The Cards You Were Dealt

By George Garcia

“These are the cards you were dealt and you will die in your gang colors!”  This is what I heard growing up.  At the age of 8, my single mother moved us out of Los Angeles to Pomona where I was raised so that I wouldn’t grow up to be like my father.  A year after living in Pomona, my father got out of prison and my little sister was born.  We are eight years apart.  My mother became a single mother again; but this time for good, in order to give us a better life.

My mom drove from Pomona to LA every day to give us all that we needed, and she still came to take us to the park to play baseball and help with our homework.  Growing up, my mom wouldn’t let me play out in the streets.  When it was getting dark, I would see all the kids on the block playing and hanging out; and I wanted to be part of that.

I grew up with nothing but girls in my house, so I was called names by my grandpa and dad.  I remember when I was in the third grade, my grandpa would take me and my cousin walking and we would cut through this park.  That was the first time I ever saw a dead body; and,  it was of a young woman lying on top of the table.  I wondered what she had done to end up like that.

My grandma would take my cousin and I to church, but that was not really what I wanted.  I was raised Catholic and when Sunday would come, I asked grandma to please take me to the classes in the back of the church.  I knew that while grandma was in service, they would take us to play soccer and baseball.

At the age of 13, I started to smoke weed with the homies on the block.  I had already hit the “soft side” of grandma since she would take care of me and let me chill outside after the lights from the streets came on.  I began to love that street life.  I became “the streets;” the streets became my home; drugs and liquor were my friends; and a gun became my partner.

When I got to high school, I dropped out in the 10^th grade.  Selling drugs, stealing cars, and kicking it were my routine.  Finally, my mom got tired of me and out the house I went, by choice.  I could have gotten my life together, but I was blinded by the pleasures of the world.  At the age of 19, I went to jail for possession and got out with probation.

I finally ended up in prison.  Years after for my first term, I remember my celly asked me if I knew who God was.  I said that I knew of Him; but personally, I didn’t know Him.  He told me that God had a plan for me.  I told him that I didn’t want to hear that, so he showed me in scripture that says God loves me by sending His Son to the cross for me (John 3:16).

I did eight months in prison and got out; and after a year, I met my wife.  She was a leader at Victory Outreach and I also became involved.  After some time, the Lord called me to go to Mexico and evangelize for six months.  When I came back, we got married.

Now I’m back in prison because I didn’t allow Christ fully into my life.  There are still areas of my life that “Life Above Reproach” has helped me see.  It is a great program.  Identity is truly found in Christ.  Remember, “those are not the cards you were dealt!”  Christ loves you!