Who Do You See?
If Jesus was standing before you, would you recognize Him? Songs have been written about this and sermons have been preached, but do you regularly consider this question? As Christians, shouldn’t we?
At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). John 20:14-16
Do you believe that God sends people to you and you to people? I do. Of course, not everyone who cross my path I believe is of God, but when I am aware of its occurrence I pay special attention.
I can’t help but to think about all of the prophets God sent before He sent His Son. I think about how so many people, particularly people professing to believe in God, did not recognize them. As a result, they were opposed to the message the prophets brought and to the work they did. The people countered the God they said they served. Isn’t that interesting? What a scary thought!
Have you ever wondered if you have acted in opposition to someone God has sent? Have you ever been that person who was sent? Do you think such resistance is because people, particularly fellow Christians, do not recognize God in the situation before them? Do you think people have stopped believing that God sends people to do divine assignments outside of sanctuaries? Do you think they ever believed?
Like Mary Magdalene, there are times when I do not expect to see God, so I may need to take a second look. Titles and suits, smiles and charisma can be misleading. Following trend can leave you watching Noah and his family sailing away. I am growing more conscious, however, about identifying who is standing before me. I am listening to hear the voice–His voice of which I will know. What about you?
Hi CyberSpace and especially those in TwitterLand! I’m being creative (right now) and playing around with my website. It’s kind-of fun actually…learning about website development. Anyway, I just made this connection, so really this is a “Test Message”. …Yes, I could have waited until I completed developing this site to say 
WNBA Players: Platform and Power
As I write this, I am inspired by what a number of teams and players in the WNBA are doing to show support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Unfortunately, many continue to assert that this non-violence stance is in opposition to the work of good, honorable, and honest law enforcement. Apples and Oranges are not the same.
Admittedly, the number of WNBA games I have watched…ever… can be counted [probably] on one hand. When I discovered, however, that these players and teams are being fined as a result of wearing black warmup shirts, I became conflicted between wanting to support these women by watching their games but not wanting to support the institution of which they work. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/07/22/wnba-players-refuse-to-talk-basketball-in-protest-of-fines-for-black-warmup-shirts/ What’s a woman to do?
When many think of the Black Lives Matter Movement, they think of police brutality against Black men. Interestingly isn’t it…that loud sound of crickets coming from the NBA and the NFL. [No pressure though. “She’s got now.”] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8E_zMLCRNg
Again, many think of Black males when they think of police brutality because they do not know the stories of women like Miriam Carey, Shareese Francis, Shantel Davies, Rekia Boyd, Breaion King, the pool party in McKinney [Texas], and Sandra Bland—stories of Black women that many say are victims too of the same. These storylines fail to fit the familiar narrative and quickly fade into the night. Could it be that the WNBA players wearing those black warmups know about and identify with these women issues because they are women? Could it be that they are advocating for themselves in an it-could-be-me (or my daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, or one day granddaughter) sort-of way? Yes, they could be supporting their Brothers, but have you thought that maybe they are supporting their Sisters too—first and foremost? Lean In for Women and Equality, does anyone remember that? Why should these women be penalized for being a voice to a very real issue affecting their community? Just as the WNBA’s organization supports Breast Cancer Awareness and Pride, where is the support for your players here? After all, these college-educated players—who are already underpaid and in many ways make tremendous sacrifices to invest in building your brand—are commended for going into the community to give back, isn’t that what this is???
I applaud these women for using their platform for something much bigger than themselves. I hope they are an example to others, in other industries. They are certainly an example to me. Still, I am left to wonder how to support them minus their employer. Now, that’s power!