May 2025 – Life Lessons

It’s How You Finish

Most people in this world start out with a pretty rough patch, but I’m here to testify that it doesn’t have to end that way. As long as you’re living, your story is still being written. As long as you’re giving, you are receiving God’s gifts. As long as God keeps giving you strength, you keep fighting for your peace every day. And as long as you’re winning, God is gaining all the credit.

Your Story, God’s Glory

Whether you grew up in the projects, scattered-site, or suburbs, everyone has a story to tell. Therefore, you can never assume someone necessarily had it better than you because of where they grew up. It’s about how they grew up.

Someone growing up in the projects may have had to duck from bullets in their bedroom. Someone growing up in the scattered-sites may have had to duck from punches while their parents were fighting. Someone who grew up in the suburbs may have had to duck from the bully at school. Nowadays, anything can happen anywhere.

Either you are motivated to change the course of your life or continue to live in your past. You only get to create one story of your life, but each chapter doesn’t have to tell the same story. Don’t let your upbringing be an excuse for failure. Use it as ammunition to keep fighting. The beauty of it all is that you’ll never have to fight alone.

God’s Gifts, Your Blessings

Any time you complete an important assignment, project, or goal, don’t you feel like celebrating? You might throw a party, take a trip, or simply treat yourself to a bottle of wine and relaxation. That feeling of relief is priceless! But before you know, it’s back to the rat race as usual.

Gift from ourselves or others are great, but the feeling isn’t everlasting. That’s why for every step you take towards any achievement, you should count it as a gift from God. When you make it to the finish line, tally up each gift and you will see the blessings unfold right before your eyes. That feeling is not only priceless – it’s breathtaking!

God’s gifts cannot be broken, destroyed, or transferred and always lead to blessings. He bought you a ring, but God blessed you with a marriage. The school honored you with a scholarship, but God blessed you with an education. The bank approved your loan, but God blessed you with a home. He gave you his seed, but God blessed you with a child. Your parents gave you DNA, but God paved the way for your success!

Your Plight, God’s Fight

You’re no different from anyone else who faced some trials and tribulations getting where you are today. There were times you felt like giving up but you didn’t. There were times when the burdens felt too heavy to carry alone, and God lent you a hand or took them away. There were times you put on your boxing and swung with all your might, but God hit the target and ended the battle.

Your Win, God’s Gain

Don’t Ignore Your Calling

There are roles we choose, and there are roles chosen by God. Those are usually the most challenging or controversial ones. Living for God can be hard because people tend to place higher expectations on you. Nevertheless, the reward is greater than the perception of others.

Moment of Transparency

Regarding interests, nothing satisfies me more than helping people. If I lift someone’s spirit for one day, I feel like the rest of my day will be blessed. If I make someone else smile or laugh, I feel like I’ve made her happy, even if just for a moment. When I help people solve the problems in their lives, it takes the attention away from my own.

If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I was child, I would’ve told you a cartoonist because I like to draw. If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I was a teenager, I would’ve told you an actress because I like to perform. If you asked me what I wanted to do as an adult, I’d say I like to write because I like to entertain.

If you ask me what I like to do today, I’d say I like to inspire, uplift, motivate, and encourage people to become a better version of themselves through my blogs, poetry, private messages, and in person conversations. I believe every encounter can be an opportunity to minister to someone. You never know how many lives you can save with just a few kind words.

However, I don’t feel like God is calling me to do ministry because I still like to party and listen to secular music. I also like horror movies and thrillers that might include profanity and explicit language or behavior. Plus, I do not conform to norms or develop group think when I totally disagree with something. I’d be the elephant in the room, and I don’t think Christians would like that, although I think it is very much needed, especially in today’s society. Bottom line, I’d probably get kicked out of the ministry for having too many fact-based opinions. But thank God no one can kick me out of heaven but Christ himself.

I consider myself more of a spiritual than religious person. I believe that’s what makes me relatable. I don’t want to walk around with this label on my forehead, making it easier for people to throw stones at me. I’m not perfect and never will be. Besides, I don’t want the pressure of becoming perfect. Titles welcome negative criticism. Certainly, God does appoint religious leaders to guide his children, but you should only follow the God in man, not man himself.

I may not be religious, but I’m pretty good at keeping God’s commandments to the best of my ability, and I know how to treat people.

