Mary J. Blige: 'When I Decided to Make a Change in My Life, I Went to God'

(Gospel Light Minute #141)

She is a singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She has sold more than 50 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. She has received nine Grammy Awards as well as thirty Grammy nominations, and she is the only artist to have won Grammys in the R&B, Rap, Pop, and Gospel fields. Eight of her albums have reached multi-platinum status in the United States. According to  Rolling Stone, Time, and Vibe Magazines, her album "My Life" is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded. In 2007, she was named to TIME Magazine's 100 list of influential individuals around the world. Alongside her success in music, she has earned high remarks for her work in film. 

Although she grew up in Pentecostal churches and got her singing start there, she says, "I wasn't a Christian when I was a child, I just went to church. I understood from childhood that there was something really big watching over me and it was God. And I was afraid to steal and lie. I was afraid to do anything that was wrong. I always got this feeling like, 'Uh oh.' But I understand better now who God is now that I've become a woman and a Christian."

She went on to say, "It was later [in life], when I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that I found out who I am. I'm a child of God. God is my mommy, my daddy. That's the only thing that'll keep my head up. If I don't remember who I am in him, I'm done....When I became a Christian, it was something I had to do because my whole life as a young adult was so bad. Things were just so bad that when I decided to make a change in my life, I went to God about my life. And he led me to other Christians, like my husband, like my pastor. And I started studying the Word. Now I get it. I understand it more, through the Word. That's why I know God is love."

Her name is Mary J. Blige.