WHY HOLD ON?
I will often end the morning walk by watering the plants in the yard. I have found a way to hold the water hose and stretch at the same time. As I accomplished this feat a few days ago, an old Negro spiritual began to play in my ears. The song, recorded years ago on the album “Consolation,” featured Cleophus Robinson Sr. crooning the spiritual “Hold on just a little while longer.” https://youtu.be/JIx0MXt5e0o?si=7ql12jyPHCZH8dC2 Negro spirituals were used by my enslaved ancestors to communicate their faith and often contained a message that they didn’t want the enslaver to know. As I listened to the words, I knew that this song was still speaking, still providing consolation and still relevant to me.
As we stand on the precipice of the last quarter of 2024, I could give you example after example of how the lyrics, “hold on just a little while longer, hold on just a little while longer, hold on just a little while longer, everything will be alright,” are truth.
Shortly after I sat to put my thoughts on paper, I received a text message from my son, “Landed.” I knew he had arrived in Türkiye, enroute to Venice, Italy and a seven-day cruise of the Greek Isles. Now you may think nothing of this adventure, it is the perfect example of holding on and everything ultimately working out. He looked for different employment all of 2023 and I do mean ALL. He stopped counting the number of job applications filled out, the rejection emails, and the number of times he was first runner-up. I stopped counting the number of times we encouraged him to continue, reminded him of the blessing of holding on and the blessing of family support while doing so. He finally started a new job in February 2024 and continued working the old one for a few months longer… another example of holding on to achieve more financial security.
I was elated that my son had persisted in pursuing other employment opportunities when he could have given up and was now taking a vacation.
I can’t bring this narrative to an end without mentioning the friend who loves to play golf. She is good at it. Her ability to do what she loves to do was severely compromised during the later part of 2023 and surgery was required. She played as long as possible, had the procedure and things didn’t go as planned. She followed the prescribed course of action and in her words to me recently, “I’m back to playing eighteen holes two to three times per week but not at the level that I was. It’s a long process. Had the lowest score I’ve had since returning – 86. Before all of this it would have been a disappointing round.” She held on and is holding on and everything is going to be all right.
The thought “The blessing of holding on,” was planted months ago in my head and my heart by my favorite spiritual advisor. The Negro spiritual served as a reminder that I am ancestrally anchored in this thought through the music of my ancestors. I am seeing the fruit of holding on in the here and now and everything is all right.
Isn’t it amazing what one thinks about while watering plants?
Hebrews 12:1
PONDER THIS THOUGHT---Strength to hold on is a mixture of perseverance, kindness to self and bravery.
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