This Too Shall Pass

Sapped strength. Hateful attitudes. Weary souls. People who get paid to aggravate you every week. Bad news. Wicked spirits. Health setbacks. Petty insults. Unexpected losses. Political clowns. Wrongful employment terminations. Hate crimes. Justice not being properly served. Financial strains and setbacks. The death of loved ones and so much more, are all different things that may be contributing to storms and stress and pressures in your own life and/or in the lives of different people you know.

We’re all going through something.

I’ve personally experienced seasons where things were falling apart to the point where I’d cry out, God, why am I going through this? I don’t deserve this. Things should be better than this…

Stormy seasons can be stressful, isolating, and massively painful.

And trying to function as you normally would as if things were moving along just fine can be challenging when storms slide through. During stormy seasons, I sometimes think about David, the Psalms he wrote, and the moments he cried out to God during challenging and discouraging times.

Psalm 39:12 reads, “Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.”

I don’t believe it’s God’s will for any of us to be miserable. Or in perpetual states of stress, fear, or pressure.

I believe He wants us to have peace and to live abundant lives filled with purpose and joy. And while it’s naive to expect perfection or a life without challenges or pain or loss, I know He wants the best for us and is with us through life’s storms. As difficult as things might seem sometimes, know that you are not alone. And if you’re reading this and in the midst of a storm of any kind, I hope you will be encouraged. I hope you know this too shall pass. Where you’re at and what you’re going through is not the end for you. There is a new beginning that awaits you and this is a vital time to draw near to God, listen to what He instructs you to do, and then move accordingly.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

Dear Young Black Professionals

As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...

Black Male Athletes And Their Dating Preferences

In the 2017 horror film Get Out , there’s an unforgettable scene when one of the film’s villainous characters, Rose, a young white woman, is seen eating Fruit Loops and drinking a bottle of milk through a straw as she searches the internet for “Top NCAA prospects.” This moment in the film is frightening because the purpose of Rose’s search is to ultimately lure young and unsuspecting Black men to a deadly fate after she begins dating them. If you’ve seen the film, you know how everything ultimately turns out, but if you haven’t, you’ll have a better understanding of the bigger picture. Recently, college football superstar and future NFL prospect, Travis Hunter, became a source of media scrutiny and controversy regarding his relationship with his fiancée, Leanna Lenee. Much of the criticism was around his fiancée and comments she shared about how she wasn’t initially interested in Travis before they started dating. Additionally, she received backlash regarding the couple’s interact...

Making Waves