Divine Appointment

TESTIMONY SUBMITTED BY: AMIE PEREZ

What is your testimony? The Bible says in Revelation 12:11 (NIV), “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” We all have a story and it has the potential to speak volumes to others who may feel as though they are imprisoned by their own story. My purpose in sharing this testimony is for that one person who reads this article and can relate to any part of it. If that person is you, may you also overcome and live a life of victory by accepting Jesus Christ. Allow Him to take you through the process of making you over from the inside out.

I was sexually abused between the ages of six and ten, which opened up a path, in hindsight, of what looked like sheer destruction. I began a life-long journey of being an overachiever, outgoing, bubbly, and full of life. However, what wasn’t known (not even by me) was that I was dying on the inside, full of shame, guilt, fear, low self-esteem, and the emptiness of never feeling loved. I was a child that stuffed all of her emotions into a steel box. I bolted it shut to prevent anyone from finding out and to ensure that I would never return to those places of pain. I was a child that developed a phony persona and used compulsive behaviors as coping mechanisms to hide from the shame, guilt, and fear. I did not grow up in church, but I was a perfectionist – the one that looked like she had it all together, although, on the inside I was only surviving. How many of us have lived a life of just surviving? A front was created in place of the real Amie.

At the age of 17, I got pregnant and ended up having an abortion. Years later, the same boyfriend who I became pregnant by committed suicide and hung himself in his dad’s apartment. He mentioned my name in his premeditated letter and wondered why I did not have his baby. More pain to stuff into that steel box. Shortly after, I became pregnant with my son (my firstborn) and got married because of the pregnancy. I always dreamed of the huge white wedding, but instead I remember fighting with my soon-to-be husband the day we were married by the justice of the peace. Getting married that way was truly not my heart’s desire. I should have known what I was in for next based on that day’s argument.

Over the course of the next three years I was beaten, controlled, punched in the mouth, cheated on, emotionally abused, and living in fear. I was dealing with even more shame and guilt, and I locked it all up once again. I did not want anyone to ever see what was truly happening to me. I can remember the last fight. As I looked at my son, who was just a baby at the time, I knew at that moment he would not grow up to be like his father. Although I didn’t understand what was happening to me or even why, I called an attorney and began the process of divorce.

In fear, I left before the divorce was final and made my way out west to California. I drove 3,000 miles away so I could make a new life for me and my son. I was running away from my past and hoping to leave it all in that steel box to be locked away forever. Thinking that I would never end up with someone to love me or my son, I settled in and began working. I was waiting tables and through the course of a year or so, I began dating. Shortly after that I became pregnant and gave birth to my second child. Due to the turmoil with my first husband, I never planned on getting married again. I spent the next 10 years with that same man and had my third child with him. We finally married and one year later we were divorced. Still empty with even more pain and guilt, I now had three children that were also being affected. I would ultimately lock away all these emotions into that steel box.

I then spiraled into many relationships searching for love in all the wrong places. Nothing could fill the emptiness that I was so desperately seeking to fill. I had the attitude that if a man couldn’t fill that empty space then just maybe a woman could. With that being said, Satan sent that woman, who I spent the next two and a half years with. I finally went to my knees to accept Jesus Christ knowing that if a man couldn’t fill the void and certainly not a woman, then I had one shot left. I cried out on my knees and asked the Lord into my heart. I was all alone, convinced that absolutely nothing could fill my empty place. I said “Lord, if you are who you say you are, come into my heart and change everything! I want you to shake it up!” So He did exactly that!

The next seven years took me through a process – a “Divine Appointment” – tailored just for me. It ultimately unlocked that steel box to release the shame, guilt, and fear. I was set free once and for all from my past. I made the decision to go back to school to get my Cosmetology license. I did not understand yet the full scope of what God was trying to do, but I saw a salon in my future. I was on fire for the Lord and felt like I was about to explode daily. A mentor was placed in my life to pump in the Word of God. During this time, I felt as though I was being intravenously fed the Word of God. I couldn’t get enough. Later, I was given another mentor who helped me achieve an even deeper relationship with God. She is a pastor and Christian counselor. She allowed me to release the anger that was locked up in that steel box. Due to the shame that I carried, I never thought I would go to a counselor, but God had a different plan and I was on board to follow it through. Finally, God directed me to a “Transformation” class, which helped me understand why I carried the shame, guilt, and fear. This class brought me back to a pain that only God could heal … and that is exactly what He did by setting me free.

In all of this, God never let the dream of owning a salon fall to the wayside. It would be more than just doing hair behind the chair. God intended to use my victory over the enemy’s attempts to destroy me as my testimony to share behind that chair; the same testimony that would set others free. He has since combined all of my God-given talents of teaching, preaching, mentoring, and speaking as a tool to use behind the chair. It birthed “Divine Appointment,” where it’s not just about hair, but about “Makeovers from the Inside Out.” This is a safe place where we not only beautify the outside of a person, but we tap into the inside. We teach “Making Peace With Your Past” to give HOPE for a person’s intended future.