Hold On

“Hold on…it’s going to get better!”

-Rev. Marvin C. Lue, Jr.-Pastor of Trinity C.M.E. Church (Miami, FL)

Greetings folks! Every Wednesday my friend and pastor of my childhood church, Rev. Marvin Lue, Jr. sends out an inspirational message called “Winsday’s Word.” They’re inspirational messages intended to help get you over the hump and to the end of the week. I’ve been receiving these messages for quite some time now and it’s one of the few texts I receive that I automatically stop what I’m doing to read. Most times his messages span several texts. His most recent text only took one and it read, “Hold on…it’s going to get better!”

If you listen to any news channel all you hear is doom and gloom. If it’s not the economy, it’s foreign affairs. If it’s not foreign affairs it’s an attack on women. If it’s not an attack on women, it’s an attack on the middle class. We look around and we see the numbers. We see the price of gas and groceries ballooning while some of us see our bank accounts and paychecks shrinking. And we’re scared. We’re scared that things won’t get better. We’re scared that things won’t change. We’re scared that we’ll be stuck in a rut with no place to go but down. But in the words of Rev. Lue, “Hold on…it’s going to get better!”

Last week I wrote about living life “Inside-Out” by not allowing what happens to us to get inside us (Inside Out, 10/17/12). We cannot control external factors but we can control how we respond to them. The reaction that we exhibit to external influences begins internally. It begins by deciding who we are and what we want. When you make up your mind about who you are no one can change that because there is power in identity.

The common misconception is that we must discover who we are and that this will be effectuated through college, trips abroad and adversity. Education, world travel and conflict add depth and complexity to the canvass of our lives. They reveal pieces of the puzzle, but they do not solve the puzzle entirely. You don’t discover who you are, you decide who you are.

Decide that you want to be an attorney and discover what type based on your preferences. Decide that you want to be a teacher and discover what subject area based on your strengths. Decide that you want to go to college and decide where based on your finances, desired major and whether or not it’s close enough for your parents to send food, yet far enough away to discourage unannounced and impromptu visits.

If you decide that you want to be a leader, strong, successful, a difference-maker or independent you must decide to “hold on.” Every leader has dealt with conflict. Every successful person has encountered adversity. Every difference maker has had their share of trials and tribulations. One of the things all of these people have in common is that they have all held on to overcome them.

Decide who you are, what you want and where you want to go. Then resolve to “Hold On” in the face of adversity, hardships and strife and I promise you it will get better. Until next time, Stay Up and Stay Blessed!