It is a common saying, two things in life that are certain, death and taxes, but I would like to add that birth and life are unpredictable.
In other words birth is not a controllable situation.
A child is conceived, the mother goes into labor and birth occurs.
All of a sudden one day an individual is born into the world under a certain set of circumstances of which there is no control, such as family, race and gender, country, state, city and time in history.
When African American people, who are Christian, spiritually minded and living in the 21st century, consider the time of their birth and life, a special appreciation to God should be acknowledged.
Considering the fact that African people were kidnapped from their homelands, shipped all over Europe and the New World and enslaved for over 300 years yet God did not allow them to be born during those horrible times in history.
From the late 1500's to the 1800's, the African race was considered non-human.
After being freed from slavery, they were subjected to harsh Jim Crow laws and segregation for another hundred years by people who profess to be Christian, yet this generation was spared from being born during those times.
Today's generations of African descendants are a blessed people as history reveals their past.
It has been 46 years since the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960's.
This window of history reveals a mighty move of the hand of God in the hearts and minds of the oppressors.
Notably in the areas of equality, access to housing, jobs, equal protection under the law and voting rights.
Someone that lacks understanding might complain about the way things are today in reference to racial discrimination, lack of jobs and the injustice of the legal system towards African descendants.
However to borrow a phrase from my mother who was born in the South under the oppression of the Jim Crow laws, "It could be a whole lot worse.
" I often think how blessed this generation of African descendants are because they were not born during the 400 years of slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Again, acknowledging the fact that one does not determine the time in history of his birth.
So each of us should ask ourselves, why did God allow me to be born during this time in history and search for the answer? During the month of February African Americans celebrate Black History month in recognition of their African descendants who made a difference in the advancement of our race.
As we learn more about our history, the list of names that God used to lift the yoke of slavery and oppression from our people continues to grow.
Let us be mindful and never forget those people and the struggles they went through so we can have the freedoms we enjoy today.
Most of all, thank God that He allowed you to be born in a time of reaping the benefits of the struggle and not on a ship during the middle passage, on a slave plantation or before the Jim Crow laws were ended.
So let us use this month to also draw closer to God the creator through Jesus Christ His son and express our gratitude to Him because in spite of our circumstances, He has blessed this generation more than any before us!
In other words birth is not a controllable situation.
A child is conceived, the mother goes into labor and birth occurs.
All of a sudden one day an individual is born into the world under a certain set of circumstances of which there is no control, such as family, race and gender, country, state, city and time in history.
When African American people, who are Christian, spiritually minded and living in the 21st century, consider the time of their birth and life, a special appreciation to God should be acknowledged.
Considering the fact that African people were kidnapped from their homelands, shipped all over Europe and the New World and enslaved for over 300 years yet God did not allow them to be born during those horrible times in history.
From the late 1500's to the 1800's, the African race was considered non-human.
After being freed from slavery, they were subjected to harsh Jim Crow laws and segregation for another hundred years by people who profess to be Christian, yet this generation was spared from being born during those times.
Today's generations of African descendants are a blessed people as history reveals their past.
It has been 46 years since the Civil Rights legislation of the 1960's.
This window of history reveals a mighty move of the hand of God in the hearts and minds of the oppressors.
Notably in the areas of equality, access to housing, jobs, equal protection under the law and voting rights.
Someone that lacks understanding might complain about the way things are today in reference to racial discrimination, lack of jobs and the injustice of the legal system towards African descendants.
However to borrow a phrase from my mother who was born in the South under the oppression of the Jim Crow laws, "It could be a whole lot worse.
" I often think how blessed this generation of African descendants are because they were not born during the 400 years of slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Again, acknowledging the fact that one does not determine the time in history of his birth.
So each of us should ask ourselves, why did God allow me to be born during this time in history and search for the answer? During the month of February African Americans celebrate Black History month in recognition of their African descendants who made a difference in the advancement of our race.
As we learn more about our history, the list of names that God used to lift the yoke of slavery and oppression from our people continues to grow.
Let us be mindful and never forget those people and the struggles they went through so we can have the freedoms we enjoy today.
Most of all, thank God that He allowed you to be born in a time of reaping the benefits of the struggle and not on a ship during the middle passage, on a slave plantation or before the Jim Crow laws were ended.
So let us use this month to also draw closer to God the creator through Jesus Christ His son and express our gratitude to Him because in spite of our circumstances, He has blessed this generation more than any before us!
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