In the beginning… God created…

Happy Sunday to all and to others, Happy SuperSoul Sunday.

There are times in your life when, inevitably, you feel weak and at your lowest point. Then there are times that gentle reminders enter into your space and serve as an offering before you. As a gratitude journalist, I’ve found different things every day that allow me to see myself in a different light. Other times I see myself in the dark. Whether or not the darkness was self-inflicted or not, the ability to see the light in the darkness is key. But you have to first remember that without the space of darkness, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the glory of the light.

Below is a facebook post by a dear friend of mine. I was so moved that I had to share it with you. It came in a time I was facing darkness and slowly pulled me back up into the light. I’m a star. And so are you. Because in the beginning… God created… You.

Thank you, Saacha.

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“And the Earth was without form, and void. And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said ‘Let there be Light’. And there was Light.”

It is out of Extreme darkness that Light is born. It is from walking through Hell that we find Heaven. It is through unfathomable chaos that order is fashioned. We must go down to go up.

In the darkness we feel alone, unworthy, abandoned, distraught, rejected, fearful, misunderstood and unloved. But in the face of the deep, the Spirit of God is very present, moving upon the face of the water, cleansing us, preparing us, protecting us and loving us through the depths of our personal hell.

The darkness prepares us for the Light. The greater the darkness revealed in Us, the greater the Light birthed. No matter what darkness you descend into, appreciate it. For it is in the darkness that you receive the power, determination, motivation, momentum and inspiration to shine your Light as brightly as you’re capable of. Remember what goes down MUST come up.

Change the story you tell yourself about your journey. We are all assigned to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. What we go through, we grow through. Your story is full of power and even if you’ve been victimized in some aspect in this life, you are not a victim, but a VICTOR.

We all have a different darkness that must be revealed. We all have a different level of hell to descend into. Please stop judging people for walking through the path that GOD assigned to them. Please stop writing people off because of drawing conclusions about the part of their journey you’ve been privileged to witness. Negatives are developed in the dark. You have no idea what the Big Picture will turn out to be, but I can guarantee you that when the Light hits it, it won’t look the same.

Lastly, NEVER be ashamed of your story. If you’re ashamed of your story, you’re ashamed of God’s glory.

“God is my refuge. God is my strength. A VERY present help in the time of trouble.”

Peace.✌🏽

The Truth about Living your Truth

If there’s ever a time that we need to step up to the plate and live our truth, I believe that time is now. There is so much happening in the world today and we truly need more authenticity and more genuine hearts to rise to the surface. It is easy to stay silent and like my dear friend shared in a recent Periscope video posted to Facebook, by doing so, we are robbing the world and those who came before us.

If I asked you where is the richest place in the world, what would your answer be?

Seriously. Take a moment to think about it and answer it to yourself.

Where is the richest place in the world?

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What was your answer?

No, not Abu Dhabi. No, not a bank. No, not Monaco. No, not one of the seven wonders of the world. THE RICHEST PLACE ON EARTH…….is the cemetery.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” – Les Brown

Allow that to sink in for a moment. Whew. I know. A lot to process, right?

If I may be fully transparent for a moment, I was well on my way to adding to the continued wealth of the graveyard. Those who know me personally, those who’ve followed my journey since childhood, have wished me well and have expressed how “big” of a life I was intended to live but truth be told, it’s hard to see what everyone else sees when you allow circumstances and situations to block your view.

For a number of years I’ve intentionally put blinders on for a number of reasons. After a period of prayer, deep meditation and recent conversations with Shawn, Tierra, Jasmine, Eddie & Mandisa, Alex, Felisha and a number of other friends and family members, I realized just how far I had gone off course in pursuit of life. The good thing for me is I am able to adapt to my surroundings quickly and have the ability to turn right and get back on course. Because I woke up today, I still have one more chance in getting it right and I wish the same for you.

So many of us feel unprepared and unworthy and this prevents us from establishing ourselves in the world and we often establish excuses validating our insecurities and at times, insufficient funds. Though those feelings may feel honest, they are far from the truth. It creates a downward spiral into the grave and forces us to die withholding value and treasure from the world. We must learn to get into a space of “unlearning unworthiness” as Lorea Sample says and put our best foot forward and walk the path we were destined and designed to walk.

Many of us, myself included, voluntarily place ourselves in mental bondage forgetting that at one point in time, mental bondage and slavery was strategically and intentionally introduced and forced by people to keep generations of people bound. Speaking specifically about my ancestors, I have to remember to keep my mind sharp as I am convicted of dishonoring them. The millions who gave their lives in sacrifice for my freedom, I am obligated to serve that freedom by expressing my heart’s concerns and my heart’s desires and to “Uplift the Race”, in my own way in my own lane in my own space. Are you moving in your space? No matter what that space may be, no matter what that reach may be, near or far, the point is to get in motion. Get in motion and live the truth of your life. Where you feel conviction, get in motion. Where you feel stirred, get in motion. Just move.

