Patricia Coleman: Compassionate & Determined, these are the words that I would use for Patricia. My journey with Patricia is just starting. I’ve seen her from a distance, followed her on FB and known that she was a force to be reckoned with. She is driven with great passion for the hurting and yet still searching for her own pathway. I’m so looking forward to the years that come for our future as friends. And for what we can teach each other and what God will teach us. It’s going to be fantastic, for sure I know that!
The story of my life with God….
I grew up in a family that admired God. We had the beautiful “Big Book” on the library shelf — The Holy Bible. I touched it most often when I would pull it out to have my brother lay his hand on it and solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth….so help him God.
My family attended the Presbyterian Church just a few doors down from my home and I asked Jesus into my heart when I was in the 3rd grade. I loved to pray as a child and often fell asleep talking to God. I was the youngest of five children. Although my family had some real struggles as they all do, I had great parents and a beautiful family, and I was definitely, Daddy’s Girl.
When I was in 8th grade, my precious father died of a massive heart attack, while he was taking a stress test. This forever changed the family and life I had known to that point. I can remember the shock and immediate denial and the denial that so much would change in my life and my family’s lives moving forward.
Not long after entering high school, I started making bad decisions. I was not thinking about my future, and my prayer life had died. I still believed in God, I even loved God, but I think the problem was that I did not understand His love for me and I did not have His Truth hidden in my heart. The world had me, deception had me.
My bad decisions through my early teen years left me hurt and wounded. I felt my family was falling apart and we all seemed to be drifting away from each other. I was lost and thought I found missing love where it really did not exist. I ended up pregnant. At that time in my life, I was devastated and felt like a failure.
I did turn back to God somewhat during that time. I started praying again, however, I did not understand how someone like me could be a mother; for the first time in a long time, I felt like a child again myself – a very scared child. This is how I became a birth mother to my first child, Marcus, who I gave up for adoption when I was 17.
My life was completely different after that. It was colder and sadder than I care to even remember. I disconnected from my old life and friends as much as possible. My childhood home was sold during this time, and I moved to another city. I was depressed and I desperately kept praying and willing time to move forward as fast as possible so I could forget my pain.
I met my husband, Eddie, about one year later. He was different than any guy I had known, and I loved spending time with him. Before I knew it, I was laughing again. It did not take me long to fall in love.
Eddie and I only dated a short time before we married. We were young, broke, and in love. Within one year of being married, we were pregnant with Gary. Being a mother changed me. I was determined to be the mother I had thought I could not be and within eighteen months we had Anna, our daughter. I loved my babies!
Eddie and I started attending a local Baptist church soon after the kids were born. I made the decision to be baptized, and I started reading the Bible sometimes. I was trying to make things as perfect for my little family as possible, yet I continued to struggle with past regrets and the sweet love I had for my children brought me constant pain for my missing child, Marcus. God met me where I was, He brought me comfort and peace that passed all understanding in those moments, and I had a lot of those moments. God even brought Marcus back into my life and our families’ lives for a reunion that possibly looked like a Hallmark movie from the outside. I was still trying to grasp control of it all — fixing the past and trying to control my little family and now my Marcus, over whom I had no legal authority so that was just constant worry I struggled with.
As the years rolled by with raising kids and trying to control everyone I loved, Eddie and I had major struggles in our marriage and almost divorced. I also lost my job I had for the last seven years and an income we relied on. It was a breaking point for me.
I started praying AND reading my Bible daily. I could not get enough of God’s Word. I started in Matthew and I fell in love with Jesus somewhere in the book of John. He reminded me of who He was and what I meant to Him. He opened my eyes and I realized He brought me through times I almost destroyed myself, He gave me peace and took away my guilt and shame. He placed a passion in me to share Him and His forgiveness and love with others. He changed my marriage and restored it and He reminded me, that my children are His children and He loves them and watches over them. I also began sharing Jesus with others and our family started connecting and serving with a local Church.
One of my life verses:
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace, in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
I’ve had struggles in life again since this time, but now when I am attacked, I have His Truth hidden in my heart. We will overcome by the blood of Jesus and the words of our testimony. Patricia Coleman
Lord, thank you for putting people in my life that challenge me to think out of the box. Patricia is one of those for sure. Please continue to help her in her times of questioning and guide her every step. Her desires are Your desires. Amen!
Rhonda Gould Coaching & Consulting 