You see, during my normal “troll” checking for real news, stories, and conversations that may not be receiving much attention in mainstream media I came across a thread discussing T.D. Jakes and Diddy.
My first reaction was to keep scrolling.
I already knew that if I clicked on it, I could find myself going down a rabbit hole I wasn’t emotionally prepared to enter.
Against my better judgment, I listened.
What I heard tore my soul into pieces.
As I listened, I experienced something that felt almost like a judgment against my soul. I replayed so many moments in my life when I may have unknowingly led people toward something I now recognize as a sinister lie.
I wanted to laugh.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to fight.
I wanted to ask God, “WHY?”
Why do people deceive one another?
Why do people hurt the people they claim to love?
Why are so many families broken?
Why are so many children lost?
Why are so many souls searching for direction?
Then, suddenly, a peace came over me.
I realized something:
It is not my place to judge.
Man will fail you.
People will disappoint you.
People will lie to you.
People will sometimes tell you exactly what you want to hear while leading you somewhere you never intended to go.
But God will not fail you.
And suddenly, my awareness shifted.
I began to understand why so many families are torn apart and why so many children grow up lost, confused, and without the direction, leadership, and guidance they desperately need.
When foundational teachings are distorted, ignored, or replaced with confusion, people can lose their sense of right and wrong.
And then we look around at the world and ask ourselves:
How did we get here?
Why are we surrounded by so much anger, division, violence, and lawlessness?
And then we wonder why we seem to be standing on the brink of war.
Today, I am grateful.
I thank God that my grandmother taught me how to pray.
I am even more grateful for Bell Jamison, a woman who could not read, but who still taught me the Word of God.
Think about that.
She couldn't read the words for herself, yet she understood enough about God to teach them to me.
That lesson has stayed with me.
So today, instead of judging the people involved in the things I heard, I am praying.
I'm praying for the lost.
I'm praying for the confused.
I'm praying for the misinformed.
I'm praying for the people who have been hurt.
I'm praying for the people who have hurt others.
And I'm praying for myself that God continues to give me discernment when something doesn't feel right, courage to face uncomfortable truths, wisdom to separate truth from deception, and humility to remember that judgment belongs to God.
“I know you're lying to me.”
Maybe the greatest lesson is learning to recognize when something doesn't align with what God has taught you and having the courage to step away.
I don't have all the answers.
But I know how to pray.
And today, that's what I'm going to do.
Amen.
