Whitney Houston: A soul given, a soul lost, a soul freed
I found out, what I've been missing...always on the run...
I told someone this was the story of my life. I have found a way to run from a lot of things. But when you always run out of instinct you lose a lot of protection that comes from moving with sober thought and spiritual guidance.
On Saturday, I had a very busy day. From running to get my hair done, to meet a client, to meet a friend for lunch, to basketball games, then to a birthday gathering. I barely had time to breathe LOL.
While at the basketball game, one of my besties (he hates when I say that...too girly for him) sent me a message saying Whitney Houston died. I did not believe him.
It did not dawn on me until Sunday, I think. It was sad for so many reasons. Whitney, of course, was an iconic singer. Her rendition of the National Anthem became an actual hit! Can you believe that? I mean everyone sings the Star Spangled banner...but she made it a chart topper.
No one can deny Ms. Houston's phenomenal voice. I have no doubt that her voice was a blessing bestowed on her early in life. Those gifts are given for a reason, but come with much responsibility. It is a heavy weight for people to carry. No doubt that majestic voice carried Ms. Houston to places unfathomable and to heights immeasurable.
Some people say Ms. Houston was a diva with diva demands. A number of people say she was humble with a loving spirit. Many people will say many different things. Somewhere within it all is a little bit of truth and a whole lot of lies stemming on a singular person's perception.
Beneath that voice, lay a spiritual and natural person. Whitney started singing in church, like a lot of R&B and pop artists...shoot even rap artists like Snoop. Many people only heard the voice and saw the "star". Before then she was a person...and she remained a person. The VOICE was not hard work for Whitney. What God gives you is not a challenge within itself. But the life that comes with it, is hard sometimes...because you still have to live a natural life, even when blessed with spiritual gifts.
The crazy thing about people is...they will lavish you with praise for how you make THEM feel...and plague you with negativity when you're going through. But that's not who God is... More often than not, we turn to people for our solace...Which is the worst place to turn. People cannot give you what they don't have.
When the world saw Ms. Houston struggle, they laughed, made jokes, criticized. They waited for her to lose it so they could aid in her destruction. Her family stayed by and pushed her to find help. You can want for someone the best things in the world...but the person must want it for her/himself.
When a person is lost in a battle and the fight for her spiritual life, to the world outside it looks as though the person is going crazy. What is happening on the inside is a fight that no man can understand. It is that battle between the spirit and the flesh. See, if you don't know God, I don't expect you to understand what I'm talking about. IF you do, then I know you understand.
For many, drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling or whatever the vice, numb the pain felt through the battle. But you still have a choice. You just may find yourself lost in the battle. There is a way out. I cannot speak for Ms. Houston's battle, as I did not know her. I just know her voice was immaculate..then I saw her go through public torment.
That spiritual battle will make you weak...because you are being pulled in many different directions. In it you have a choice. Many times you may make what seems like the easier decision, that which is familiar. But what you do not realize is that easy is not always easy. That path once traveled may lead to the roughest life you can ever imagine.
Just remember to surround yourself with people, who want the best for you, and aren't there just to "have fun" and exploit your excesses. A person who truly cares for you will make the best efforts to see you as your best self. If you are weak to vices, they will help shield you from them. If you are in pain, they will give you comfort, not find ways to laugh.
So what do you learn from Whitney Houston's passing on? You can learn a number of things or nothing at all. It could be a cautionary tale about how drugs can ravage you to the point of death, and any slip can cause a tumble. It could be the tragedy of talents that became too much and stardom that ended in tragedy. Or there may be something else here. God calling her home may be the healing that she needed. It may have been her rescue from going back on a devastating path. We cannot always look at death (I don't mean suicide...) as something wholly negative. Maybe God didn't want her to suffer anymore.
Ms. Houston was laid to rest on Saturday. This video response says everything I was thinking:
I told someone this was the story of my life. I have found a way to run from a lot of things. But when you always run out of instinct you lose a lot of protection that comes from moving with sober thought and spiritual guidance.
On Saturday, I had a very busy day. From running to get my hair done, to meet a client, to meet a friend for lunch, to basketball games, then to a birthday gathering. I barely had time to breathe LOL.
While at the basketball game, one of my besties (he hates when I say that...too girly for him) sent me a message saying Whitney Houston died. I did not believe him.
It did not dawn on me until Sunday, I think. It was sad for so many reasons. Whitney, of course, was an iconic singer. Her rendition of the National Anthem became an actual hit! Can you believe that? I mean everyone sings the Star Spangled banner...but she made it a chart topper.
No one can deny Ms. Houston's phenomenal voice. I have no doubt that her voice was a blessing bestowed on her early in life. Those gifts are given for a reason, but come with much responsibility. It is a heavy weight for people to carry. No doubt that majestic voice carried Ms. Houston to places unfathomable and to heights immeasurable.
Some people say Ms. Houston was a diva with diva demands. A number of people say she was humble with a loving spirit. Many people will say many different things. Somewhere within it all is a little bit of truth and a whole lot of lies stemming on a singular person's perception.
Beneath that voice, lay a spiritual and natural person. Whitney started singing in church, like a lot of R&B and pop artists...shoot even rap artists like Snoop. Many people only heard the voice and saw the "star". Before then she was a person...and she remained a person. The VOICE was not hard work for Whitney. What God gives you is not a challenge within itself. But the life that comes with it, is hard sometimes...because you still have to live a natural life, even when blessed with spiritual gifts.
The crazy thing about people is...they will lavish you with praise for how you make THEM feel...and plague you with negativity when you're going through. But that's not who God is... More often than not, we turn to people for our solace...Which is the worst place to turn. People cannot give you what they don't have.
When the world saw Ms. Houston struggle, they laughed, made jokes, criticized. They waited for her to lose it so they could aid in her destruction. Her family stayed by and pushed her to find help. You can want for someone the best things in the world...but the person must want it for her/himself.
When a person is lost in a battle and the fight for her spiritual life, to the world outside it looks as though the person is going crazy. What is happening on the inside is a fight that no man can understand. It is that battle between the spirit and the flesh. See, if you don't know God, I don't expect you to understand what I'm talking about. IF you do, then I know you understand.
For many, drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling or whatever the vice, numb the pain felt through the battle. But you still have a choice. You just may find yourself lost in the battle. There is a way out. I cannot speak for Ms. Houston's battle, as I did not know her. I just know her voice was immaculate..then I saw her go through public torment.
That spiritual battle will make you weak...because you are being pulled in many different directions. In it you have a choice. Many times you may make what seems like the easier decision, that which is familiar. But what you do not realize is that easy is not always easy. That path once traveled may lead to the roughest life you can ever imagine.
Just remember to surround yourself with people, who want the best for you, and aren't there just to "have fun" and exploit your excesses. A person who truly cares for you will make the best efforts to see you as your best self. If you are weak to vices, they will help shield you from them. If you are in pain, they will give you comfort, not find ways to laugh.
So what do you learn from Whitney Houston's passing on? You can learn a number of things or nothing at all. It could be a cautionary tale about how drugs can ravage you to the point of death, and any slip can cause a tumble. It could be the tragedy of talents that became too much and stardom that ended in tragedy. Or there may be something else here. God calling her home may be the healing that she needed. It may have been her rescue from going back on a devastating path. We cannot always look at death (I don't mean suicide...) as something wholly negative. Maybe God didn't want her to suffer anymore.
Ms. Houston was laid to rest on Saturday. This video response says everything I was thinking:
