Following God When it Makes No Sense

Ms. Chrystal Hurst, you wanna come on out here? Come on, Chrystal. She was like, "I don't know about them steps." It's Chrystal Hurst, everybody! Listen, I shouldn't have had that long conversation with you back there because we done had like 2, 3 conversations before this one. You're coming from Birmingham today.

Yeah, I am.

Came in on a plane to be here with me. So what y'all don't know is that A few weeks ago, Chrystal and I were gonna record a podcast in person without an audience. Just sometimes, y'all know, I'll do the ones that where we're in person and I wasn't feeling well. I was like, girl, no, let's just delay it another time. And then I was like, you know what? There's an event happening. Could you come then? And can we just do it then? So I'm glad we're getting to do it and get to do it here. It's gonna be fun with everybody in the room. Have a seat on the couch.

All right, y'all ready?

See, you don't. All right, where's the tissue? She don't know. Just gone. Right, it's the couch. Go on and let's get the tissue up here. Just so we can be prepared, you know what I'm saying? Just be prepared. 'Cause apparently this comes with the territory. Come on. Okay.

Therapy.

All right. On the couch. I know you gonna have people going, "Yeah, you know Chrystal's a therapist. I didn't know she's taking clients. You know what her website is?" No, not a therapist. Not a therapist. I've just been moody enough my whole life to need therapy and read the books and all that kind of stuff. Absolutely. So, there's that. Okay, so now, you know, it wasn't until you said that Sunday Best was 16 years ago. 16 years ago.

Yes.

And every time you grabbed the mic and sang, it was just like, she's the winner. Why are we even going through the season? Like, why are we even doing this? You know, every time you were going. But that was 16 years ago. So for those who don't know, 16 years ago you were on TV show on BET called Sunday Best, the first season.

That's right.

So you were the first winner, correct, of that contest? Before we got to Sunday Best, what were you doing in your life?

Oh, so before Sunday Best, uh, I'm a registered nurse, so I was walking the ER halls, uh, working as a nurse. And, um, believe it or not, I had said to myself, God, is this it? Is this, is this all And I'm a night nurse, for anyone that is a night nurse. And come on. And then Sunday Best kind of plopped in my lap. And I said that it is very odd. I always call it a godly, oddly opportunity, because he does work in mysterious ways and in a way that you would never think it. And so although I had said my piece, I thought that that was just me speaking to God in the air, but not necessarily that he was listening. And so my best friend sent me the email. I saw the advertisement on BET when I was watching the network at the time. It's changed since then. Donnie Simpson is no longer doing the video since I know. Anybody remember Donnie Simpson? Right, green eyes, handsome, right? That was when I was watching BET. And so, and so, you know, my best friend sent me the email. I saw the advertisement on the network and I had did a competition before and I was discouraged by it because of some of— I was actually forced to lose by the judges. Somebody plummeted my score intentionally. And so, it's fine. But it did devastate me. So anything that said competition, I wasn't going to do. But my godbrother, he actually said, listen, you got to answer the phone. So anyone knows me, I'm horrible with phone response. But he said, you need to take this call. So there was a young lady that was a colleague of his. She had previously lived in Seattle. And I was in LA at the time. And she said, hey, there's this— pilot show coming. You know, I remember this girl. Like, I remember how I felt when I heard her sing. Like, do you know how to find her? So I took her call. And she said, yo, you really need to be in LA. I was like, OK. OK. And so I felt it then that I needed to be on the show, or that I needed to go.

What does that mean? You felt it.

Right. So I sensed that I heard, if that makes sense. So I listened. You know, the advertisement was there. I said no. The email came through by my best friend wanting me to do it. I said no. I heard her say, "You need to be in LA," and I listened. And all of a sudden, something said, "You need to go." And so, I said, "Mama, I think I'm supposed to be in LA," you know? And so, I packed up my stuff. I worked a shift and had to be there at 6:00. This young lady, not knowing me, but remember me from years ago, stood in line on my behalf. And so, I found her at, like, kind of the early part of the line. She was waiting there early. And I had just got off work, left the airport. Anybody know LAX? It's a crazy airport. Got to the church where it was, the auditions were, and found her by way of picture. She sent me her picture and image, and we met in line. And I kind of say the rest is history. Because it was my night shift, I slept. I slept through the audition. So, you know, everybody's like, "Yeah, praise Allah." I'm like, "Krrr." I'm like, "I'm tired." And so, I was like, "Cover me." So I would tell her to stay. The cameras panning the room. I'm like, "Cover me, stand in front of me." I'm like, I was so tired. And so, but the rest is kind of history. So everything else you saw that they may have taped and edited, but the truth is I was asleep. Entering the auditions. But it really, I tell you, it is a godly, oddly thing. And I always tell people to never expect it to come the way you feel that it should come, because it will come in a size that you don't think it should come in. It'll come with someone who doesn't look like you. It may come in a gender that's not your, your thing. It may come in a location you didn't expect. That means you're sweating at the bus stop and all of a sudden someone speaks to you, and it was that moment. And so I tell people to never stay closed to an opportunity that is godly, oddly. And if you think that it should make sense, it's probably your sense. But if it makes no sense, it's probably his sense. And so that's the best way I can say that.

And you're a singer?

I'm a singer.

It's not what I look like right here. I mean, it's just, it's a lot of this happening. Uh, first of all, you too far. If I do less, I can't touch you.

Just this way.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, so immediately after that, did life change and how did life change?

So, you know, I came home. So after the show, I came home. I just didn't feel like quitting my job. I felt like I worked really hard to be a nurse. And so I went back, but it was just difficult to try to, 'cause the life began to, to life, as they say. I was getting calls, and I had to be busy. And BET was calling, all these places. And so I didn't feel it was fair to consider myself special that my boss, although the hospital was watching, to all of a sudden consider my schedule more important. So I actually had to give up working at the time. How long was that?

How long did you go before you—

A couple of months, I would say. Yeah, I stayed there a couple of months. I paid attention. I just couldn't do it. Night shift is hard to adjust to a day life elsewhere and then come back. I just— my body was—

And people's lives were at stake. You were gonna be out of town, singing, preaching, prophesying, and then go to work, talking about, "Now, I don't know what this medicine, I can't see this, this is blurry. Can somebody read this so I don't kill this person?" Like, you needed sleep.

No, for real. I needed sleep, and you know, your circadian rhythm gets thrown off. But here's the truth. I don't know who was watching the show that year, but I can tell you, being in the hospital, we had a patient come in, she was complaining, this is real talk, was complaining of chest pain, and she looked up, I know you. I said, ma'am, we are putting your EKG leads on, so it doesn't matter who I am. It's okay. Like, she was recognizing me. I said, yeah, that's not good. That's not good. But these people did recognize me, and it was amazing. That's how life changed.

Just before you get that IV, can I get a picture?

Yeah, exactly, exactly right. In pain.

They see you be like, no, no, no, you're— are you my nurse? No, I saw that there was another nurse down there. Can you get her? Can she be my nurse?

No, it was like that. And, you know, started living really out of a suitcase, you know, so used to a routine of my 12-hour shift, and then all of a sudden I'm traveling and, and living out of a suitcase. And, um, and I enjoyed it, and, and I still enjoyed the travel. Um, so yeah, life changed tremendously.

Did you, um, miss nursing when you left?

I do miss nursing. Why do you miss it? I believe that I was still called to that field, right? I think nursing—

is it to that field, or is it called to— I mean, there's a lot of ways, a lot of jobs that you can have where you are serving and supporting and caring for others. So is it specifically that field, or it's just being directly involved in the care of other people?

Yeah, that's a great question. Um, I do believe healthcare is probably my field, but nursing specifically is my call too. And, um, and so I do miss bedside care. I, I I love patients, and— but I'm learning that I'm loving quieter patients. And so I found out that I do enjoy end of life more than beginning of life. So I've never felt that I was an L&D or, you know, for the mother-baby. I've always felt like I was palliative and hospice, because there is something about giving someone the the best transition as they are in the worst space of their life. And so, you will find your place in where you are in that field. And I love that, that there's just so many ways you can serve in healthcare. But I do believe healthcare is my call in ministry. But I really am about holistic ministry. And so, although it's physical health in medicine, that it is actually spiritual and holistic, soulish health in singing. So, it transfers. When I was in nursing and in school, we were on the oncology floor. And I got an opportunity to sing to patients, and to who are not here today. And I— my eyes opened. You know, you sing in church, you see them next Sunday and next Sunday. But to sing to people who you knew were not going to be here, at least in the next couple of months, I've just felt honored. And so that changed my life. And so I definitely love hospice. Of palliative care and had the opportunity a couple of years ago to care for my best friend in her last days of life. And so very, very special.

