My Mama Said...

When I wrote a short story for my mom for Mother’s Day, the premise was to write the top ten lessons I learned from her. However when it was completed and I gave it to her, I realized I forgot to include the #1 lesson my mom taught me. Don’t let anyone steal your joy! Yep, as I teared up a few times this week, I finally remembered what my mom said. Today I was tearing up again this morning as I was administering the SOL test, and I told myself I had to get it together. I started thinking about the source of those tears and how the person isn’t worth it, and the tears dried up. Throughout the day as I felt my eyes burning, I came back to my mama’s words. Don’t let anyone steal your joy! As I was reflecting on my mom’s story, including her rough childhood, I knew she was speaking something she lived and knew well. Some people come to rob you of your innocence, your trust, and even your faith, but we have to fight hard not to let them win. I look at this as two boxers in the ring: the wily devil whom John 10:10 says ONLY comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and US. Preaching to myself: there we are standing in the ring fighting an entity whose mission it is to abort the plan of God, but in the words of the saints…the devil is a liar! He will not take anything that Jesus died to give me. So with that being said, the tears are drying up and I’m standing on the word of God and the words of my mama. This is one time that “because mama said so” is sufficient.