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Day 59 of 365 "Speaking Engagement" |
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Day 59 of 365
"Speaking Engagement"
This was the last day of our celebration of Black History Month. I was asked to speak at a wonderful church in my hometown. The theme centered around looking back at where we had come from. I chose for my topic a story found in Joshua 4.
The chapter gives up the actions Joshua had taken once they had crossed the Jordan. The Lord had him to have the men gather up 12 stones to place on the other side. This grouping would allow the children to ask what they were there for. Upon asking their parents why the stones were there, the parents would tell the story and also let the children know that it was only because of the Lord were they able to do what was done.
The question I asked was, "What could our children point to and ask us what happened here?" There were many instances of stones set up for us to point to. Some examples would include: Sojourner Truth, Harriett Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Langston Hughes, Michael Jackson, Tonu Dungy, Shani Davis and Barack Obama. These are a limited number of "stones" we could point to.
Then there is the period in Black History that is rarely spoken of, Reconstruction. It was during this time we held several political offices, owned businesses, realized the importance of education and felt more like humans than any other previous time. Why is this
period not discussed? It was not perfect by any means because we still had a challenging time, however, it is a period our children
need to know existed.
Then the one final thing I had to say was that the most important stone we need to show our children is the stone in our lives. The Chief Cornerstone, Jesus. Giving our children Jesus will take them further than any amount of money or connections.
Build up your stones for you children to be reminded...We are who we are because of the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior.
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