I love that. I love knowing that. Hey, y'all, it's almost that time. Coffee with Chrystal at Night is coming. It's the opportunity for you to join me in the room with thousands of other women where I talk about the word for the year and kick off the year with you together. Now, here's the thing. It's at night, 7 PM. It is free, but you do have to register. So go to ChrystalEvansHurst.com/coffee. Now, why do you need to be in the room, do you ask? Well, there are 3 reasons. Number 1, you need to be in the room so you can chair dance. Y'all, we're going to play music and have a good time. Number 2, you want to be in the chat. It's all about the chat. And number 3, you want to make sure you are receiving a word of encouragement to kick off your year strong. Strong. So after the holidays, after the New Year, after you put up your tree, or maybe it's still up, it doesn't matter. Come join me in the room, January 8th, 7:00 PM. I'll see you there. There is, um, one particular nurse who was, um, who for our family, we know her, she goes to the church. She was, uh, the hospice nurse for my grandfather, and we watched her.

She—

and that was the first time that I realized— I mean, you know, it's a calling, but to watch that you know, to watch her do this. So my grandmother asked her, she said, "Now when it's my time, you're gonna come see about me, right?" So when my grandmother's time to transition, and she wasn't her nurse, but she came to check on her, you know, and she would say, "Mrs. Cannings, I'm here." And I just, I've thought about multiple times, in fact, you reminded me, I wanna talk to her about that because I think, you know, what does that, What does she see and hear when people are experiencing their last breaths that gives her perspective about how to live, you know? But I think that's such a gift, one, to know what the general calling is. It's a gift to know what the specific field of your calling is. But it's a greater gift to know what the angle in that— like, it's not just nursing. It is nursing to a certain population.

Absolutely.

And why? So, do you think you'll ever get back to that?

Yeah, you know, I've wanted to open up a hospice facility, actually. And so, that has been my heart's desire and something in the works. I know I'm still singing, but I do believe I can do both. So, I'm— it's something— pray for me, because I would love to— I just would love to do that for people. I didn't see all the business aspect necessary when I saw the nurses come and the paperwork you had to do and all that. I prefer just to care for the people. And I would want to have people that worked for me and/or with me that knew that it was a call for them. I think people can get in healthcare for all the wrong reasons because there is good money to be made. And while I served in church, I was getting text messages through COVID, "Hey, do you want to come do this?" And I mean, nursing per hour at that point was going up to $250. Yeah, it was very advantageous to come. Like, no, we were getting text messages if you wanted to come do a contract. It was getting very wonderfully inviting to go serve and work during COVID because we were getting paid very well. And if you didn't have the right heart, you just did it for the cash. But I believe in doing it for the people because when you're at your worst, you need the right nurse at your bedside.

Listen, because there is such a thing as the wrong nurse.

I know that's right.

I had a nurse when I was in the hospital in 2018. She was there. And in a 21-day period, I was in the hospital for 18 non-consecutive days. So, I was in there for 11, went home for 2 days, had to come back. When I came back the second time, she wasn't my nurse, but she kept coming to check in on me. So, the day that it was time for me to leave, she asked the nurse, "Could she wheel me down?" And I was getting into the car. And just having been, you know, off of my feet for, you know, so many days, full of fluid, you know, just not able to breathe, and just trying to get in the car. And then my foot not being elevated. It was a whole thing. Getting in the car, I just busted out crying. 'Cause I was like, "I can't believe it's this hard for me to just get in the car. I'm just trying to get in the car." And oh my God, it was like, she just started— she was like, "It's okay, baby. It's okay." Like, she was just— I mean, her whole— she went back upstairs, got me pillows to just— like, she set me in the car, gave me her cell phone number. I mean, the whole thing was like, You're supposed to be here. You know, you're caring for me way above and beyond, you know, clocking in and clocking out. And so, when you're a recipient of that kind of care, it's a blessing.

Oh, yeah.

It's a blessing. Because I think about, you know, how many people when I would go up and down the hallways with other people in the hospital, and as you walk by the doors and you see how many people are alone. And every time you walk by their room, they're alone and they're asleep. And who's their advocating? Is it too much medicine? Is it too little medicine? Are they eating? You know what I'm saying? It's just— and I'm just— I'm thinking how blessed it is to have people who care for you, who are in your life. They're family. But how blessed are you to have nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure you're actually good?

