A VIEW FROM A PEW “Grow Through What You Go Through”

Let me slide on down this pew and sit beside somebody who’s been biting their tongue, holding their breath, and walking on eggshells when it comes to life, voting, parenting, and just plain surviving. I came to free you tonight.

First of all—let’s talk about this voting fear.
If you’re scared, say you’re scared. But I’m going to tell you the truth: I ain’t never scared when it comes to voting. Not now, not ever. You have a right—paid for in blood, tears, marches, and headstones—to vote for whomever you choose.

I’m tired of Black folks whispering about who they support like it’s contraband.
If you live in a white neighborhood, those folks got no hesitation about planting a big ol’ yard sign telling the whole zip code who’s getting their vote. They ain’t worrying about your opinion.

So why are you worried about theirs?

It’s time out for timid faith, timid pride, and timid voting.
This next election isn’t a spectator sport—it’s a declaration:
“This is who I’m with.”
Just like the song says—Who you wit’? Who you wit’?
We need to know who you are, where you stand, and whether you’ll stand tall when it counts.

Now let me shift my weight on this pew and talk about these kids…

I love our young folks. They’re brilliant, gifted, creative—full of potential.
But Lord have mercy…some of them are entitled, immature, and unprepared for life’s battles.

They want the paycheck without the professionalism.
They want the promotion without the patience.
They want applause without applying themselves.

They think “I don’t like her” is a valid reason to quit a job.
They think life is supposed to bend, bow, and break to accommodate their feelings.

Life ain’t built like that.
Never has been. Never will be.

And we—yes, us grown folks—gotta take some responsibility.
We raised a generation afraid of struggle because we tried to save them from it.
We caught them every time they fell, so now they think falling is fatal.
We rescued them from consequences, so now accountability feels like an attack.

But hear me clearly… growth comes from struggle.

Like that butterfly in the cocoon—
When it pushes, strains, and fights to break free, that struggle strengthens its wings.
But if you cut the cocoon and “help” it too soon, the wings never develop.
The butterfly never flies.

Some of us did too much cutting.
Now we’re watching grown kids face life with baby wings.

But let me tell you something with love and conviction:
They will grow through what they go through.
And your job is to cheer, not carry.
Support, not substitute.
Guide, not guard from everything.

Because if they don’t experience the struggle as children,
they will surely face it as adults—and the battle is bigger out here.

And don’t miss this part…

Some people walking this earth right now don’t need a vacation—
they need therapy.
Not because they’re weak,
but because they were never allowed to strengthen those wings early on.

Life will teach the lesson,
but healing will help them pass the test.

So here’s the truth:

Stand firm in your vote.
Stand firm in your values.
And teach these young folks that life ain’t always soft, sweet, and convenient.

You grow by going through.
You thrive by surviving.
You rise by wrestling with the very thing trying to hold you down.

Be bold. Be unashamed. Be grown.
And let the world know—
You ain’t never scared.

Because God didn’t give you the spirit of fear,
He gave you power, love, and the sound mind to use them both.