STORY TIME: The "Splash" That Started It All

When I moved from my very small hometown of Napoloeonville to the West Bank of New Orleans, I became a tourist. I had the passion with-stored within me to travel whether or not I was on my two feet, public transportation, a cab, or right-along-side my hubby in his car. I didn't let now having a car hold me back from seeing and experiencing life. I was determined to see whatever the hell, I knew I was destined to see. I'm going to tell you this. I was an avid RTA bus catcher. I have slowed down a bit with taking the bus in the pass year, but I can honestly say that catching the bus in the city is truly humbling experience. I just wanted to share my experience of being splashed by cars while at the bus stop trying to make it back home. 

Sightline Institute

Have you ever just imagined something soon happening to you, but you didn't know when it was going to happen? Well, honestly weeks before it even took place I had thoughts and visions of getting splashed by a car or truck. I was feeling so down. I felt like since I didn't have my car or a driver's license at the time that I was a failure. I felt like I should have been that person behind a wheel of a car and cruising! Catching the bus was becoming a second-nature to me. I felt like I couldn't even tell my husband about catching the buses, because he never experienced it. I use to tell my sister how stupid I use to feel freezing my tail off trying to stay warm, while people stare at me all bundled up in their cars waiting impatiently for the red lights to turn green. 

I learned then that I had to get use to people, young and old staring at me no matter what the weather was like on the outside. Even then, I knew that it even larger cities like New York, New Jersey, and even Philadelphia that there was someone going through the same humbling circumstance that I was facing. While attending Delgado Community College a few days out of the week a few faces really became familiar while catching the buses to the campus. Things started to turn around for me mentally once I realized that I'm catching this bus to change my future just like other folks! However, I never compared myself or my journey to anyone else. 

As the days went by the weather in Louisiana started misbehaving as usual. I tried to never leave the house during the spring months without an umbrella. 'Cause getting caught in the rain was the last thing I wanted to get caught in, natural or not! The day I got splashed was a Thursday afternoon. It was raining at a forecast of 90% rain and it wasn't ceasing the way it seemed to look like that day. I had stood at one of the two buses that I had to catch back home with my umbrella and my hopes high enough to carry me back home (only if my hopes were a hot air balloon.) Once I made it to my last drop from the nearest bus stop to my apartment door the rain was pouring. The streets were flooding and puddles were fully formed on the sides of every street. I hopped my happy-go-lucky ass off the bus and started trucking to my apartment complex that was a mile away from the drop-off sign. 

Something just told me, "Lynn today is that day, yo' ass will get splashed. You should have stayed on campus for the rest of the afternoon."

I started power-walking back to my crib when I was splashed from head to toe (holding an umbrella and all my books!) The splash was over five feet of water. I was soaked like I was at a damn water park! Then Sploooosh another truck came right behind the first one and splashed me as I tried to collect my thoughts. I was still walking with tears racing down my face. I was embarrassed. My anxiety was trying to get the best of me. I kept going with my clothes sticking to my body and text books soaked in my cross-shoulder back pack. 

As I walked it happened again...SPLOOOOSH! I told myself that I had to keep going no matter how funny drivers and their passengers thought it was to be wetting my ass up. You see I had discovered my inner strength to push pass what I was going through. It was more than just getting splashed repeated by cars that really spoke to my spirit that day. God spoke to me as I struggled to walk to my door and pull out the keys from my bag. He spoke to me and said, 

"For I have not forsaken you nor will I leave you alone."

Once I opened my front door I fell to my knees and said, 

"God I need you. I can't keep living like this. I feel so embarrassed and hurt!" 

I stood to my knees after minutes of not hearing His voice and I walked into my kitchen. That morning I had posted a neon green sticky note to my fridge with this scripture from my morning Bible study that read: 

2 Corinthians 10:7 

 

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. 

Today I want to ask you are you more concerned about how people see you or how God sees you? Is there anyone you are trying to out do, impress, or prove something too? Where does your inner strength lies? Does your inner strength lies within their truth or God's? 

This day I realized that I was more concerned about how people viewed me. I wasn't truly living in the light that God needed me to be seen in. I can say that my vanity was hindering my blessings and my thirst for worldly possessions that I was not ready to blessed with. Will it take a splash in your life to wake you up physically for you to make a change mentally?

Discover your inner strength every step of the way with 

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