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Finding My Real Voice
by Leah Jenvey with Danny VelascoMany people view the fashion industry as glamorous and an exciting place to work. Looking from the outside it looks picture perfect. But like any good magazine there is more to an issue than the front cover. Many people don’t know the harsh side of the fashion industry. A side that Danny Velasco knows all to well.
As a young hairstylist Danny dreamed of being a stylist to the stars. This dream propelled him into being the youngest stylist at Bergdorf-Goodman. With this experience under his belt Danny was styling hair for models that appeared on the cover of Seventeen Magazine. Cover models appear flawless and so did Danny’s life. He had a promising future, expensive homes and famous friends but beyond the picture perfect façade there was an emptiness in Danny’s heart. Danny searched for things to fill that void. He explored new age religions and went after every latest and greatest thing but nothing filled the void. Danny resorted to Heroin to numb the pain.
Unpopular
Heroin worked so well that soon Danny couldn’t feel anything but a desire for more heroin. It consumed his life and started damaging the things that were important to him.
One day on a photo shoot, Danny overdosed and had to be rushed to the hospital. His credibility went downhill and the industry that he dreamt of being part of no longer wanted him around. People stopped calling Danny to work and he lost some high paying jobs. His dreams were being taken over by his addiction. Before long Danny lost his expensive home and was living on the streets.
Danny thought all of his friends from his old life had forgotten him but there was one friend who did not give up on Danny. Wanda, a young model who loved his haircuts still held out hope for Danny. Wanda shared her faith in Christ many times but Danny just couldn’t accept it.
Living on the Streets
Life on the streets became a dangerous place for Danny. The only nourishment he got was the poisonous drugs he was taking that damaged his body. Danny was feeling the affects of the drugs and started hearing voices in his head. All-consuming, the voices would mock Danny and laugh constantly in his head. The drugs that were destroying him were also the only relief from the voices .
Danny needed money so he turned to the one friend that he knew would help him, Wanda. She agreed to help but with one stipulation. Danny would have to meet her at her church during choir practice. Danny accepted in desperation.
Wanda tried to talk to Danny about God. She even introduced him to a fellow choir mate who had lived on the streets. Wanda told Danny that once he called on the name of the Lord he would be healed. Still, Danny refused to listen. As quickly as the money came from Wanda it was used up and Danny was left worse than ever.
The mocking voices in his head broke him down so much that Danny wanted to die. He thought death was his only hope for relief. Danny didn’t want to die on the streets, so he went to the hospital.
Strapped to a bed in the hospital, the mocking voices consumed his thoughts. With no escape, and no relief from the voices Danny was desperate for death. It was at this moment that voices quieted down to the point that Danny remembered what Wanda said, “When you call on the name of the Lord you will be healed.” Wretched for reprieve, Danny pleaded to God for help. He bargained with him that if God would stop the noises and he would do whatever he wanted him to do. At that point there was silence in his head, no mocking voices, just complete silence. Danny was in awe of what just happened. He knew that it wasn’t a coincidence, he was part of a miracle.
Danny wanted to keep his promise to God, so he went into a Christian drug recovery program. As he took one day at a time, he grew in his relationship with God. Today Danny is free from addiction and is now rebuilding his life. He no longer bases his sense of self-worth in what he has. He places his faith in the unmovable foundation of Jesus. As Danny started to rebuild his shattered career, people had a new respect for him, a respect that is more fulfilling than the highest accolades.
Danny has found his real voice, not the ones in his head but his singing voice. As Danny sings in the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir his heart and mind rejoices at God and his amazing love.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
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~ Leah Jenvey is the Editorial Administrator for Women Today. She has a B.A. in English from Concordia University College and she believes that Golden Retrievers are the best dogs in the world, especially her own.
This story is brought to you by Models for Christ.