WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

Close your eyes and visualize yourself as a little girl who witnesses your mother being daily physically and mentally abused by an angry, abusive, alcoholic father. 

“When I say abusive, I mean gunshots, knives, and some serious blood spilling. I saw all of that as a child. I saw every bit of it and it really affected my life,” said family counselor, life coach and author Dr. Bebee Watson. 

“Because of what I’ve been through, my heart is to reach out and minister with redeeming love and liberating power, bringing the Word of God to all people of all ages, from the four corners of the world. It’s my passion to reach the hurt, lost, abused, wounded and rejected, while winning them to God without compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” shared Dr. Watson. 

Because of the abuse, her mother had become ill, so Watson had to assume the duties of big sister, mom and dad. As the second oldest of seven girls, that was an extremely heavy weight to bear, but she got the job done. 

By age 12, her mom had recovered from her illness. “She inspired my sisters and I to do better than she did. She made sure we went to church every Sunday, which planted the seeds that would eventually grow later in our lives,” she said. 

But, before then, Bebee had developed some very risky behaviors. At 17 she had her first child and began thinking that her life was over, “but my mother encouraged me not to give up, so I continued my education. But it was rough being a young mother and also being there for my mother. So, I started going down a very bad path, and no one could do anything with me. I eventually got kicked out of school for a year,” she said.

Things began to spin even more out of control. She turned to drugs and more risky behaviors. It forced Dr. Watson to make a decision that would become the wakeup call that changed her life, “I had to give my son to his father’s parents for three years. One weekend I stayed with my grandmother and she knew I was a damaged child. She said, ‘You have to make a choice. You either continue doing what you’re doing and that’s where you’re going to stay the rest of your life. Or make some life changes and decide to do what’s best for you and your child and make a better life.’

“And those words of wisdom turned my life around and I gave it all up – the marijuana, the clubbing, all of it. I did it for my child. Then I pushed on and got my first degree in education and then my Ph.D.,” she said. 

Watson eventually married, but unfortunately, surrendered to the same circumstances that she witnessed as a little girl. For years, Watson stayed in an extremely physically and verbally abusive marriage. “He was like my father. And like my mother, I lived in fear every day. He controlled my entire life and it beat me down so bad that I had stopped loving myself. I hated to go home. 

“One day I was in prayer and God gave me the strength I needed to leave. I didn’t care about the money or material things. I let him have everything. I decided to value, love and accept myself for who I was. You must learn how to fill yourself up first with love, before you offer it to someone else. I learned what I will and will not accept from a man or anyone else. I talked to myself daily, to pour into myself. Then I believed it,” said Dr. Watson. 

I agree with Dr. Watson 100%. In order to give our prayers power, we must believe God will deliver. And God has delivered 10-fold to this phenomenal woman. 

Dr. Bebee Watson went on to receive a doctorate in divinity and master of arts degrees in education and counseling. She’s now a family counselor, consultant, motivational speaker, family coach, educator, life coach and author, as well as founder/CEO of Embrace magazine and a greeting card line and a book, “21 Days-Love Language of Intimacy.” She’s the author of  “Can A Sister Talk” and “The Cast Program: Caring, Achieving and Succeeding Together,” which is also a mentoring program. 

The Cast shares 10 steps that allow you to access the quality of life within yourself: 1. Changing You; 2. Take a Closer Look at Yourself; 3. Everyday Warfare; 4. Mind Manipulation; 5. My Messed-Up Emotions; 6. The Mind Games that Affect Your Life; 7. Love Will Set You Free; 8. Guilt Syndrome; 9. You Are Somebody; and 10. Feeling Unworthy. 

“We operate on two emotions: love and fear. We must never allow someone else to decide who we are. I help broken women find themselves, because life is an everyday warfare. Every single one of us deals with everyday warfare. Whether it’s on the job, with your children, spouse, or even drugs. And during this everyday warfare, you have to decide who is going to win the battle. That must be you! I’ve helped so many broken women navigate through each step. 

“I help women deal with mind manipulation as well. Manipulators always force beaten and broken women to see their point of view and that’s how they gain control. They will put you on the wall of defense, to have you react out of your emotions rather than a rational answer or solution. It’s a belief system that starts with our parents manipulating and shaping our minds at a young age. These negative teachings open us up as adults to be manipulated. 

“My passion and calling from God are to help others get through what I’ve been through. I meet with women one on one and reach those that are so broken no one else can reach. The reason I can and I do is I was one of those women. I’ve been there,” she shared. 

When you meet Dr. Watson, you can’t help but feel the passion she has to deliver women from the darkness in which she once dwelled. Her love light is so bright, she’ll help you see hope. 

As she spoke, all I could think of was, I hope someone who needs her reads this article. 

Adding to her outstanding credits, she’s performed and worked with Dr. Bobby Jones, Lee Williams, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Rance Allen, Yolonda Adams, Candi Staton, Pastor John Gray and Jeff Majors, just to name a few. She was also nominated as Artist of the Year by the Gospel Announcers Guild of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. 

My phenomenal Person of the Week is Dr. Bebee Watson. For info or to contact Dr. Watson, call 774-240-8132 or 336-870-7385, Email: info@thecastprogram or bbwministries@gmail.com or visit www.canasistertalktoyou.com, www.bbwministries.org and www.thecastprogram.com