NEVER ALONE!

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage---with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2 NIV

Today, I woke up feeling fearful of being exposed. I am being interviewed by my friend Zenja. I have watched Zenja take every step that she strongly believes God calls her to take. That has led her to doing some amazing things. Her podcast has grown and now she is taking it to a different level and interviewing people, starting with friends that have had an impact on her life. That’s where I come in. I was excited when she told me but today, the day of the interview, I was feeling fearful. I say “was” because, as I opened my heart to God, he placed in my heart a situation where I wish I had done what he is doing for me as I write. At the present moment, my thoughts are going faster than the speed of my writing. I feel moved and grateful. 

When my oldest son was in elementary school - I think it was 4th grade -  he was invited to attend a political debate. He wasn’t chosen to ask questions to the candidates but he came close to being chosen, so the teacher invited him to come along with the student that was chosen. He was so excited! He was missing the whole day of school. He loved that kind of stuff. We dressed him in a nice suit. I can still visualize the picture that was taken at the event of him and the other student standing together. He had such a good time. 

I can’t remember how I found out but, when the debate was over, the local news station was interviewing various children that attended, including Cory Jr. They were so impressed that he made the news. It was so exciting.  A couple days later the news station contacted me and asked if they could interview him on the topic. They said they were all impressed with his posture and the way he spoke. I can still hear his undeveloped voice speaking on camera. 

We agreed. However, after hearing from the news representative what he should expect, I felt compelled to sit my son down and prepare him for this experience.  I wanted to prepare him so badly, but instead of doing so impulsively, I sought advice from a close friend and my husband, who both agreed that I shouldn’t. From their perspective, sitting him down and having a chat to prepare him would create unnecessary insecurities and he wouldn’t be himself. They both felt that he made the news because he was himself, so I needed to let him be himself. In my spirit, I did not agree but, I decided to take their advice.

The day came and my husband and I took Cory Jr to the station. We were greeted warmly. I even remembered one person saying, “we’ve been waiting to meet you in person. We were all so impressed by your posture.” Phrases like ‘future leader’ were used to describe him. At the time, we lived in a suburb of Chicago called Glenview. It was predominantly white. At this event he was one of the few Black people there - he stood out. Something drew the interviewer to ask him some questions and became impressed with his speech. 

Eventually we walked into the room where he was interviewed. They sat him down and there he was. There were so many TV screens in which he could see himself. He looked like a deer in the headlights. He froze, could barely speak, stuttered during one of the questions. He was not confident, he was scared. I remember looking at my husband and saying that I should have followed my gut feeling, I should have prepared him. At that moment my husband agreed. I could not wait for the interview to be over to get my son. I tried my best to give him thumbs up and lots of cheering from the side lines. I believe that helped him make it through the interview. One comment the interviewer made during the interview was, “this kid is funny”. In a nutshell there was a huge difference between the interviews. The first one where he was himself, the second one where he felt the pressure. We left the interview and my husband and I encouraged him and hopefully helped him feel good after the experience. I think my son knew this one was not like the first one. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I am Mom and God speaks to my heart to give me insight on my children in a way that he doesn’t do to other people. He is the one I should seek guidance from first. After 29 years of being a mom I still need to be intentional about this, as it doesn’t come natural to me. 

God is the perfect father and mother! I feel like, this morning, his gut feeling said that he needed to prepare his daughter for this interview. He placed 2 Timothy 4:2 on my heart as he began his preparation. The fear I felt has now turned to trust that as long as I remember what my father taught me, I will be okay. 

He will be there with me like I was there with my son.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15 NIV. 

In my childhood, I gave many public performances at school, whether it was reading a poem, or being in a play. I loved it. The one thing I always wished was for one of my parents to come. They were unable. 

Today I can think of not only how God is preparing me but also showing up to cheer me on. And how has he prepared me? By saying, “it’s okay to be yourself. It will be a little scary, but it is okay. I am right here. You have done this before. Do not be intimidated by the audience (my friend Zenja has more than 13.5K followers). Do not focus on how you sound. Your English is fine. Do not hide, just share the miracles I have done in your life. I will be there with you. You will be okay, I will be walking with you. I will walk you in, holding your hand.” 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV. 

Although I wish I had prepared my son for his interview, I know I did one thing right - I walked with him and have been trying to do so with all my children as they grow. That I learned to do from my Father! 

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 NIV

FYI: my thoughts stop going faster than my hand, they turned God’s Speed which is a happy speed to be at for me! 

Look for the episode this week on her Podcast

Luke 18:27!