Pressed Down & Running Over
I always tell my boys not to be afraid of death. And while having the same fears myself as a kid I understand that someone telling you not to feel a certain way doesn’t stop you from having those feelings. But I tell them that yes, it’s uncertain but it’s also absolute. Life is but a vapor. We are just passing through this place. We are birthed into this world believing this is the end goal but it’s just a stop on the journey—if you believe in life after death. I tell them that God placed us on this earth to do great things. To be light in a wave of darkness. To be a voice of love in a sea of hate. To do more than exist but to empower.
To leave our mark…
To get into good trouble.
To exhibit a mamba mentality in all that we do. Excellence at all times.
To always push the culture forward in our brillance and creativity.
This year has felt like a the worst kind of pressing but I continue to find it as a gift.
Many years ago someone very dear to me passed away from cancer. It was the first person in my immediate sphere of influence who I remember losing to cancer. Others had gone before from the same disease but it wasn’t until years later that I actually knew the how behind the goodbye. It’s often silenced on the lips of those living to press. We stay hush and mum and just enjoy the time if we know and enjoy the time even if we don’t.
At the funeral the pastor spoke about her life and the way she gave and poured and gave and poured.
It was true.
She was a walking beam of light, a fountain of wisdom, a no nonsense kind of woman, a classic divine representation of everything beautiful about the way God created women, specifically black women. She was a leader, a teacher, a mother, a sister, a friend and the way she loved—her thoughtfulness and care—it was unmatched and felt like the last of dying breed. What she gave me and showed me and modeled for me as a black woman continues to carry me and propel me on this journey as I share my heart and truth and reflections in a way that honors the women who exhibited those qualities through the way they existed in the world.
He said, open your bibles to Luke 6:38. A familiar scripture I thought. One I had heard my entire life about the importance of giving. The Passion Translations says, “Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” The Amplified Version says, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” He then begins to eulogize her life as it pertains to this scripture:
As an educator, she gave.
Pressed down.
In the local community, she gave.
Shaken together.
To her family, she gave.
Pressed down.
To her church, she gave.
Running over.
He continued.
I sat in awe and wonder at how this woman, who had been my own personal superwoman was a literal superwoman in every area of her life. Not because of the stuff she had done but the way she gave of herself and her time for the movement of those around her.
I cried my entire face off because I wanted her back. I wanted to share her with my boys and every other monumental moment in my life where I would want her advice or teaching. But there was no more space. She gave her life to so many for a purpose bigger than herself without hesitation. And here I stand, years after her death, reflecting on this truth because losing Chadwick Boseman to cancer and knowing he suffered for 4 years yet gave us so many black stories, I heard the pastors voice stirring this message in my spirit.
His death left me breathless.
He felt like ours and we reacted as such. We being black America. The tributes, the reflections, the collective sadness and confusion; we mourned virtually for his life and this year.
One thing we all felt is this inspiration to cherish time.
Empowered to love life.
Encouraged to use our gifts to uplift the community and honor the culture. There are 4 more months left in 2020. If this pandemic hasn’t reminded us of anything else it has done an outstanding job of making plain how precious life is, how fleeting time is and how no day but today is where we should plant our hearts, our spirit and our minds and give honor to those around us and leave it all on the floor.
Because God gave it to us and we can’t take it with us so let’s give it all we got—an empty vessel in the end.
Selah.
