I went to church during “Women’s Month” and listened to a beautiful message I love to hear about “Naomi”, a woman that had her ups and downs in Biblical days and was often described as being bitter. The story about Naomi can be found in the Bible book of Ruth. I encourage you to read it.
Some people also describe Lucius Gantt as “bitter”!
I don’t describe myself that way but I’m not surprised to hear people say that about me. God has blessed me with a lot of talent just as he has blessed, in some way, all of the people that choose to read The Gantt Report.
I love God, I love my neighbors, I recognize Jesus as a prophet, a messiah and a savior and I go to church more than most men I know even though Christianity is not my religion of choice.
I am a practitioner of Yoruba, an African religion that is tens of thousands of years older than Christianity. If you don’t know, Western religions are highly influenced by African religions. Certain tenets like Commandments, for instance, originated long before Christianity was born and/or accepted about three or four thousand years ago.
Yorubas believe that God made everything including all creatures on earth. We believe humans can learn a lot by observing and studying animals.
Whenever you see me, I will more than likely have a piece of monkey skin on me. Why? Because I’ve had to be very versatile to survive. I’ve had to go from job to job, city to city, country to country and so forth. I’ve gone from partner to partner in business and, to a certain extent, in my love life.
The monkey skin was given to me by my religious leader, the late Silo Crespo because a monkey is the only animal that never falls! When swinging from tree to tree, if the monkey misses a limb with his hands, he will catch on with his feet. If he misses with his feet, he’ll grab hold with his tail.
My leader knew that my career would take me in many different directions and heights and he wanted me to be like the monkey and never fall!
Anyway, throughout my life I’ve always tried to help people in my family, in my community, in business and in any way that I could.
People suggest that I am “bitter” because when I needed a job, or a contract, or support from people that I had helped there was no help from them for me.
But that’s OK. Just like the Biblical Naomi, I get my help from God.
By the time Naomi became an elderly woman her husband and her two sons had died. She was living in a town with only her two daughters in law to care for her so she decided to go back to the town she came from, alone. One of the women wanted to stay where she was and the other decided to join her on the trip.
Everyone has to choose their own path. Everyone has to choose who they will help, who they will appreciate or who they will support. Naomi understood that and Lucius Gantt understands that.
Sometimes I am disappointed but I am never “bitter”!
I don’t smile much but I am not bitter. I’m never the life of the party but I am not bitter. I don’t go to many meetings, marches or rallies like I once did but I am not bitter.
Instead of guessing what I am or what I’m feeling all you have to do is ask me.
When you ask, I’ll always tell you, “I’m thankful”.
In good times or bad times, when you get help or when you don’t get help or when you get support or don’t get support you too should always be thankful! (Buy Gantt’s books and contact Lucius at www.allworldconsultants.net)
Lucius is a contributing columnist to NNPA newspapers around the nation, and the author of “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” available on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere.