“Simply Becoming: Public Defender. Community Advocate. Black Queen”

What is one “random occurrence” in your life that you’d always be grateful for?

As I’m listening to Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, I can’t help but notice how much God showed up in her life. If you read (or listened to) her book, you would know a lot about her – from her childhood, how she grew up, how her family is like, what values she holds, how she met Barack, the jobs she held, the blessings and struggles she endured raising her 2 girls, the people she met along the way, how she didn’t want to at first but ended up being involved in Barack’s campaign, and so much more. And every time she would mention how someone she met a couple of years back randomly called her and told her about an open job position that they thought she would be great for, I couldn’t help but think how that phone call was led by God.

Many of us experience those same moments as Michelle. Someone thinks of us and refers us to a job. We run into an old friend at the grocery store and the conversation leads to them telling us about a new opportunity they think we’d be a great fit for. One of your colleagues gets an email for a position that they do not want to fulfill, and they think of forwarding that email to you because they know you fit the role description perfectly. And those moments happen even outside of work opportunities. Right when your child is in need of a new bicycle because he has outgrown his, you log onto Facebook and that’s the first item you see on your Timeline. Or the old friend you ran into at the grocery store has a child’s bike they no longer have the need for. After those few minutes of conversing with the person in Aisle 3 at the grocery store, sending emails back and forth with your colleague, or chatting with a long-lost friend, have you ever thought about why YOU were at the recipient end of that conversation/email/call? Sometimes, I think about it, but sometimes life is moving so fast that I don’t even realize that it was me and it could have easily been someone else.

God placed Michelle in the room with that same person years ago for a reason. God aligned things for there to be a new, open position. God placed it on that person’s heart to call Michelle to inform her of the position. Everything about the Obamas’ lives was set up by God. History was made back in 2008. Michelle explains in her book how the seats that Barack would eventually fill would open up. And how they would discuss whether he should run to fill that seat. Then things kept going and going, and the favor on Barack’s life was just flowing and flowing and there we have it, our very first Black POTUS and FLOTUS! Even though I am listening to a book that is an autobiography and not labeled as a “Christian book” I still found moments where I was taking time to express major gratitude and thank God for his goodness. He is just so amazing, and I can’t even shake it!

“I was humbled and excited to be First Lady, but not for one second did I think I’d be sliding into some glamorous easy role. Nobody who has the words “first” and “Black” attached to them ever would.”

Michelle Obama, Becoming Chapter 19.

And then we have to look at the amazingness He is doing during times where we feel lost and abandoned. We have endured sooo much in the past year, there’s no need to run back through that laundry list, but we have also witnessed a lot of good. WE JUST WITNESSED THE VERY FIRST BLACK, ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMAN BEING SWORN IN AS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Stop. Go back. Read that sentence again! Let it sink in. January 20, 2021 was a historic day. And it was historic in a positive way! Just like God showed up and placed things in order for Michelle Obama and all of her successes, He showed up and placed things in order for Kamala Harris’ successes. Whatever reasons or motives Joe Biden had for selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate are not necessarily relevant. Because God knew it was going to happen before Biden was even born. Before Kamala was even born. Before the United States was even created. Her ancestors are dancing and singing praises of glory right now!

Why am I taking the time to celebrate these powerful women? Because I can’t help but feel a connection to them and their journeys right now. A couple of weeks ago, I was a guest on Sal’s podcast – The Norway Podcast (streamed on many platforms, but click the link to check it out on Facebook). I wasn’t quite sure what we were going to talk about and I definitely didn’t imagine our conversation to last more than 2 hours. The dialect just flowed and it was such a great conversation. Before I get into what we talked about, let me share how Sal and I know each other…

We don’t! Well, we don’t really KNOW each other. Sal and I are from the same hometown and we graduated from the same high school. We have always known who the other person was, sure, but probably solely by name. And then with social media, you follow someone on Instagram or befriend them on Facebook, but you don’t really KNOW them. I don’t even think Sal and I have ever held a conversation, let alone a lengthy one about important topics that truly matter. But he has been supporting my blog for a while and asked if I would be a guest on his podcast. If there’s any way I can support another person out here spreading knowledge and appreciation for things they love like I am, of course I am going to support! (You’re probably wondering, “well then, why the heck did he ask you to be on his podcast??” Well, ladies & gentleman, clearly that was all God!)

One of the questions that Sal asked me was did I know that I always wanted to be a lawyer? The answer to that question is no. I told him how things occurred that led me to apply to law schools and become a lawyer. The biggest thing was a jury trial I observed during the last few days of my college internship. What I observed in those moments changed the tract that I was going to take in my educational and professional career. In those moments, I went from being unsure what I wanted to do with my Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Investigations to knowing that I wanted to pursue a Juris Doctorate Degree. I even knew in those moments what area of law I wanted to practice: criminal defense.

Later in our conversation, Sal asked me how important God and Christianity are in my life. The answer to that is SO important. I shared my walk with Christ and how I got to this point in my relationship with Him. But the main thing I want to share with you all from that question is this: me sitting in that courtroom watching that jury trial, getting that spark and passion to represent those charged with criminal offenses, and deciding to become a lawyer were not random acts of occurrences. They were moments where God lined everything up. And that was just the first step to His wonderful plan of placing me in Athens, GA, with the public defender office, and alongside people who needed my help. (And who knows, maybe God set this podcast episode in motion because Sal has tons of knowledge on bitcoin. You know ya girl has been trying to bring in that extra coin for a while now, this might be the move I need to make! lol). You know that saying, “everything happens for a reason?” Well, this goes beyond that. Just like Michelle. Just like Kamala. God has me in these places and moments purposefully. I can only imagine where the next step in His plan will lead me…

But I won’t be able to get there if I don’t step out of my own way. Over the past few weeks, my Pastor has been preaching sermons on celebrating the small wins. So many people often feel that if their win wasn’t magnificent or world-changing, then it wasn’t worth it. That if their prayer isn’t answered in full by tomorrow then it’s not worth hoping for. I had that same way of thinking! I am probably my own worst critic and my biggest competition. I am so hard on myself and I hate to fail or to experience delays in my journey. But these past few Sunday messages have shifted my way of thinking even more. Every small win adds up and these messages have got me so excited for what God has in store for me!

We need to focus on what’s important, stop being so hard on ourselves, learn to trust God in every moment, and celebrate the small wins! What is a small win that you are celebrating this week?! God hears our prayers, knows the desires of our hearts, and has an amazing plan for us that goes beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. He is going to set you in places you thought you weren’t meant to be. He’s going to set up meetings and run-ins with people you feel were strictly random or happenstance. But nahhh, that’s all God, and He got a plan for our lives! Keep looking at your feet, buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV.

Moni Jay, Off the Record