You Need You Before the World Can Get to You

I am sitting here thinking to myself — why am I so tired?
More than that, I wonder why so many people I know and love are feeling exhausted too.

I gather that many of us are dealing with jobs, circumstances, and environments that challenge our humanity beyond its limits. Yet this season doesn’t feel “normal.” Something deeper seems to be at work.

I hear the voices of many Black preachers across the country openly admitting that it has been exhausting just being Blackin this nation. I’ve listened to caretakers whisper that the burden has become too heavy to carry. And when I look around at the world, it feels as if the masses have no clear direction — pulled between unity, divisiveness, and chaos.

All we know is that we are existing.
That, in itself, is a sad state of affairs.

Too many people are majoring in the “Marshawn Lynch School of Life”:

“I’m here so I don’t get fined.”

I understand that sentiment. I get it.

That’s why this isn’t going to be an overly introspective piece.
I just want you to know — we’re in this together.
Yes, all of us.

Do whatever it takes to keep yourself settled.
Because the only constant in this current equation is that life is going to continue to change.
It will keep moving, shifting, and stretching us.

Still, we must remember: God has made us uniquely equipped to address the unrest of this life.

So hear me when I say—
Preserve your soul.
Keep your mind.
Reserve your existence for the grateful.
Separate yourself from the entitled.
Sleep when you need to.
Reinvest in your own advancement.

Why?
Because you need you before the world can get to you.

Peace...