The Call
By Dominique Gibson• 1 Thessalonians 5:24
He called
I silenced the ringing phone
He called
Sent to voicemail
“Your call has been forwarded…”
Multi-disciplinary artist Dominique Gibson reflects on her personal connection to 1 Thessalonians 5:24 as she plays with meanings for the word "call" in this spoken word piece.
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Scripture
1 Thessalonians 5:24
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Dominique Gibson
I learned 1 Thessalonians 5:24 when I was in an after-school program called Good News Club at my elementary school. This was the first scripture I learned, and it stuck with me. I went through many struggles during my youth that left me in a dark mental state. I wondered where God was during that time and hated that I couldn’t hear Him like others could.
Years later I learned the true meaning of this passage as I lived it out. The day before my graduation from USC Upstate I felt a wave of warmth within my body and received clarification of the meaning of this scripture passage. I heard God tell me that even when I’m not faithful to Him, He is always faithful to me. He has gotten me to this point in my life where I am able to celebrate my many accomplishments. He showed me that all the trials and tribulations weren’t for nothing. They were just a part of the process that I had to go through to see my true potential in this world, and that my purpose is greater than my failures.
In writing this poem I wanted to show the faithfulness of God in contrast with the inconsistency of humans. The metaphor of the phone helped me put the verse in modern terms to aid in understanding and yet the truth spoken remains the same. I wanted to use both free form poetry and narrative poetry to create a dynamic spoken word piece.
Dominique Gibson is a native to Spartanburg, SC where she got her start in the arts with her church and school. She is a musician, actress, dancer, and writer. She found her writing potential as a fellow with Writers Well Fellowship. She started developing her writing skills through workshops and retreats. She was able to co-facilitate Reading for Transformation for Children through Speaking Down Barriers. She has also performed spoken word poetry for their Evening of Transformation event.
She studied psychology and child advocacy studies at The University of South Carolina Upstate. During her time at USC Upstate she did an internship with the Boys and Girls Club where she was able to help young girls use writing to express their emotions in healthy ways. She graduated from USC Upstate with a bachelor’s in psychology and a minor in child advocacy studies.
She is now serving her community by co-facilitating in an after-school program at Spartanburg Preparatory School with Speaking Down Barriers. She continues to perform at community events and works part time. She has plans to continue her education to earn a master's degree.