A Cause for Reflection

So where do I begin? 
Like many of  you, I recently saw the  movie, The Black Panther. That was an amazing experience that I will, Lord willing, repeat.I just have to. The movie was so multidimensional, that you really only get the  surface stimulus, and a little of the messages. One of the powerful images that I didn't miss, was the power of Black Women. We were honored, respected, and celebrated for all of our multifaceted personhood. I was particularly struck by the general of the army. Disciplined. Focused. Well-trained in her skillset. Not to be messed with nor played. And she bore a regal beauty of her own. Wow.
The character that I most connected with was Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong'o. Nakia is passionate and focused on her calling. Her heart is to see those of the diaspora included in the blessings that Wakanda  enjoyed. She is a spy and recognized the enemy. She could see, hear, and detect the workings of the enemy and the wisdom to speak. Her dark skin was a comfort to me. I still remember being a very young girl and hearing neighbor children comment that I was dark, 'but nice though'.
So my dark skin not a good thing? I attended a really white school, so my physical presence, in my young mind, would never be acceptable. Twisting my sense of worth into a depressed mess. Nakia reinforced what God had already been working on in me. So many movies, including all-black casts, the lead female roles were very light-skinned women. further endangering my already fragile sense of beauty. My brain, my intellect, seemed to get me no where. Nakia helped put the last nail in that coffin. 
Nakia did something else for me. She put more fuel on the fire of my heart. You see, I long for the Black Church congregation to share her spiritual wealth with our brothers and sisters on the Continent of Africa. So many have not heard the gospel of Jesus. So many live in countries with governments hostile to the gospel. So many still live in places where the Enemy of our souls has convinced that all Americans are white. That all missionaries are white. That we have forgotten them. We hold in our vessels the wealth of the Holy Spirit, the genius of Scripture, and the freedom that comes salvation. Like Nakia, my heart is to bring those that are lost into the Kingdom. For this cause, I reflect on the power of Jesus in me.
#waitingforinstructions#marchingorders