"Soul Matters"
by Yolonda Tonette
Sanders
Author Testimony
"[S]eek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew
6:33). This scripture has become very real to me. In the
spring of 2001, I gave my life to Christ after hitting what
I call, rock bottom. I was at a place in my life where I
would stand in front of the mirror and see a stranger. I
had begun doing and saying things that I never imagined
of myself. I found myself making one mistake after another,
thus adding guilt on top of guilt. I did not like myself,
and many times contemplated suicide. Yes, me - a woman with
two bachelor's degrees, a master's degree, good credit,
a loving family, and a promising career with the state of
Ohio - I was suicidal. But God had placed two beautiful
guardian angels in my life - my children - and I couldn't
bear the thought of leaving them behind without a mother.
I hid my distress very well, thus neither friends nor family
knew how emotionally unstable I was. Hidden beneath my smile
and outgoing personality was a woman bound by depression,
suffering from low self-esteem, and overwhelmed by feelings
of inadequacy. Though I had grown up in a Christian church
all my life, I still had a misconception about what it meant
to be saved. First, I thought that anyone who claimed Jesus
Christ as his/her Lord and Savior led a very boring life.
There appeared to be so many church rules and regulations
it seemed like there were more "don'ts" than "dos."
By nature, I act silly and love to laugh, so I was scared
of committing to Christianity because I thought my life
would become even more miserable than it already was. Second,
I didn't think I would have what it took to adopt Christianity
as a lifestyle because I'd seen others try and fail. Plus,
my resume of sins seemed a lot worse than those who had
successfully led Christian lifestyles. I thought surely
they had not sinned to the extent that I had. I began attending
church on a sporadic basis, but that was about the extent
of it.
Despite my inconsistent church attendance, God was still
imparting powerful messages into my life and unfolding the
truth about Himself. One Sunday a friend invited me to attend
church with her and I found that I could no longer deny
the need I had for Jesus in my life. I asked Him to forgive
me of all my sins and to save me. Since that day, I have
never looked back. Among other things, I've learned two
very important lessons: 1.) Being saved does not equate
to living a miserable life at all. I have more joy now than
I had before. Truth be told, I probably act sillier now,
too. 2.) Anyone who's willing to submit to God's Holy Spirit
can be successful in living a Christian life! There is absolutely
nothing in this world that God is unwilling to forgive us
for. Knowing this has freed me from the guilt of my past
sins.
Many people have asked me how I began writing. For as long
as I can remember I've always enjoyed writing poetry, but
the idea for Soul Matters wasn't laid on my heart until
I started seeking God for my purpose in life. Initially,
I rejected the idea of writing a novel. I knew I could write
poetry, and even plays if need be, but I thought novels
were out of my league. I had tried writing another story
once, but later abandoned the idea after the first two chapters.
After several failed attempts to make Soul Matters a play
instead of a book, I finally submitted to God's will and
began writing this novel.
I thank God for all of the support I received from my husband,
and several close friends and family members along the way.
Even though I had loads of encouragement, the key to my
being able to successfully complete Soul Matters was having
a pure heart. I wasn't seeking fame or fortune. My deepest
desire was to write a realistic, entertaining story that
shared a message about God with others. When I started writing,
I had absolutely no idea how it would get published. I didn't
even know there was a market for Christian fiction. Still,
I stepped out on faith and invested time and money into
a story that kept pressing on my heart. Once I did, I saw
God open doors of opportunities that I never imagined. Denise
Stinson (owner/publisher of Walk Worthy Press) saw information
about Soul Matters printed in a report written by The Writer's
Edge (a screening company), and contacted me. I sent her
a copy of my manuscript and by that next week, was offered
an opportunity to become a Walk Worthy author. I went from
not knowing there was a market for Christian fiction to
being signed with the leading publisher of the genre. What
an awesome blessing!
Whether you're a Christian or non-Christian, Soul Matters
was written with you in mind. I hope you enjoy and are blessed
by the content found within its pages. Thank you for allowing
me a chance to deposit something positive into your lives.
May God continually bless you!"
Visit the author's website at Yolonda.net
- - Yolonda Tonette Sanders
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GLORY GIRLS™
March 2006
Book Selection
Yolonda Tonette Sanders
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