her |həː, hə| pronoun 1 used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person: Her life spoke of God’s faithfulness.
We had such an incredible time at Equipped by Faith last night with the beautiful, Amanda Roman Leak! She left all of us feeling inspired to move forward, no matter what we are facing in life.
Amanda is a wife, mother, author, and speaker residing in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Ryan, and adorable son, Jaxon. (I’m pretty sure Baby Field will want to be Jaxon’s BFF because of his style!) They are on staff at Covenant Church in Carrollton, Texas, leading a large young adults ministry called VENUE.
But Amanda is most known for being the bride in the viral YouTube video, The Surprise Wedding (if you haven’t watched this yet, you must!), and has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Queen Latifa Show, and many other various media outlets. After their wedding, she and her husband co-wrote the book, The One: An Amazing Love Story Starts with You to inspire singles to become “the one” before searching for “the one.”
After the high of getting engaged and married in the same day, and finding out they were expecting a child within the first year of marriage, Amanda’s life took an unexpected detour when she experienced a deep, postpartum depression after having her son.
Through the darkest year of her life, Amanda stood on the promise that God would get the glory for every situation she encountered. She has taught herself, and others, how to “hack the moment” to realize that most often we, and our buried hurts and struggles, are the only thing standing between us and our destiny.
You can read a little more about Amanda’s story below. I know you will be encouraged by this woman’s persevering faith! God will get the glory out of this!
Q&A with Amanda Roman Leak
- What do you think you were put on this earth for?
This question was hard for me to answer—but I think I answered it a little more in question #5 below when I discussed purpose and destiny. I believe God has given us one purpose as humans: to bring Him glory and to love other people. I hope to do both of those things well in “my world” with my husband, my family, my friends, and those God brings into my life to encourage and help along their journey of faith.
- What are some of the obstacles you have had to go through to get to this point?
In my adult life: A year of postpartum-depression, coming off the high of a surprise wedding and going from one of the brightest years of my life to the darkest. - What motivates/inspires you?
First, what un-inspires me is discontentment. There are so many times that I’ve had to stop myself from thinking, “I shouldn’t do this… so and so is doing it already, or doing it so much better than I ever could…” We need to learn to be satisfied and content with who we are—right now. People in their element inspire me! Joanna Gaines inspires me to believe you can have the same skill set as other people, but when you have God’s anointing combined with talent—you are unstoppable. Ashley Graham, a plus size supermodel and body activist, inspires me to believe that I am enough when I acknowledge that I am enough. - What do you want to be remembered by?
My husband went to speak at a Salvation Army event a few weeks ago, and came back so inspired by the way this organization is run. They give more than anyone in the world, yet few people know who the founders are because they work in the shadows. They’re not all over social media or on the front page of newspapers and magazines. They’re seemingly “unknown.” Do you know William Booth? He’s the Founder of the Salvation Army (I didn’t know either). And General Andre Cox is the CEO. Andre is retiring this year, and he’s not going to get a lavish retirement party. When he’s gone, people will go on with their lives, not knowing his name or all of the incredible things he has done for others. These “unknown” men got me thinking … What if I don’t need to be remembered? What if I’m just a small part of something bigger than me that keeps going way beyond my name? There are PLENTY of people who are remembered for great things that lived lives without an anchor for their soul. There are days where I really want to be known, but then I’m reminded that living unknown might actually be better. Fame is a vapor—it comes and it goes.I’ve found that obscurity is often better for the soul. - What advice would you give other women searching for their purpose, passion, and faith?
Slow down. It seems like we’re all in a rush these days. We’re in a rush to get married, to have kids, to find the perfect job, and then the perfect house. But life is always changing. Life will change when you get married, it will change more when you have a kid.. and again if your husband loses his job and you’re forced to move. We’re all in a rush to figure out our purpose in life… I think many people are in a “purpose crisis” right now. But if you study the Bible, the only “purpose” God has given to us is: to bring Him glory and to love other people. I have watched people attach their purpose to their business, their fame, or even their spouse or children—and when they lose it, they lose everything. I think we need to give ourselves a break. Keep it simple. Start with this prayer: “God I’m available. I know that gifts you’ve given to me and the people you’ve connected me with. Help me to steward both well.” - What would you say to someone who is ready to give up hope, throw in the towel, or give up the fight?
Stay encouraged that God will get the glory out of every situation and circumstance you face in your life—no matter how dark it looks. I always encourage others to bring wisdom and counsel into all areas of their lives. When I was battling depression, counseling was the best thing for my heart. King David had a counselor for every area of his life EXCEPT the area of his marriage and family—and that is the area that crumbled for him. Don’t let your pride get in the way of you receiving the freedom and healing that is made available to you through Christ! - What has been your greatest achievement in life?
I have seen the behind the scenes of the megachurch world and I’m not “church-hurt.” But I’m mostly grateful for the time it took me to get to that place in my heart by choosing to let things go and not stay bitter. Leaning into problems, issues, and brokenness is actually what led me into this new journey of heart-healing that I like to call “Hacking the Moment.” It’s a place where I’ve learned to go authentically and emotionally to dig down into the root of certain issues and negative thoughts that pop up in my mind and life. It’s something I believe God is walking me through, and I’m excited to invite others into this space very soon! - How does what you do reflect what God placed on your heart to share with the world?
I think there is a big difference between the “world” and “my world”! There are certain people who have the ear of “THE world,” but for most of us, we have influence in our worlds! We have influence with our friends, our family, those we lead, and those we supervise. For me, my world consists of my husband, my 3-year-old son, the people we have the opportunity to speak in front of, and the group of young professionals we lead at Covenant Church. - What books are you reading?
I love personality tests and digging into what makes individuals act and respond the way they do. Right now, I’m reading, The Road Back to You: An Ennegram Journey to Self-Discovery. I love this personality test, because it not only discusses your strengths—but your weaknesses, and helps you to become the healthiest version of yourself. If you haven’t taken it yet, you can take it here! - How do you stay encouraged and faith-filled?
I have 3 close friends that I call “dream defenders” and I call them whenever I’m discouraged or down. I know I can call them and they will remind me of who I am and who I am called to be. I do the same for them. I think it is so important to have good people close to you, and to allow them into your most vulnerable places. I’ve also allowed myself the grace to not be perfect. I bought a journal (with no lines) and wrote in the front: Amanda, you have permission to get messy. Allow yourself the grace to be honest and vulnerable, not only with your friends, but with yourself. - Favorite scripture of the moment (or ever)? 🙂
Right now, I’m inspired by the story of “The Woman with the Issue of Blood” found in Luke 8:43-48. I recently heard someone speak on this topic of how when the woman reached for the fringe on Jesus’ robe, she was actually fulfilling the prophecy of the Coming Messiah in the Old Testament, “He will have healing in His wings.” Wings in this verse actually translates to citci in Hebrew, meaning “fringe.” Meaning, even the cloak of His tassels would have had healing in them. When this woman went to reach for His garment, she wasn’t just reaching for the bottom of his robe because that was the only place she could find. She was declaring, by her actions, that Jesus was the Messiah. She wasn’t just saying, “I need a healing.” She was declaring, “I believe You are the Messiah and that there is healing in your wings.” I’m inspired by this story because I want to live like this.
Love you all, and can’t wait to see you next month at Equipped by Faith!
XO-
Sabrina
