Maybe you never thought about Maya Angelou until now, after her recent death, when everyone's talking about her.
Maybe you wonder what's the big deal?
I sometimes disagreed with her views , but I admire how she came through a harsh childhood and grew into a calm, balanced woman of accomplishment.
How did she do it?
I think it traces back to her stable, loving grandmother, who spoke faith and hope into this hurting little girl. When Maya was three her dysfunctional father plunked her down to live with his mother-in-law, then four years later snatched her backto live with her mother.
When Maya was eight, her mother's boyfriend raped her. She confided in her older brother, who told the family. The rapist was tried, convicted and jailed.
For one day.
Shortly thereafter, someone murdered him. Blaming herself for the man's death, Maya stopped talking . . . for five years.
The two siblings were sent to live with Grandma, who provided a solid home, frequently reassuring them of Christ's love for them.
How does one survive such experiences?
We can learn a lot from Maya about overcoming pain. Her writings and interviews reveal what kept her from bitterness.
- Faith in God:
"I believed that there was a God because I was told it by my grandmother and later by other adults. But when I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous." - Take the long view:
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” - Choose to take a positive view of life:
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Forgive:
"You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.' - Be authentic:
"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.” - Be kind:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Recognize your impact on others:
"Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are -- cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.” - Remember that life is a gift:
Maya's prayer: "I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute.”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. --2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
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