I went to my favorite bookstore in Annapolis, Maryland, a small Christian bookstore where everyone knew me. I walked in quietly and went directly to the Bible section, not that I needed another Bible. I collect them. I must have 50 different Bibles—different translations, colors, and sizes.
I walked up and down the aisles that I knew so well. Everything was just as I had seen it hundreds of times before. I was about to walk out of the store when one of the clerks called out to me.
“Good day, my sister. You look beautiful today.”
He looked and sounded like an old-world Christian missionary. Tall. Thin. Pasty white. And enthusiastically joyful. He was new in this store.
“Well, thank you. I’m good today.” I didn’t bother to give him an explanation.
“Didn’t find anything? That’s okay, God is still good. Hey, can I give you something?” He jogged through the bookshelves over to the counter.
“Here. I want you to have this. I love this and I read it all of the time. It’s my favorite scripture.”
When I looked down, it was Psalm 27—my daughter Gemmia’s favorite Psalm. I thought my knees were going to buckle.
“Do you know that Psalm?”
“Yes, I do.” I was debating whether I should tell him about Gemmia. Before I could decide, I turned the pamphlet over, and then my knees did buckle. On the other side of the glossy white paper, there was a picture of Jesus, the same Jesus I had seen in Gemmia’s bedroom. He was dressed in a long white robe, and He appeared to have a multicolored strip of Kente cloth draped around his neck. The clerk caught me as I fell forward.
The next thing I knew, I had a cup of tea in one hand and a soggy wad of tissues in the other. I told the new clerk and a familiar clerk the whole story about Gemmia’s illness, the vision I had the night before she passed, and how crazy I felt, still believing that it wasn’t real, that I had made it up in my grieving mind.
“Oh no, sister. You didn’t make that up. Coming in here today and getting this is just confirmation. God wants you to know that she is safe in His arms. God always sends us a confirmation of His works.”
“But a black Jesus? Come on now! You’re a white guy—doesn’t that sound strange to you?”
“Not really. I think the Lord appears to us in any way we will recognize.
The next few days and weeks floated by slowly. I was debating what to do about our offices because the landlord wanted us to pay all of the back rent or leave the premises. The landlord indicated that he understood about Gemmia’s death and he had been patient; now we had to pay or leave. I couldn’t leave our building and I couldn’t stand to be in it. Gemmia had built that place from nothing. She had decorated every room, purchased every piece of furniture, every book, and every plant. This was where I felt her presence the strongest, and that was why I ached every time I walked through the doors.
It was the last week in January. The landlord wanted us out by February 1. We started packing, thinking we would move everything to a storage unit and hold classes in a hotel conference room. I pulled up in front of the building. I dreaded going in but couldn’t bear to leave. I was resting my head on the steering wheel when I heard her voice.
Release the physicality. My head shot up and swiveled on my neck. I was looking around the car, expecting to see her. My heart was pounding. I think I said it aloud: “Gemmia?” Then I heard her again.
Release the physical. It doesn’t mean anything. That’s what I did. I released the physical to become One with spirit. It was the answer to my prayer.
My mind started racing, then it slowed down. I had a conversation with Gemmia in my mind.
Where are you, sweetie?
I am right here.
Are you okay? I mean . . .
I am wonderful. I am good. Now you must let it all go. Release every physical thing. It is not the building or this place that matters. It is the Spirit.
When I got inside the building, I told my friends Lydia and Helen what had happened in the car. They didn’t seem shocked or surprised.
They were both teary-eyed, shaking their heads. We were still sitting there when Almasi showed up.
“You are not going to believe this,” she said.
“Oh Lord, what is it now?”
She told us that she had found us a place. We could afford it, and it was available immediately. It was five minutes down the road from where we were now. In fact, in order to get to Gemmia’s house, you had to drive right past it. We must have passed the building a million times over the years and never even noticed it. Almasi was excited to the point of jumping up and down. We sat her down and told her what had happened to me in the car.
The room fell silent until, as if on cue, we all burst into tears. We were all crying in the same choir: “Thank you, God! Thank you, Gemmia.”
Click on image to purchase Iyanla’s new book.
About the Writer
Rev. Iyanla Vanzant is an internationally renowned inspirational speaker, the founder and Executive Director of the Inner Visions Spiritual Life Maintenance Network. Purchase her new book, “Peace From Broken Pieces”
© 2011 – 2012, BLC Staff Writer. All rights reserved.
