WE
It’s a journey of the unknown no one can quite explain. It’s one us women walk alone… through the storm and all of God’s disasters he sends to convey his message. The message is simple; I am the way. We don’t all begin at the same time, we all have a different purpose and a different path to take, to bring the light into this dark world. We are born into bondage really, and this journey is the testament to the great power we possess, that must be awakened. The world has held us down for far too long, with its labels, laws, and ridiculous restrictions. Sure, we are divided by man-made ideology, but we “women” are one in God’s eyes. We are continuously controlled and crushed by the dark ways of this world, so we must accept our journey and the harsh truths. It’s not just an outward battle, but an inward one that requires psyche work-dismantling the oppression stained within us, and it will be triumphant. So, when does it all begin? That depends on us and when we have had “enough”. We must not ignore the opportunities in our life that are opportunities to “do the work”. Sure, most of us ignore the signs and continue to live life the way we want to live it. The quote goes, “I did it my way”. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right way. Sometimes, for us to truly become who we are supposed to be, we must open our minds to the possibility of “maybe my life does have a specific purpose”. Believe you must continuously reflect inward and draw from your own understanding. It is said to be true that all the answers are already inside of us, we just need to look within ourselves for the knowledge and power to overcome the evil of this world…to be victorious.
Beacon
You never really know how much you impact people until you are in a situation that allows them to show you. I taught elementary school for two years and decided to move on because people don't raise their kids nowadays. I mean they have their kids for five years and then send them to school knowing nothing. So, I moved up to middle school and spent the rest of my career there. I said well, they at least gotta have some survival skills if anything. They've made it this far and I can work with that.
I was the one who didn't fit any mold or stereotype. Some adults didn't like me, and it was extremely evident. But I didn't care. I was called to Atlanta to save their children. Cause clearly, something not good was going on. But my presence in this state was for one purpose, to be a beacon of light for these kids. My light is always shining- if you have eyes to see, just call out. And "calling out" is the purpose of this story.
You really don’t know when you will face your most scariest fear, so you must be prepared. You must put your fear aside and “call out to God” or the person you look up to most. Let me set the scene for you. It was a class field trip to the exhibit “Dialogue in the Dark”. You got to experience the world as a blind person would. There was a different room for each experience like crossing a busy intersection, selecting items in a grocery store, and even ordering in a Café. The first step is sitting in an interior room so the staff can give you instructions and the walking cane needed to guide you through.
We were sitting on these square light boxes, and our team took up two rooms that were connected. Our lighted seats were the only light source, and that’s until they turned them off. It’s because our experience had officially begun. But not a moment later, I hear a student screaming my name, like bloody murder was happening. The scream came from the other room where another class was, meaning this student was not currently in my class.
I stood up and walked around the barrier to inquire and saw her teacher walking towards me, and mind you it’s still very dark. He was laughing, and said that he would handle her. But she was still hysterical and screaming “Ms. Hansbury I can’t do this”. I walked back to my square and sat down and saw someone walk her out to the front. I was super surprised she called out for me- the one teacher she couldn’t stand, the one she’s always rude to and gives attitude whenever she feels like it.
Shortly after this happened, we started our dialogue in the dark journey crossing a busy intersection. But as we got closer, my students got closer to me. They were damn near on my back. I said “guys chill out”, and I gave a light laugh to break the tension. They then let out a laugh, and the mood greatly changed as I reminded them to use their cane. When we completed the exhibition, we all gathered to share stories and enjoy the moment. I also thought about the hysterical student and learned that someone took her out of the building to walk it off. I can’t imagine what she was going through other than maybe she has a fear of the dark and failed to share that with her teacher. In the end, I learned that someone is always watching us, and at the same time, we are always influencing them.
Whirlwind
As an educator, one of my favorite movies to show my students was the Prince of Egypt. I absolutely adore this movie, and the soundtrack just as much because you can't help but sing along. You can literally feel God through their voices. Its a reverb. For the purpose of this story, I'll highlight one aspect that involves my personal experience with The Holy Spirit. Its stated that "the Lord is always with you", but how many of us truly understand what it means? You might believe the word when it says that it lives within you, or that we are led by it. To be honest, I know that it is both- and all around us. The best way to explain what the Holy Spirit was to my students was the part of the movie when the Holy Spirit actually descends to the earth to kill the male first born sons. You might also ask, how would I know? Well, let's just say I had an experience that allowed me to witness the power God and his promises kept. During this time I was living in a home I had purchased and working just like everyday Americans do. What made me different was the disdain people had for me for simply being a good person and a child of God. I learned that these people want to corrupt as many people as possible, especially children. I have a light that attracts the worst creatures. I think its unique to the city I live in though. There are some pretty wicked things that go on here. Now, I can't say for sure if anything was after me. If so, it had to be on the highest level of wicked for the Holy Spirit to reveal itself to me. Or, was something else going on? I had finished my day, got home, did all the routine things, and went to bed. Not too long into my sleep, was I awakened. But, I couldn't move. I was laying on my back and opened my eyes only for a moment to see a whirl of wind literally in my bedroom, and it was moving really fast. It looked exactly like the one in the movie. And I still did not have control over my body. That moment allowed me to see God in action, but then I was put back to sleep. My head was pushed down with the most care and I went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until morning. Needless to say, I felt different after this experience. It was the best sleep ever knowing that if no human had my back, God did!