Our Encourager for This Month: Rev. Dawn M. Wayman

We Need Rain

Here in Maryland we find ourselves in the middle of an extended drought. This is in stark contrast to last fall when we got more rain than the ground could hold. This drought has left the dirt in my backyard cracked as if an earthquake hit and the grass crying out for its thirst to be quenched. And while this is upsetting given the time and energy I’ve put into my yard, it causes me to think about the droughts in our personal and spiritual lives.

Have you ever longed for God but could not feel, see, touch, or hear the Creator? In those moments of longing it can feel as if our lives have been engulfed by a drought. Our souls are cracked, and our beings long to be quenched by God’s living water. Yet, no matter how close we get to the well, no matter how close we get to the One who is willing to reach out and offer refreshment to a stranger, the Living Water escapes us.

We silently cry out, “We’ve been praying, we’ve been sowing, now we’re crying heaven send the rain.” The cry starts out in the depths of our hearts, no one knows we’re crying, no one hears us, and no one sees our shoulders breaking. But as the drought continues, our cry gets louder and louder and louder until we’re screaming, “WE’VE BEEN PRAYING, WE’VE BEEN SOWING, NOW WE’RE CRYING HEAVEN SEND THE RAIN!” We need God to send the rain!

And despite our cries, sometimes the refreshing rain does not fall from heaven . . . so we sit, we wait, we watch, and we anticipate God’s move in our lives.

We can be encouraged in knowing even in our thirst, our Creator is present with us. We can never be overlooked by the One who gave all for us. So, we should not get discouraged in the drought. The rain may not come today or tomorrow, but on the appointed day, heavenly rain will shower down and nourish our hearts. God will send the rain!

Lord, You know the drought of my heart and the depth of my thirst. I’m pleading and asking You to send the refreshing rain I need. But if You don’t, help me remember it’s not that You have left me, it’s simply that You are proving You have given me enough to thrive and survive in this dry place. For that, I am grateful. Amen.

©2019 Dawn M Wayman

Rev. Dawn M. Wayman, a native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, began her formal walk in ministry on May 29, 2013 when she preached her initial sermon, “Go, Let My Light Shine,” at Mt. Calvary African Methodist Episcopal Church in Towson, MD under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Dr. Ann Lightner- Fuller. Rev. Dawn was ordained an itinerant deacon in March 2018 at the 202nd Session of the Baltimore Annual Conference and continues to serve on the ministerial staff at Mt. Calvary under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Bobby B. Cox, Jr.

Rev. Dawn is currently pursuing her Master of Divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary and anticipates graduation in May 2022. She is in the 4th year Board of Examiners class of studies. A writer at heart, Rev. Dawn’s work has been published in The Christian Recorder and The Anvil. Her devotions are published regularly on Portions of Grace, the website of the Mountain Christian Writer’s Group.

The Blessings of a Broken Heart

Recently I was watching a movie on Netflix entitled, “Someone Great” (watch it if you haven’t seen it yet). The movie is about a couple who after almost ten years of dating, calls it quits. Now I won’t give you the details in case you decide to watch it, but I will share a statement I heard in the movie that captured my attention. As one of the main characters was talking about the break-up to an old crush, the crush encourages her with the words, “I know it hurts right now, but you have something I’ve never had. You’ve experienced the blessing of a broken heart” (the remix).

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking what I was thinking. How is a broken heart a blessing? The longer I thought about the statement, the more I understood it. Scripture declares in Psalm 147 that the Lord will heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds, so I’m not afraid of a broken heart. We’re clear that a broken heart doesn’t last forever. Our conundrum is simply this: How can a broken heart be a blessing?

A broken heart can be a blessing because (in no special order):

· It’s a reminder that we have experienced the amazing gift of love

· It’s reminds us we’re still alive

· It gives the Lord an opportunity to love on us

· It keeps us humble and reminds us we’re not perfect

· It allows us a chance to experience the gift of the healing process

· It provides the “kick” we need to get back into the game of life

This is a very short list and I’d love to hear what you would add (feel free to share) as your blessing of a broken heart. Or, if you don’t see it as a blessing, share that as well. I just know the Lord has me in a place where He wants me to see His Hand in every situation, good or bad, and learn how to celebrate Him in the midst. Do I cry? Yes. Does it still hurt? Absolutely. However, when I see the broken heart as a blessing, it’s a little easier to handle.

Holla back if you have any thoughts about the subject!

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Dana

On My Own...Not!

Blessings and Love. Today is September 11th – a day that will forever be engraved in our hearts and minds. A day that, regardless of race, gender, or belief, affected who we are as Americans. On this day, nearly 3000 innocent people lost their lives to a single terrorist attack that would take place over about a 2 hour time span. Like myself, I’m sure you can remember where you were the very moment the first plane flew into the first Tower and more than likely, each moment after that. To this day, 18 years later, I can still remember the sound of my staff calling out for me to come and look. To this day, 18 years later, I can still remember the looks on their faces as they waited to see my reaction and hear my response. To this day, 18 years later, I can still feel us huddled together around that little television screen (that they weren’t even supposed to have) in the cubicle of one of the workers. To this day, I can still remember hearing my supervisor, in her thick New York accent, leaving a message for her daughter to call her ASAP, her daughter worked close to the Towers. To this day, I can still remember me making phone calls to check on family members who worked at the Pentagon. To this day, I can still remember the decision to send my staff home so they could pick up their children. To this day, I can still remember going forward with attending a meeting that night, only to find us praying the entire time and lifting the families of the people who had perished and those who were still missing. I still remember.

Well, yesterday, I read about another Pastor, struggling with bouts of depression, ending the pain by taking his own life. I know to some, there is no comparison, but this time, I will step out, even if on my own, and say there is. Sometimes pain, hurt, depression, sadness, and all the other negative emotions, much like those four plane attacks, seem to come in waves of time. Sometimes it’s brief, while other times it feels like it will never end. Sometimes praying works and sometimes you need someone to hold you and tell you you’re not crazy. Sometimes reading and pulling on every scripture you can recall lifts you up and other times, the pain is so deep that the eyes are blurred and nothing comes to mind. That’s a true sign that you’re trying to do “life” on your own and it’s not working. So here’s the thing…..

As spiritual leaders, it’s time to take the giant “S” off of our chest and stop trying to be everything to everybody. As spiritual leaders, it’s time to put down everyone’s baggage, pick up our own, take it to a professional counselor and ask for help. Ask the counselor to help us unpack the pain and disappointment that WE have been pushing further and further to the back of our minds. Ask the counselor to help us unpack our old wounds that we’ve made ourselves believe are healed. Ask the counselor to allow you space and time to download old files saved to the floppy disk of our minds (that’s how old our hurt is). Ask for help and know that you are NOT on your own.

So my dear sister, today I beg you: Choose to live. Your life matters. Lift your head and push forward. Seek the help you really need and find peace in the land of the living. And never forget…YOU ARE NOT ON YOUR OWN!

You are loved. God loves you and so do we.

Rev. Dana