Dear Girl who’s lost her footing…

I don’t know about anyone else but 2020 started off with so many successes and even though I could tell God was positioning me for a shift, I didn’t realize how big a shift it would be.

As I’m sure you know I am the founder of a global christian women’s community called “The Loving Me Academy” where I serve daily and we kicked things off this year with a new addition to our schedule, the “Faith Unleashed Tour!” It was suppose to be a five city tour with different focus events in each city. Jammed pack with speakers, food, games, and dope vendors. BUT that was halted when the corona virus popped up on the scene and lives were being impact daily. (This was the first blow that caught me off guard)

Shortly after the corona virus I found out I was pregnant! This was something I had prayed for so naturally you’d think I be completely excited BUT after loosing one baby before I ever got to hold them, love them, or protect them you begin to realize how the potential of another pain like that turns joy into fear. So here I was smiling with the idea that this could be my second chance but suffering silently because I was dancing with the devil and his seeds of doubt. (This was the second blow that caught me off guard)

I remember being in the kitchen getting some work done on my laptop when I saw Ed’s face almost lifeless looking at me. In such disbelief and pain he attempted to walk away and shield me from what he had just seen. When I asked what it was his response “I just watched a man die” threw me through a whirlwind in a matter of seconds. When he said “another officer killed a black man” the familiarity of the scenario almost made me opt out of watching but something in me said WATCH, and I did. To see this video and this poor man cry out and to witness the neglect and care on this white officers face pained me to my soul. All i could do was cry! (This was the third blow that caught me off guard)

In each of these instances I felt so hopeless but the gravity of my pain increased month after month.

If this is not the first time you’ve graced my blog or my platform than you KNOW I truly am a realist and I lay my heart on thick at the foot of Jesus. But this last one hit so hard. I didn’t really know what to say, I didn’t really know what to think, I didn’t really know what to do as I looked around and saw confusion not just amongst the world but amongst BELIEVERS! I was so conflicted until my natural instinct was to give up and my spirit man kicked into default: PRAYER & TRUST & OBEDIENCE.

My question to you is this: When your natural gives out what foundation (similar to a backup generator) kicks in?

Listen… there are a few things God shared with me during these moments of loosing my footing and I want to share them with you as a means to encourage you through this season of your walk and to challenge you to focus in the middle of your storm and trails.

Daily Affirmations For Your Backup Generation:

1. Your faith is not established during the storm; it’s established before the storm.

What you do before the storms rages and the winds are knocking at your sails and foundation will be what you have to hold onto and navigate through the moments of low visibility. As christians there is a reason God sends blessings and their is equal importance when God sends warnings! We can NOT let satan fool us into thinking when life is sweet we have all the faith we need and we begin to drift away from the principles to meditate on Gods word day and night. *Just like you need God on your worst day, you need God on your best day

2. During the storm is not when you “Question” your faith. During the storm is when you “Activate” faith!

I can’t tell you how many phone calls and text messages I got when the pandemic hit and how that intensified when George Floyd got murdered. As black people and especially black mothers there was such a great pull to ACT. As much as I felt justified in responding as a black mother with the potential to have another black son God had to remind me of this one truth: Before you are a black woman you are MY child. John 15:5 says I am the vine and you are the branches apart from me you will bear NO fruit. So many people allowed anger and rage to dismantle their roots and cause them to question their faith. As scary as the pandemic was and as angering as the senseless murder of George Floyd I refused to allow the world to push me to a place where I neglect the YEARS of growing and grooming my faith.

3. Obedience isn’t only about doing WHAT God says. Obedience is doing the WHAT at the point WHEN God says and HOW God says to do it.

During the pandemic I truly wanted to remain going to church and singing on the choir and even though its a good thing to do for the Kingdom, God told me to rely on the wisdom of my husband. And He was not going lol After George Floyd was murdered and I saw so many people posting and sharing and speaking out in anger about the black experience and injustice I wanted to conjure up the world to join in any way i could but I was so lost. So lost that again I had to default back to PRAYER & TRUST & OBEDIENCE. And God spoke to me and said Play Your Position, I was then led to read Romans 12:4 where its says we are Many Parts but ONE body in Christ. Then God gave me this analogy: If the hands, feet and heart all attempt to be the mouthpiece what happens to the body? Literally is the heart looses sight of purpose and runs to be the mouthpiece THE BODY DIES. God said to me You are the heart we need the blood flow of love in the war because this is just pone battle and we can’t afford to be taken out here. So hard to swallow but as i stayed on position I understood. I want to say this: The moment you operate outside of love check and see if you’re still in position.

4. Lastly, When you seemingly are loosing or have lost your footing read these two scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-13 and Romans 8: 35-39.

Yes READ!! Allow God to remind you that Love is what found you, love is what saved you and it will be love that protects you. Sometimes we fall into these seasons of feeling like WE don’t deserve love and other times we feel like OTHER PEOPLE don’t deserve love but God reminds us that we are all in need of grace and the only thing that will place our feet back on solid ground is trusting and believing in Him!

So even when you feel like you’ve slipped and lost your footing. Trust that your foundation will catch you. But that means first you must not neglect the building of your floor.

Sincerely, Lady J

XoXo