom.
~To my sister’s thank you for loving me unconditionally.
~Susan Schuder thank you for believing in me and pouring into me when I was at a very low point in my life. Thank you for PURITY our women’s small group and the continuation of it.
~A huge thank you to Mrs. Sadie Harris for being so genuine and loving. I know God is so pleased with you…Opening your home and starting a weekly woman’s Bible Study small group, where this book was birthed. After completing our Ed Young bible teaching lesson in your living room in 2012, (Matt 10:26) spoke volumes into my life. The chains that held me in bondage for so many years were broken. I learned that God is not the author of shame, guilt, or fear. I learned so much over the six years I attended. We laughed, cried, prayed, and stood together with each other (Sisterhood 4real). I thank God for making you part of my story.
“There is nothing Covered that won’t be Uncovered, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known.” (Matt 10:26)
~To Pastor Terry Kirk and my Central Christian family…Thank you!
~To my spiritual mother’s Mrs. Carolyn Hemphill and Mrs. Eileen Wiggins…thank you both for always being there leading, loving and teaching me. 4ever grateful for y’all.
~Thank you, Elizabeth Benlian Dianovich for your love, prayers, mentorship and guidance along my writing journey. I’m so grateful for you.
~ To Pastor Allison & John Larkam of Impact Family Church, thank you for creating a place for me to grow, worship and serve God.
Introduction
I am honored to share my story with you in this book. For so many years, I was silenced by my past, afraid to speak up and share my experiences. But as I have grown in my faith, I have learned that God can take our mess and turn it into a powerful message.
In these pages, I will take you on a journey through the good, the bad, and the ugly of my life. I will share with you how I have discovered my purpose and how I am living it out today. But more than that, I hope to encourage and inspire you to discover your own purpose and to know that no matter what you have been through, God can use it for His glory.
I found my purpose. Trust me, it wasn’t easy, and neither did it happen overnight, but with time and perseverance, I discovered the reason why God had put me on this earth. I realized that my struggles had not been in vain and that they had a purpose. In fact, my struggles were necessary for me to fulfill my purpose.
In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, it says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” This verse speaks to me deeply because it shows that our struggles are not just for us but for others as well. It’s through our trials that we can comfort others who are going through similar struggles, which is one of the reasons I wrote this book.
I know what it’s like to feel like your voice doesn’t matter, to feel like your past defines you, but I also know what it’s like to find freedom in Christ, to discover that your past doesn’t have to hold you back from the life God has planned for you, which is what I will share with you.
In Romans 8:28, the Word says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This verse gave me hope that even in my darkest moments, God was working for my good. I pray that you hold onto it and confess it in your daily life because you will discover the transformative power of God if you believe.
So, let us take this journey together. Let’s uncover the power of our stories and the hope that we have in Christ. Let’s learn how to take the broken pieces of our lives and give them to God, trusting that He will use them and turn them into a beautiful masterpiece. Let’s discover the beauty in the mess and the message that comes from it.
I pray that this book blesses you.
~Shant’e
Chapter 1
Going in the Wilderness

The Roots
I shouldn’t be alive.
Right from the beginning, I shouldn’t be here. This is not me being dramatic either, my mother literally tried to abort me. When the pregnancy was close to 7 months along, it resulted in my birth in 1977 in the inner city of Baltimore. That’s right, I survived to tell the tale of the mercy of God.
You see, with life comes many trials, and traumatic experiences most of which are pretty standard to us all…like death, divorce and illnesses. Then there are other experiences that we go through that make it seems unbearable to cope...like rejection, abuse and addictions. Those deep-rooted issues that make you question everything. Like, “Why me?”
There are certain things that happen to us in life that just don’t make sense, but what does it mean when things keep happening to you one after the other and it feels like you can’t catch a break?
My mom was only 17 when she became pregnant with me. I can’t imagine the looks on my grandparent’s faces when they found out that their only child, who was in her senior year of high school and set to go off to college and have a wonderful life, had cut all of that short by becoming pregnant. My father enlisted in the military shortly after finding out about mom’s pregnancy and he promised to send for her, but he never did.
Despite not having my birth father in my life, those first few years of my life were joyful. My grandmother aka gran, a beautiful Bermudian Island gal and self-taught seamstress, and my grandfather aka Dad showered me with so much love and affection that I never felt like my life was missing something.
One of my fondest memories of my grandparents was watching the 700club Christian broadcast show on television every morning with them while we had breakfast. Although they were stern, their hearts were pure. They were great providers, and I admired their character.
I never, not once, felt unwanted. My grandparents were everything to me.
When you look back on the ear