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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2015)
Fellowship Let It Go, Please By James Washington Special to the NNPA from the Houston Forward Times By Lyndia Grant Special to the NNPA from The Washington Informer T oday is truly a day that the Lord has made and it’s apparent to me that as the world gets more and more com- plicated, the Word of God gets easier to un- derstand. I oftentimes get reminded of the power of ego (mine), pride and the desire to control or more correctly, be in control. Dare I say that most people believe, certain- ly understand the concept of letting go and letting God. But actually doing it, they find is impos- sible. I know many so-called Christians, as you do, who can quote scripture, but even after all these years demonstrate very little faith, if any. I know Christian control freaks who must have the last say and who just have to be right all the time. I’ve gotten caught up in rationalizing my own actions given the cir- cumstances of the day, as if by some miracle of intelligence, I am the authority, only to recognize later that not only am I wrong, but God never entered the picture. I call it faithless behavior. It is at these times that I feel open to receiving the Holy Spirit and realize every day is full of mira- cles. I am blessed and highly favored and al- ways have been. I am not in control. I never have been and if the truth be told, it’s okay. Giving one’s life to Christ requires a con- stant vigil against taking credit or assessing blame. When you focus on service in the name of the Lord, you really do get a chance to see all of this from a very different perspective. Service in this regard neither seeks nor ex- pects reward. Any act of this nature speaks for itself. It can’t get any simpler than this. Christ suggests that God can see into your heart and knows your intention. Let’s see now. Love God and love your neighbor as you would love yourself. The Floodgates of Heaven “O Queen Elsa’s refrain can be a daily reminder for us, too Incredibly simple! So simple, you could miss it altogether. Now on this day, any day that the Lord has made, let’s march this sim- ple concept in what appears to be an ever in- creasingly complex world. Behavior should then have limits. Actions should have pur- pose and your intent should be upper most in your mind. So let’s take a look at yesterday. You see how easy it is to get up and succumb to jeal- ousy, pettiness, cruelty, envy and the like? It actually takes work to be humble, loving, giving and a source of truth all day every day. It shouldn’t but it does. The world sees to that. It takes will power and you know the will I’m talking about. I believe the calling of every Christian is simply to try. It’s the effort that God ex- pects. It’s the intent He wants. However, from these living breathing an- gels, I’ve learned the battle is not necessar- ily over until you win. And don’t concern yourself about the victory because Christ did that some time ago. What’s that line in the movie? What we do today echoes in eternity. My eternity is set. All I have to do is get through this life thing. Therefore get up each and every day and get this before you leave your home. See me see God. You can do this one hour at a time, one day at a time, one person at a time. Let it go, please. May God bless and keep you always. James, jaws@dallasweekly.com Page 10 June 10, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner pen the Floodgates of Heav- en” by Bishop Paul S. Mor- ton is a song with one line of lyrics. It’s about times when you find yourself suffering through a drought. It is a metaphor that reminds us that His Word says He will open the windows of Heaven and pour us out blessings we won’t have room to receive. It causes us to reflect on the tragedies in life that brought us to our knees. To make it, though, the first thing we must do is to get our spirits in a good place. Anger, frustration, tension and taking out our problems on others won’t do it. This song talks about those times when we feel the Lord has forsaken us, when everything that could go wrong, did! You feel like throwing in the towel. When it appears everything has dried up, faith is needed Giving up. You have no hope. Find a way to be the person you were at birth – carefree and you knew no problems. You were glad to be alive. As I listened to Morton minister this song, I also watched people cry, pray and thank God while speaking in tongues. They were reflecting on days when they hardly had food on the table, no gas for the car and no money for school trips. I under- stood because it happened in me. In high school, my Daddy didn’t have $6 for my gym uniform at McKinley. I got a used one. When it appears everything has dried up, faith is needed and we must learn to lean not to our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in all our ways; and He surely will direct our paths. He will, if we allow Him to do so. Franchesca Ramsey shares on her web- site ‘Upworthy,’ ten things you can do to make yourself feel better during these droughts. First, exercise, even if it is for a short time. Next, give yourself permis- sion to focus on someone outside your- self, when you do, you will forget about your own problems and feel thankful and blessed. Next, a hug can do won- ders. If you don’t have a husband or wife, then hug a child Lyndia Grant or a pillow. It will help both of you. Give yourself permission to feel bad: Schedule it in your day, and remind yourself your reactions are normal. Then let that go and give it to God. Give yourself permission to feel good; develop a routine. In other words, you’ve got to have a purpose driven life. For ex- ample, when you awaken each day, have something important to do. Make things happen in your life. Engage in practices that are meaning- ful to you, such as prayer, walking in the woods, sitting quietly, meditating, read- ing inspirational material, taking a bath with Epsom salt, or writing in a journal; you will always feel better. Connect with nature, take your shoes off, allow your bare feet to touch the ground; it’s called earthing, and it’s sci- entifically proven as therapeutic. Google it! My daughter and I make a special ef- fort to walk bare foot 20 minutes every day. It’s tested, and causes you to lose weight and free your body from pain. Next, take breaks from periods of isola- tion. The bible reminds us “It is not good for man to be alone.” Finally, get plenty of rest so you feel refreshed and relaxed; read the 23rd Psalm if you don’t believe it. Verses 2-3 say, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.” When you finally let go and let God, He will pour out more blessings from the windows of heaven than you have room to receive. Then you can sing this song, thanking the Lord for Opening the Flood Gates of Heaven for you, too! Lyndia Grant is an author, inspiration- al and motivational speaker, radio talk show host and columnist. Visit her new website at www.lyndiagrant.com and call 202-263-4621. Listen Fridays at 6 p.m. to her talk show on WYCB (1340 AM), a Radio One station