And I said that— I mean, we're not here to promote or talk about COVID But I do believe that that was probably one of the biggest contributors to the many deaths. Was the lack of advocacy. If people had someone there to ask the questions, there to stand right by their side and make sure that healthcare, you know, people were doing the right thing and not considering, oh, we'll just snap them up, they're out, you know, I believe that more people would have been able to live through it than to, you know, have to die. So, but I do agree with it. I believe that nursing is a call of love, you know, especially when you have the love of Jesus, you love people even though you don't say it. I'm not saying I love you, but I am giving love. I'm giving care, and I want you to feel that. You know, I'm here to laugh with you and talk with you. And even if they're not, you know, they may be persnickety and they may be angry and all, they're like, "All right, be you, and I'm gonna be me." And so, I don't have to, you know, reciprocate what they're giving me 'cause I understand their disposition. And when people come in there, they really want to see a smile, and they want to be loved, even if we can't give a hug. My pain medication is enough love. When I give you the medication, you feel loved by me, don't you? When you get the morphine, do you feel loved? David!

Yes? Too much. So there's so many things you know, you knew before Sunday Best that you were gifted as a songstress. You had done that other competition, you did this one, you knew that God was presenting you with an opportunity that he wanted you to take. You knew that you were committed to nursing. You knew when it was time to leave nursing. What in your life have you not known that's caught you off guard?

It's a great question.

What have you expected that has not yet come to fruition?

Well, that's a great question. Uh, you know, I think my plan was years ago I thought I'd be married by now. And, but I'm not. And so, and I, so I'm not married yet. And you know how you have your plan as a little girl or as a young lady, you're like, "By 25, by 30, I bet I'mma get." And so, you know, I haven't had children, haven't, you know, but I still find joy in singleness. I gotta be honest. And so I thought that, But I can tell you this, I didn't expect to be in Alabama. And I live in Alabama right now. I left Dallas 4 years ago.

Seattle. And LA. And Seattle.

Right.

And Dallas.

Correct. So, I lived in Seattle. I've been in West Coast.

But you have to represent all of those.

All day long. I am literally in the South. I feel like Dallas is a Southern state, but I'm in the South, all right? And so, it's— feels different, looks different, and sounds different. And so, because I'm from the Northwest, and you know, I'm from a military area, everybody— I felt like we all got along until you saw Montgomery. And, um, so, you know, it— until you saw the— anybody know what I'm talking about? Yeah, the South. And so, uh, but no, I, I never thought that I would have lived all the way in the South. And so it's very different being in Birmingham, Alabama, where there is history, you know, being in the North. I'm from a military family. And so we're just used to being around everybody. But I never thought that I would be in the South. I have always— I did tell the Lord, I said, you know, you got to put me in a situation where I can trust you only. If people feel that they can take credit for my success, I'm doing something wrong.

He said, okay, he did. Holy Kabe.

And 3 years ago, you know, as COVID was— I was in my house and I just started laughing. I said, Lord, you know my personality, and you knew I could be away from family and friends and not get depressed. You knew that I could be isolated and secluded but still knew that I was safe. And so I'm— he just knows me. And I— and for anyone in here that is questioning that, God really knows you. He knows my personality. He knows my triggers. Um, but I had to be snatched out of Dallas, um, and put in a place of remote isolation so I couldn't lean on anybody for the healing he had to do in me. So there was some brokenness and some repair that was necessary that I was fighting me being here. And when he took me away, he got me together.

Why were you fighting it? If you knew you needed it, why were you fighting it?

Fighting it because it's a process and it's painful. And it's— it, you know, we run from pain. No one wants the shot even though the medication is in it. Um, and so I was running from it. And some things I hadn't even known, you know what I mean? I didn't know I needed to go a little deeper than the circumstances that I saw. Oh, I need to get through that. No, no, no. He took me back further in areas that I still had bitterness and that I was holding on to some areas of brokenness and hurt and anger for things that had happened in my past that I'm smiling through and smiling over. And he said, no, no, I need you to look back. And I'm telling you, Chrystal Hurst, me and God had such a great moment. I don't know if anybody has ever cried where you felt it deep in your soul. You know, that surface cry? Oh God. No, it was like, ugh. I mean, and I said, oh. I didn't know that I needed this. And so he took me to Alabama, uh, and so it has been a move on purpose, and I am still there right now, um, excited because I don't know what is my next. I'm still there, um, and what I thought, or the reason I thought for why I was there, is no longer— it's changed. My assignment's changed while I'm there, and I'm I'm still there by myself. Yeah, no husband has arrived. No Southern boy has arrived. No cowboy has arrived.

