By Cecelia Campbell Livingston
In 2015, Franceta Lopez was happy and eagerly anticipating the birth of her daughter, but that joy was short-lived as she was stillborn just one week away from her due date.
Walking away from that loss was not easy. Already a mother of two children, her daughter would have made the perfect addition. Added to that, she had to deal with interference from family members and this proved to be a mental challenge for her.
“I was mentally prepared to walk away from my marriage due to interference from family members, a lack of respect, and the absence of boundaries. My husband and I had a heated argument, almost escalating into a fight, triggered by two family members. Feeling unappreciated and secondary in his life, I was ready to leave,” she recalled.
However, she was determined not to go back to that place in her life when she dreaded the thought of being a failure. Through prayer and marital counselling, she found solace and managed to save her marriage.
Recounting that time in her life where she dreaded failure, she said it began in 2007 after giving birth to her first child at age 21. She decided to go back to school, where she earned a diploma in business office management.
Upon completion, she started job hunting but was turned down as she had no experience. “I took a job as a cashier and began furthering my studies, but after my first failure, I gave up. The truth was, I was afraid of failing again. I stayed in a meaningless job, even though I was being treated unfairly. That continued for years; I stopped believing in myself more and more each day,” she reminisced.
Soon, she began absorbing all the negative comments from others, even trying to win their approval by attempting to please them in whatever way she could while ignoring her own happiness.
“I became stuck; I held back my voice, my potential, and my ability. Eventually, I lost my way and my purpose in life. When I was pregnant with my fourth baby boy, reality hit me. How I allowed people to take advantage of me for years; how I allowed fear to cripple me. I began seeking God more and more and praying more. Step by step, I slowly walked into my purpose,” she shared.
Growing up in a Christian environment, Lopez said, played a big role in shaping her faith. The seed was planted when I was a child attending church. She recalls eagerly anticipating her Sunday school visits and repeating ‘the golden text’.
At the age of ten, she felt compelled to dedicate her life to God. One Sunday night, during a baptism ceremony at church, she experienced the presence of God and told her mother that she wanted to be baptised.
It has not been an easy journey since, but Lopez is thanking God for His favour and for not giving up on her.
Today, Lopez is a published author with three books to her credit and is looking forward to adding to her collection. She can now afford herself the satisfaction of looking back on her life and the challenges that God has guided her through.
The former Bridgeport High School student shared with Freedom Come Rain Newspaper that the desire to write a book hit her when she was pregnant with her fourth child.
“Due to complications during pregnancy, my husband suggested that I stay home, and upon leaving my job, everything seemed to unravel rapidly. It felt like blow after blow, with marital and financial struggles piling up. In a moment of helplessness and despair, I cried out to God, and that’s when I felt a divine prompting to write a book. I started encouraging myself, saying, “Mother, you can make it,” and I knew there were other wives and mothers out there who needed the same encouragement,” she recounted.
That book, Mother, You Can Make It: From Struggles to Blessings, was written and released in 2020 and is a transformational guide that empowers readers to rise above a life of hopelessness and embrace a life filled with purpose and prosperity.
Lopez explains that the book is the embodiment of her personal experiences and biblical insights, providing the tools and inspiration to regain control over one’s life.
“Above all, I hope readers will learn to trust God with their struggles, purposes, dreams, and goals. I want them to understand that no matter the struggles they face, they can find solace and strength in their faith.”
She always maintains that, “Moms who win trust Jesus?”
“I want readers to realise God has given them power! Believe in their own resilience and realise that they have the power to transform their lives for the better,” she expressed.
An author, motivational speaker, motherhood coach, and relationship coach, she has dedicated her life to helping moms and wives uncover buried dreams and support them in building thriving marriages.