Ain't nobody stopping my shine
They try to break me try to take me out
But I got Jesus on my side
Felt so bad I thought I would die
But ain't no power stronger than the one
That came and laid down His life
And I got mountains to climb
But the enemy can't stop me
'Cause there's a calling on my life
So, when I'm crying. don't last too long
'Cause He's gon' step in and make it alright
Are people trying to stop your shine? It might come in different forms. People who try to publicly humiliate you, people who gossip behind your back, people who think they know you better than you know yourself. Why do people want to break you and see you not on your knees, but with your face on the ground with their knee on your neck? We all go through our own brutality moments that other people haven't had the luxury of seeing because it wasn't filmed. Nobody else bears witness to the pain and suffering you have had, so they can't possibly imagine what you are experiencing, and nor should they want to. Who willingly puts themselves through situations that makes them feel smaller, less than and more than the negative stereotypes that people choose to believe? Whatever mountains are currently in your path, keep climbing them. Go past the ambulance waiting for you at the bottom. You don't need it. Keep heeding the call on your life that humans persist in squashing. They have no idea about the divine guidance you are receiving. They have no idea that their thoughts are minute in comparison to the path that you were born to fulfill. Your life has never been about you. Yet the animosity stems from them seeing you as a threat, as an embodiment of what they can never be - simply you.
Won't He do it?
He said He would
Fight your battles for you
They gon' wonder how you sleep at night
Won't He do it?
Oh yes He will
Anybody tell you something different
You know that's a lie
You gon' look back and be so amazed
How it turned out
It's only His grace
Won't He do it?
He said He would
So, I trust Him at all times
We forget sometimes that we don't need to fight our battles on our own. There are allies out there are willing to suit up their armour for you and fight on your behalf, fight alongside you, fight specific parts of the battle so that you can focus on dismantling other places that require your expertise. There is a Samoan concept that is similar to schadenfraude, where people relish the downfall or discomfort of others, they will gossip amongst each other about the suffering that someone is going through, because they think that is well deserved. These types of people will be publicly supportive to your face, but privately have no intention of truly or genuinely being supportive, but it doesn't really matter, because you can feel how disingenuous they are, regardless of what slips out of their mouth. Actions carry a lot more weight than feeble words, but if you can activate those words - that is far better. Put your trust in the one who has never failed you. The one who peppers your life with challenges so that you may learn valuable lessons to get through life in spite of those challenges. Lean on Him and not your own understanding.
I'm about to lose it again
I'm about to let them know where I'm from
Don't take me there again
I just call on Jesus, my friend
Get me back in line one more time
'Cause He's always listening
Ain't nobody perfect, everybody's hurting
I need Your whisper Lord, save me from my weaknesses
'Cause You're always on time
What are you saying to yourself to help you get through this difficult time in your life? Maybe you are going through something that nobody has any idea about. What I learned about Loma's death was that grief was an interesting process to go through. I had people who made Loma's death about themselves and whilst I completely understood they were expressing how they felt, I just didn't appreciate the public competition that they tried to play, to show who was grieving the most - the loss is still a loss, nobody wins when someone dies. Can you imagine how the parents and families of slain black men, women and children must feel then? When people are hunted and killed needlessly because racist white people feel threatened by someone who looks different to them. People just need to make friends with black people. What line do you need to get back into in order to align everything? What weaknesses do you need to be saved from? Put your house into order. Figure out what you need to do now in order for things to be achieved. Show up on time because God ultimately always does, in our hour of need.
See what the enemy had planned for my downfall
Turned out to be the greatest victory of my life
'Cause when it comes at you fast and hard
There's the only One who can come and make it right
So, ain't no need for stressing or crying
'Cause He gon' show up just like He did the last time
Have you truly witnessed the greatest victory of your life yet? You could be on a pathway to experiencing multiple victories; you're just not aware of it. Why do you have so many enemies in the first place? And why are they planning your downfall? We have so many unseen enemies. We can never really tell who our allies are because they are in our lives wearing sheep's clothing and we tend to give people the benefit of the doubt when we are trying to figure out how to solve the challenges we are facing. We latch onto people who may have previously given you support in the past, but when it comes down to it, things are not as clear cut as we think. People worry about their own situations and whether they have the capacity to survive the downfall that is intended for you, not them, but once again their ability to be genuinely empathetic is marred by their actual inability to put those words into acceptable actions. So even if we cannot rely on the conventional channels of support to help us when we need them the most, maybe we are relying on the wrong people. Maybe we should be looking further afield, further beyond the confines of mortal life that we are embroiled in and cannot escape. Because if nobody else, including yourself is able to do it, won't He do it. . . .