What Is It?

What Is It? Is it the fact that I am a woman?  Is it because I am black?  Is it because I'm not skinny? Or, is it actually a combination of all these and more?  I just don't get it!  Why do people feel they have the right to just blatantly disrespect you as a person?!?

For instance, this morning I was in line at Starbuck's and this lady walks up with four bags of coffee and lays them down on the counter and almost pushes me out the way.  Now she didn't touch me or anything nor did she speak a word.  In fact, she was so tight lipped that you would have needed a crow bar to open her mouth.  Her demeanor just let me know that she was coming to the counter whether I moved or not.  Her stance was as if she was saying, "I belong here; so move over!"   But I am thinking to myself, "I was at the counter first!  My order has already been placed!  What in the world?!?" 

And no, I didn't place a coffee order.  Otherwise I would have moved to the side of the counter where you are supposed to pick up coffee orders. 

Perhaps this whole encounter wasn't even about me.  Maybe it was more about her than it was about me. But what does this tell us about people and thus, about ourselves?  That is still one for me to ponder because I have to admit, more often then not, when I encounter people of different cultures and/or ethnic backgrounds I often wonder if they a treating me or attempting to treat me in a disrespectful manner because I am a woman, a black woman or a healthy black woman. 

So, what is it?

© Yvette L. Allen-Tatum

Be Ye Imitators of God

^1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5 The Message Bible).

I was meditating this morning on this Scripture and I started thinking about how people always want to copy other people.  Many times they copy or desire to copy other people because they want to be like them.  They want something they have which is usually fame/fortune/popularity and the alike.  Often, I have found that many people who think they have made it won't give you (me/us) the time of day.  They want you to get it on your own.  Their attitude speaks, "I started at the bottom and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have to start at the bottom as well."  What a lousy attitude!  

But remember, I said that these are people who "think they've made it".  This usually is not the case.  When you examine them more closely, they really have not had the measure of success they would like for you to believe and that is one of the very reasons why they cannot afford to let you get but so close.  Moreover, the little success that they have achieved they don't know how they got there so they cannot tell you what they did anyway.  It was all shear luck.  Besides, who wants to follow a person who cannot replicate their own success?!?!

Yet copying someone who has a proven method or a proven practice/tract record is far better than copying the people noted above.  In fact these people are so confident/proud of their accomplishments they have no problem sharing their highs and their lows.  These are the people we want to follow!

The next two points I want to emphasize won't take up much space on the page and that's because I don't think it will take much to convince you that these words are true.  Check your motives.  If our motives are in the right place then we can't go wrong.  Reflect on the Scripture noted above; God's motive was LOVE!!

What motivates you today?  For me, it is seeing God's people achieve success in every area of their lives.  And though I am still working on mine, I have no problem helping you and encouraging you in yours.

Be an imitator of God!  His success record is phenomenal and His life is an open book, The Bible!

Yvette L.Allen-Tatum
A.K.A Jesus Girl

© Yvette L. Allen-Tatum