Did you think that? You were like, "You know what? He's taking me." He wasn't in Seattle. He wasn't in LA. He wasn't in Dallas. So, the reason I'm going to the South is surely he must be there. Nope.

Well, mm. You know, I'm okay with wherever he's from. You know, because there's a lot of transplants in Birmingham. I'm one, right? So I'm really okay wherever he's from. I don't know if I knew, uh, if he was going to be there. And I feel like the Lord is just pressing me a little bit because I've, you know, I have a lot of conversations with the Lord. And one thing I just said, well, Lord, if, if my life is to be single, I'll be okay. I don't know why I said that. I guess it was my, it was my way of easing myself out of the expectation for wanting it, you know what I mean? Because sometimes in order to minimize the desire and hope and disappointment, it's just easier to say, cool, if this is what it is, let me live happy in this state. And Paul said, whatever state I'm in, I've learned how to be good. I love that scripture because sometimes we get agitated and we try to get out of a state to get into something else. But I'm like, hey, if I'm single, let's travel. If I'm single, be happy. If I'm single, I cry that I may be alone tonight. And keep going because sometimes we will stay there and we'll wallow. And that's not what Paul told us to do. He said, whatever state I'm in, whether I'm on the mountain, whether I'm in the valley, I've learned how to be satisfied. And so I got to be satisfied because he led me to Alabama to be estranged, to be away. But I am in a place where I know that I'm in time and on time right now. So I am smiling.

Alone.

Amen.

Hey there, I hope you are enjoying this podcast. I'm breaking in because I want to make sure that you know, in the Inner Circle in 2026, we are focused on remembering you. That's what we're doing to kick off the year.

Why?

Because the whole year is about abundance and overflow. And before we can get to what's available, we have to figure out where you are, where you are with what you hold in your hand, your gifts, the opportunities and the things that God has put in your heart and in your life to do. So if you want to do that work with us to excavate what's actually available in your life that you can offer to God for what he wants to do in the future, come join me in the Inner Circle where we can remember you. You can go to thesistercircle.com/innercircle to find out more about supporting the content that I put out there while you also put yourself in a situation where you can grow. I hope to see you inside of the Inner Circle in 2026. Okay, so, because you're, you're a fairly positive, upbeat person, um, you said so many things, you dripped so many things in there that I'm just trying to figure out where I'm going to stick my finger in. Uh, you mentioned anger, um, why you said, but why I'm smiling on people's faces while I'm on the stage singing, do all these things, but God putting you in a place where he could deal with certain things that you were not dealing with. Um, now looking back, do you see evidence of anger? Like, it was in there, but if you look back, can you— do you know how that anger was manifesting in your life, what it was costing you, what it was stealing from you?

That's good. Um, yeah, so, so I'll say this. So I lost a parent years ago, my dad.

My—

I look at him as my hero. I'm a daddy's girl. I, I'm present, you hear that? I'm still daddy's girl today. And so, um, lost him, um, 20 years ago. And I felt that there was a— so I've served in church a long time, if I can be very, you know, frank. I Church has beat me up a little bit. And sometimes when you're talented, there's things that just kind of come at you because you're talented. And I was young and talented. I didn't really know I was talented. I just had fun. Just had fun singing, had fun doing, had fun serving. And you didn't know that you were struggling with obstacles. And so, I did build up some resentment for my dad being taken early. And so, I had to deal with that, not having him, 'cause he's who I lived for to make proud. And so, when I didn't have him to make proud, who am I? I mean, I lived to be a good girl, 'cause Daddy said, "Be a good girl." And so, my dad was my ace. And so, in losing him, I did have some frustration. So, I think, did that carry on? Yes, I was holding a lot of that. So, it's probably sometimes why, when men come my way, I'm very firm. My dad kinda said, "You don't need a man to live." And so I've been— it wasn't my mom that said that. It was my father that was like, I need you to take care of yourself. I need you to know what to do. I need you to know how to live. And so I kind of held on to that a little bit. I've not been a mean person. Friends that meet me and know me, I really do wake up like this. I go to bed like this.

Like, hey, girl.

All right, good night. All right. I really wake up, good morning. My mom taught me that. So she wakes up. When she comes to visit, she's like, good morning. Good morning. And so it's really not a put-on. But sometimes, I'm not always living in the moment to say, I got something that I need to really work on.

