TRUST: One Woman's Journey and Path with God's Directions

By Genie Finley

Trust in the lord with all thy heart

and lean not unto your own understanding,

but acknowledge him in all your ways,

and he will direct your path!

(Proverbs 3:5)

I wanted to share my life's story and journey, to come along side anyone who finds themselves with struggles and battles ,that are just TOO much to bear. I PRAY, that even if I can just help ONE person find God and Jesus, then all that I have been through, will have been worth the pain and loss!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098092627

Book preview

Chapter 1

My Day in Court

Never lose hope.  Just when you think it’s all over, God sends you a MIRACLE!"

It was April 23, 1977 (I remember vividly). I had some dental work done, and I had some time before catching a bus home. The dentist had informed me of some gum issues and products I needed to purchase to take care of them. So I had gone to the drug store to pick up some items. But to my dismay (didn’t have a credit card at that time), I didn’t have any cash on me. All I needed were some small dental items that didn’t amount to much. How am I going to do this? Well, that’s when I made one of the Worse decisions in my life! Yes, I decided to put these items in my purse. (How stupid was that?) I didn’t think it was very important at the time, and I needed these items, so I was talking myself into this life-changing decision. So off I went, out the door, and right behind me came a man who stopped me. My heart went into my throat, and I thought, This just can’t be happening to me. I am a Good person, and I never thought this would be a big deal, but it was!

I was never so Terrified in my life. How could this be happening to me? Now I was being pulled back into the store and put in a room to be questioned. I was told the police would be coming. I was totally in shock and was shaking and trembling, like a tiny child just being scolded. The police arrived, and I thought I was going to be handcuffed and taken to jail.

Well, he didn’t, and I wasn’t. That was my First Miracle. He just talked to me and was very calm and unthreatening. You have to remember that this was a long time ago, and shoplifting was a Big deal then that came with a one-thousand-dollar fine and one year in jail.

He explained all this to me, while I’m sure I was shaking and crying. I really believe he felt sorry for me and didn’t want to make it any worse than it already was.

So he read me my rights and wrote out a summons and told me my court date was May 4. (This day will be very important.)

I was still in shock and in a fog. What was happening to me? This is Not me and my life. Then it hit me. I will have to tell my husband and my parents! How can I do this? Where am I going to get one thousand dollars, or what if I have to go to jail? Nobody is going to understand this or forgive me. All of this was going on in my head, and I was spinning out of control!

Now I have to walk ten blocks to my bus stop, ride home, and face this whole mess by myself. What will I do? How will I tell them, and what will they think of me? I was a total mess. I couldn’t stop shaking, but somehow, I kept my composure and was able to get through the night without giving up my horrible and shameful secret.

The next day, I had to function and go to work. How would I keep it all together? How could I keep this secret? Somehow, I Did get through the day and night, then the next and the next. I would go from sheer panic to this mysterious Calm! I would see Reggie and feel so ashamed and embarrassed. How could she understand? Here she’s been teaching me and leading me, and I totally failed her. I felt so weak and unlovable. Then it hit me!

That’s when I Knew I needed to get down on my knees and cry out to God for forgiveness! I couldn’t take these horrible feelings. That’s when I knew what I Needed to do!

Even though I hadn’t gone to church for a long time, I found one that was open, and I asked if I could go in and pray. Prayer was still very foreign to me. So all I could do was come to God like a scared little child because that’s what I was! I poured out my heart’s pain and shame. All I could do was sob and cry. I told God I was so Sorry and that I needed His help to see me through. I knew I would have to face my day in court and come before the judge. All I could ask from God was for Him to be there with me and guide me through the whole ordeal. I continued to pray and cry. Then I just stopped for a little while and kept quiet. It felt like God was trying to tell me something, and I just needed to be still and listen. Then it came to me. My hearing date was May 4, exactly twelve days from the arrest. For some reason, that number meant something to me, but I wasn’t quite sure what or why. Then I remembered Reggie telling me about the twelve disciples, and for some reason, I connected that number with these dates and it was like God telling me It’s going to be okay. He was making a connection, even though that didn’t make any sense to me at the time.

By this time, I was clinging on to anything that would keep me close to Jesus.

A Peace came over me that I can never explain. I felt relaxed and calm for the first time in days. This was my First real encounter with my Lord, and I knew without a doubt that He was with me!

Well, May 4 came. I called in to work and told them I had an appointment and wasn’t sure when I would be in. Really, I wasn’t sure if I was even going home, let alone back to work! I was to be at the courthouse by 8:00 a.m. I had to get a bus and go downtown all by myself. I was Terrified!

What is going to happen? Will I have to pay the one thousand dollar fine? Where will I get the money? Will I have to go to jail if I can’t pay? All of these thoughts were going through my mind, and I was spinning out of control. I felt very nauseous and thought I was going to pass out.

I got to the courthouse and found my way to the courtroom. This in itself was a miracle since I was not thinking clearly at all. God was already with me and walking beside me, even though I didn’t know it at the time.

