I am a blessing to people. That is why communities that are deeply psychospiritually stagnant have had such a hard time trying to snuff out my light. It’s because they were coming up against the calling over my life, and trying to stop me from being a blessing to the people around me, even if I didn’t fully understand the extent of that calling at the time they began their instrumental group aggressions against me. Looking back, I can see that what they were resisting was not merely me as an individual, but the growth, encouragement, insight, and positive influence that I was capable of bringing into the lives of others. And because of that, their efforts were never simply about silencing a person; they were attempts to obstruct a purpose that was intended to benefit people beyond myself.

And going forward, I refuse to allow the resistance of psychospiritually stagnant community structures to determine the scope of my impact, to diminish my willingness to shine, or to discourage me from fulfilling the purpose that God has placed upon my life. Instead, I will continue moving forward in faith, trusting that the same God who called me into deeper levels of growth, refinement, wisdom, and inner transformation, is fully capable of opening the doors, creating the opportunities, and bringing the right people into my path at the right time for me to share the gifts, insights, and encouragement that He has cultivated within me.

In the meantime, until those doors open, I will also continue using my voice, sharing what I have learned, and freely offering whatever wisdom, encouragement, insight, and perspective I have to give, knowing that what is genuinely meant to bless others through the gifts God has cultivated within me cannot ultimately be prevented by the fears, limitations, or resistance of those who may not wish to see those gifts expressed freely. For that reason, I trust that what God intends to accomplish through my life is greater than any ill intentions directed toward me by those who have not yet heeded the call of inner transformation in their own lives yet, and that the purpose placed within me will continue to reach the people it was always meant to serve, with an impact that is not dependent upon collective approval, institutional recognition, or social acceptance.

Perhaps that is because I was never called to be diminished by the limitations of stagnant community systems. Perhaps that is why I was never called to measure my worth according to the acceptance, approval, or recognition of a group that is itself resistant to evolution, refinement, and meaningful inner transformation. And perhaps that is why I was never called to sacrifice my own growth and development in order to preserve the status quo. I was instead called to be a blessing to people, in whatever ways God intends my life to serve, encourage, uplift, and positively impact others, even if for now that occurs in a way that is largely removed from traditional forms of community involvement and lies outside of commonly expected forms of social interaction.

So, rather than investing my energy in seeking validation from communities that have participated in coordinated attempts to diminish my voice, undermine my credibility, or push me to the margins, and have shown little capacity to recognize, support, or appreciate what I bring to the table, I will continue investing it in my own development, my own relationship with God, and the purpose that has been unfolding throughout my life in ways that have often differed from conventional expectations. And as I do that, I trust that the right people who are genuinely meant to benefit from what I have to offer will encounter it in the ways, stages of life, and at the times they are meant to, regardless of whether that occurs through traditional forms of community or through unconventional avenues, such as posting online, that allow ideas, encouragement, insight, and wisdom to reach people across distances that would otherwise separate us.