You’ll Never Hear me Say ClingLife is Easy
It’s funny how the Lord will put before you the thing He knows is a challenge. The Sisterhood launched last week, and we were having a good time in the forum as sisters introduced themselves. Rhonda Smith, a dear sister with whom I’ve been connected for years, introduced herself. This was her first line:
“I found Kim’s More Christian than African American 25 years ago in a Christian bookstore and have been following her ministry since then.”
I took a slight gaze upward. Okay, Lord. I see You.
In the virtual meetup on Saturday, each of us said a little about ourselves. Rhonda mentioned the book again, and I said a few words about it. Then in the forum afterward, another sister mentioned it as she asked for prayer.
So this is what we’re doing, Lord? Very first week?
And now, after praying about my next blog post, it’s what He’s led me to write about. I mentioned it in the chat and want to share more about it here—the fact that I have avoided talking about that book.
Where Did More Christian Come From?
God moved in such a way that I could never doubt that it was His will for me to write that book. I was a practicing attorney, on maternity leave with my first child, sensing the Lord moving me away from the hectic world of litigation. I’d bought a book from Barnes & Noble on home-based businesses and had been praying about the kind of business I could start. In church one Sunday, God answered, but it wasn’t what I expected. I heard His still, small, voice telling me He wasn’t calling me to start a business; He was calling me to write about my spiritual journey. Before I left church I had the title—More Christian than African-American.
My pastor had been preaching that message, and it hit me at the core as a fairly new believer. God used the message and His word to open my eyes, renew my mind, and transform my entire existence. But now He wanted me to write about it?
I drove back to Barnes & Noble to get a book on how to write a book proposal (umm, yes, this was before Google). I wrote the proposal, then a query letter, and sent the letter to a handful of agents, fully expecting months of rejections.
I got a call that first week—from a high profile agent. I hadn’t even sent her a query; another agent faxed it to her. I sent her my proposal and two days later, she called to say she’d represent me. Within a month she’d gotten me a contract. And when the book released in 1999, the publisher sent me on a three-city tour where I did radio and television interviews. It was a whirlwind. And then . . .
I distanced myself . . .
It wasn’t just the backlash I got on the radio tour. (They had me on urban stations, not Christian stations, so you can imagine…) I noticed that over time, especially when I updated the book and appeared on The 700 Club to talk about it, most people just didn’t get it. The 700 Club titled the interview, “Kim Cash Tate Goes Colorblind,” and I sighed, thinking—that’s not what I’m saying at all. I could pretty much predict how the conversation would go if the book came up around white sisters and brothers. If it came up around black sisters and brothers, most reacted with an expression that said, “And what exactly do you mean by that?” Few responded like Rhonda.
Hello, fiction . . .
My first novel was published in 2008, about the same time social media became a thing for authors. Soon I was signed to Thomas Nelson and my world became fiction, and I was glad about it. Forget about that More Christian stuff! Let’s talk about Treva, Cyd, and Stephanie!
For years fiction was my focus. Even when I wrote Cling, I was still writing fiction.
But then . . .
In 2020 more and more as I scrolled social media, I saw division in the body of Christ. Division along racial lines. My heart was burdened and I began praying. The Lord brought to mind More Christian than African-American. I said, Lord, I know You’re not calling me to— Before I could finish the thought, I saw myself doing a YouTube video, talking about it.
Are You serious, Lord?? We’re going there again?
The views on that video escalated almost immediately. He moved me to post about it on Instagram as well. I got a lot of new followers on IG who had seen the video and commented, affirming it. But I also noticed that many who typically commented on my posts, didn’t acknowledge it.
Lord, exchange my will for Yours
I’m sharing all of this here because this month’s theme is ClingLife, and you need to know that I’m not breezing along, easily walking this out. I wrote this on the page describing the Sisterhood: Imagine a community of sisters who want the will of God, the word of God, and the Spirit of God to reign in our lives. And yes! As Clingers, that’s our heart’s desire. But it doesn’t mean it’s easy. It doesn’t mean we will want to do the thing God is calling us to do. But because we want His will, His word, and His Spirit to reign—by His grace, we follow and obey.
We say—Lord, exchange my will for Yours.
And here’s the thing—as we submit our will to His will, we are drawing near to Him. And in turn, He draws near to us (James 4:8). No, ClingLife is not easy. But as we exercise those muscles, as we learn to endure, we discover there’s nothing like daily walking with the Lord as a Friend, in His presence, gaining illumination from His word, knowing that His gracious and loving hand is upon you. As challenging as it can be at times, I wouldn’t want to live any other way.
What has the Lord moved you to do that perhaps you didn’t really want to do—but by His grace, you obeyed? As you exercise those ClingLife muscles, have you experienced the sweetness of walking with the Lord?