Discovering My True Bloodline

Having been raised up among biker and mafia blood, I identified with everything that made up that slice of the world. Whether it was character or actions, they shaped me. I identified with all they stood for.  Everyone else was a foreigner, really.  I penned this Biker Blood poem one night.  This was my perspective:

Biker Blood
Searching for my soul, I fire up my bike.
Today I’ll hit the road with no return in sight.
I’m headin’ up the coast. I’ve got my angel by my side.
No more time for anyone; I just have to ride.
All I need is my bike to free me from this place.
The freedom and God’s love bring peace upon my face.
There’s no way to explain the passion that I feel.
Unless you have Biker Blood, you simply are not real.
Raised up to be ridin. Mom and Dad made sure of that.
 A child of fight and freedom; a wild child at that.
Thanks Dad for the passion you have instilled inside.
You gave me independence and the heart to ride.
Thanks Mom, your one righteous sister.
You gave me strength to fight the fight.
You raised up a woman. Once burned, it can’t be right.
My angel will be ridin’ just as I do now.
Biker Blood runs through her veins and nothing will hold her down.
I have no time for sittin still and wasting one more day.
Love seems to come and go but ridin’s here to stay.
Getting friendly on the road keeps my appetite in check.
I love you Baby, so he says, as he holds me by my neck.
I’m no fool. I’ve heard it all and seen a little more.
Put on my chaps, one last kiss, and blow right out the door.

The bike fired up, ridin hard, I’m smiling in the wind.
Got no time to be held down; won’t waste my days again.
This sister has to ride! God knows I need it more.
Biker blood runs through these veins.
Those with less can hit the door!

Over the years, though I embraced the culture and was quite proud of it, as an adult, I found myself struggling to fit in with society.  I knew the feeling of an outcast from an early age and no matter how I tried to dress for work or socialize with others outside of the culture, I wore my true roots  on my sleeve.
It came to a point where I realized my lifestyle had to change in order for me to raise my daughter up in a  safe home.  An invitation to a local church was just what I needed to broaden or re-create my circle of friends.
I quickly discovered I really did not fit in there. No matter how hard I tried, there was a need to wear a mask and not be too transparent to the people who attended or worked there.  As it was, my tattoos and riding up on a motorcycle made me stick out like a sore thumb.  There were no bikers at this large church.  The bikes that were there were not ridden by the bikers I knew to be biker blood. Great.In spite of this awkward  fish-out-of-water feeling, the church became my safe haven.  The life change I needed required courage and sacrifice. I was compelled to escape the life of fear I was living. As a result, my days were pretty full volunteering in the church office. It was nice to make a new Christian friend. She and I met for coffee at the local Border’s bookstore and spent a couple hours getting to know more about one another. She asked many questions about my life. I am pretty much an open book, myself. I figured this was it; either she would accept me for who I was…or not.

As I shared from my biker-slash-mafia upbringing, she echoed those words I’d heard over and over through the years.

You should write a book.

Yes, many people have told me the same thing. Actually, I am! I’m calling it Biker Blood!

She was pretty excited to hear I was serious about putting my story to print. I needed my friend’s encouragement.  We realized we’d been sitting in the café for over two hours, so we wrapped it up and walked out to the parking lot and said our goodbyes.  I didn’t get to my car before I realized I had to use the restroom. So, I walked back into Border’s. 

Before I could walk out the door, a book display caught my attention. It was a new book I’d seen promoted repeatedly on television over the past week.  It was written by a pastor named Joel Osteen. The book was titled, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day.

I was so intrigued  that I had to pick it up and browse through it to see what all the hype was all about.

Opening the book straight up to Chapter 3 just shook me as I read the heading at the top of the page….

The Power of Your Bloodline

Wow!  Biker Blood… The power of my Bloodline…

I had to sit down with this book!

I wanted to take it home but could not afford to purchase it. Instead, I took out a pad of paper from my purse and began writing down the words I knew were written ‘just for me’.

The author begins this chapter by using the analogy of a champion thoroughbred racehorse. These creatures have a legacy of championship genes and possess the blood of a winner.

Osteen continues…

“Friend, that is how God looks at you and me. You have the DNA of Almighty God. You come from a long line of Champions.”

Well, I stopped right there. I certainly do not come from a long line of champions in my family. On the contrary; my family lineage is filled with a bunch of outcasts, welfare recipients, drunks, murderers, sex fiends, drug addicts, child molesters, and abusers.  The motto was always Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. I mean really, how does that tie into a long line of champions?

Osteen continues…

Your Heavenly Father spoke the galaxies into existence. Your elder brother defeated the enemy. Think about some of your natural ancestors:

• Moses parted the Red Sea. - There’s great faith in your bloodline.
• David, a shepherd boy, defeated Goliath with only a few pebbles he picked up from a brook. - That is courage in your bloodline.
• Samson toppled a building. -  There’s supernatural strength in your bloodline.
• Daniel spent an entire night in a lion’s den and wasn’t harmed. - Divine protection flows through your bloodline.
• Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem when all the odds were against him. - Determination and persistence pulsate through your bloodline.
• Queen Esther put her life on the line to save God’s people. - Sacrifice and heroism are in your bloodline.

You come from a bloodline of champions . Take a better look at your bloodline.

You are the seed of Almighty God.

Again, I paused to reflect..
There really are so many strong people in my family. As I read of all these great attributes throughout my biblical bloodline, I could apply many of them to my parents as well as other relatives; even myself. Self-rejection began attacking my mind. How can I possibly be worthy of this greatness he is speaking of?  I’ve done some pretty bad things I know God hates.  I’m a product of my environment.  I have many secrets.

You are a champion on the inside. It’s in your blood.

God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

He has an assignment for you.

Your errors or wrong choices do not change your bloodline.

Oftentimes, society will write a person off when he or she fails or makes poor choices, but God is not that way. God sees your potential. He’s the one who designed you, and He knows that you can still do great things. It’s in your blood.

It was interesting how my mind began arguing with the words I read in this book. How easily we believe those internal lies. How embedded the past becomes. It forms us and defines us.

How difficult it is to believe God’s truth about ourselves.

Okay, here is the statement that rocked me. When I read these words in Osteen’s  book, it completely changed the way I defined my identity:

“Granted, you may have to OVERCOME some negative elements in your family’s natural bloodline, but always remember your spiritual bloodline is MORE POWERFUL than your natural bloodline. You have been handpicked by Almighty God. You have His royal blood flowing through your veins. You have been chosen.”

Holy Spirit took hold of me in that moment and  laid 2 Corinthians 5:17 on my heart, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new"

This means my DNA was changed!

Repeatedly in this chapter, the author kept saying, “It’s in your blood.”

Your lot in life is to be a victor and not a victim.  God has planned all your days for good, not evil.

This reminded me of the Scripture given to me the night I met Jesus, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for good, not for evil; plans for a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

'Learning' and understanding who I am in Christ and what it means to be a child of God was the essential Truth I needed to set me free. It was not until I read about my identity in Christ through Scripture that the Spirit of God changed my thinking about who I am and what my worth is. Amen.

He’ll take those negative experiences, turn them around, and He will use them to your advantage.

I later learned this truth in Romans 8:28, “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” (Amplified)

God has loosed our chains of addictions, of personal defeats, of bad attitudes. The problem is we’re not walking out of them. It’s up to you to rise and walk up in your authority.

We, in Christ, are no longer defined by our past and the things we've done, but instead we are defined by what Jesus has done for us... “I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 defines us!

The devil is a liar! In Christ we are made new!