Day 6: Goodness

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear. The war break out against me, even then I will break out and be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord, and to seek Him in His temple.” Psalm 27:1-4

Reflection

We are dedicating today's call and the Fruit of the Spirit theme of goodness to civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer. Today, October 6th would have been her 102nd birthday. GirlTrek has been working tirelessly to honor the legacy and work of Fannie Lou Hamer. She is from a very small town in the Mississippi Delta called Ruleville, Mississippi, it's in Sunflower County. The most important thing to know about Fannie Lou Hamer is that she was an everyday woman like the women reading this today. She spoke about the preachings of the Black church and the preachings of us wanting salvation in the next life, but she believed that the Bible had preached to her that God's word had promised her that she didn't have to wait for salvation or freedom in the next life.

She said the Bible and the word had told her that she was the goodness of the Lord here in the land of the living and that she was in a fight for that goodness, to see that goodness for herself and for her people.

As we root down in the word of the gospel, as we believe in the things that God is going to deliver for us, we must also believe that those things can happen now. Right now in our living and breathing selves, we believe in God's goodness. The goodness that we haven't earned, the goodness that we cannot earn, but the goodness that once we receive it, we can, through our actions of love, give away to other people.

Prayer

I pray that the army that is rising up in Fannie Lou Hamer's name is an army that is rising up just for You, Lord, to proclaim Your name, to glorify You, Heavenly Father. I pray that in our weakest moments, we seek You, that we are encouraged, and we are confident in the fact that You have promised us so many heavenly promises, and that we will walk in those promises. Not just walking as that means of self-care but walking the glory and the path that You have written up for us, Lord. I pray that we invest in others like Fannie has invested in so many people, Lord.

I pray that You put a calling on our heart individually, that that calling is so set ablaze in our hearts that we go out and invest in others, Lord.

I pray that You just work in our heart and I pray that we have eyes to see and hearts that are open and willing to receive the blessing that You have for us, Lord.I pray that we stand confident in the foundation that You have given as a promise to heaven, that You have given us salvation, Lord, that You have come to save us, Lord. I just thank You so much, Lord. Amen

Walking Assignment

Today, as we think about how Fannie Lou Hamer invested in herself and others, walk to a local school or a daycare center or a library.

As you walk, pray that God will lead educators to model and teach good character as well as academic excellence.

As the Spirit leads you, send a local principal or a teacher or a staff member a note or email thanks in encouragement. To go that extra mile, invite a girl in your life to take a walk with you. As you walk, listen to her and serve as the mentor on the trail after what she cares about and give her positive feedback.