Finding Us (Christian Interracial Romance)

A Testimony Waiting to Be Told

Cecilia

I step into my apartment, shutting the door behind me with a deep sigh of relief. It's finally the weekend and after a long week at Smooth Brew, I'm ready to unwind. The aroma of fresh coffee still clings to my clothes, but I don't mind—it's a scent I've grown to love over the years. I toss my keys onto the kitchen counter, kick off my sneakers, and head straight for the couch, sinking into its comforting embrace.

Grabbing the remote, I scroll through YouTube, looking for something entertaining to binge. Maybe SLOAN has a new deep dive, or perhaps Sebastian Soto, Swoop, or Tara and Hunter posted an interesting update. Just as I'm about to settle on a video, my eyes catch a familiar face in a thumbnail. My cousins Reagan, Lizzy, and Stella.

Their podcast episode features a young woman named Rudy and the title immediately piques my curiosity. Something about her testimony regarding Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. I click on the video, letting it play as I lean back into the cushions, my interest fully captured.

The screen fades in, revealing Reagan, Lizzy, and Stella seated in their usual podcast setup—cozy, warm lighting, a bookshelf stacked with Bibles, family photos, and faith-based literature behind them. The upbeat gospel-reggaeton intro music swells and then fades out as Reagan smiles at the camera.

"Welcome back to the podcast, everyone," Reagan begins. "Today, we have a powerful testimony to share with you. We've been talking about the dangers of certain worldly influences for a while now, and God told us to share our discussion of how do we talk to our Christian friends who compromise by consuming music and content that is actively demonic?" 

"Right," Lizzy nods, twisting a cap off the bottle of blue Gatorade and takes a quick sip before placing it down on the table. "We've discussed the artists to avoid, like Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, Jay Z, Beyonce, but now we need to focus on the listener and the spiritual erosion  that happens when a Christian says, 'I can handle it,' and chooses to spend their time  in spaces dedicated to darkness." 

"We are calling this segment: The Three Warning Signs: Is Your Spiritual Alarm System Broken? Listen closely, because we want you to check yourself and check the people you love," Reagan speaks. 

"That's right, guys. The first and most common sign that your spiritual alarm system is breaking is Rationalizing Evil. This is when you replace the clear biblical command of separation with cultural excuses," Stella reasons. 

"The Bible is clear in 2 Corinthians 6:17: 'Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.' But the compromised says, 'I'm just there for the bassline,' or 'I can filter out the bad lyrics.'" Lizzy clarifies. 

"And that is a lie straight from the pit! You cannot filter out the spirit of a song. Helvectia is not just singing about sensuality; she is invoking Oshun and a spirit of rebellion. When you support that platform with your presence or your stream, you are giving a tithe to that demonic agenda. You are validating the sin." Reagan explains. 

"Preach, Lil Sis," Stella snaps her fingers with a proud beam as this makes me smile as if I was there with them. "If you find yourself consistently excusing sacrilege as 'artistic shock' or 'just entertainment,' your conviction is already compromised. You are defending the darkness instead of fleeing from it."

"Warning Sign Number Two," Lizzy holds her two fingers up, "is Diminished Conviction, and this is a slow killer. It's when your inner alarm system—your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit—fades."

"Think about the lyrics . A few years ago, if you have heard God's name used in vain repeatedly, or if you heard a song encouraging adultery, it would make you cringe. Your spirit would immediately push back." Reagan says.