It's what you do in the dark that will put you in the light - Under Armour Commercial
Praise God!
Now once YOU have been delivered from the darkness, you my friend have a responsibility to liberate the ones you love.
Be to someone else what you've always wanted someone to be for you:
Their comforter
Their nurturer
Their motivator
Their supporter
Their protector
Their peace
Their everything
However, make sure they are deserving of it.
Not everyone deserves your best.
Sow good seed, reap a bountiful harvest.
The type of seed you sow determines the type of harvest you reap.
Sometimes It's not about how you react, but it's about how you respond.
There two types of people ..... responders and reactors.
Responders after careful observation and taking inventory of a situation. Reactors act consequences be damned. There is a time and place for everything. The key to living a peaceful and fulfilling life is mastering the timing of the response or reaction. Some situations require a measured response, while some situations deserve a compelling reaction.
Nevertheless, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, you must be prepared to accept accountability and assume responsibility for your response or reaction. Actions have consequences and Karma is most definitely not a respecter of persons.
It's not the thought that counts - at least not to me - God honors effort.....and so do I. I could care less about what you thought about doing. It's what you actually do that matters.
The blessing in coming to understand the principles of accountability and responsibility is the level of growth that comes along with them. The moment you learn how to be accountable for your actions (or lack thereof) and how to assume responsibility for them, that’s the moment that you begin to grow and thrive in every aspect of your life. Take it from someone that has had to eat a lot of crow in my day simply because I did not understand that being proactive is a hell of a lot smarter than being reactive. Damage control was never my strong suit. However, careful observation and disciplined planning is. See...that level of self-awareness comes from understanding that yes; the things that I want and need are extremely important. However not at the expense of being reckless, selling my soul or destroying someone else’s quality of life to obtain them.
Not everyone understands this.
In my humble opinion, I believe it’s because people find it easier to point out the flaws and mistakes of others to avoid accepting the fact that they have areas of their own life that need improvement. The ego can be a very powerful motivator. It can either push you to the heights of greatness or firmly plant you in the depths of despair. Now don’t misconstrue what I’m saying. It’s is perfectly ok and expected for an individual to have confidence in their abilities to be successful. It is perfectly ok to feel like you are the absolute best at what you do. However, it is absolutely NOT ok to be condescending or arrogant about it. There are ways to go about acknowledging that the gift that you have been blessed with is extraordinary without in doing so maligning another person’s reputation or impeding their progress. If you are truly as great as you say you are, then there isn’t any need to spend time stunting another person’s growth. I personally have been placed in precarious positions simply because someone felt threatened by the fact that I have a brain and I’m not afraid to use it. That has been the source of some very dark nights for me.
But Thank God for the Sunrise…..
“For His anger endureth but a moment, and in His favor is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” – Psalms 30:5
I’ve spent enough time in darkness to fully appreciate the light. Once one has been enlightened (regardless of how), there is an everyday struggle to stay there. Trust me, I know. I say that staying in the light is a struggle because the dark is so appealing to our basic human nature. In the dark, there is no need to account for one’s action because they are securely hidden. In the dark you can move any way that you want because if you break something or mess something up, no one can see it. In the dark you are free to appeal to your basest desire and instincts because of the security of knowing that what you do will not be revealed.
BUT…..
Like my folks always use to remind me, whatever is done in the dark eventually brought into the light…...even if it’s kicking and screaming trying stay there. Yo….. and from my experience, no one really comes into the light without a little "motivation.” Albeit willingly or involuntarily. Embrace everything. Acknowledge your time in the darkness, but don’t be content with staying there. Reject what's not helpful, useful or beneficial. Monitor and manage your energy so that you can expend it in the right places. Focus more on what makes you better instead of what is making you bitter. The more you move towards the life that you desire, the more your desire for the darker things will diminish. The light and darkness cannot exist in the same space.
Being humble doesn't mean dulling your shine to make others comfortable.
Be the one to have as an ally, not an enemy.
It's ok to love someone deeply.....but not at the expense of your peace, serenity, quality of life, individuality or wholeness.
There are things that I have tolerated for the sake of love or being “loved” that I no longer tolerate and should not have been tolerating it in the first place. All praise unto the Most High for liberating me from the bondage of emotional servitude and unspoken obligations.
Freedom for me means no longer entertaining or tolerating anything that doesn't bring me enlightenment, happiness, motivation, peace of mind or dope orgasms. If it doesn't feel right in my Spirit, there's absolutely no place for it in my space or in my life.
I have had my share of heartache at the hands of people who've said they love me. I used love blindly because over the course of my life that's what I kept hearing was expected when it came to loving someone. Then I realized that I was the only one walking around with love blinders on while everyone else out here's vision was 20/20. It took a lot of soul searching, a lot of betrayals and the tolerance of quite a bit of disrespect for me to finally take them off. If someone is willing to deprive you of what you need and desire then they can't possibly love you. If some is willing to discomfort you doing something you've repeatedly told them makes you uncomfortable, they can't possibly love you. If someone is willing to stand by and watch you struggle without offering you any assistance, they can't possibly love you. There is tough love ....then there's outright neglect. Don't confuse the two. One is done out of love. The other is done out of fear/ hate/ insecurity. There is no place in a loving relationship for neglect or abuse of any kind.
As for me, I refuse to continue feeding people who don't feed me. I refuse to continue encouraging people who don't encourage me, I refuse to support those who don't support me. This is my "Me" season. I've spent my entire life wanting what's best for others while neglecting myself. That's unhealthy. The number one rule of survival is self-preservation. I've been unable to find the love that I need and want because I haven't been loving myself right. I've been putting other people's happiness before my own or feeling guilty when I prioritize my own happiness. I deserve to be unapologetically happy. I feel like the Most High agrees with me and wants that for me. I'm the one that keeps getting in the way. Well not anymore. Not anymore. I declare and receive happiness, wholeness, health and wealth.
This is my prayer for you as well. That you don’t let the darkness of your past dim the brightness of your future.
Weeping may endure for a night….
But TGIS….
Thank God, it’s Sunrise.
The light has a purifying property to it. You know what they say about roaches when the light comes on….hell maybe you don’t. Which - don’t get it twisted - is an absolute blessing. Unfortunately, growing up I lived with some involuntary housemates from time to time. Jamokes didn’t drop anything on the rent but were constantly making their presence known…. just rude as hell. Country living though was the absolute best. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Ok….. maybe a couple of things. Dig this though….. I may have lived with Snakes, Rats and Roaches, but I've never had a poverty mindset. Your beliefs shape your experiences.....your experiences shape your perception. My belief is that it’s not about where you start or where you are from but it’s about where you strive to be. My experiences have been a direct result of that belief. God honors effort…..and because of my experiences, my perception of life and the things associated with it this makes me Mr. Glass Half Full. It is this mindset that allows me to withstand the attacks of anything that tries to drive me back into the darkness.
Now…
I just want to revisit a couple of statements that I made earlier in this entry:
“It is truly darkest right before the dawn. Ask for the courage and strength to last the night. Sorrow cometh for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Remember that in order to have something you have never had; you have to be willing to do something that you have never done. Now I won’t lie to you, stepping into the light can be a scary proposition. You are basically exiting your comfort zone. Oh and don’t be deceived, one can become comfortable and extremely complacent in darkness. You don’t realize just how much comfort you find in darkness until you are forced to step into the light.
So in closing, my hope for you is that your good days outnumber your bad days and if they haven’t then that my friend is my prayer for you. My prayer for you is that no matter how dark your situation has been or may be, that the Most High will stand in the gap for you.
Then maybe you too can one day say….
Thank God, it’s Sunrise.