If that’s the case then why not make him BLACK WITH A NAPPY HEAD OF HAIR THAN a blond blue eyed hippie ? TRY PUTTING UP A BLACK WITH A NAPPY HEADED JESUS IN THE BLACK CHURCH AND SEE HOW MANY OF THEM SHOW UP OR AS FOR IT TO BE TAKEN DOWN. Clearly you don’t know YOUR HISTORY and you are clueless of why things are done the way they are done or why was the Sistine chapel painted with Michael Angelo white family as representatives of the last supper than the actual colored disciples and when the pope told him to use the image of his white family instead of the actual disciples. And why is it that when you tour the Vatican ,the priests tell the people that the 7 virgins aren’t black but have candle soot on them that’s why they are black or that why they turned black. When i hear black people like you speak , it makes my blood boil and my skin crawl , because the most lethal weapon in the black community are its most ignorant and uninformed people who don’t know who they are.
Jesus Christ is not black or white and not a man or woman.
Jesus Christ is the doctrine and the spirit of the new testament.It is past time for the sleepers to
wake-up and stop this big lie that Jesus was/is a man.Jesus Christ is also a community that needs
to recognize that the new testament tells those that are awake that Jesus Christ is the word of G-D.
The fact that you couldn’t agree that black people are mentally enslaved or brainwashed , proves to me that your head is so far up Iyanl’s ass that you cant objectively see straight.Why do i need to know her back ground and how many books she read 21 years ago which could be out of touch with today. You sound like the the child who has been beaten into submission by parents who found it rude for a child to question them only because they simply had no answer for the child instead to beat them in submission. Try reading at least one of those books or watching one of those video’s and maybe your fear of going to hell will be better explained and understood .
You sound 10 years old. We are not all born with all the blessings and powers we need- too much has happened thru the generations and been neglected for most of us. For example, you were missing or rejecting both wisdom and truth as you wrote that. That rejection is the true source of being “brainwashed” and “mentally enslaved”. Do you know Iyanla’s background? You cannot imagine how many 10′s of thousands of books she has read in any topic under the sun. Your puny little list is nothing- she covered that before 21 years of age! She is a bookwriter and has travelled all over the world! And why are you against churchgoers? Obviously you don’t have anything to add or help that’s why you are on the outside looking in- fearfully. There is nothing more powerful or transformational as a holy church service but I am sure you will remember that the next time you are in a hellhole of trouble in your life. Evildoers will be punished- it’s simple math and science, not ignorant subservience. What was offensive was for her to suggest to a white man that he couldn’t believe the obvious truth of Jesus’ divine African blood! Get some real heart and stop trying to offend merciful people so they will pray for you and instead address the true insult!
You need historical enlightenment , i am 99% sure you know your Byble more than you know your history. I dont need your prayer, we are born with all the “Blessings” and powers we need , brainwashed church goers like yourself are just “BRAINWASHED” and MENTALLY ENSLAVED. I dare you to read at least one of the books i posted below and watch at least 1 of the dvd i suggested but the mental fear in you wont because the god/jesus you serve will punish you right ? Smh
God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s people like you, Max, that I pray for even more. Iyanla, i appreciate your sharing this story, I found it very moving and inspirational. You go girl!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD IS STILL GOOD!!!!!
This is just rubbish, using and promoting emotional chance just like all theses despicable church leaders do to prey on the emotions of black people rather than encourage knowledge and the aggressive embrace for knowledge and facts is just a joke . I already have your first book and that’s enough for me. If you were working with a Realtor and planning your life better i am sure you would have found the right building for the right price that you could afford. This article is so typical of most black people wishing and hoping like fools rather than simply taking things into their own hands and vigorously embracing knowledge and information because that’s what you lacked in your situation. Here is some information i truly think you and your family could truly benefit from. THE ISSUE WITH BLACK PEOPLE IS, WE HATE WHO WE ARE [Africans] AND LOVE WHO WE CANT BE [Europeans/Asians] thats why we shun Africa.
“Destruction of Black Civilization 4500 B.C to 2000 A.D.” by Chancellor Williams
“Open Veins of Latin America:Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent”by Eduardo Galeano
The Isis Papers by Frances Welsing
YURUGU by Marimba Ani
VIDEO’S 2 Watch
HIDDEN COLORS DVD
BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA DVD
BRAZIL IN BLACK & WHITE
When Moors Rule Europe DVD