Outline of the Episode
- [0:43] A powerful story of surrender
- [12:07] Life can take unexpected turns
- [15:14] Finding Purpose in Your Pain
A powerful story of surrender
Reggie grew up with an abusive drug-addicted mother. They were constantly moving and had an unstable life. He ended up moving to Miami to live with his dad and was inserted into a whole new world.
His dad wanted him to go to a private school but he talked him into allowing him to attend public school. Sadly, he quickly started hanging with the wrong crowd.
His father and stepmother started to have problems in their marriage. His father had gotten in with a crowd that was selling drugs and soon after lost his job and got divorced. He started riding around in limos selling drugs.
None of Reggie’s relatives believed him when he asked for help. He was 19 and tried to get work to cover bills. But he ended up robbing a bank. He was sentenced to 18-and-a-half years in prison.
Reggie admits that there were many times throughout his teenage years when God gave him a chance to turn from his ways. God was always talking to him.
When he landed in prison, he had a fallout with God. He was arguing with and cursing God. But he felt a peace come over him and God said, “Are you done yet?” He told him he had a purpose. That’s why Reggie adopted the mantra: There’s a purpose in your pain.
Reggie was a model Christian in prison. And after filing appeals, Reggie was released from prison after 4-and-a-half years at the age of 25.
Life can take unexpected turns
Reggie knew he needed to get out of Miami and away from the bad influences around him. He moved to St. Louis to be with some Christian relatives. He ended up dating a preacher’s daughter, found a job, and walked away from crime.
Three years later, A US Marshall pounded on his door. He was told that he was released from prison by mistake. He was arrested and sent back to prison. Reggie was mad at God. He was about to marry the Pastor’s daughter and become a deacon in his church.
He was crying in his cell when an older man came to him and told him there was an anointing in his life. So Reggie spent time bettering himself and going to classes. A jailhouse lawyer started filing appeals for him—and they won. He did 8.5 years altogether before he was released.
Turn your pain into purpose
Two years out of prison, Reggie married a woman he was warned he shouldn’t. They were married for 8 years, during much of which they struggled to conceive. After a time away, his wife asked him for a second chance. She believed she would get pregnant and have twins.
They thought children would bring their marriage closer. Lo and behold, she became pregnant with twins—a boy and a girl. But 15 weeks into the pregnancy, his wife miscarried their little girl. She was mad at God but Reggie begged her to be strong because they still had their little boy.
Their son was born early—at 26 weeks—and fit in the palm of Reggie’s hand. He was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Reggie couldn’t understand how it was God’s will. But God shared that there was a purpose in it. He turned his pain into purpose.
So Reggie and his wife started a consulting business. He launched “Reggie the Lion,” a toy that “was created to help children believe in themselves, their dreams, and God.”
Above all, Reggie knows that through everything he’s been through, God will use it. He emphasizes that there’s purpose in your pain if you can help others understand how good God is.
Follow Reginald Foreman
- Reggie the Lion
- RL Coaching & Consulting
- Reggie’s Website
- Live Determined: Don’t Let Your Struggles Bully Your Dreams
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