Our world and everyone in it have found themselves in a situation we have never experienced before. Many things are totally beyond our control, but not everything. The reason being, God is in total control of EVERYTHING, and because of that we can rest assured He will bless the positive steps we strive to take during this space in time.

Seven weeks ago, I took a step to begin something I never thought I would do. I took the initiative to start a family prayer call every Sunday with my siblings and their families. Admittedly, that Friday before the very first call I was so nervous to reach out and inquire if anyone was interested. In fact, I remember wanting to consult my husband about it but at the time he was busy and I was unable to interrupt him. I told myself “if you don’t reach out now, you will talk yourself out of this”. I was so happy when the response was unanimously receptive! But then the nervousness went to another level when reality set in realizing that if I started it, I have the responsibility to lead it and put some form of structure to it. I made sure to let everyone know that this would by no means be a church service or bible study. It was meant to bring us together to pray as a family and encourage one another – and would only take a few minutes out of their day. Of the seven Sundays we have come together, I only prayed the first Sunday! This was never meant for me to dominate, only to establish and lead. Oftentimes God simply wants us to “start something” and let Him direct it and show up to bless it! I am neither foolish enough or naïve to think that I am the only one in my family who could or would have come up with something like this. I was the one who happened to have the idea and acted upon it immediately.

Each week the torch is passed to another family member by me reaching out in advance to ask if they will be willing to lead the prayer the next Sunday. I have not received one hesitant or negative response! This simple idea has blessed me and from what I’ve heard, the entire family more than we ever could have imagined. We’ve prayed together, shared family memories, cried, encouraged, and uplifted each other, laughed, and taken the opportunity to share the latest family news. From the oldest to the very youngest, from the west coast to the east coast, everyone has been touched by a simple idea and the boldness it took to START SOMETHING! The prayer is not just for our family. We take time to call out names of those we want to intercede for, we pray for our country, government officials, and anything that is on our hearts that we are looking to God for His divine intervention.

I do not know how long this will continue, but what I do know is that it has brought a family that was already close, even closer. I am so grateful that throughout my lifetime I consider myself beyond blessed to have been birthed into such an incredible family. We have always been supportive, loving, and generous toward one another. These are just a few of the principles instilled in us by our parents, that we continue to pass down and perpetuate as our family legacy continues. We have remained faithful and God fearing even though we worship devoutly in various faiths and organizations. We stand on the premise that it is not about a denomination nor the differences in our religious beliefs and rituals, but it is about the God who created us all, the One in whom we believe!

I encourage you to START SOMETHING . . . until you do you will never experience the joys, blessings, and fulfillment of seeing God “touch” something so simple and have such an impact that your never perceived possible.

I leave you this week with a quote from writer, Ernest Agyemang Yeboah,

“Kill your fear, and start something! God needs people for
greater works, but fear always tells them how
dangerous it is to take a step!”