That's why I'm asking.

Yeah.

I'm asking that because of your normal disposition. And when you said anger, I'm like, how do you, when you are, when it is natural to live in a place where you don't release it, to realize that it's not dealt with? Looking back, how you see, like, how do you learn as a person who either naturally or by choice shows anger up doing what needs to be done, walking in the joy of the Lord, choosing joy, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice, you know, singing songs and hymns and all that. But if there's something that's going on inside that later you realize has emotional ramifications that needs to be dealt with, how can the two coexist? How can you not stuff? And so looking back, I'm like, how Was there any indication of that, that you now know, "Okay, this is what it looks like when there's something I need to deal with." And how can you deal with that and still be you?

Yeah, so, I don't know if I actually thought— I don't think I thought anything was wrong. So, if there was anything to deal with, because I just kept, kind of kept living on autopilot. Like, living as Chrystal, staying happy, just, you know, if you wanted to come talk to me about it, I was like, "Yo, you, it's okay. I'mma be okay. I'mma do it myself," you know? And I've learned over time that strength is not holding tears. Strength is releasing tears. You know, we'll look at the family member that's tough the whole time. It's like, that's really not being tough. You know what I mean? Tough is really saying, "I'm hurting right now, and I'm gonna go ahead and express the pain." Because if you hold on, it becomes cancer. If you hold on, it becomes high blood pressure. If you hold on, it really be— it'll manifest in other ways. And so, I didn't know that I was harboring, if that makes sense, issues towards certain people. That's what I'm saying. There were certain people that had hurt me along the way, and I just kinda— it was like, "Oh, okay." You know, you kind of grow up and say, "Well, I couldn't fix it, but I needed to fix me." I needed to not— and I'll be very honest. So, there was someone who, in growing up, he was over my department as a young person. And when he got sick, I felt like he should have been my dad years ago. And so, when he got ill, my mom, she's a nurse as well, I called her, said, "Hey, where you at, girl?" And she was like, "Oh, I'm at—" I'm at so-and-so's house taking care of them while they're sick. Now, wait, wait, you know how he treated me as a kid. You doing what? Uh-uh, sister Aiken. Wait, and so I said, okay. I pulled up and I took care of him too. And so in that moment, my mom taught me something. She said, it don't matter what you think and what you feel. She said, "You still gotta love and care about people." And she knew how we felt, you know what I mean? And at that moment, I was like, I had to work on releasing that person, right? And so, through my mom making the transition for me, she— I was like, "Yo, my mom, she's amazing." And so, but yeah, so ultimately, God started to show me. He started pulling names. I was like, "You're right, God. They did that. That's right." And I felt it then, but I was like, "All right." You know, I kind of wanted to brush it off. Brush it off, keep it pushing. Just brush it off. Until you realize you didn't really brush it off. You brushed it back, but you didn't brush it off. And so, you brushed it back, and when you brush it back, something else got on top of it. And I brushed it back, and something else I put on top of it. And so, all of a sudden, he's like, "Yeah, we're gonna go ahead and pull that file out. And that file of all that you've been brushing back and back, yeah, we're gonna go ahead and talk about it." And I said, "Okay." And I just let him talk it out to me, so.

So, you didn't know these things?

I didn't. Some of them, I did not know. I remember the hurt. But you—

but you being alone, you had the bandwidth to deal with it. I did. But you didn't know you needed to deal with it.

I didn't know that certain things I needed to deal with, not just push back. They needed to be pushed forward, brought forward, and addressed. Because something came with those issues. I just didn't know that I was still holding on and didn't know that maybe because of those painful moments that there are attributes that I could be displaying that you don't know you're displaying because you picked up something from a previous situation. You know what I mean? You don't know you picked up, um, you know, anger, or you don't know that you've picked up jealousy. You don't know you've picked up certain things from either a certain situation. And so God had to address— so this is why, Chrystal, this is why this happens. When you see things like this, this is why you respond this way. When you see this, this is why you respond this way. So God had to really address me.

So you have this clarity. Um, again, this is what I'm seeing. I know I'm talented. I know I'm supposed to sing. I know I'm supposed to be there. God opened the doors. I know I'm supposed to leave nursing. Um, now I know that there are things that God wants to deal with me about. But it also sounds like every time you get to something that you know you've been actually living very focused on what was happening in the moment. You seem to live for the thing you know in the moment that you're in. So right now, what do you know? As you sit in Birmingham, stay there waiting on the next assignment, what do you know?

