Road to Redemption Series: Shaciera Speaks

Shaciera Speaks

Shaciera is a woman who has experienced things in this life that should have broken her, but she allowed God to use those things to blossom her. I admire her transparency and the way she allows God to bless so many young women through her testimony. She shares parts of her testimony as the Lord leads, along with beauty tips on her website http://www.shacieraspeaks.com.  Her road to redemption is one that inspired me to begin mine and encourages me daily. I pray that this entry in the series will bless you as it has me.

What does being redeemed mean to you?

When I think of the word redemption, the first thing that comes to mind is “You have been given another chance.” I think about how merciful God is and has been to someone like me; someone who did not deserve another chance. I have been redeemed; given another chance at life, my own life.

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Describe the journey of your road to redemption?

Remember how I mentioned that I was given another chance at my own life? Let’s talk about that. I was adopted at 10 years old and before that, I was a ward of the state for 6 years. During my years of being a foster child, the enemy started to plant seeds of insecurity in my heart. I strategically was always the odd child out. I would move to more homes compared to my brothers because “no one wanted the girl” or never mind one of my foster mothers cutting all of my hair off because it was “unmanageable”. Decades are passing and at 22, I’m still dealing with the insecurities of my childhood. I never wanted to embrace my naturally curly hair, I never wanted to feel different than anyone around me and the list goes on. How did I cope with the insecurity? I became a chameleon. I molded myself to whatever environment I was a part of, never truly being myself. Do you understand how incredibly damaging that was? I could never be who I authentically was because at this point, I didn’t know who that was. I was always the Shaciera that smoked because other people smoked, partied because other people partied, skipped school because other people were skipping school. I had no identity.

I knew something was wrong. I was insecure and dealing with suicidal thoughts for the majority of my life. I would think to myself, “I wonder who will miss me when I’m gone”. I was so great at masking my true hurt; not wanting to tell anyone that my hurt was so deep it was painful to swallow. My depression went into overdrive in 2013, the year my best friend died. I would spend so much time staring at the wall and not realizing that I hadn’t moved in 3 hours. It was torture and I wasn’t able to share that pain with anyone. I went to see a counselor, not knowing I already have one. His name is Jesus and He was always there. He saw me all those nights I uncontrollably cried myself to sleep. He saw me as a child wishing I would get hit by a car because taking my own life was something I was too chicken to do (trust me, I’ve tried. It never worked).

December 4^th, 2013 I gave my life over to Christ on my basement floor. I didn’t know what exactly living for Christ looked like but I was willing to find out. “What’s the worst that can happen?” I thought to myself. I can allow God to totally sweep me off of my feet or I can continue living how I’m living; I took the chance. I haven’t turned back.

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How has your life changed since giving it over to Christ?

Where do I start? Let’s talk about the physical. Physically, I see a difference in my eyes. When I look at old pictures of myself, there is a shadow over my eyes and a deep sadness embedded in them. Now, I look joyful. I have people comment on how I’m always smiling and pleasant to be around. Also, my wardrobe has changed. I used to wear black often. My excuse was that the color looks good on me but in all actuality, I was hiding myself. Black is an easy color to wear when you don’t want to be noticed. Spiritually, I began to see myself how Christ saw me. I was fearfully and wonderfully made, crafted in His image, a daughter of the Most High God. It’s an honor.

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What words of encouragement do you have for those seeking redemption through Christ?

The easiest thing I can say is God is faithful. One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:13 and God is speaking saying, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart”.  God is not hiding from you. He is not mad at you. He is not the reason why there is evil happening in the world. Try Him for yourself and really try Him. I’m never going to paint the perfect picture for you. Living for Christ can be difficult. You’re going to doubt and you’re going to slip. Yet in all of that, God will remain faithful to you. Continue to remain faithful to Him. Allow God to give you another chance at life.

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What’s your favorite scripture and why?

I have a new love and appreciation for this scripture, so I’ll classify it as one of my favorites. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” Matthew 5:8-9. These past few months, the Lord has been putting a mirror up to me. The things I used to say and think (especially as a woman), He was calling me out of. He wanted me to pursue peace in all the relationships I have; family, romance, friendships, co-workers. For such a long time I would not do that. How could a child of God be a troublemaker? There was no way. He started to strip everything about my attitude and it was (still is) painful. I had to be so careful of the things I allowed to come from my lips. The bible tells us, “Can salt water and fresh water flow from the same stream?” It can’t! I couldn’t allow my attitude to rule me.

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