The high school basketball players had this locker room. This locker room had cheerleaders that came in, and they would do sexual things. I was supposed to be the watcher, “the watchman,” to make sure that no one comes in so they wouldn’t get in trouble. Like I said, I just wanted to be a part, I wanted to be accepted. I wanted to be loved, but this day was very different when I literally decided to stand up. Something came over me because I always had a Christian background. That was a seed that was planted in me long years ago by my father, by my mother, by my grandfather that was a pastor. I did not understand it then. I wondered, “Why do I feel like I need to walk away? I want to be accepted. So if I do that, I won’t be accepted no more.”
At that point I did not care if I was accepted for that reason. I didn’t care if I was rejected. I did not care at all. I wanted to be able to do what was right, and right then when I walked away knowing that if anybody came through that they would get in trouble, I didn’t care. I knew that there were going to be consequences behind that for my actions. I believe that every action that you make in life has a consequence, so I would rather do something and stand up for what is right than for what is wrong. So when I left, I couldn’t do it anymore. I said, “I can’t be the watch for you all.”
The assistant principle came, and he caught them. They got in trouble. As I walked across the office, they all looked at me. They gave me that look of, it was more say like the look when Judas betrayed Jesus. The Pharisee’s when they came in…it was like I’m going to get you! It’s on now. But at that time, I didn’t care. I really didn’t care. So the next block came about. What happened was, as I was leaving the lights cut off. And when the lights cut off, literally somebody pushed me down and just started “Pow, Pow” just started hitting me, started throwing things on me. It was, man, I was like, I was trying to fight and in my mind thinking, “Why are you doing this to me? Why? Why?” They didn’t care. They were just pounding me and pounding me. As I was crawling out of this beating, literally I knew something was covering me. I’m telling you the truth something was covering me because I was able to get out of that. I was literally seeing things thrown on me, punching, and I was seeing the shoes. I can see it right now. I was able to crawl out, and as I crawled out of that, there was no blood or anything but the inner pain that I had. I knew God was real more than ever.
I would talk to my Mother and Father about it. I was very angry. I was very upset because even though God had angels protecting me, I still was just, I still was angry. I still was mad because they suspended me. I didn’t do anything wrong, it was them. You know? But God was teaching me something. So I was in the room with my Father. He was speaking to me about it because he was upset. I could see it in his face. He was disappointed, but at the same time he was like, “T-Ran, I’m glad that you did not retaliate, and I don’t want you to retaliate.” I’m like, “Man, what’s wrong with you? What do you mean, don’t retaliate? They suspended me anyway, so I might as well go back in there and do what I got.” He said, “That’s not the way to go.” He said, “You have to learn from these circumstances. You have to learn from these things that you’re going through.” For some reason, I saw God. I saw Jesus in my father.
I went outside and I walked up to the parking lot, and I was sitting down, and a tree was right above me. I was sitting down. I looked up to the sky and was like, “God, I’m not even going to ask why,” but I was like, “God, I’m thankful for you being in my life, but I’m going to need you to help me get through this. I’m going to need you. I need you.” I actually prayed for the boys that day. I can’t explain it. I really can’t explain how the Holy Ghost…literally, all I can say is it is a feeling of brokenness. It’s a feeling of embarrassment. You know how they say about Adam and Eve, how they went behind the trees when they knew they were like, “Oh, my gosh! God is right there!” because I had thoughts of retaliating back, I had thoughts of doing a sin to another person because they sinned toward me. That’s not right. It’s not at all. So again, that was literally one of my many encounters with Christ before I got here where I am at today.
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