As we enter our seventh month of sheltering in, we sometimes find it hard stay to focused and hopeful. A situation we thought would last only a few weeks seems to be stretching out into next year.  We don’t feel that it’s safe to go out, and the crime and politics we see on the news is depressing. Add to that, our centers of faith are still closed, and the effects of watching church on Zoom or Facebook are just not the same.  Some days, it’s just hard to get into the spirit.

I find my solace in reading and writing. Today, I picked up one of my journals, Acts of Faith: Daily Meditations for People of Color, by Iyanla Vanzant  (1993).  Some of you may know her as an Oprah protegee featured on Saturdays as a counselor for families in distress.  But she is also the author of twenty-six books about faith and self-help, and a world-wide motivational speaker.  I happened to look on today’s mediation and saw this:

"Have you ever noticed that the more you try to do the less you get done? The reason is that doing requires evaluation and activity on the physical level.  The physical part of us is limited by perception and personality. Our perceptions tell us what we can do, can’t do, will do, won’t do, and what others will think, do, or say about our “doing”. Doing is an intellectual exercise. The more we value our intellect, the more we think we must do.  The key is to stop  doing and start being. We must accept our goodness right where we are and stop thinking of it as something we must wait to get.  Whatever it is you want to be is waiting for you. You can be healthy, organized, loved, prosperous, fulfilled and free without “doing” anything. It begins with a single thought and a simple statement--- I AM."  

The more I thought about this, the more I felt that it spoke to me. I make lists every week in my agenda of things I want to accomplish, checking them off in red when I get them done.  I scold myself in disappointment when I don’t feel I’ve done anything productive that day. I feel guilty for sitting outside and enjoying the autumn weather with a book or conversation or games with friends.  I chide myself for just enjoying God’s bountiful nature instead of working at my computer. After reading this, I realize that I am enough. I don’t have to be Superwoman or Wonder Author. I can just be the me that God has molded and count it all joy. Fulfilling my purpose will come.  When He’s ready for me to do the next great thing, it will happen. Why?   Because I am.                                                                                                                                                                           

Here are a few clips from the show, Iyanla's Most Powerful Pieces of Advice | Iyanla: Fix My Life | 

Find her books, ebooks and audiobooks and more on her website:  https://iyanla.com