Let it Shine

“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Psalm 30: 11-12

Have you ever felt like your life just didn’t matter because you were afraid of the times? If not, you are blessed not to be in the minority, and I encourage you to recognize your privilege and use it to bring comfort and justice to those who are not as blessed. And if you have, I know how hard it is to smile and find happiness when it feels like the world is against you.

Last week I lived on the edge of my seat, nerves unsettled and anxiety on high, as we entered the final round of Election Season in the US and prepared for the last of us to cast their ballots for President of the United States on November 3rd. I’ve not been silent about being a Black Woman, so you can imagine where my preferences lay but maybe you don’t know why. Please allow me to be transparent. It’s no secret how myself and those who look like me have been impacted by racist and misogynistic views being spewed from those in positions of power. The Women’s March of 2017 was a very loud response from women on the election of Donald Trump, and the many Black Lives Matter protests over the last several years showed how we feel about being living targets for police brutality. But to be quite honest I have been in mourning since March 13, 2020.

Why, might you ask? If you don’t know, March 13th was the day Breyonna Taylor was killed while sleeping in her home during a No-Knock raid of her apartment which had been falsely targeted for drug related crimes. Breyonna was a young Black woman, working as a first responder during the beginning phases of the COVID-19 outbreak. I imagine she was exhausted from an exceptionally long shift, and merely wanted to recuperate before heading back onto the front lines again the next day. She never saw that day. And as a Black woman, I have felt the pain of her death being overlooked and overcast by other seemingly more important issues. I felt like if her life didn’t matter, couldn’t matter, then why would mine ever?

But guess what? God has given us a promise of better days. David writes “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!” Psalm 30: 11-12. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been preparing myself for some dark days this week. I put together a self care plan. It involved eating whatever I wanted, surrounding myself with people and places that make me feel safe and Happy, tuning out the world as the election results were tallied because I remember how low I’ve felt for the past few months. No, past few years. And then, it happened. My mourning days were replaced with happiness. I watched history be made this week and felt a collective sense of Joy with my sisters in arms. I shed tears of pride as I see a Vice President who looks like me, in more ways than one. And now we’re HAPPY, even if only for a moment, and we have to show that Happiness.

Why? Because Happiness is contagious! It gives others around you permission to be Happy as well and encourages the expression of positive emotions. If we hide our Happiness, we stifle it, and hinder it’s ability to work it’s magic in our lives. Simply put, if we don’t show when we are Happy, then we fail to believe and live as if we are. So give yourself permission to smile, cry, laugh, and enjoy the Happy moments that life allows. I promise, you’ll be better for it!