God’s Promised Life of She’lia Roby, the Passion Preacher
There is always sunshine after rain, and the rainbow is a symbol of God’s promise to Noah in the Bible.
She’lia Roby, the young passion preacher, has dedicated her life to God since he showed her the rainbow after a long storm-like time in life.
Childhood
Roby was raised by her grandfather and mom, the founder of her family’s church and a minister, respectively.
Growing up in a religious household, she had to follow rules, which kept her away from the fun of being a kid.
“I couldn’t wear skirts that came above my knees, anywhere. I couldn’t stay the night over at people’s houses… There was no watching Harry Potter. Harry Potter was big when I was growing up, but it was like you can’t listen or watch any of that.”
Instead of hanging out with friends, Roby had to spend every day at her family’s church, taking roles and responsibilities.
She admitted that it extensively prepared her to be where she is today, but back then, it made her refuse to go to church.
“I used to say I’m never going to church, because of how much I had to do.”
It was not only these strict rules that suffocated young Roby. It was the stigma of perfection that ultimately made her go astray.
Stormy Days - Rebellion
Roby was always expected to be perfect, when the actual reality was far different from it.
“Meanwhile in my household, I went through abuse and molestation and all of those other things.”
Roby was seven when she first got molested and the abuse lasted until she was 17, but she had no one to depend on and ask for help. She attempted to commit suicide twice.
“Trauma in the black community is seen as regular like it’s normal for you to not show what’s going on in your household. You better not tell the teacher what’s happening at home.”
Young Roby did not know where she got her mental illness from until she witnessed her mom on the floor, having a panic attack.
But still no one addressed the issue of mental illness, and she was told to just pray about it — trauma was too familiar to be seen as a big deal.
The expectation of being a good girl also drove her to rebel.
As she grew up sheltered from the world, she decided to go out and enjoy her life once she got old enough to be on her own.
“I rebelled like; I can’t be perfect for you, God.”
She went on to taste what the world had to offer that she had never experienced before.
At one point, she was involved in what she calls the “modern-day prostitution,” in which girls are dating guys who fulfill their materialistic desires.
She recalled facing herself in the mirror in a consultation room, where she went to change her body.
“I looked at myself in the mirror, and I was talking to myself, asking me, how did you get here?”
When she confronted herself and realized how far she had come, she knew she had to go back to God.
“Through all those times, I still went to church, still prayed. I was just ignoring his voice when I felt like it, honestly. If I wanted to get blackout drunk or go have a one-night stand, I would do that. I made Jesus my side chick!”
Going back to God was a long journey, but as she accepted her wrongdoings, shame and her true self, she became the person that God wanted her to become.
It took her a lot of strength and courage to tell her family that she was going to a psychiatrist, which was her last resort.
“My mom started going to a therapist and psychiatrist, and that to me was such a treasured moment, that me being the youngest of nine children, I could be the one inspiring my family.”
What seemed like an unending cycle of misery came to an end as she got help from therapy and separated herself from the world to become who God was telling her she is.
“It made me this woman, and I love this woman, the woman that I am now, I love her so much.”
Higher Calling - God's Promise
Straight after graduating from Michigan State University with a marketing degree, Roby worked in corporate America.
But with the lack of passion, she began to search for a job that she may like, and that is when she heard a higher calling.
“I heard the Lord say to me, I gave you a job!”
She confessed that she used to be hopeless and did not know what to do with her life until God spoke to her through Jeremiah 29:11:
“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
This verse came as a God’s promise for her.
“He didn’t want me to be hopeless and faithless; he wanted to give me more, he wanted to give me future, he wanted to give me great things.”
She had been consistently sharing God’s words on her social media, but when she noticed the number of people that were touched by her posts, she realized that God’s purpose in her was to evangelize and preach.
Following God’s plan, she started preaching two years ago as an official licensed minister and is currently pursuing her Master’s in divinity at Emory University.
In January of 2019, she found the “She’lia Roby World Ministries,” a platform where she can properly share messages to help people find the purpose of their lives in Jesus Christ.
On top of preaching, she published her revelatory biography “Pressure Doesn’t Change Purpose” to guide people who are going through similar struggles as she has.
“I want people to read my book and say, ‘Wow, it’s not just me’… I want to give them the path to heal, I want to give them the path to freedom from self-hate and all of those different things.”
She shared a story of a getaway trip she made to Puerto Rico back in February, which ended up with a bigger blessing.
She encountered a young man who shared his story of how he came to decide to not to be a Christian anymore.
She sat there with him, listening and agreeing.
“He was like, I hope to talk to you again, and I don’t know what it is, but I feel different. And I said, that’s enough for me! I pray that you see Jesus Christ in your heart.
“I talk to people and they can feel my spirit, they can feel God.”
Passion Preacher
Roby speaks and teaches with passion and enthusiasm but is often misconceived as half-religious.
“I have a whole sleeve of tattoos and excessive piercings. Yeah, I don’t look like a pastor at all. That’s me, I’m authentic, I can look like this and still love Jesus.”
Although different from the stereotypical image of a pastor, she describes herself as authentic.
Like her childhood when she was pressured to be perfect, she pushed herself to her limits, which only drove her to rebel.
But since accepting the person she was, she claimed that she alleviated the pressure and became free in Jesus.
That is why it is easy for her to ignore what people say about her.
“I don’t let people tell me who they think I am. I tell them who I am.”
Authenticity is the utmost priority for her, but she also stresses God’s grace and mercy.
“People see God as a figure that’s on standby to punish, but he’s actually a lover and a comforter like any other father. Fathers don’t wait to punish you. They want you to do well, they’re rooting for you to do your best, and they know you’re going to fall, but they’ll be right there for you.”
A Talk Show Host
Roby recently introduced her talk show “The White Space,” where she hosts guests to talk about diverse topics that are not limited to Christianity.
“I want every person to come to talk on the show to make my space their space, a space safe to say who they are, to do what they want to talk about, even if I don’t agree with it, I’ll give you the room to be understood.”
She believes that every person deserves the opportunity to be understood the way they are.
As she has struggled to be her true self growing up, she emphasizes the importance of staying true to yourself, not killing yourself to fit in the world’s box – be authentic!
“My advice to the younger people would be to speak your truth, to be your truth. Don’t let anyone decide anything for you… Speak what’s real for you. Don’t worry about how it’ll make you look. Just speak your truth.”
October 13, 2019 @ 8:35 am
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