Beyond the Cracks: Finding God's Grace and Mercy

By Shelly R. Clark

Life is filled with detours, twists and turns. The hills and valleys, the ups and downs are all a part of life’s journey. Have you ever found yourself in a place that was far from what you expected and contrary to your own belief system? Maybe you feel like you’ve fallen through the cracks and you're living well beneath the privileges that belong to a child of God. It's never too late to discover and walk in the purpose that God has for your life. Detours can show up out of nowhere, but so can the grace and mercy of God. Dust off guilt, shake off shame and run to the author and finisher of your faith. This book is about finding God’s grace and mercy beyond the cracks in our lives. It is my prayer that this book will empower you to move from fear into faith and from hurting to healed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359712694

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to:

Mom and Dad, Leeta Rozzel and Ronnie Rozzel. Mom, you are my inspiration. Dad, aka ‘The Ro’, ‘Funk Master’, ‘Buka Buka’, you are my twin. I dare not share the stories behind those names!

Grandparents, Lucy Gore and Jerry E. Gore Sr., Theodore Roosevelt Rozzel, Jr., and Queen E. Victoria Rozzel. Yes, I am a descendant of royalty in the spirit and in the natural.

Sisters, Sherron Rozzel and Shleeta Rozzel. My best friends. Love you all the way to Jesus!

My husband, Corey D. Clark. Thank you for your love, support and patience. So glad I get to do life with you. Love you Co.

Foreword

Growing up in the Sandhills of North Carolina, my siblings, cousins and I spent most of our leisure time playing outdoors in the sweltering hot Carolina climate. We had makeshift toys, imaginary places, and games that we often made up as we went. One game, in particular, we played as children was on the town's beat-up sidewalks that were usually cracked, broken and uneven--skipping and tiptoeing without a care in the world to the classic harmless tune, Step on a crack, break your momma's back, Step on a line, break your mother’s spine.

Jeez, who came up with this stuff? Anyway--as kids, we quickly figured out there were no real casualties, no real consequences, and thank goodness no serious injuries after making a misstep on broken, uneven cement. But as we entered adulting we would come to know just as quickly that falling into life's real cracks and crevices would be no child's play. Ignoring the boundaries God has set, pushing that envelope (you know what I mean, you haven't really crossed the line or sinned, but the situationships don't bring glory to God either), entertaining people and things that look good to us, but are not good for us, puts us in a compromising posture that comes with a more serious consequence. The Bible says lest Satan should get an advantage of us, we are not ignorant of his devices. It has always been the enemies' ploy to lure us into crevices and corners, cracks and back alleys in our emotions and in our minds with the calculated intent to isolate and ultimately annihilate us.

Rozzel in her hallmark work comes with transparency, truth, relevance, and instruction, unveiling Satan's works through her own personal journey as she too had to navigate through... falling into life's cracks. Left with unanswered questions, experiencing detours and delays, ending up in roundabouts, cul-de-sacs, and seemingly never-ending cycles, some of which were self-imposed while others were strategically orchestrated by God, unknowingly designed to bring her to the precipice of healing and forgiveness.

In her own words, Rozzel expels the all too familiar weight of guilt, shame, and condemnation that is akin to just getting it wrong. She reminds you, the reader that regardless of where you are and what you've done, you're never beyond the grace of God. And His love for you isn't conditional but it’s unfailing, unwavering and IT IS ENOUGH!

It's enough to cover even the worst of your sin and bring you into right relationship with your Father who will never forsake or abandon you in any kind of crisis. Rozzel’s message in Beyond the Cracks is simple but clear – nothing is wasted, and everything is salvageable and can be used for His glory.

Rozzel is what we have affectionately called her, and has been these many years a co-laborer in this wonderful Gospel ministry. We met in the early 2000s at the Life Center Ministries of Charlotte, NC, where we both served as leaders on the ministerial staff, but it wouldn't be until the undertaking of this project that God would reconnect us. I often encourage people not to force or forge relationships, because God has a remarkable way of putting you together at the right time for His purpose to accomplish His assignment. I'm humbled and honored to be connected to a woman of God who is saved like the Bible says. She is sober, vigilant, virtuous and full of so much life. Honestly, I can only describe her as a breath of fresh air whom I heartily believe carries the words of life for this generation.

You would do yourself a disservice not to read the pages of this book, it would be an indictment on the commencement of your healing and forgiving process not to have this exceptional work as a part of your collection. In no way is Beyond the Cracks a self-help book, or a 12-step comprehensive guide of getting you out of the cracks you’ve fallen into. Shelly does not lay claim to having all the answers, but she does lead us to the One who does. Unveiling simple truths through the lenses of her own experience while methodically walking us through the promise of Joshua 1:8, that if one meditates on them day and night, observing and doing all of what it tells us to do, it will make our way prosperous and bring us great success.

Shelly doesn’t spend energy on root causes or even attempt to explain how or why one gets in the cracks of life, but every chapter reveals God’s inextricable purpose in the lives of imperfect people. Every sentence of this book is pregnant with everything you need to start your journey of healing and forgiveness!

Pastor Rayshawn Terry

Rayshawn Terry Ministries, Charlotte NC

Introduction

The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless. That is something I often thought as a young small-town girl. Our family home was nestled in the beautiful Appalachian mountain town of Bluefield, West Virginia. The warmth and simplicity of it still brings a smile to my face. I had unrestricted hopes and dreams of what life would look like and where it would take me, maybe even beyond those lush green hills. With high expectations and a fearless attitude--ready, set and off into the world I go. Does that sound familiar? You probably had similar thoughts of your own.

Despite those high hopes, I found myself living well beneath the privileges that belong to a child of God. After all, God promised me life in all its fullness (John 10:10 TLB). But this looked nothing like the picture I had painted in my mind. There I was broken and living in the deep cracks of life. Honestly, just existing. There is a difference! How do you find yourself in a place so opposite of what you expected and even worse, contrary to the Word of God? There are no benefits to living in the cracks. Surely, no one would intentionally choose to be there. It’s like a pit you’ve fallen into that is too deep to dig yourself out. Or, a wrong path taken, and you can’t retrace your steps to get home. I know from experience that it’s dark, lonely and full of uncertainty.

Have you been there? Perhaps you’re there right now looking for a little light to shine into the crack you’ve found yourself in. The way you arrived there may be very different from how I landed there. Was it a pitfall you didn’t see coming that you haven’t allowed yourself to recover from? For me, it