Somewhere along the way, we have failed to see that all people deserve to be treated as humans. Disagreeing with someone’s view does not make one person right and the other person wrong but it should teach us to see issues from another person’s perspective.

While reading comments posted on a blog site, I noticed the terms reverse racism and white privilege were loosely thrown around, along with comments about who should and should not be allowed to comment on issues within a certain community.  Although most commentators had a point that was valid in their eyes, the message got lost while sifting through cliché’s used to incite emotion.  How do we heal from pain that has not been acknowledged?  If we are not free to say what effects our individual lives or communities without backlash for having the discussion, then how do we find solutions?  On the same note, if we only allow a minimal amount of people to sit in on the discussion, how will things change?

The first step is acknowledgment, there has to be an admission so that acceptance can settle in and from there, the pain of the masses can be healed.  We all suffer from division and we will never heal from our pain by ignoring the cries of our brethren. 

Until we get to the point of acknowledging that we are all human and deserve to be treated as such, we are doing more harm than good to each other.  When you know better, you do better. I’m so thankful for the diverse environment I have called home for the last 2 years. #FAMU 

“Emergency Stopping Only”

When I was younger and I saw a sign on the side of the highway stating “Emergency Stopping Only”, I would always wonder who determines what an emergency is.  In my mind, I figured there was a wide variety of circumstances that could arise while driving on the highway.  So, who gets to determine when you can stop?

On the highway, as in life, we all experience different circumstances that we deem emergencies.  These differ from person to person and our surroundings.  While traveling, if you’re 50 miles from your exit, your emergency is different from when you are 5 miles away. In life, the closer you get to your destiny, you will see your emergencies begin to look a lot different.  The things that caused you to pause or stop, will no longer have that effect on you journey.  Your emergencies turn into urges that push you to your destinations.

Therefore, God determines when you can stop.  He already knows exactly how much you can handle and He’s already foreseen the “emergencies” that you may see as hindrances.  It is all about perception.  We should look at  life through our spiritual eyes for our natural eyes will deceive us.  Things that we think will stop us in our tracks are the very things that God has placed in our lives to propel us into our destinies.  When we begin to see ourselves as God sees us, we see that there is no reason to stop moving, it is merely time to stop and pray.

We are only as free as the truth we live…<3

Some are taught to keep secrets to minimize the pain; many are told to lie so that others will not be hurt by their actions; and others are encouraged to paint fairy-tale pictures to replace harsh realities.

The problem with all these things is that they take away from the greatness that we could experience in life.

Give yourself the freedom to live your best life. God has a purpose and plan for you that is greater than you could ever imagine. Your past does not determine the quality of your future.  Everything you experienced was to get you to the very point you are at now. Break free from the things that keep you tied down and Live Your Truth.

As the mother of a teenage son, it is becoming a little too hard for me to be comfortable with the thought of him being out of my sight.  You see, fortunately, my son grew up to be a tall, handsome young man, surpassing others on the growth charts.  But society says he does not fit the mold.  He is not permitted to “act his age” because people would rather see him act his size.  Not only is his size an issue, his appearance altogether is an issue.  In addition to general parental guidance, I have to tell him he’s not allowed to wear his hoodie on his head, he’s not allowed to walk to the corner store, and now I have to warn him about his music when starts driving next year…the irony is, we do not live in a war zone, we live in “the land of the free, thanks to the brave”.  Many members of my family are the those brave soldiers that fought and continue to fight for “our” freedom and yet I have to treat my child as a prisoner of war.

There is a real problem when the life of a child is no longer a priority.  I have witnessed more compassion for animals than for children who resemble my son.  These attacks on the youth are coming from all directions.  So, as a parent, am I to keep my child under lock and key to protect him?  Is it ok for him to feel like he is not welcomed in his community, city, or state?  How is he supposed to feel when society says his life is worthless?

Parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and all others that make up our support systems…please continue to love on our sons.  Let them know that no matter who is against them, they have God and us in their corners.  Ensure that they are allowed to be kids.  A child should never have to worry about carrying out normal activities.  With us fighting for their lives, the harder it will be for others to take them.

It is important to surround yourself with people who believe in you.  Not those who believe in your latest endeavor but those who believe in who you are at the core.  The ones that will lift you up during moments of weakness and turn you around when you are heading for wall.  They are the ones that God sends to remind you that you are on the right course.  We all have moments in which we evaluate if we have gone down the right path or made the right decision.  We  are guilty of seeing things as they appear instead of seeing what God has spoken over our lives.  Thankfully, He never leaves us without direction and He will send a word when it is needed.

Over the past week, I received confirmation that I was on the right course in several areas.  It was settled that some decisions I made were correct for this time in my life.  The weight of the world will attempt to break the strongest of us down.  Yet God still lets me know whose I am and that I am covered.  I am thankful for the direction I am heading and grateful for the obedience to stay on course.  It only goes up from here!!!

Thanks Sunshine for holding my umbrella in the rain 🙂

On the show Bones, Special Agent Booth is a Christian and no matter what happens in an episode, almost always, his faith is tested or God is mentioned…

Booth is a FBI agent and a scientist is his partner.  He sees things that could cause some people to question their faith and their belief that God has the final say.  His partner, the scientist, does not believe in God because she has a scientific explanation for everything that happens.  She often asks him does he still believe in God or if he made a decision because he wants to go to heaven. Booth has decided that no matter what he sees or what others say, he will serve God.  He has decided that he will stand on God’s promises even if he stands alone.  He owes everything to God and everything he does is because of God.  Booth does not concern himself with what science says or the evil things that people do.

We are taught for the most part that we must conform.  We have to fit into the ideal mold of “normalcy”, mirror those that surround us in our different areas of life.  The issue with normal is, there is no clear definition of the word.  Normal to you is not necessarily normal to me.  The truth is we were born to stand out.  My beliefs are rooted in what I learned as a child and what I have discovered as an adult.  They will not line up with any one else’s because no two lives are the same.  Our foundations may be the same but we will most certainly go about things differently because God has called us all on a different walk within our lives.  On our individual walks, we must become unapologetic about the fact that we were born to stand out.  God did not create us in the image of fear or inferiority.  We are the children of a King.  A King’s children do not minimize their existence because they will not be accepted or liked.  Just as Booth, we must stand alone at times.  Being different is a gift.  Embrace who God has called you to be and do not apologize for it.