I walked into the courtroom. It was filled with all kinds of strange people and I thought, How is this happening to me? This can’t be real!

But it was. I waited to hear my name. It felt like an eternity! Finally, I heard my name being called. I thought, Oh, dear God, now what do I do? I walked up to the judge and just stood there. I’m sure I was shaking like a frightened little animal. For some reason, it made me think of Dorothy, standing in front of the mean and ominous Wizard of Oz! I thought for sure that I was going to hear some loud and oppressive voice telling me to come Forth for my judgment. Now I felt exactly like the Cowardly Lion, just shaking and quivering. When I think about it, it all seems so silly, but at the time, it was very serious, and I could be in very serious trouble!

As I stood there, the judge just kept looking at me as if he was thinking, What is this five-foot ninety-eight-pound little thing doing here?

He would look down at my case then look back up at me then back down. I thought, Oh, please, dear Lord, don’t let him ask me why I was there or what I had done. I was already so humiliated. But that’s Exactly what he did. So now it’s out there, and when I had actually heard the words, I just wanted to fall to the floor and crawl quietly away and wake up to find out this was all just a Bad dream, but it wasn’t.

I don’t exactly know what he said after that. He just kept asking me questions about what I thought he should do and what my sentence should be. I just kept stuttering and crying, unable to find the words I was trying to say. It felt like an eternity as I stood there sobbing like a little child in front of her scolding father! That’s when I somehow got the presence of mind to just stop and say a silent prayer. Dear Lord, please help me out of this nightmare. I am so afraid, and I need your help to give me the right words to say to plea my case.

Then I remembered my prayer in church, and that’s when I finally felt God’s arms wrap around me and cradle me. And I heard Him say (deep in my heart), My child, don’t be afraid. I am here with you. I will Never leave you or abandon you! I’m sure this all happened within seconds, but I had no clue of the time or space. All I knew was that I had finally turned it all over to God, and it was in His hands now!

So there I stood. What was going to happen next? What was the judge going to say? What would my Fate be? Well, I didn’t have long to wait, in fact, within seconds, my prayers were being answered!

A door opened to the side of the courtroom, and out came this person, an attorney, and he proceeded to walk right past me. I was dumbfounded to see this because attorneys are generally not present anywhere in the courtroom. In fact, he even said Excuse me, Judge, for interrupting this procedure and acted like he needed to get somewhere quick. But just as I thought he was going to keep walking, he suddenly Stopped and looked straight at me and said Hi, my name is . I’m an attorney. Are you okay?

I thought, Is he talking to me?

Then he asked again, Are you okay? Do you need any help? I just stared at him, and I don’t think I said anything because I was just sobbing. He must have seen my panic, and he turned to the judge and said, Excuse me, Judge, I know this is unusual and not allowed, but may I have a few minutes with this lady? I think she needs my help.

Well, the judge said, Yes, please make it short.

And off we went into a room. I had been sitting there for hours and never saw an attorney or anyone come out of that room. What was he going to do and say? What was I going to do or say?

He asked me a few questions about the situation. I answered as well as I could. I don’t remember much about that time, just that he made me feel so calm and assured me everything would be okay. How did he know it was going to be okay? My life (I felt at the time) was in the balance, and I had no clue which way this was going to end up.

Then I remember him saying, Just trust me. I will speak for you.

Huh, was he really saying this to me? Nobody else in that courtroom had anybody speaking up for them on their behalf, and yet here he was, standing right beside me, defending me to the court. I just stood there, quiet and numb as to what was going on. Is this really happening? I thought. Did God just send me an angel to defend me?

The next thing I remembered was the judge saying, "Case dismissed. Ma’am, you are Free to go!"

But I still could not move. What just happened? Was I really Free to go? I turned and looked at the attorney, and he just smiled, put his arms around me, and said, "Let’s go. It’s all over!. No penalty, no cost, no trial, no jail, just Pure freedom! I have never felt such a relief or weight being removed from me in my young life! This was my First true miracle!

We walked out into the halls, and he said, Let me buy you a cup of coffee. I said okay. I had no clue what to say or do next.

We talked for a while, but frankly, I don’t remember what we said. I tried to thank him the best way I knew how. He assured me it was no problem or bother. For some reason, a reason he didn’t even understand, he felt compelled to walk through that courtroom at that exact day, at that exact time. He said this was highly unusual, but he couldn’t give me the answer why.

Chapter 2

Being Set Free

God is about to open those doors you have been praying for"

Well, I finally knew exactly why! I walked out of that courthouse like I was floating on air. I felt such a freedom and appreciation for my life like I had never known before! That day, the Lord became so real and close to me! I had Already said the sinner’s prayer and asked the Lord to come into my heart and life and be my Lord and Savior. That’s when the Holy Spirit came upon me, but I didn’t really know that then. My understanding was still so childlike and juvenile!

Now I was out and Free from this nightmare. It was only twelve days, but those twelve days were some of the longest, hardest, and scariest days to face, especially trying Not to let anyone know what I was going through. I had no one to