Monday, October 27, 2014

God's textbook


About a week and half ago, I dreamed about Ray Charles for two nights consecutively.    I listened to his music growing up but I wasn't an avid fan or anything, so I couldn't figure out why I would be dreaming about him.  Yes he was a great musician and artist, but I hadn't been listening to any particular songs or watched any movies regarding Ray Charles, which might have kept him in the forefront of my mind.  Nevertheless for two nights, he visited me in my sleep.   I walked around for a couple of days afterwards thinking about it (it just seemed so strange to me) and then forgot about it until yesterday.

Ray Charles, although blind, was not blind from birth.  He didn't begin losing his sight until he was a young boy about 7 years old.  Because he had been with sight for this period of time, it meant that he had already learned his primary colors.  By age seven, he would already have known his alphabet and how to read.  He would have witnessed the sunrise and watch it set in the sky.  He would have already seen buttons and learned how to button his shirt and tie his own shoes.  By age seven, he would have played kickball, dodge ball, baseball, and hide and seek.  By age 7, Ray already had a view of the world and how to function in it.

Because of his past experience with sight, there were certain things that he would have already experienced and had an internal memory.  If you've ever seen a video clip of Ray walking with assistance, you'll notice that he wasn't a tentative walker.  Different from a person born blind, he already knew what a floor looked like and how it felt to have the earth push up against the sole of his foot as he walked.  Different from a child born blind, he undoubtedly had seen a staircase and had climbed a set of stairs before and would already known how high to lift his leg when climbing them. He didn't have to rely on someone else's testimony of what something was because he already had a recollection from birth to age 7. 

By dreaming about Ray Charles, I believe the Lord was trying to tell me to trust what I already know to be true.  Sometimes we get caught up in the "now situation" and forget about the deliverance or experience of God in the past.

   We might have financial difficulties now, but we have to recall the times when God supplied our needs in the past and we paid all of our bills on time.
   We might be faced with the loss of a loved one now, but we can recall how God gave us peace over an unsettled situation in the past.
   We might have a decision to make now and are simply scared of the unknown, but we can recall how God helped us to channel our fears in the past and we stepped out on faith anyway.

If you think about it, EVERY thing that you are faced with now, God in some way has already given you proof from the past that He is with you.

Sunday, we had a guest preacher, who preached from Psalm 119:71, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” or the Message bible says it like this "My troubles turned out all for the best- they forced me to learn from your textbook."  Being a teacher, I love the idea of learning from a textbook. A textbook is a manual or guide of sorts that has several chapters, which have their own learning objectives.  If it's a Chemistry book, one chapter might be about chemical reactions.  This particular chapter would share all of the types of chemical reactions.  It would give sample reactions of compounds and elements reacting together.  The joy is this though; you would have never skipped directly to these chapters, without being introduced to the periodic table of elements.  You first need to know that the periodic table is a table of the chemical elements in which the elements are arranged by order of atomic number in such a way that the periodic properties of the elements are made clear. Knowing the periodic table is a baby step or the necessary foundational information, so you can tackle how they react in a chemical reaction.  

As a podiatrist, I can tell you the different degrees of ankle sprains or types of foot fractures.  I also learned the tools that would help me to repair them surgically, if necessary.  However before I got to that part of training in the textbook, I first needed to know that the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone and the thigh bone's connected to the leg bone...(you remember that song, don't you?) Then I would have already known how the phalanges connect with the metatarsals that connect with cuneiforms and cuboid that both touch the navicular, which sits in front of the talus.  The talus rests upon the calcaneus while serving as a support for the tibia and fibula in the the leg. (Oh I'm sorry did I get to deep for you?.... I just got excited about the foot.)  What I'm trying to say is that God prepares us for everything we need, if we would just follow the textbook from the beginning.    Recall what He's done for you in the past, then rest because you know that your present situation and your future are directly in the palm of His hand.

Just as Ray Charles had a foundation from his past "knowing", which enabled him to tackle his current situation;  God, too, places us in situations not to hurt us, but to remind us that He's got us.  He doesn't require us to tackle the chemical reactions in the textbook, until we have been quizzed properly over the periodic table of elements.  You might ask" so why do I keep going over the same situation?"; maybe you need to go back and remember that Oxygen is a nonmetal that has an atomic number of 8. 
Go back to the basics!

Don't rush God, but rather trust Him in the process!  Recognize that this is a PROCESS! You can't cross the finish line, until you begin the race properly in the starting blocks.

Be encouraged my sister and my brother, whatever you are faced with now, go back and remind yourself of the promises of God....those baby steps.  You already have the foundation, you just have to believe that it will work out for your good!

So let you calcaneus strike the floor, gain forward momentum, pushing off of your phalanges and WALK IT OUT.........



Monday, October 13, 2014

Stop blaming everyone else and DO YOU!

Two years ago, I began on this health quest.  I was doing Zumba at least 4 times a week and counting my calories on the Myfitnesspal app.  I was so excited to work out and everyone in the house knew that I was serious.  The boys would see me after putting on my workout clothes and they would say,"have a good time at Zumba Mommy".  I was sold out!  Even when my mother fell ill and passed, I was still diligent in my health quest.  I was determined not to allow my heartache and grief keep me from maintaining my own health.

I was happy to purge my closet and bless other people with remnants from my wardrobe.  I was even more excited to go into the stores to purchase clothes in a smaller size.  Anyone who knows me, pretty much agrees that I am a morning person.  So if I wasn't doing Zumba in the evening,  I was surely getting to the gym about 5:30 am to run on the treadmill or do the elliptical machine.  This was my pattern and it was truly working for me.

Well something happened at the end of last year that changed my workout schedule and caused me to revert back to my old ways.  My husband developed blood clots in his lungs and we discovered some underlying health conditions, which caused him to spend the entire week of Christmas in the hospital.  Praise God that all went well and he returned home.  From the moment he returned home, he was determined to make some major health changes.  We ate differently, he began an exercise regimen that fit his schedule and I supported him in all of his efforts.  As he began losing weight and his body began changing, I was so excited for him.  We had to take his pants to be altered, because they were falling off of him. And he even ordered smaller sizes. What an exciting time!!!
But I have a confession to make... I resented my husband for getting in shape and doing better than me.  Ridiculous right?

I didn't realize at the time, but my workout schedule was almost nonexistent. My morning workouts were over and evening Zumba was no longer a contender in the Coleman schedule.  During the summer,  my husband and I would sometimes go to the gym together, but I was not consistent.  Slowly, but ever so surely my weight began to creep up.  Then the semester began and the boys returned to school.  All of my focus shifted to them and not on my own wellness.  It's funny because as my husband continued to go to the gym, he began encouraging me to go whenever I got a free moment.  Are you serious?  Is this dude coaching me now?   OH GREAT!

Present day...
I have noticed that I haven't been feeling as good as I used to.  I know it's simply because I have picked up a few extra and unnecessary pounds.  Yesterday, I was talking to someone who is working with a private trainer.  When she asked if I was still working out.  I said no and then I heard myself going through a list of reasons why I wasn't doing what I knew I should be doing.  When I finished, I thought to myself, 'how lame'.  So many times I have criticized others for making excuses and not tapping into what they know is right for them.  I had become one of THEM.  Oh Lord please help!

I really don't want to be the type of person who blames everyone else for why they're not accomplishing certain things.  The funny thing is that I was able to disguise this behavior because it was wrapped in a few of my successes.  Yes, I'm celebrating the publishing of my new book, celebrating the opening of my business account, celebrating my opportunity to speak at a women's conference on the East Coast.......but failing in the upkeep of ME.

Well this morning when I woke up, I laid in bed trying to decide if I was going to get up and go to they gym.  The kids are out of school, it's raining outside and this bed is quite comfortable.  As I swung my feet over the side of the bed, I made up my mind that I was going to put my workout clothes on and go to the gym.  As I was dressing,  my husband woke up and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. I heard myself say, " Sure, after I work out".  Did that just come out of my mouth?  Woohoo!  My first step towards making my health a priority once again.

I arrived at the gym and did the elliptical for 35 minutes, traveling 3 miles and burning over 300 calories.  But I knew that I needed to do some circuit training.  However, every time I look at those 19- red Hoise fitness machines, I instantly become intimidated.  I made up my mind and decided to ask one of  the trainers for assistance. I admitted to her that I loved cardio, but machines were not my favorite.  "Which machines should I make a part of my workout regimen?" Well, wasn't I pleasantly surprised when she only chose 4 out of the 19 machines for me to work on?  She said that if I did these 4, I would cover every large muscle group in my body.  I'm glad to say that I did it and felt great afterwards.  It wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

So today, I reclaimed ME and moved past an 'unreal' fear.  As I was finishing up in the gym, I began to talk to myself and decided that I would no longer blame anyone else for causing me not to accomplish my goals.
I will pick the exercise schedule that works best for me, even if it means getting up while it's still dark outside and the family is still asleep.
I will control my portion sizes while I am making healthier food choices.
I will not be intimidated by what I think will be difficult.
I will ask for assistance when needed.  (Remember the 19 machines, turned out to be only 4 machines for me.)
I will not rest on the laurels of success in certain areas, without attempting to gain success in all areas.
I will treat myself well, so that I can be around for my family.  ( I can't help them when I don't help myself!)

I encourage you take a look at your situation and if there is anything that is keeping you in fear from branching out... acknowledge it, confront it and work through it.   For you it may not be exercise.  It might be a dream that you haven't begun to actualize.  It might be a career shift.  It might be facing the reality of your situation and working to improve it.

Take time to focus on the betterment of you and less time blaming others.  They are doing them, it's time to do YOU!

Now walk it out...



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Standing on their shoulders

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a conference in Charleston, SC.  You know that Charleston was one of the most lucrative states involved in the enslavement of my ancestors.  We visited Magnolia plantation.

First we entered the “big house” and saw all of the beautiful antiques and family pictures and heirlooms on the wall.  We were told that we couldn’t take pictures for insurance purposes.

Then they took us on a little tram ride and we came to another part of the land, which housed 4 broken down slave houses, one of which was last inhabited in 1992 (descendants of slaves).  There was nothing of value (to the natural eye) but I knew the spirits of my people were hovering over us.

We traveled on foot, through the wooded area, which was surrounded by a swamp filled with alligators, only to end the tour in the African American cemetery.  We walked through the cemetery solemnly.  Some graves had headstones and some were unmarked with just a brick lying in front.

Some of our sisters cried and some just shook their heads as they thought about those who were enslaved.  One of the ladies whose father is from Barbados (The Draytons came to the US with slaves from Barbados) and whose mother was from South Carolina) saw a headstone with her family name and she broke down. 

At the end of the tour, as we were preparing to leave the cemetery, we all joined hands and began praying.  We started out by thanking God for blessing us and keeping our ancestors through all of their hardships. Then we shifted and began praying to the spirits of our ancestors.
·      Thank you for not slitting your throat.
·      Thank you for not throwing in the towel.
·      Thank you for enduring the nights when the slave master came in to rape you.
·      Thank you for not giving up on your children, even after they emasculated your husband and separated him from the family.
·      Thank you for praying that your children, grand children, great grandchildren and generations yet unborn, would have a better life than you.
·      Thank you for taking the remnants from master’s table and cooking a hearty meal that would sustain your people for years to come.

·      Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

We stand on the shoulders of great women that have gone before us.
We stand on the shoulders of Sojouner Truth.
We stand on the shoulders of Harriet Tubman.
We stand on the shoulders of Mary McCleod Bethune.
We stand on the shoulders of Josephine Baker: dancer extraordinaire.
We stand on the shoulders of Daisy Bates: civil rights activist.
We stand on the shoulders of:
We stand on the shoulders of Ruby Dee: actress, activist.
We stand on the shoulders of Angela Davis: activist.
We stand on the shoulders of Alice Dunbar-Nelson: writer, teacher; Harlem Renaissance.
We stand on the shoulders of Elizabeth ("Old Elizabeth"): preacher, emancipated slave, and autobiographer.
We stand on the shoulders of Althea Gibson: tennis player.
We stand on the shoulders of Fannie Lou Hamer: activist, sharecropper
We stand on the shoulders of Lena Horne: singer, actress.
We stand on the shoulders of Rosa Parks: civil rights activist, social reformer, and racial justice advocate.

I’m reminded of the words of Dr. Maya Angelou from the poem, “Still I rise".
You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise…

.... Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise. I rise. I rise.

Embrace all of your past and appreciate the journey as you catapult yourself into your future.

Now walk it out....

Monday, October 6, 2014

Permission granted

I GIVE MYSELF PERMISSION,  NOT TO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT!

I just said this aloud as I was walking into the kitchen.  I know it had to come from God and my inner voice.

I will live in the moment and enjoy it! No need to beat myself up over what has not been accomplished.  The fact that I showed up for this moment has to be good enough.

Now I'll walk it out..........

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Grateful in the stillness

Sometimes you need to go on a fast from yourself.  No extra talking.  No meaningless conversations. No gossipy phone calls. No unimportant emails.  No selfies.  No scandalous television (shut your mouth!).  Just quiet.  Not necessarily quiet from the outside world, but rather quiet from the voices inside of your head that tell you that you need something or someone else to complete you.

When was the last time that you sat in a room without the television on or radio playing?  Are you the type of person that needs outside stimulation and noise to soothe you?  Or can you just sit there quietly, without getting fidgety?

I think most of us are so accustomed to the noise of the cell phone with the text message, Facebook and email notifications.  We could be having a nice conversation with a friend, then all of a sudden the cell phone makes a noise and we are instantly distracted.

The bible says in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God".   You might be thinking,  what does being still have to do with knowing God?

Let's try an quick exercise.

Take a deep breath.  Inhale and exhale.  Do it again and this time inhale much slower.  Feel the air enter through your nose, be aware as it fills your lungs, opening every alveoli or air pocket within your lungs.  Notice how your chest wall rises and your posture straightens.
KNOW THAT'S ALL GOD!

Now exhale!  Hear the gentle hiss that is released from your body as your chest cavity falls.
KNOW THAT'S ALL GOD!

Open and close your eyes,  feel your lashes fluttering.  Look from side to side and be aware that your eyelids gently slide over your eyeballs without getting stuck.
KNOW THAT'S ALL GOD!

Wiggle your toes!  Flex the muscles in your legs, go ahead and crack your knuckles if you need to.  Thank God for every muscle fiber,  tendon and ligament that is crafted together to help you move and function.
KNOW THAT'S ALL GOD!

Recognize the sounds that you are around you.  Are there birds chirping close by?  Is the ocean swelling?  Is there traffic moving outside? Can you hear construction close by?  Was that just a horn blowing?  Do you hear the kids laughing in the distance?  Thank God for the sound waves that have just entered your ear, causing your eardrum to vibrate, is then transmitted to the brain, which then  translates the sounds and helps us to distinguish whether or not it is a bird, a car or a child.
KNOW THAT'S ALL GOD!

It doesn't take much to recognize God's creation...you just have to stop and think about it.  You are God's reflection, his masterpiece, his special design.  Let us not be so caught up in the noisiness of life that we forget to be quiet and grateful.

Everyday I challenge you to do this exercise for 3 minutes.  Recognize every sound, twitch, movement and flutter.

Just be still and quiet, rest in it, be grateful for it and KNOW THAT IT'S ALL GOD!


Now walk it out.......................