BETTER NOT BITTER!
Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”
In the late 1970s, I passed the required exam for the State of Virginia to receive my Realtor’s License. However, to use it, I had to have a licensed broker Real Estate Company sponsor me or “hang my license.” It was
not an easy undertaking. Using the Yellow Pages telephone business section, I called every Real Estate firm. I started with “A.” Finally, I was hired by the time I reached “M.” The local newspaper ran an article announcing me as the first Black licensed realtor for the City of Lynchburg by the Virginia Association of Realtors.
As if this in itself wasn’t challenging enough, attending meetings for the
Lynchburg Chapter of Realtors, depending on where they were held, presented even more hurdles. Permanently etched in my memory is one local meeting at a notable country club.
I was instructed to make my “delivery or entrance” from around back at that door. My heart sank, and I felt the weight of my skin color. I stood before the attendant appropriately dressed in navy blue pumps, navy blue mid-calf tailored skirt with a crisp white collared shirt, pearl necklace, the brightest blue company blazer with insignias, my name badge, and a Realtor pin. Yet I was told to use the back door? Did I mention that I had recently been awarded the “Million Dollar Salesman” pin for listings and sales for my first year by my Real Estate Broker? I stood at the entrance of the country club, frozen with panic, anger, and grief.
The power of prayer!
A fellow associate with the same blazing blue company blazer appeared and asked if we could sit together. We both walked through the front door.
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
My request was and still has to be “Lord Jesus, make me
better and not bitter“! When we pray with sincerity, we do not have to go into long requests. God knows what we need, and when we most need it. His promises are sincere, and His timing is always perfect! The more we seek Him, learn of Him, and make it a decided choice to make Him our Savior and Lord, we will become better!
“Pain insists on being heard. God shouts to us in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” -C.S.Lewis
~ A devotional written by Diana L.W. Coleman
Ask Yourself
- What physical characteristics are you most self-conscious? How can you make peace with those?
- What is your greatest strength? Describe a time this strength served you well.
- Who does God say you are?
- Have you let the views and opinions of others shape how you see yourself?
- What phrases and sentences usually follow your “I am”? I am_________. Do they align with your true identity?
This devotional was written by Diana L.W. Coleman a loving contributor to Our Given Purpose® Edited by Torrie Slaughter in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
© Torrie Slaughter, LLC, Torrie Slaughter Photography, and Our Given Purpose ®, 2020.