So right now, I know— I didn't always know I was talented, but I know I'm talented and gifted. So I know that I'm called to sing. But not only sing, I know that the singing is more for healing. I know what it's for. When did you discover that? Before Sunday Best. So I knew my voice had purpose, so I don't play with my voice. I don't use my voice for entertainment. I really use my voice on purpose. Does that make sense? 'Cause people will call you to do stuff and I'm like, it's not really here to be entertainment. I really feel like it, I know that it is for purpose. And so I'm assigned in moments or in arenas and it's there for healing. It's, you know, it's there to make people whole. It's there for people to awaken as well, to open their eyes if they're asleep. It's there to, I'm a nudger, do you know what I mean? In the spirit as well to wake you up you up, you could feel like you're— anyway, so I know that. I know that I'm called to speak, 'cause I know it. I don't know what you say you see, but I'm telling you, I know what I see you say I'm seeing. So I know I'm called to speak. Are you speaking? I do not. Okay. I do not. No. No, I don't. But I know I am called. And so, yep, I do know that I'm called to it. You know, what do we say? Speak, preach, however that is. And there are moments that I do. I mean, you know, but that is not the only journey I'm on. I do feel like the door for singing opens up the door for speaking, if that makes sense.

So. Besides marriage, what do you not know that you'd like to know?

If I don't know to know, do I know that I don't know? I'm like, what do I not know that I should know that I don't know? Should I know what I don't know? What do I know? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't—

okay, if you could ask God a question that you would love for him to just give you the answer to, what would that question be? Is there anything that you're just wanting to know that you don't know, that you don't know, that you know, that you don't know, that you want You know, I'll ask you, I'll say this.

I, I've wanted to ask God, why the Aiken family? So we are all assigned to the blood families that we're in. We choose our friends and family who we consider our friends and family by choice. Why did God assign me to my family, and what is my assignment for my Aiken family? I don't know if any of us ever asked God, "Why this family?" Whether we've gotten good or bad out of that family, "Why this family?" And I don't know. I know my dad's side did— had some things. They have some traditions and legacies. My mom's side have their legacies. But why am I an Aiken? Hmm. And so, So I don't know. That's something I really don't know. I don't have— I am one that really believes the Bible for what the Bible says it is. And so I really don't ask God a lot of crazy questions because I really trust him. And I rarely get upset with God for doing things that aren't necessarily what I desire because I do trust that when the Bible says it's his will and his will be done, for thine is the kingdom. I— it's his will. Um, and then there's some things that we bring upon ourselves, and then there are consequences for those things. And so sometimes we don't want to— you know, people like to say, well, I made a mistake. Oftentimes we make decisions and they're not mistakes, they just were bad decisions, and then we suffer consequences to those choices. And it doesn't necessarily mean we won't face some of the consequence of that— those decisions. Um, But I've wanted to, you know, if I could ask God, like, why am I an Aiken? Why in this time? I told some of the— we used to call them Sister So-and-so. Sister Aiken. I'm Sister Aiken. And so, back in the day, I grew up in the Church of God in Christ, and everybody had a sister title. We never knew their first name. And so, I was asking one of the ladies, and we were on a Zoom call. And I said, Sister Myers, You know, y'all used to tell us God was coming soon, which saved us. We got saved because we were afraid God was showing up. And I said, but I'm almost 50. He ain't here yet. So I'm wondering, like, we thought we were gonna be, you know, taken up years ago in my teens. I'm 50. Where is he? And so I said, if I'm here now, there's still assignment and there's still purpose. And I'm sure they're telling the kids now "Now he's on his way. You gotta get your life right." I'm like, "Well, he's on his way, but you may have 50 years before he shows up. How about that?" And so, but it was true that we were serving, and you know, we're pilgrims passing through, and we were not here to live, you know, we're here to live again. That was our, what the, you know, they used to tell us back in the day. I grew up in the Church of God in Christ, and so we were told all those things when we went to, you know, summer camp. We were scared into salvation, so we got right before school and then gave up Jesus, and you know, 2 months in, and you know, It was that cycle, did we not? We did, you know, we gave him over because we wanted to do our own thing, and then camp came and summertime, and we gave all— I had to recommit. I had to recommit because Jesus was on his way. And so I just said, I said, Sister Mars, what were y'all telling us back then? But she said, he is on his way, and the delay becomes a mirage. We become— we get blinded by delay. And when delay happens, we start to do what we want to do. See, when you think he's coming tomorrow, you get it together. When you don't know his timing, you start to fade in your faith, or you start doing other things thinking he's not on his way, but he's still coming. And so we still have to live. So, you know, I told her, I said, well, thank you so much for what they told us then, because I still do hold on. To the things that I was taught in my youth.

