Ronald McCray grew up in a broken home. It was his mother that mostly raised him because his father struggled with addiction. The lack of relationship that he had with his father really made him question if he was worthy of love, and had a huge impact on how he would turn out as an adult.
How it all started
At 9 years old, Ronald was exposed to pornography by a trusted male relative. He was also secretly being molested by that relative for two years. The abuse left Ronald confused and hurt leading him to question his identity.
“I remember getting up and running into the restroom and just washing myself. And I just begged God for forgiveness because I felt like it was my fault. And it just felt like a cloud of guilt and shame was just hovering over me,” he said.
Ronald then revealed that it was at that point that he started having same-sex attraction. He was only 15 years old when he started exploring same-sex relationships. By the time he graduated from high school, he had fully embraced a gay lifestyle, gravitating towards men who possessed qualities he felt he lacked.
An important invitation
Ronald was living the life he desired until a few years passed by, and he began to feel unsatisfied and empty. It was during this time that he remembered going to church as a boy, but because of his life of sin, he just wasn’t sure if God would accept him.
He went through a season of depression until his roommate invited him to go to church one day. He accepted the invitation and as he listened to the preacher, he was really moved with the power of the message about God’s love. The church also welcomed him with love and since that day, he has attended church every Sunday.
The turning point
Despite Ronald’s attendance in church every Sunday, he still lived a bit of his old lifestyle. One night, he was headed to the club with friends when they were robbed at gunpoint. It was a terrifying time as the robber planned to kill them. That’s when Ronald remembered that he can call on the name of Jesus in times of trouble.
“I called on him and I remember saying in my mind, ‘I know that the way that I live my life was wrong. And if you let me die, you are justified in that. But if you give me mercy, if you allow me to live, I’ll serve you. I’ll give my life to you.”
Suddenly, the robbers were gone and Ronald survived. In October 2009, he repented of his sins and asked Jesus to restore his life. Since that day, he has not gone back to the homosexual lifestyle.
A new creation
Ronald allowed himself to be mentored by a church leader and from there, his life turned around completely. There were moments of temptations, but as he soaked in the word of the Lord, the past desires just vanished. Ronald then met in Sunday school his wife Fatima, who also experienced deliverance from a homosexual lifestyle. They got married in 2015 and had a child in 2019. Today, Ronald is living his identity as a husband, father and man loved by God.
“You’re not too broken, you’re not too tarnished for God, the potter, to put you back together again and give you new life.”
