From the start of an astonishing career with her brother BeBe to her 10 years as a beloved solo artist, CeCe Winans is a certified living gospel legend. The eighth child and the eldest of three daughters to “Mom and Pop” Winans has done well for herself. Much like another little sister of a musical dynasty called The Jacksons, CeCe, as Janet does, has her own voice. And it’s this incredible voice that has yielded many accolades such as Grammy, Stellar, and Dove awards.
And this wife and mother tells it like it is about her home life, her walk with God and her own personal struggles. Here’s some things that she’s learned along the way.
“I’ve lived long enough to know – and surely you don’t have to be 40 or over to know this – but God’s right all the time,” exclaims Cece.
“When it comes to my husband, my children, my family, what you see is what you get. I don’t live two different lives. I believe the Word. God said, ‘Be holy as I am holy because without [holiness] no man shall see the Lord.’ I believe that, so I’m striving to be holy whether I’m onstage or not.”
“My kids grew up with me being a public person. We have missed the mark several times in our years, but we strive to live a life of holiness. There are things God could have exposed, but He has just covered us, you know, like He does.”
In 2008, Cece had a health scare of her own that put her work into focus for her and made her rethink what was important.
“I went to the doctor thinking I had the flu,” explains Cece. “I thought he’d give me some medicine and I’d go back home. But when my tests came back, the doctors said, “You’ve got a stomach infection, and we’re going to have to go in now.” So, they had to do emergency surgery. They told me I could be in the hospital recovering anywhere from seven days to seven weeks. I was pretty floored, because I was supposed to go out on tour—we ended up postponing the second half of the Throne Room tour until this year. But God is just amazing.”
“I ended up being in the hospital for just a few days, and then I was able to just spend time at home throughout the whole fall and the holiday season, which really ended up being a blessing. I’m thankful for all the prayers God’s people prayed for me, ’cause I’m doing great now and have all my strength back. Sometimes the Lord knows how to slow us down. I don’t want him to slow me down any more (laughs), but I just took that time to…
… really just soak in his presence and just reflect on his goodness and his mercy. Now, I’m doing great.”
After a few albums and over a few dozen concerts later, Cece reflects on her life and where she will be in the future.
“You know, we [as a family] could have done a lot of different things and we’ve had a lot of different projects offered to us over the years. But you know what I learned? I learned that Jesus is there and that’s one of the greatest lessons I’ve had to learn, is to really just depend on Him. It’s like the Lord just said, “You’re going to trust me”; I’ve been learning that lesson all my life. It is such a great experience for me to just trust Him. I know I’m where I am supposed to be and the temptation to be something that you aren’t isn’t a temptation that I’ve known. My prayer is that I could have a heart like His; full of compassion and one that only does what the Father tells him to do. I’ll end up in a place and sometimes I’ll ask myself, “How did I get here?”, “Why am I here God?” but it’s just that my steps are ordered. I don’t know where I’m going to be next year but I know I’ll be in the center of His will because that’s my prayer.”
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