So, you know, we're talking about bricks, laying bricks. Foundation, of course, is the word. It's God. It's building on faith. But he invites us to participate with him because the house, the ark, didn't get built magically. God could have spoken into an existence, but he didn't. Noah had to build it. Birds still have to make a nest. Bees still have to make a honeycomb. We get to participate with God's plan. One of the bricks that I've heard you, as you've talked, and you said it just a moment ago, is just trust. I trust him. So I move forward through these different seasons in my life trusting him. But if you had to say either what you've learned or what you're learning, if you had to give out another brick or two here that from what we've talked about or from your life, you're like, here's a brick that'll help you build as you move into '24. What bricks do we need to know about that will help us cooperate with God in moving forward in our lives?

I like that, uh, cooperate, to cooperate with God. Um, I do believe that one of the bricks, and I think I said it earlier, is that God, he's stealth, you know, he moves oddly. I would say this, he has— if I can speak to the ladies, like, God has so much in store for us that oftentimes we can get in the way because we, as the songwriter would say, we forfeit because we do not take and carry everything to God in prayer. And so I, I'm acknowledging, or, you know, submitting to us as women, is that we really take our hands out of it. We're mothers, we're daughters, we're leaders, and oftentimes we put our hands in the situation thinking we can work it out. I have a song that says, he can handle it. I know he can. I know he will. He'll handle it. And so, I would say, if one of the bricks would be, take your hands out and let God do it. That would be it. Watch God move oddly, because that's the best way. The story is more beautiful when it's strange. Isn't it awesome? I love when I hear relationships that came together, like, "Girl, you know, we liked each other when we were 5. We broke up, honey. I dated so-and-so. He dated so-and-so. We had 2 kids. We got married." I like— that's so strange. It's odd. We were on this side of the country. I was living over here. They found each other. What? I always love the strange circumstance because God operates best when it's something you can't figure out. And so I'm— I would say let your faith be the eyes for you and not your natural eyes. That's the best way to trust him, is almost to blindfold yourself, and then your ears show up better. When you can't see, your ears listen so much better. And so that would be my thing, because I feel like I'm listening better and less walking by my eyes. It may look like what I want, but that may not be what I need. And so the best way to do is to trust him by not seeing and trust him by hearing, and then be expecting God to move in odd ways. That is, that is the best way that he shows up. If, if you read the Bible And I pray that you do, because the Bible is such a— it's the best book. There are so many beautiful stories that if you look at the characters, they would never see their life the way that God saw their life. And most of the situations and circumstances were odd, but God— and that's the best way I can say, they were odd, but God. And so that would be the brick I would put on top of your faith. That's the the brick I would put on top of anxiety. That is the brick I would put on top of depression. That is the brick I would put on top of your purpose, because God is going to show up. Just look for it to come in an odd way. I love that. I love that so much.

And one thing that you have consistently said is you saw something that God was doing in your life when he was doing it. And it doesn't seem like you've spent a lot of time and energy trying to craft things into existence, um, that he wasn't doing. In fact, you've been willing to sit where you were until he said, go, it's time to go. And I think that that's beautiful too, because we waste so much time trying to— it's almost like I'm supposed to go build a house, but I'm sitting there. I'm supposed to build. God is going to hand me the bricks and I put them down, but instead I'm over here on the side making bricks. You haven't spent a whole lot of time making bricks. You spent a lot of time saying, "What's next?" Waiting for him to hand it for you, hand it to you, and then putting it down, which saves us time.

And be ready. And be ready. 'Cause oftentimes, we're not ready. We're not even getting ready. And so, we're to be ready. You know, they say, "Be ye also ready," right? But be ready. And when he calls you, you know, as the brides, they were— they had their candles lit. Candles and they had their oil to be ready when he calls. Because when you're not ready, the preparation is too late. And so oftentimes we're not ready because we're worried about stuff in the past and stuff that's unnecessary. But if we would worry about things in time, on time, and get ready when he comes, we're ready.

That's so good, girl. So good. It's Chrystal Hurst, y'all.