My Ancestors Prayed For This!
Today is my daddy’s birthday. He’s no longer here with me, and whew—grief is sneaky. It will creep up on you when you least expect it, and today it showed up uninvited. But here’s the twist: so is joy. Joy sneaks in just as bold. One minute I’m holding back tears, the next I’m laughing at something he used to say or do.
And as I sit in that tension between missing him and celebrating him, I hear this whisper: “You are living proof that prayers travel through bloodlines.”
Listen, sis. Don’t get it twisted. we are not here by accident. Our ancestors bent their backs in labor and their knees in prayer so we could stand tall. My daddy may not be here to clap his hands or shout his loud “that’s my baby!” but I already know he would be proud. Because I am his wildest dream coming true. I am living, breathing, chain-breaking, prayers-in-the-flesh proof.
The receipts? Hebrews 12:1 (NIV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Sis, let’s pause here. That “great cloud of witnesses” isn’t just Bible characters looking down from heaven—it’s the ancestors, the grandmamas, the daddies, the aunties, and the elders whose prayers still cover us. They’re the witnesses that remind us: keep running, sis. You’re not just running for yourself; you’re running because somebody before you prayed you across that finish line.
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV): “To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
Here’s your mini Bible lesson: God never promised us a life without mourning; but He did promise an exchange program. Where grief tries to weigh us down, He slips joy into our spirit. Where despair tries to choke us, He covers us in praise. That’s why on days like this when grief feels loud, I can still choose joy. I can still lift my hands and say, “God, You’ve been faithful” even with tears streaming down my face.
So today, I yell Happy Heavenly Birthday, Daddy. I celebrate the way your life still echoes through mine. I honor your prayers that are still covering me. And I choose joy, even when grief thinks it has the last word.
Because sis, let me remind you when your ancestors prayed, they prayed for YOU too. And every time you rise, every time you push through, every time you dare to shine, you’re proving that their prayers still work.
✨ And if nobody told you today: I am proud of you too. Keep walking in that legacy. Keep breaking chains. Keep shining, sis. You are the evidence. You are legacy in motion!
