MEET THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THE "MY TIME TO DEAL WITH IT!" SERIES MY SON DANTE'

by Dante' Pope

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-7)”

The passage above assists many believers in their walk with Christ. It serves as a pillar of hope and power when faith is lost and gives a sense of direction when life becomes overwhelming. It was also one of the first scriptures I learned in Sunday school along with John 3:16 and Romans 8:28. As I grew older in age and experience, the scripture read a little more like this; “Trust in the Lord and He shall direct your paths.” I completely removed the middle of this scripture due to lack of faith not only in God, but myself. The “My Time to Deal with It,” series has challenged me to gain a better understanding of God, through learning more about me.

January 31, 2007 marked the date I returned home from Fisk University during the second semester of my junior year. This was not a casual visit, I was home for good. Due to lack of funds I was unable to continue my education for the remainder of the semester. To make matters worse, I couldn’t go to any other university because my academic transcripts were not to be released until I paid the balance I owed, $18,200.92. I was completely miserable. Dante Namone Pope, son of Pastor David Michael Pope and grandson of Pastor Wilson Daniels was no longer in college. I felt like a complete failure and was more embarrassed than I had ever been in my life. As the eldest grandchild and sibling in my home, I thought I let everyone down.

My life as a “Preachers Kid” was a major dichotomy. On one end I was expected to be a flawless, perfect, spiritually sound young man and at the same time I wanted to just be a normal guy. The problem this caused is that I never learned who I really was; I was “role playing.” I wanted so bad to be accepted that I became a chameleon. I could be put in any environment and easily adapt, but I never felt comfortable. The expectations of both my family and peers weighed heavy on my mind because I wanted to please everybody. At Fisk I was not known as the son of Pastor Pope or grandson of Pastor Daniels, I was just Dante’ and was allowed the freedom to be judged based on my actions alone and not who my family was. Leaving Fisk meant I had to return to this former life that I was not yet prepared to face again. I felt much like Barak in the book of Judges 4-5, who was commanded to take ten thousand men to Mount Tabor to battle King Sisera and his army. He was unsure of how God would use him in this “impossible” situation, yet he was obedient. I had no choice but to be obedient, return home and “Deal with It”.

In the book of Acts chapter 9, a man by the name of Saul is mentioned as a persecutor of Christians. One day, while Saul was on one of his journeys of persecution, as he was nearing Damascus, he suddenly found himself surrounded by a very bright light. He fell to the ground and heard a voice from the heavens say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" It was the voice of Christ and the conversation that followed brought Saul to the understanding of his error which was; Christianity was not a threat to the Jews, but rather the fulfillment of all that they hold true. Like Saul I was humbled by my experience and was brought to the realization that all I wish to accomplish is directly connected to my faithfulness to God; even graduating from college. All this was done to get my attention and I had no choice but to surrender. I realized I was leaning on my own understanding and as a result I could not acknowledge God in my ways, because I didn’t know who he was.

While at home my relationship with God grew tremendously. Not only as a result of my own personal time, but as a result of the changes I saw in my parents. Their relationships with God as well as this series intensified their dedication and I was encouraged and felt safe. This was where I was meant to be. I did not forget my goal of finishing school, but I knew that God had to prepare me for the next phase of my life.

Currently, I am in Washington, D.C. working on Capitol Hill. In the past year I have had many character building experiences. I have also had experiences that caused me to question what God is doing. Yet, I must remain faithful and trust that he will provide. I am still working on getting back into school and look forward to graduating. When times get rough I am encouraged by this scripture: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)”

Be Blessed!