That was part of my life, but God can turn all ashes into beauty. I spent so much time asking the question, “Why me?” but I started asking the right question, “But why not me?”. We have this pocket of time to work towards eternity. He said, “Come suffer with me,” because this life doesn’t continue. When Jesus said, “Come follow me,” he never said it was going to be easy. There is no book on his case, because there has never been a Zealand. JV: I think the Zealand diagnosis, because we are still on that journey. RU: What incident in your life has been the most life-altering period of growth for you? How has it changed you? And you feel, “You too? I thought I was the only one.” Then you meet someone who has an autistic child. Because of the way I felt, I knew others felt that way too, like an island. It’s like what autism is for one person, is not for another - there are no two cases that are exactly alike. I have to do something that I never did before.” In those times of anger, you don’t understand what autism is. After that mourning period was done, I could feel God just say it’s time to get back up. I would tell him, “What are you thinking? This is not what you said.” I thought how could God love me? What was funny to me is that God never said a word. When my son was diagnosed with being autistic, I felt so angry at God. So we continue walking by faith, not sight.
I don’t know what his ministry will look like, but I know he is going to have one. I could feel that Zealand had a ministry.
#Jackie velasquez i get on my knees movie#
He’ll watch a movie, and we’ll ask him questions about how his day went, and he’ll remember a line from a movie he only saw once, and use that to answer the question. I would never have believed that someone would tell me that my son might not ever communicate appropriately. Sometimes it will not be how we pictured it. Our stories are going to go way off track. I wanted people to understand that in life our plans are going to be interrupted. I’m about to turn 40 this month, but I feel like I should be 60. I would say the reason I wrote the book now is because I had something to say. JV: Well, the first thing I want to clarify is: it is not a memoir. I knew that I could count on one thing, and one thing alone, and that is Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and that He is here comforting us with peace even when everything else is broken and so uncertain. When my parents were splitting up, I realized you couldn’t count on everything, but I knew I could count on God. I think sometimes it’s through heartache or health issues. I could not imagine how God could love him more than I do, and He does. It was the first boy I didn’t have to wear the right thing, or say the right thing, for him to love me. I got this incredible picture of what love looks like. Another season, was with the birth of my first-born. It had to be not my parents’ faith, but my own. I think He became real to me all over again when I was about 18, when my parents were going through a divorce.
I accepted the Lord when I was five, but you cannot truly understand that at that age. Do you remember the first time God felt real to you personally? RU: According to your book, you grew up in the Christian faith. Here’s our Q & A with the singer-songwriter: 8, Velasquez delves into how her faith carries her through those difficult, unplanned, moments. In her book, “When God Rescripts Your Life,” released Oct. Recently, her eldest son, Zealand, was diagnosed with autism. Her first marriage in 2003 ended less than two years later in divorce. Through the years, one of the most important lessons Velasquez has learned is that when things finally seem to go right, sometimes life throws us unexpected surprises. There is always a basket of fresh eggs on their kitchen counter. She enjoys being a hands-on mom, preparing meals and also caring for their 27 chickens. Velasquez has a real house she can now call home - a ranch in Franklin, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and fellow musician, Nic Gonzales, and their two boys, Zealand (11) and Soren (10).
She’s also accomplished one of her most personal lifelong dreams - having a stable home and family. Her parents were Christian musicians who traveled to perform in churches all across the country, and that’s how she, herself, began her musical career.įast forward three decades, Velasquez is turning 40 this month and is an award-winning, multi-platinum selling record artist who has also acted in a handful of films (“ I’m Not Ashamed,” “ A Question of Faith”). NEW YORK - Since the age of nine, Jaci Velasquez called the backseat of an ‘85 steel-blue Honda her home.