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Happy New Year Folks! Sooooo…how are you? How’s it going? How do you feel? Me…How am I??? Chile…Listen, I’ll just say I am very happy to be here! I’ve never really been into the cyclical trends of New Year, New Me, or setting “goals” for the year. The way 2023 behaved, I’m just trying to stay on the right side of right! LOL! I must say 2024 came in with a BANG! I mean right out the gate, but I can say that God is STILL good and me trusting Him and the process is what I intend to do for the year. Along with that, I will be revisiting meditation. I did it a few years ago, setting declarations or intentions for my day and I really liked it.
There are MANY benefits of meditating. Meditating reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, helps manage anxiety, improves sleep…and I need each and every one of those things.  We have all had a time or two or three or four where we have literally begged God for something. Sometimes it occurs when we are being selfish and not exercising self-control and sometimes it’s just when we think we know what is best for us. We let our emotions and desires override our intellect and the Holy Spirit within us. We create an opportunity instead of waiting for the opportunity that presents itself in God’s time and in His will. We rush in and say, “I want this and that and that!” We pray and beg and cry and beg some more and when we don’t get the house, car, job, or whatever we’re upset. If we’re honest with ourselves, we get angry with God and question Him. Talk back to Him with an attitude like, I really needed this job why didn’t you give it to me? I need a new car right now! God you know my situation why didn’t you do this? Why didn’t you give me that? Why did you tell me NO!?!
Did you ever think that God tells us no to protect us, to keep us out of harm’s way? To build our character, our faith, and trust in him? We may indeed need a job, a car, a house…We may indeed want that wife, husband whoever, but did you miss the red flags from the Holy Spirit? The one that says, “watch it he has a temper and will be physically abusive; or wait a minute; yes this job is paying more but it requires a large amount of time away from your family and your son is going to really need you soon.” Never lose sight that God IS! He knows EVERYTHING. He has our best interest at heart and there is always a lesson to be learned. Paul asked God 3 times to remove the thorn from his flesh, and God told him NO. He said my grace is sufficient; my strength is made perfect in your weakness! WOW, what a lesson in trust! He assures us that He knows what He’s doing. He knows what He has planned for us and sometimes to get us to where we’re supposed to be, God tells us no. Don’t be angry or discouraged about it. Allow Him to protect you, guide you, and prosper you the way He wants to so that it will last! When the answer is NO, It just might be for our good! I remember being on Twitter and coming across a thread of tweets that literally made my heart race. I had never had someone read my mind before, and these three tweets affirmed, solidified, justified, and any other “FIEDs” you can think of! Oh yes, Ms. Ma’am...Keri Hilson came with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing BUT the truth! What were the tweets you ask… ok, hold on, let me set it up. Can I get my single, black women in their mid-40s to come to the front, please? Yes, yes, because I know y’all will feel me if no one else does. So this dating scene, though!?! Period. That’s it. That’s the setup. Because honestly, the girls that get it, get it, and my 40+ ladies definitely got it! 
...and I stand on that! 10 toes down!
I won’t have to beg for it, be confused about it, be uncertain about it; I won’t doubt it, I won’t question it! I will be sure about it; I will be certain about it, clear about it, and it will make itself known! Yes! Yes! Yes!  It seems like therapy has become, trendy, fashionable if you will, another thing to add to the myriad of items in pop culture. Everyone is throwing around buzz words like…triggers, narcissism, triangulation, etc. It almost feels like your thoughts or opinions aren’t valid unless you weave in at some point that you have a therapist.
Now I am defiantly a proponent of therapy, would never discourage anyone from getting therapy, I would even recommend it for a few of y’all LOL, but seriously, therapy is great and very useful for equipping yourself with tools to navigate life. “You never really know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”  No truer words have ever been spoken. But I believe we must be careful what we designate as “strength.”
Google defines strength as: “The quality or state of being physically strong. The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.” But wait…before I get too deep into this, let me just say…THE OPINIONS STATED IN THIS PIECE DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF URBANE MAGAZINE. This is all NishaSpeaks! LOL Now that we’ve got that out of the way…  We have officially transitioned to the Holiday Season, which runs from November through early January and is chock-full of family gatherings, new recipes, games, and the like. There are a few other things that come with the changing seasons that are especially noteworthy.
Is that a chill in the air??? Indeed, it is. We’ve gone from 90+ degree temps to the 70s, 60s, and as I sit here typing this, it is currently 41 degrees at 10:30 am. Then there’s this phenomenon called Day Light Savings Time, where the government RIPS an hour from my day. It looks like it’s midnight when it’s just 5:00 pm (yes, I know they give it back in spring, but stay focused). Then there’s this sneaky little rascal that rears its ugly head in more than 5% of the U.S. population...Seasonal Depression.  Are you thankful, or are you grateful? There is a difference. Webster defines “Thankful” as being pleased or relieved and “Grateful” as showing an appreciation of kindness. So honestly…which are you?
This time of year is primarily focused on being thankful. Getting that warm and fuzzy feeling thinking of all the things our lives include: food on the table, thankful for the presence of friends and family gathered around us, we feel happy that we have a roof over our heads, and we are pleased and relieved that all is well. But it’s just a feeling. Gratefulness is more profound than that. It requires something of you—a sacrifice…a push to go beyond the surface, and warrants action. |
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