A Call to Action

If you always find yourself alert and responsive to a certain cause, then it might be your calling. It’s like being the only one able to hear a particular sound. Have you ever been in a space with at least one or more persons and asked the question, “Did you hear that?” Only to discover that you’re the only one who heard the sound initially. However, as others listened closely, they may have heard it the second or third time.

When God speaks directly to you, it’s only meant for you to hear because it’s your assignment. Better yet, a call to action. It can be frustrating once others do hear the sound and do nothing. That’s because it was never their assignment. It was yours. Theirs may involve something different.

Employers weed through hundreds of applications in search of finding the right one for the job. Imagine how many people God has to weed through before finding the right person to do his work? God’s job took diligence. Yours takes obedience. Consider yourself special for honoring God’s request.

It’s easy to respond to a calling you enjoy. Oftentimes, it becomes your profession. Sometimes, it can become cumbersome as well. For instance, you may be called to teach at a school. But as your job becomes more challenging over the years, it’s not so fun anymore. You might start homeschooling instead. You may be called to preach the gospel and build a church. Then one day, you may step down from the pulpit and start writing spiritual books instead. The good news is God allows you to maneuver through your calling so you don’t get burned out.

You may be the go-to person in your family for money, cooking, emotional support, counseling, or prayer. You may be the one who is always asked to sing, dance, play an instrument or entertain in some other way. Perhaps you are simply the one who brings everyone together.

Whether you’re the one who is always giving money or always giving advice, just remember that the reward is bigger than your heart and God loves us all the same.

“Hearing God’s call is like music to my ears. I’ve responded to each one, over the years. “Whenever you’re called, don’t ignore. God just might be keeping score.”

-Bianca A. McCormick-Johnson ✍🏽

Go The Extra Mile

When I take my nature walks to maintain good heart health, I always go the extra mile. The recommended 30 minute walk gets me about 1.25 miles, but the additional 30 minutes or so make me feel accomplished.

A goal is a target. Once you reach it, you have the opportunity to stop or keep going. When you stop, it means, “that’s enough”. But when you keep going, it means, “you’re up for a challenge.” What if God said, “that’s enough”, when we asked for his grace and forgiveness?

Imagine what life would be like if everyone only did the bare minimum. When the major Hurricane Katrina and Rita (2005) destroyed much of New Orleans, people went the extra mile. I can remember when we had arrived to Dallas, Texas, a total stranger walked up and handed me $40 and another took my family in his own home, while helping us find a place to stay. We were also offered to live rent-free for one full year in Oklahoma, but we declined the offer to stay close to family.

Prior to moving to Dallas, we were initially displaced to Natchez, Mississippi where we were housed and fed by my husband’s family members we had never met. We stayed there for about a week. They treated us good and didn’t want us to leave because they enjoyed our company so much. But we needed to locate our other family members.

There were many people around the world who had come to our aid – too many stories to share. But amidst all the goodness that was happening around the world, of course, many people weren’t so lucky. In fact, it was the worst time of their lives. I’m thankful that God found favor in my family because our aftermath could have been much worse. We were truly blessed. However, you couldn’t pay me to relive that moment.

Then there was the Great Flood in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in August of 2018 up until the destructive wildfires in Los Angeles, California and the dangerous tornadoes in North Texas this year. So many events happened within this timeline, such as the horrific global pandemic (2020), the unprecedented flooding in New York (2021), the deadly wildfires in Maui, Hawaii and so on – all of which people weren’t prepared for. Nevertheless, people stepped up and went the extra mile, which is the result of thoughts and prayers put into action.

Wanna make a bigger impact? Don’t wait until another natural disaster hits or some other devastating event that makes the news to go the extra mile. It’s the little things that make the biggest impression. Wash your elderly neighbor’s car or simply pull her trash cans to the curb. Offer to buy your co-worker some lunch if he can’t seem to pull away from work. If your friend is out of work, send a love donation or care package just because. If a friend is asking for donations of at least $25, why not do $30? An extra $5 won’t break the bank for what it’s worth today.

In order to gain God’s favor, you must have faith. To maintain your faith, you must filter out all the negative things you hear and focus on his word. Obedience is a blessing, not a burden. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Don’t let one bad experience stop you from going the extra mile because you never know when you may benefit from someone else’s obedience.

“When life catches you off guard, you can always call on the Lord!“

-Bianca A. McCormick-Johnson ✍🏽