The truth about living your truth is that no one can stop you from living that truth but you.

Also, don’t be concerned about people’s perceptions of your truth. What is for you is for you and not anybody else. Why concern yourself with other people’s problems with you? Let that go and get in motion.

I speak this to you as I speak to myself, get in motion. The world needs your voice. The world needs your heart. The world needs your spirit. The world needs your authenticity. The world needs your truth. Time waits for no one. It just moves on. And so will the world without you. That is why it is crucial for you to walk in your light and stand in your space. A dying generation is looking for you. They are searching for answers and you have them all inside of you. Don’t be selfish and take them to the grave. It only makes it that much more difficult for people who are on the battlefield to interpret your message and share that with people when you could have done so while you were physically present.

Tomorrow is not promised so let’s make a vow to do the work today. I remember when I was working on my very first short film project back in 2008. I allowed so much time to pass by and I clearly heard God say to me, ‘Rashaad, how many more people are you going to let die before you finish this so they can see it and be saved from their own misery and destruction?’ Can you imagine hearing God say that directly to you? Talk about a buzzkill. But it was necessary. It was important that I was reminded of the magnitude of my life work and that magnitude is simply shining my light so that others may find their way in the darkness. I do mine with words. You may do yours with business or politics or education or finances. However you do it, do you, boo, and do it with excellence. Whatever you do, make sure it is fueled by intention and honored with community. Light the fire and watch it burn. Receive the torch and run the race. It is your time. It is my time. It is our time to rise up and shine bright. Unapologetically.

Excited to do life with you. Can’t wait to share what’s next for me. Just know that I intend to do some flying.

#OfTheVine

Of (preposition) – expressing the relationship of a part and a whole

Vine (noun) – the slender stem of a trailing plant or fruit

#OfTheVine

“Be a person who needs people. People who need people are the luckiest people in the world.” – Barbara Streisand & Stevie Wonder

As I sit and type silently in my bedroom listening to the stillness of the air, I hear so much more much more clearly. Whenever I’m looking for inspiration, I pause, reflect and seek inwardly what cries my soul. As I continue to reflect internally on my life and my experiences over the past 25 years I’m forced to reflect externally on our experiences as a people, as a nation, as a whole. Many of my experiences were reactions to local events and current happenings and now in 2015, exiting out of what is known as Black History Month, those events and happenings continue to elevate my thinking and awareness of the present. Our current state of being as a republic is wounded and we must heal the wounds of our past. I believe that the country we live in has gone from the land of opportunity to a terrain of damaged goods. We have to push through the filth of ourselves to address our history to write a new story. However, I don’t feel that our focus should be why or how we got here but rather, where do we go from here?

Since the beginning of civilization, people have proven time and time again what it means to adapt to their surroundings and the elements thereof showcasing and highlighting strength and unity. Continuity of self, soul and spirit has been what has driven the human experience that lead to evolution for thousands of years. It is that same component that brings us together here today. In a time where we as people need each other the most, there are a few things I think that are stopping us from growing healthily. We’ve lost our sense of direction. We’ve lost our sense of compassion. We’ve lost our sense of humanity. We have become inhumane. We have reduced the value of each other to quota, statistics, hashtags and t-shirts. I’m afraid we are no longer the world. We have become the weight of the world.
What we need is almost like a distorted, super-sized game of Chess. Our opponent has slid their pawns out front creating the open space. We’ve crossed our Queen diagonally to H-4.We triumphantly wave our flag as we’ve now checked the King for the win but have forgotten to honor the checkmate and review ways to get ‘out of check’ before strategic victory. We have forgotten that in order to get better, to do better, we must sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. Calling checkmate brings about a consciousness that something is happening and makes you carefully revisit your strategy. There is a word for this consciousness. That word is accountability. That’s what we need.

We’re rocking on a tipping point and these next few moments, months, years are critical to our existence. It is going to take vision, strategy, intention, clarity, accountability, responsibility, ownership, leadership, relationship, unity, validation, hope, patience, peace, freedom and love to survive the times. As long as we are willing to do the work, we will become the next best version of ourselves, in truth, as a country, as a world and as a people. One people. One nation. One nation under God. Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Indivisible. With liberty. And justice. For All. No conspiracies. No hidden agendas. No play on words. Just liberty and justice. For all. It’s about going deeper to the core and getting to the root. It’s about bearing fruit and sharing it fresh from the vine. My heart’s desire is that we all refresh our minds and press the restart button to reset the ways of our thoughts. We have to strip our old way of thinking about the future and embrace the wonder of now. There’s power in potential, and people, we have it. We make the world go ‘round. We already have the power. Let’s redefine possibility and potential and let’s honor ourselves with stewardship. Where do we go from here? The answer is simple. Up.

Of the Vine is a written offering of disposition, desire, dreams and destiny (modern day think pieces) handcrafted by Rashaad King of Our Turn 365.