HOLY BIBLE…THE MODERN-DAY TESTAMENT:
Written by Mama C Deborah Cofer
The thing that gets most people into trouble, when it comes to their attraction to another person, is getting caught up in “the idea of who the person is, was created to be or could be.” 1. I once became eXtremely attracted to a man I thought was one of the most remarkable men I’d ever encountered. 2. But I was in an early transitional phase in my spiritual awakening and in search of both a life raft and a place to belong. 3. I felt as though I was drowning in a sea of sadness and was struggling to keep my head afloat as I tried to figure out who I was in that moment, where I belonged, where I was going, and how I was going to get there and with whom… if anyone, particular. 4. The life I had worked so hard to achieve and maintain, for over 20 years, had flipped the script on me. 5. I found myself searching for meaning and maybe even a miracle in the midst of the madness I found myself eXperiencing and struggling to get through. 6. I was in search of a place where my God-given talents and gifts would be welcomed, appreciated, and valued. 7. In the process, the who, what, when, where, what, and why questions floated around, unanswered in my mind, continuously triggering the storms of anxiety and frustration within me. 8. For the first time since my early adult years, I felt lost, confused, and alone. 9. Who could I turn to for answers? 10. Who could I trust to help me get my life back on track? 11. Would life, for me, ever be the same? 12. I remember thinking “Why had my life taken such a drastic turn?” 13. In hindsight, I realize I had reached a pivotal point in my evolution where a connection to and trust of anyone other than God was not my best recourse… no matter how much I needed someone to hold on to. 14. Life has taught me that what we want and what we need are often two very different things.
15. Today, 22 years later, I am fulfilled by the realization that God knew best; and, if I had chosen to turn to and lean on anyone else other than God, I most assuredly would have gotten lost in someone else’s drama, dreamscape, trauma and/or purpose rather than discovering and pursuing the path God had ordained for my life. 16. Another priceless life lesson I have learned well is that the plans we make for ourselves don’t necessarily manifest what we envision, what our hearts long for, what we want, or what is best. 17. What we need is God’s only objective… and until these objectives are met, what we want is null and void to the process of our spiritual growth, the divinity of our purpose, and the quality of life we desire and deserve.
18. God gave me the power to see this man’s heart. 19. And like the biblical character, David, it was solid gold; but God also blessed me with the ability to see that the weeds in the garden of his soul had been slowly choking the life out of him for years. 20. I found myself feeling even sadder for him than myself. 21. But unlike Lot’s wife, I refused to allow the salty tears of my emotional pain and disappointment to cause me to cry myself to death. 22. Depression is real people… then and now. 23. Given the gift of Empathy, I could feel his sincerity and clearly see the good works he had accomplished and continued to perform under difficult circumstances and at a time when Black Men struggled to be who they were created to be and achieve all that God had ordained for them. 24. But thank God for the ability to see how the ghosts of his past were interfering with the magnificent possibilities of his present, and despite the love, I felt for him I chose to be obedient to God and continue my journey into better tomorrows. 25. People who are blessed with the gift and power of Empathy have an intense love for people along with a deeply ingrained desire to save the world… and, to our detriment, are often bleeding hearts until we gain a true understanding that salvation and transformation is God’s job not ours. 26. His battles were not mine and my battles were not his. 27. So despite the longings of my heart, I opted to stare fear in the face and refused to give in to its’ bid for control over my life.
28. Another very important life lesson I’ve learned is that when love is not mutual… it’s not healthy and is accompanied by a host of ghosts from the past that, over time, transform into all forms of evil acts that produce inhumane outcomes. 29. Wisdom teaches us that with all things unhealthy comes an abundance of unwanted, eXtremely challenging, and unnecessarily dysfunctional consequences. 30. Love is our natural nature and with and through it, miraculous things happen for all those who live in and through its unabated power. 31. God is love and in Him and through Him peace, harmony and happiness prevail and supersede all types of evil… no matter what form it takes (e.g., pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth aka laziness, and let’s not forget ego, etc.).
32. I share this brief once upon a time kinda-sorta love story to say that we must always remain tuned in to and true to God no matter how much we are attracted to others and desire to be a part of their lives. 33. What most people fail to recognize and/or accept is that the gift of “free will” gives us the power to be with whomever we choose, but unfortunately, our choices are not always in our best interest. 34. God has taught me to follow the path where agape love prevails and the best thing of all is I know God is and will always be with me and will never leave me because His power will forever reside within me.
35. None of us are here to dish out retribution, take on the role of avenging angel or play judge, jury, and eXecutioner for those who we either, rightfully or wrongfully, believe are not living in accordance with God’s will and ways… or who are not in alignment with our will. 36. If there is retribution to be had, that’s the role God has designated to Karma. 37. The truth is playing God only puts those who choose to do so at the top of Karma’s hit list.
LIFE-ENRICHING RECOMMENDATION: 38. If you are a devout “Doubting Thomas,” this is one message it would behoove you to give some deep introspective thought to. 39. Those whose names make it onto Karma’s infamous hit list have earned a spot on this most wanted and right to be feared hit list. 40. STOP FEARING GOD AND START LOVING HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND SOUL. 41. If you really need something to fear, Karma is most certainly it! 42. And I’ve had enough life-altering encounters with Karma to know what I’m talking about. 43. This is not a fear tactic or attempt to brainwash you, but rather a slice of reality pie you can feast on and use your “free will” to believe or not. 44. But keep in mind that disbelief, in the things of God, has caused many a person to veer off onto paths that lead straight into the bowels of “Hell on Earth” eXperiences… and even death. 45. You might also want to keep in mind that possessing the ability to both see and sense what others cannot, is a very good thing; but not everyone has this ability. 46. However, if this God-given gift is not used properly, it can become a tool for destruction for ourselves and others when God-centered thinking is not factored into the decision-making process. Until next week… Namaste. GOLDEN NUGGETS OF WISDOM GAINED: What nuggets of wisdom, from this reading, do you believe will help you to draw closer to God and enrich your life? Keep in mind that your purpose in life is to add value to it and those around you… not subtract from it. Feel free to share your thoughts in the space below. Let’s agree to grow and glow together, helping to enlighten and light up this world in accordance with God’s plan for it and us.
