Inmypromise White

     Have you ever had a splinter? Have you ever felt the small sliver of wood under your skin? This mild irritation burrows through flesh while one digs to pull it out. The idea of something ideally small has such a large impact. “Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I am pleased with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.        Therefore I delight in weaknesses, insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. Recently I heard a message emphasizing how being a part...

     I am the villain in someone’s story. Whether or not I earned the title they have assigned my role is irrelevant. I have been categorized according to their experience. I have been having a hard time coming to grips with this truth. Yet, I have arrived at this location. There were several events and circumstances that forced me to do the reflection needed to come to this conclusion. The primary catalyst was my trying to find a rationalization for someone who hurt me.        Maturing past the point of needing to have closure, but not evolved enough to not need to make sense of it all. In Spite of the fresh scars on my soul I have been challenging myself to figure out the hows and the whys. I dared look at the us objectively. I saw me on the table laid bare with my insides exposed. This type of self surgery is a different type of pain. I have shared with confidantes that power dynamics have little to do with bullying. I know thi...

     Why are men not afforded the same time to process, heal, and grow from emotional trauma?  Do they not give it to themselves?  Is the stigma too great?  Is there an overarching societal oppression hindering them from being able to be vulnerable?  The newfound intentional awareness the answer to all these questions is a resounding, yes.  This fact weighed heavy on my heart today.  I had a “When I looked back over my life, and I think things over,” kind of day.  I marveled at how I have been kept.  HE kept me ; has been on repeat in my heart.  Why is it as a female I can declare this welcomed with grace, love, and encouragement?  While a man is expected to shoulder through?   So many challenges on the internet I issue a challenge to acknowledge men in your life.  Tell men in your life that you appreciate the role they play in your life.  I choose to acknowledge my brothers.  These men have impac...