Article January 18, 1988 Issue

Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

Essence

From Essence, April 1987

"The generations of Black folks who fought and won to bring us this far had a personal relationship with God. I remember my mother having small intimate dialogues with herself when I was a child. My brother Larry and I would be embarrassed and would quickly remind her that she was talking to herself again. But actually, she was in the spirit, talking to her God. Well, this month Moms turns 78 and she's looking good, feeling great, and still in daily communion. In fact, she recently told me about some of those messages she's received—how God told her to hold on, to keep pressing forward, that every little thing would be all right. Have we become too sophisticated, or too busy, to speak to God—or to listen? Our elders knew the power of the spirit and the importance of that daily journey inward. They didn't only talk with the Creator now and then—not only when the world pressed closely about them. And to talk to God they didn't need wordy affirmations or secret mantras, or have to travel miles to sit on a mountaintop. Their God was just a part of their lives, closer than family. . . .

"God's love for us is the most potent force in the universe. Keep that knowledge, that light alive in you. Not just this day, but each day, all the days of your life."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Freedom from "passed down" prejudices