Do It Anyway

Hey friends! So glad you stopped by for a minute to chat. I can’t wait to share something with you that encouraged me the other day. Let me run and put a pot of water on for tea. I have a couple of new choices for you today. How do you feel about some matcha or oolong? …Matcha? Sounds good.

Anyway, I’d been doing well. Finally, I was starting to feel like myself again. I was sleeping through the night and waking up happy. I’d made some headway with weight loss and health. At work I was living my best life for the most part. I mean by comparison to some of the past stressors of the last few years on the job, this year overall—even in the middle of a pandemic— has been less stressful than normal. Sounds crazy, I know! But, I’m so serious. I digress…

This particular day started off glitchy. I’d had an interesting conversation with my son before he dropped me off at school where we had a heated discussion about “growing up” and managing money and such. Still feeling the weight of that conversation I did the normal sign in procedure at work, temperature check, written log, fingerprint sign in only to find that I’d forgotten to adjust the member invites to the admin meeting that was to be held in about 30 minutes. Usually, I don’t forget stuff like that. Exhales…I started a negative internal dialogue that spiraled into me accidentally knocking several things off my desk while I was doing my weekly deep clean. It looked like this day was off to a rocky start and time was ticking to my meeting.

I immediately started to quote Scriptures and pray so that I could shake back, and for the most part, I did. Good thing…cause right after the meeting, I found myself with questions. Just in case you didn’t know, education is rough right now ya’ll. I was asking God…Lord how do I position myself to bring you glory? Lord, how do I remain consistent and faithful during this time? Lord is there ever going to be change? Lord, what’s the next thing? Is there a next thing? I couldn’t find relief in that moment. I reached out by text to my best friend with the same barrage of questions all itemized and bulleted and right in the middle of my typing I wrote.

“Never mind….I have the answer.”

The following words poured out of my spirit. “Do it anyway.” I started to release the emotion I was feeling at that moment through my tears as I remembered the words to the poem, “do it anyway.” There’s a popular version attributed to Mother Theresa; but, the original version by Dr. Kent Keith is the one that really ministers to me in this season. Originally called the Paradoxical Commandments (1968), this poem which was written for student leaders offers the following insight:

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

Do it anyway. Who knows? Your consistency could make the biggest difference in the world. You are called to whom you are called. You make a difference to those whom you make a difference. That’s what really matters. That’s what brings purpose. That’s what fuels hope. Stay in the fight and don’t give up.

You matter.

You count.

You are appreciated.