January 9, 2009 will mark 11 years of being a single mom. My daughter was 18 months old when I left my marriage. I did not know Jesus. I went out in hopes of finding happiness. It took a few years of trial and error before I finally found what I was looking for in life. Jesus was the answer that I never knew was coming. A friend had invited me to church one night, and my life has been forever changed.
I grew up in a home full of alcoholism, pornography and utter dysfunction. The crazy thing is, living IN it, I did not know it was full of all those things until I grew up and realized that all those things are not right. As a young girl I was always the one taking care of my mother instead of her taking care of me. This role continued until the day she died nearly four years ago, April 18, 2005.
Did I resent her? You bet I did. But since her passing, I have become so intimate with the Lord that He has helped to show me that my mother did not chose to be an addict, depressed or self-destructive. My mother came from a past that she could not get over until she was out of her own skin and sitting with Jesus. As much of a burden she was to me at times, or as much as I was angry at her all the time, I miss her like crazy. I remember thinking after she died….how am I going to make it alone? Who will help me with the bills, or with raising my daughter? Who, Lord, who? And do you know what He said? He told me that HE will take care of me as I trust in Him and follow His ways. I remember being in prayer a few days after moms passing and I heard the Lord tell me that I will “walk through this fire and I will not get burned.”
I can tell you now, that I have not lacked one thing in the almost four years that she has been gone. Since then I have grown closer with the Lord, I have committed to tithing, I changed jobs and I became a part of Women of Glory.
Being part of a ministry that is dedicated to helping women unwrap what God has placed on the inside of them so that they can fulfill God's call on their lives has brought me to a new level in Christ.
My daughter is now 12 ½ years old and she is amazing. I believe that God has asked me to be single until she is 18. It is my ministry to be a single mother, dedicated to raising my daughter to know the Lord and make right choices. I believe I am fulfilling that role and I am blessed.
I know what you are thinking “you have been single for 11 years?!?” No, in the beginning, I did have a few boyfriends, but I never felt the confirmation from God that that is where I were to be, so those relationships faded out. Have I stumbled in those 10 years? You bet!! But let me tell you about our God….He loves us no matter what. As I continued to humble myself before Him and ask Him to change me and help me to honor Him and live for Him, He has continued to give me that strength to do so.
I also had the generational curse of poverty hovering around me all my life, but since meeting Jesus and committing all I have to Him, He has provided above and beyond all I could ever ask or think.
Since knowing Jesus, my life has changed so much that I would have to write a novel. But I will stop here and just tell you that Jesus is my provider of all things. I honestly lack nothing, because all I have is in Him. I want to encourage you not to give up, but trust in God. Will it be hard? You bet, but keep on keepin’ on! If God can do it for me, I know He can do it for you!
Please join us for a Women of Glory meeting, and watch Jesus transform you, like He did me!

In Christ’s name,
Lisa Potter