Tag: black history month

Gaze Upon God’s Faithfulness

Psalm 19:1-2 NIV, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

It is always exciting to me when I have the opportunity to gaze up at the sky and experience the awe of God’s creation. The heavens do declare His glory. It shows us God’s creativity, and reminds us of how faithful He is to keep everything in perfect order. The sun rises and sets everyday, right on time. Even when we can not see it, we know it is there; just like the Creator Himself. In good times and bad, God is there, bringing His order, purpose, and peace to our lives day by day.

Photo by: Hristo Fidanov of Macedonia 🇲🇰

Hopefully you were able to witness the “great conjunction of 2020” back in December, when the planets Jupiter and Saturn were on display next to one another for all to see. Although they were miles apart, to the naked eye, they appeared close together. It was amazing to see the two gas giants together in the night sky. Something they say will not happen again for many years.

As a bonus, planet Mars was also on display during that same time, right near the moon. It was very easy to see, since it was bright and red. Actually planet Uranus was up there too, but I missed that one. About three weeks ago, after several failed attempts, mostly due to cloudy weather and odd times of day, I was finally able to see the International Space Station (ISS) fly over. That was exciting! The instructions from NASA worked perfectly. Per NASA, the ISS orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, which comes out to about 16 times per day! I admire the astronauts who are up there on the ISS working diligently.

Speaking of astronauts, for black history month, I would like to recognize Mae Carol Jemison, the first black women to travel into space. She is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. I admire her accomplishments and grateful for her contributions to science and society. You can read more about her here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Jemison

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

As you gaze at the sky, I hope you too will be reminded of the majesty and power of our God. His faithfulness endures forever.

Psalm 119:90 ESV, “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.”

I pray you have a blessed week.

Celebrating Black History Month: Creating A Legacy

February is Black History Month here in America. As always I am grateful for those who came before me and helped to pave the way for me and others. I have been enjoying some excellent Black History Month posts by Kim at Beyond My Limitations.

Check out one of Kim’s recent post here: Harriet Then Harriet Now

There are countless people of many colors and backgrounds who have contributed in some way to making life better for blacks. Many of those people never made the history books. However their impact can be seen and felt everyday. For me, some of those people include my grandparents.

I never really knew any of my grandparents or step grandparents because they either died before I was born, I was very young when they died, or I just never had the chance to get to know them for other complicated reasons. But I feel as if I know some of them from the testimonies of my parents, and other older family members who had the chance to talk with them and walk with them daily. I love this verse in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV)…

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

My grandparents created a legacy of love that has been passed down through the generations. Although I don’t know much about my paternal grandparents, my Dad James, who died 20 years ago this coming May, was a hard worker, so I’m guessing he learned hard work from them. As I listen to the stories about my maternal grandparents, it’s amazing to hear the harmony of each story. It’s a confirmation of who they were, as well as what and “Who” they believed in.

My maternal grandparents, Jacob and Annie Devine, photo taken in South Carolina

I believe a great part of the success I have today is because of my grandparents prayers, and the example they set to my parents and their siblings. My mom told me my grandfather had to walk many miles to go to work, to vote and to attend church, but He remained faithful to God. He also taught them to pray. Annie was a homemaker who worked hard in the home caring for her family. Granddad Jacob lived 1894-1966. Grandma Annie lived 1901-1979. They had eight children, my mom is the youngest.

Psalm 100:5 ESV, “5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

As I celebrate black history month, I am proud to be who I am not only because of my background, but also because this is who God made me to be. As I was recently telling someone, it’s great to be proud of who you are and where you come from, but no matter who we are, or where we come from, we all need love and we all need the Savior. Love is what makes everything complete and brings it all together. Without love, we fail. Jesus is love, and I’m so very thankful for His love in my life.

1 John 4:10-11 ESV, “10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

I’ve been called many things such as Black, American, African American, mom, daughter, friend, sister, aunt, cousin, the list goes on. But my highest honor is that I’m a child of God, a daughter of the Most High. I’m thankful that everyday I have the opportunity to show God’s love through my words and actions, and I pray He empowers me to continue to do so.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Genesis 1:27 NLT, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Some of my little cousins at my family reunion in Virginia, July 2019

Whoever you are or wherever you come from, please don’t forget that the greatest of these is love. Love never fails. God created us all equally and in His image. Skin color or country of origin does not make one person better than another person. Those of us who are still amongst the living, are in the process of creating a legacy that will impact those who come after us. Many of whom, have yet to be born. We must ask ourselves, “What will that legacy be?”

Everyday through Christ who lives in us, we have the amazing privilege to show love to others, so let’s make the most of it. I can’t say it enough, love never fails.

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