Andrea A. Atkinson-Perry

…Some of us were taught, directly or indirectly, where we “fit” and where we do not. We learned to read cues, tone, posture, language, status, and to adjust ourselves accordingly. We learned that some spaces required permission. That some tables were not set for us. That some conversations were not ours to join.  And over time, we internalized it…

…But here is the truth I have come to understand: You don’t “arrive” at your dreams in one moment. You grow into them….

…Darkness is not always dramatic. Sometimes it is quiet. Subtle. It looks like exhaustion you cannot explain. It feels like disconnection, from people, from purpose, even from God. It sounds like silence when you try to pray. So how do we step out of it?..

…But what happens when that push to be obedient begins to conflict with everything inside of you? What happens when the very path you were told to walk starts to feel unfamiliar… uncomfortable… even untrue?…

…Maybe the right time is not about fate versus effort. Maybe it is about preparation meeting purpose. And maybe the reason we sometimes fail to notice is that we are too busy surviving the waiting season to recognize that it is shaping us for the arrival season…