Black Women Have It Going On

Good morning from Colorado, where the peaks are tall and the truth sets us free! Today is Monday, May 18th, and my faith is secured in Christ Jesus! Thanks for stopping by my blog as we look at the “Shield and the Shadow.”

As I sit and reflect on my brother Butch’s life, one thing hits me harder than the rest: our parents’ staggering inability to prepare us for life. They never taught us how to deal with people or how to navigate the world’s jagged edges. My mom was working 16-hour days and my dad was chasing ghosts at the dog track, leaving us to figure out the rules of engagement on our own. We weren’t taught; we were just tossed.

For a long time, I was his shield. As the older “Alpha,” I took on the “Big Guns” in our house so he could just be my annoying little brother. But when I got into my own teen trouble and was sent to Arkansas, that shield was suddenly gone. My move was my rescue, but for Butch, it was the beginning of a lonely exposure. Without my protection, he was thrust into adulthood like a feather in the wind, left to face a volatile environment with no support system in place.

I realize now that when a young person feels that kind of hopelessness, they lash out because they have no words for their pain. The world saw his “bad behavior,” but I see the cry for help from a soul that was cornered once his protector was gone. He was an Alpha with a warrior’s spirit, but he was a feather in a storm he wasn’t equipped to fight alone.

The Takeaway for Us

1. The Missing Manual: Many are launched into adulthood without basic tools of discernment. Recognizing that a child wasn’t “bad,” but simply “unprepared,” is the first step toward healing.
2. The Cost of the Gap: When a protector leaves, the one left behind often bears the full weight of the family’s dysfunction. Grace must be extended to the siblings who had to survive without a shield.
3. Stability Over Speed: A “feather in the wind” needs an anchor. For those who grew up without earthly support, faith becomes the steady ground that parents couldn’t provide.

Community Challenge

Were you the “shield” for a sibling, or were you the one left behind when the shield moved on? This week, readers are challenged to look at those “troubled” years through the lens of survival. How does it change the story when one realizes they were just a feather trying to find a place to land?

Scripture & Prayer

• Scripture: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” — Proverbs 16:9 (KJV)
• Prayer: Father, prayer is offered for the “feathers in the wind”—those who are drifting because they never had a support system. Healing is asked for the siblings who were left exposed and for the protectors who carry the weight of having to leave. Amen.

The Spiritual Seal

Remember: A move to a new life can be a divine rescue, even if it leaves a void behind. One must realize that a sibling’s struggle is often a symptom of a system that failed the children involved. No one is a feather forever; they are anchored in a love that sees the “shield” and the “shadow” alike. See you tomorrow!