It 2' O Clock in the morning and I just got finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix. This is the second time I watched it all the way through, and I am amazed by the plotline the show carried the audience through each season. On the very last episode of the series, you see (SPOILER ALERT) the newly crowned Fire Lord Zuko confronting his father, after he was just defeated by Avatar Aang, who banished him at the beginning of the series because he spoke out of turn and wouldn't fight his father in some fighting ritual. Zuko made this claim that he would not be the New Fire Lord If his father had not banished him from his home, and he would not have started his quest to search for the Avatar. Now, Zuko is in a place of power where he can bring peace to the world after it been torn by a one-hundred-year war. His banishment, in the beginning, may have seems like a negative thing, but it ended up working out for his good. What I am trying to say is don't be discouraged when things don't work out in your favor, and don't be mad at God when your back is against the wall. There is a reason why you are going through what you are going through. Now, I am not saying that you will become the next Fire Lord or President, but what I am saying that be grateful that God is taking you a difficult time because you may never know what awaits you on the other side.
To bring this home, because some of you don't watch cartoons! If I did not have my manic episode in 2016, I honestly believe that I would still be that backslid Christian with no sense of direction. God had to get my attention and I had to lose everything in the process. When I look back at the moment, even though my memory is a little faded, I am thankful that I still have my life because I could have died that night. We are living in a country where you have to act and remain cordial when dealing with the police, and sometimes that isn't enough. I was in a state where I couldn't control myself and that required the police to use a taser on me, but it could have been so much worse. I believe God was there the whole time intervening for me, protecting me, and most importantly preparing me to enter a new chapter. Although it was hard, dark, and depressing, I learned that I needed to trust him more during times like that. I learned that He loved me when I didn't even love myself. Finally, I learned that He can still use me even with a funky past like mine. So, I am thankful for my manic episode because I was able to get closer to God and accept the journey to become an Ordained Pastor. I still have a lot of growing up to do, but I am thankful for the baby steps that I am taking.
Remember, Everything Happens For A Reason Ask God What That Reason May Be!
I Love You and There Is Nothing You Can Do About It
Maurice Burrell III
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