Issue 1| 2023

F R O M
GUNS
T O
THE STORY OF
ANDRE LIGHTSEY-COPELAND
GRACE
MMy childhood is shrouded in mystery. I’m 41 years old,
and I still don’t have answers, but this much I know: God
wasn’t confused. He wasn’t absent. He’s always had a
plan and purpose for my life (Jeremiah 29:11). I just had
to come to the end of myself before I could receive them.
No one has ever explained why my biological mom
didn’t raise me or why I lived with another family. I’ve
always had more questions than answers. My mom battled
something great; whatever it was, she ended her
life when I was ten. Everyone worked hard to protect
me—from what horrible truth, I’ll never know.
After my mom passed, the family I lived with adopted
me. They let me choose my last name. I decided to
use both surnames and joined them with a hyphen:
Lightsey-Copeland.
Even though Mom wasn’t around much, she always
made sure I knew she loved me. No matter what had
happened, she would always be a part of me, so I wanted
to honor her. But I also wanted to honor Mrs. Copeland,
the woman who ensured I never wanted or needed any-
thing. She was my mother now, and I even got three big
brothers out of the deal!
In the Copeland home, I experienced love and positive
male role models. But I took them for granted and became
vulnerable to the world’s influences. My thoughts
were quickly shaped by the lies of an enemy I was not even
aware of, much less equipped to fight. Satan was prowling
around like a roaring lion, and he was about to try to devour
me (1 Peter 5:8).
I remember playing outside our apartment one day, when
this guy walked by with sagging pants, a cocked baseball
cap, and a gun in his pocket. I admired the confidence in
his stride and thought, “Wow! He’s cool.”
I didn’t know who he was, but I wanted to be like him. I
stopped playing with Legos and digging holes in the dirt
and headed into high school with a new style and attitude.
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC
10 Issue 01 / 2023 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM