“I am that wayward child.” – 1st Lady Charlene Wilson in The Preacher’s Son
At the beginning of this movie, we seem to see a staunch, regimented, overly controlling woman who is quick to say what she’s thinking without considering the feelings of others. ‘1st Lady Wilson’ doesn’t appear to have the ability or the desire to extend grace to anyone and as the movie progresses, we discover that even her family struggles with living up to her ‘high standards’. Her loving husband, ‘Bishop T.K. Wilson’, presents as a calm and caring leader who, with a soft voice and quick thinking, regularly and expertly derails his head-strong wife from causing too much destruction. And then enters ‘Tanisha’, who catches the eye of the preacher’s son, and the catalyst for complete chaos has been released! The family is hit with challenge after challenge as ‘First Lady Wilson’ expends her energy desperately attempting to manage the unmanageable. It is at the height of the crisis, that she shares a story and those closest to her realize the pain that fuels her passion.
It’s ironic that in the height of crisis, ‘Bishop T.K. Wilson’ offers no explanation to save himself. He lovingly chooses to leave the decision to reveal their past in the hands of his wife – the one who has been driven by what others think and has the most to reveal. She makes the sacrifice to make public her own ugly truth with the words, “I am that wayward child.” Very telling words, indeed.
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11 gives us the inside track on how we have been positioned as overcomers… When we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior and proclaim our testimony we accept victory; we become conquerors; we stand as champions!
How often do we admit to having been the lost one? How often do we, without excuse or explanation, openly share our struggles and challenges so others may have understanding and freedom? I noticed that she could have said, “I was that wayward child.” and we all would have understood that her revelation was of a past state. The look of dawning that erupts on her children’s faces made me wonder if maybe, those 5 words given in the present tense, she was in her own way offering an apology for her current behavior. I wonder if, maybe, she was letting it be known that she was ‘living in the past’, unwillingly stuck in yesterday. I wonder if she recognized that the power of God’s grace in her past was potent enough to cover her in her present and follow her into her future?
Watching her transform as she shared their story was also quite thought provoking. Revealing yesterday’s truths appeared to bring her strength in the telling. It was in the ‘word of her testimony’ that she steadily rose from the darkness of the past to embrace the power of her present. Is your testimony of transformation an opportunity to free you from the bonds of yesterday and re-direct someone else from embracing trouble tomorrow? Are you ‘living in the past’ or are you allowing your testimony to be today’s witness to yesterday’s transformation… Are you living in the Power of Purpose?