I Will Lift up My Eyes to the Hills

By Glenys Vincent

Glenys H. Vincent—mother, grandmother, educator—has a passion for encouraging, motivating, and helping people of all ages. Glenys has strong faith in the power of God and wants to share his love with others.

In this book, she highlights some of the many challenges that she experienced throughout her life and how she expressed her faith in God, which helped her to be victorious over these circumstances.

Each one of us is unique, and each was created by God for a specific purpose. There is destiny and potential wrapped up inside us. We will find true happiness and contentment when we are walking in our destiny.

She hopes that as she shares her experiences, others will be motivated and have a positive outlook on life knowing that God is with them and that he will help them through all of the difficulties and challenges that they face. Some difficulties are meant to teach us lessons. If there were no obstacles along the way, there would be no reason for us to be totally dependent on God.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512798500

Glenys Vincent

Glenys H. Vincent was born and raised in Barbados, West Indies. She migrated to Brooklyn, New York and later moved to Ohio. She currently lives in Florida. Glenys holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science degree in Management and Administration in Education.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Dependence on God

I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 121)

I t is indeed wonderful to know that our Maker, our Redeemer, our loving heavenly Father, Jehovah God, is omnipresent and omniscient. Our protection comes from our Creator on whom we can depend, both in good times and in times of stress and trouble.

I have had to depend on God throughout my life. Even as a young child, I realized that the hand of God was upon my life, and He was always my strong tower.

I was born in the parish of St. Joseph in the island of Barbados to Edna Horton and John Roach. My mother was a seamstress, and my dad was a police officer. I was given the name Glenys by my mother. I remember her telling me that one of her cousins also had the same name, and she liked it.

My mother attended church regularly and made sure that I attended church services often. I had to attend Sunday school at 3:00 p.m. every Sunday as well. I was blessed to have a praying maternal grandmother. She prayed for me many times. I can still remember hearing her pray.

As I grew older, I realized that Mom had a closer walk with Christ. I can clearly visualize seeing her on her knees as she cried out to God daily.

I was raised in a single-parent home with an extended family. My mother made dresses for most of the ladies in our community. She also grew a vegetable garden as well as a flower garden. She made a modest income, and so we learned from an early age to depend on God. There were times when man failed me. But despite the hardships, the cares, the toils, the snares, and the difficulties of this life, one thing that continues to carry me through is my total dependence on Almighty God. I have no power in myself. He is the only constant in my life. Paul tells us that God’s grace is adequate for our needs.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

We can count on God’s grace daily to enable us and give us the boost we need to live in a world that is full of turmoil and trouble that become insurmountable at times.

CHAPTER 2

Mother and Father

I thank my heavenly Father that early in my life I had a very strong support system in my mother. She was a tower of strength, and she was always there for me. My mother was a short, fair-skinned lady. Her hair was very soft and curly, and she always kept it neatly cut. She had a winning smile. My mother loved to laugh. She was a very happy and jovial person.

Mom was only about four feet eleven inches tall; my grandmother was even an inch or two shorter. I remember when I reached the age of eleven or so, I considered myself tall, since when I stood next to them, I was a couple of inches above both of them. Back then, I did not realize that at five feet I was still short—or as some might say, petite.

In my youth, my mother disciplined me (with the occasional spanking), but I know that she loved me very much and wanted me to be well-mannered and obedient and to learn well.

I remember clearly when I was about four years old Mom was sitting at the sewing machine and I asked her for some lemonade, but I really wanted to make it myself. My mom’s aunt Ermine (She was very beautiful and everyone called her Dolly. She looked like a doll). Aunt Dolly heard me ask for the lemonade, and she went to the kitchen and proceeded to make it for me. I asked her if I could make it, but she lovingly told me she would make it for me. Perhaps she thought that I would make a mess or that she would just be kind to me. I was upset but said nothing. When she handed me the lemonade, I stubbornly refused to drink it.

My mother said to me, You wanted the lemonade. You asked for it. So now you will drink it. I took the lemonade and put some in my mouth but did not swallow it, so it came running out of my mouth onto the front of my dress. Of course, this bothered my mother, and she gave me a spanking.

I learned about discipline from my mother. She shared Proverbs 13:24 with me: He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

On the whole, I did not get many spankings. But yes, I got a couple. When I was growing up, there was no time out as punishment.

There was a saying in Barbados when I was a little girl: Hard ears you won’t hear. Hard ears you will feel. These words summed up adequately why punishment was often given to children who were repeatedly disobedient.

I must add here that at that time, not only did your parents spank you, but teachers were allowed to spank their students for not focusing on their studies and also for disobedience.

When I was growing up, if an adult in the community saw a child misbehaving or doing something that was unacceptable, the adult would discipline the child. If you did not listen to the adult, someone you and your parents knew well, you would be disciplined by your parents for what you did wrong as well as for not obeying a grown-up who was only trying to help you. In other words, children did not get away with bad behavior.

Growing up, I was very stubborn, and my mother did not play. She had the last say, and I had no choice but to listen to her and obey. The values, training, and discipline she instilled in me from an early age have enabled me to be the woman that I am today. For that, I am truly grateful.

I have a younger sister, Dorothy, whom we affectionately called Dorie. She is five years younger. Growing up, Dorie was very quiet and obedient. Mother loved us very much and always did her very best for us. I remember if Dorie was naughty or disobedient, Mom would tell her that she was going to give her a spanking, and Dorie would cry uncontrollably. This meant that she was often spared from getting the spanking. Although we were not spanked often, I did not cry in advance like Dorie, so obviously I would get the spanking.

My sister and I can vividly recall the many sacrifices that Mom made for both of us throughout our lives—even when we were adults and lived abroad. For example, whenever we visited her, she would go out of her way to prepare us special dishes that we loved.

Dad

My dad was a tall, dark, strong, and burly gentleman. Very early in my childhood, my dad left Barbados to work in Curacao. He was a policeman in Barbados, but he and some other policemen were recruited to work in Curacao. They seized the opportunity for advancement and growth in the police force. As soon as I was able to write, my grandmother Gran Gran made sure that I corresponded with Dad from time to time.

Dad was not present in my youth, but when I grew older, we did correspond. Eventually he retired from the police force in Curacao and returned to Barbados. On some of my visits to Barbados I would go see him.

I can truly say that he loved me. I remember seeing the beautiful broad smile on his face as we chatted from time to time. As I grew older, we had a closer relationship, and I can say that I experienced the love of an earthly father. It was my dad who was instrumental in my being in the United States of America today.

CHAPTER 3

Responsibility

A s a very young girl, I remember my mother was afforded an opportunity to travel to the United States to live and work. But that meant she would have had to leave my sister and me with relatives until she got settled into a job and her new life in the Big Apple. But guess what? She thought long and hard, and she refused the opportunity. I could not understand the rationale then. I am sure if my mom, at that time, had told many other women in our community of the chance she had had, they would have thought it was a wonderful idea and would have encouraged her to take it. But, thank God, Mom did not shirk her responsibility of being the mother that God created her to be for my sister and me.

My mother would always ponder and weigh possibilities before venturing out. Perhaps she knew that if she told other people, they would have all encouraged her to go to New York. Their feelings would not have been in line with hers, since most people looked at the United States as the land of opportunity.

But as I grow older, I thank Mom and am so happy that she did not travel to the Big Apple and leave my sister and me behind when we were little girls. Had she gone to New York, she would not have been around to empower and guide me through rough patches of life, especially during my tender years. Yes, I encountered some bumps along the road at a very early age.

When I was six or seven,