(ThyBlackMan.com) You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good solider of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a solider gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. – 2 Timothy 2:1-7
It’s been quite an interesting week on my end, both in my professional life as well as my personal life. It’s as if adversity is in the air, people are angry, people are hurt, everyone seems to be going through something difficult and the search for truth seems to be at an all time high. I’ve received many calls/texts this week from friends, family members and clients in need of a kind word, a gentle reminder that it truly does get greater later. I’ve had to face my own storms within the storm this week allowing much time for contemplation of the direction I’m taking in my life. Throughout the week my mind has continued to go back to a revival I attended in August of this year where Rev. Sharad Creasman was speaking on The Light at the End of the Tunnel.
Now Rev & his lovely wife Daphne are about 30 minutes or so away from my house and their service starts at 10 a.m. I’m not the earliest riser on the weekend, growing up we usually made it to church around 12:30 and at times old habits die hard but all week my mind, my spirit has been set on getting my butt up and out of the house in time to make the ride just knowing there was something about to be said that I needed to hear. Needless to say when my daughter and I walked in the door, Rev. Creasman was just standing up to give us some “Advice From An Elder”. My intent is today is to share with you the three points touched on as well as share what spirit revealed to me during and after the service.
1) Tell The Story..This tickled me and brought a tear (or two) to my eyes. See just last night my mother sat me down to ask how I felt about writing a book…. telling the story. Today the importance of sharing was revealed to me. Often times we want to distance ourselves as far away from who we “used” to be as possible. We often see our mistakes as just that and nothing more, rarely do we acknowledge them as lessons. As parents we share our good times, our best choices with our children yet fail to share our struggles. We don’t share the experiences that caused us grief or sadness. We fail to realize how sharing those decisions and the mind state we were in at those time could benefit our children, their friends as well as allow us to see our own growth and strength of enduring.
I remember when my grandmother and my mom would tell their story, they would always tell us that we were going to make our own mistakes in life but there was no reason why we should come along and make the same mistakes they did because we had the heads up. We knew what choices were made, why, what happened as a result and what they felt they could have done differently. There was nothing left for us to figure out! In telling the story we have the power to break cycles within our family as well as within our community. Creasman said “You have to be brave enough to say I’ve been through somethings”.
2) Use Your Gift. The gift being the ability and fortitude to endure. Just last night I was having a conversation with myself as I often do and I asked myself the question why it’s said God won’t put more on us than we can bare when so many people are in a state of depression and the suicide rate continues to grow. I asked myself why so many people are pushed to the point of feeling there is no way out of their unfavorable circumstances, why so many people are pushed to the point of giving up. Now ‘giving up’ looks differently on different folk: some give up by means of suicide, some give up and take to anger, some give up by causing others difficulties and strife, some give up and take to misery while others find even more creative ways to give up.
What was revealed to me today was that we don’t always use our gift and our ability to get back up after life serves a few blows. I’m a huge boxing fan and for me it’s not so much about the fight but the mental aspects of the sweet science that draws me in. Mentally preparing yourself to battle with someone as talented as you, someone whose trying to win just like you, someone who has been training just as much and just as hard as you. It’s something about walking into that ring knowing you’re going to get hit, perhaps you’re going to get knocked down but knowing you have to get back up, you have to fight until the end if you desire to take home the belt. Life is similar, we know there are going to be difficult times but we have to prepare ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually on our best days so we’re in shape to put up a fight when the battles of life come along to help us grow in faith and in wisdom. I loved the reminder today that “God gave you the strength to get back up”.
3) Listen to the Teacher. I’ve heard so many people say “you can’t tell me nothing I don’t already know”. Now I will admit that when I’m outside my element I can be a little stubborn myself, at times flesh just isn’t in the mood to learn what we think we already know. I’ve learned throughout my walk in this life that listening can be the thing that keeps you from going through a difficult experience to learn the lesson. We can miss many hardships by closing our mouths, humbling ourselves and just being still enough to listen. Everyone is a teacher! Some teach you what to do and some teach what not to do but in either case both are teaching. Throughout my walk I have learned to pay attention to the folks who I immediately want to judge: the one that’s too young, too crazy, too ignorant, too loud, too inexperienced, too whatever it is that offends or turns me off.
At times we listen to those kind words from others, those who make us feel tingly inside and smile for the moment and while that’s a beautiful thing worth being cherished, I have found the things that make me get heated inside, those things that make me want to react out of character are the very things that caused me to grow. They caused me to check myself, to humble myself, to relax myself and just listen. The reminder that “God hasn’t stopped speaking and is still teaching us something”, took me back to a few of those moments. At times the teacher may say things that make you want to leave the room yet at all times the teacher is giving you jewels, your free will is in choosing how to use them.
It’s been a difficult week for many of us but thankfully we have a new week ahead of us and we’ve been gifted with some wonderful tools and gentle reminders today to carry us into the new week. Let us reflect on the lessons of last week, give thanks for them and move forward utilizing our gift: the ability and fortitude to endure. And as Creasman said if someone makes you angry at work use your gift and don’t say anything that’s going to get you fired. Amen!
Be sure to visit Rev. Sharad Creasman and his beautiful, loving spirited wife Daphne at Columbia Drive United Methodist Church in Decatur, Georgia.
