Book Written By Dr. Sirretta Williams
Book Review Written by Theresa Harvard Johnson
After watching movies like Precious and For Colored Girls, it is truly unimaginable for some people to believe a person’s life could really be as full of drama, trauma and personal devastation like those portrayed on the big screen. But the truth of the matter is this: We cross paths with people daily whose lives are not a far cry from these very circumstances. Situations like this are very much a reality for many people.
In a poignant in-your-face autobiography, When Your Seasons Collide: Dealing with the Family Secret, Dr. Sirretta Williams vividly shares scenes from her personal testimony that plays like a movie script but are indeed very, very real. She speaks of a childhood filled with isolation and emotional abuse; living in fear; becoming a mother as a teen; and escaping patterns of domestic violence. There’s even the unveiling of a deep family secret: She discovered that the church-going man she’d married and trusted with her care and that of her family was sexually molesting her son. Today, her son Laveranues Coles is a veteran professional football player who has played for the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The journey between the pages of When Your Seasons Collide is one lined with the kind of wisdom that challenges readers to bring all secrets and hidden sins forward, and into the presence of God. As you move through the book, the chapters either begin or end with mini bible studies that challenge:
- Your decision making process;
- Your response to trauma;
- How you process things that happen in your life;
- Whether you are living in the present or the past;
- Your level of maturity spiritually and naturally;
- Your attempts to hide shame, pain or embarrassment;
- Your pride;
- Your ability to discern the truth from a lie;
- Your faith and belief;
- How you cope with trauma; and even
- Your level of accountability concerning how you’re living.
Honestly, it took me a while to progress through this book even though it was just over a 100 pages. The more I read, the more the Lord stirred my heart concerning my own pain and the areas of “secrecy” that were still there. It became necessary to take a break and allow Holy Spirit to have His way – bringing my soul into deeper depths of understanding that deliverance, people of God, is a lifelong process. And this book, if one’s heart is open, will take you directly to the heart of the matter.
I have to be truthful here. I actually thought to myself, “I don’t know if I could put the laundry along with the bath water out there to this degree.” But Williams did it. The reader can ascertain that “it had to be written this way” so that what is revealed could become “real” to the reader. There is no sugar-coating in this book and you can clearly see and hear the Lord speaking through the pages. For those who understand what it means to write at the leading of Holy Spirit, this isn’t the type of book that could be penned without Father’s express wisdom and guidance.
When Your Seasons Collide is not simply a testimony, but a story of immeasurable faith and courage as this young girl emerges into a woman of intercession and prayer – overcoming enormous obstacles through the power of forgiveness. Those who read this book should do so with a heart ready to receive, and standing in expectation of hearing of God speak and allowing him to solidify this message in their hearts: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I AM COMING OUT!”
Dr. Sirretta Williams is the pastor of The Lion of the Tribe of Judah Ministries based in Jacksonville, Florida. She is the founder of Prayer Warriors for the Game whose mission is to lead and encourage intercessors to pray and minister to professional athletes. She is also the founder of Breaking the Silence, a nonprofit organization that provides practical support systems for victims of abuse who have determined to break the silence. She holds a doctorate in Christian Psychology from Jacksonville Theological Seminary and World Bible College.
After appearing on the Oprah Show with her son in 2005, she decided to chronicle her journey as a mother of a victim of sexual molestation. For more information contact The Lion of the Tribe of Judah Ministries, 5120 Perry Street, Jacksonville, FL, 32202.
