For months leading up to January 2021, the numbers 911 and 119 were appearing every where–to me. At first I attributed the numbers to mean something related to politics or civil unrest in the world. Then something significant happened. God told me my best bro and I would no longer be friends. Nearly 30 years of brotherhood and friendship, I couldn’t understand it, and of course God never shows you the complete picture–only snapshots.
My mother passed away June 2021, immediately after moving into a new home. My best bro visited me at home to give his condolences, but he looked different. He was gripped with fear. Again I couldn’t understand the source of his fear. I was overwhelmed with my mom’s passing and I didn’t have time to process what was going on with him. I have learned what God reveals to you isn’t necessarily meant for you to understand entirely, but in time the pieces of the puzzle will make sense.
On September 10, I received a phone call while at work. His fear had turned into suicide ideation. He was contemplating killing himself while at work. Nothing in life is worth ending it all, no matter how bad the situation. However, I do understand the frailty of man. We are all prone to moments of intense weakness. When your back is against the wall and you are in the bleakest situation of your life, you don’t know how you will respond. I prayed with him and talked him down and then called the suicide hotline.
On 9/11, I was sitting in my garage and he called me baring horrifying news. He had been having sex with his 14-year-old goddaughter for nearly a year or longer. I didn’t know how to respond to his plight. Part of me wanted to just pray with him and another part of me knew I had to report this incident. A couple years prior, I wrote a book detailing my experience as a minor being groped by my Pastor. My best bro supported my writing process and knew my experience extensively. The risk of sharing sexual abuse or molestation stories is that society immediately labels you with a stigma. The stigma is if you have been sexually assaulted, then you will sexually assault someone else in the future.
He had a spouse and children, yet a 14-year-old girl was more desirable during that season of his life. In passing, I shared with a neighbor what I was dealing with. To my surprise she immediately blamed the 14-year-old girl for being partially responsible, since 14-year-old girls are more and more promiscuous these days according to her. I was shocked that an adult would blame a minor child for being raped by a man nearly 3x her age. My mom was assaulted, nearly raped by a church deacon. She fought him and escaped, never said anything, and showed up to church like nothing happened. She was afraid of the backlash. People could have immediately accused her of trying to seduce a married man, so she said nothing. If you know of anyone who is being sexually abused or suffering from domestic abuse, CALL THE COPS. Toxic masculinity and toxic femininity cause people who are in distress to shrink back because they fear societal backlash.
Can a child seduce an adult? Yes, a minor can try to seduce an adult, but the adult is 100% responsible for following through with statutory rape.
So God’s message was clear. 911 = 9/11. God was preparing me to go the distance for a 14-year-old girl I had only seen physically a couple of times. I reported sexually abuse to the police and to her parents. I was in constant contact with the assigned detective.
Everything we experience on Earth is predestined. The good, bad, and indifferent is all predestined. It is comforting knowing that God is present every step of the way, ironing out the details, and guiding his children along the way.
