I’ve been grinding mad hard lately, trying to build Hear Her Voice (HHV) into everything I know it can be. Sometimes that grind has me going without sleep. A relationship? Nah, that’s not even in the picture right now, because truth be told I barely even have time for me.
I preach self-care all the time. I tell people, “Make sure you’re pouring into yourself before you pour into others.” But if I’m keeping it a buck, I can’t even remember the last time I really took care of myself. I’ve been running off fumes, telling myself, “Keep working, keep pushing, keep grinding. Sacrifice now, and in a year or two you’ll sit back, chill, and finally reap the benefits of all this hard work.”
And that’s how it’s been—nonstop.
We just finished the Hear Her Voice / Hear His Voice Recovery Workbook, which in itself is a blessing. But instead of taking a moment to breathe and appreciate the work that’s been done, I jumped right back into the grind—this time focused on our Youth Workbook.
My body’s been screaming at me to rest.
My comrades, my people, have been telling me to slow down.
But me? Stubborn and bullheaded. I wasn’t trying to hear it.
Then it happened.
I got sick out of nowhere.
The doctors don’t really know what’s going on. They think it’s stress-related, but they’re not sure yet. More testing is coming. But one thing they were clear about: in the meantime, I need to slow my life down and take care of myself.
In that moment, only two things ran through my mind—two things my mother has always told me:
• “Sometimes the Creator has to sit you down.”
• “The Creator will lay you on your back to make you look up.”
That hit me different.
Because right there, as sick as I was, I knew exactly what it meant. It felt like the Creator tapping me on the shoulder, saying, “Daughter, you’re moving too fast. Sit down. Rest. I got you.”
The Reminder
Sometimes we get so caught up in the grind—the hustle, the pressure to make things happen—that we forget who’s really making it possible. We start believing it’s our own strength, our own hustle, our own long nights holding everything together.
But the Creator has a way of reminding us real quick—it’s not just us. It never was.
Getting sick was my reminder that my blessings don’t come from overworking myself. They don’t come from sleepless nights, ignoring my body, or pushing past every limit. My blessings come from the Creator. Period. And sometimes something has to slow you down just enough to lift your head back up.
I realized in that moment that I’ve been giving Hear Her Voice everything, but I haven’t been giving the Creator the same energy. I haven’t been giving myself the same love I preach about—and that’s not right.
Because how can I truly pour into this movement, into the people I serve, if I’m running on empty?
So Yeah, I Got Sat Down
The Creator pressed pause on my grind to remind me:
• To rest
• To take care of myself
• To make space again
Because the truth is, we can chase success, impact, and purpose all we want—but if we lose our health and forget our source, what good is any of it?
The Creator had to lay me on my back to make me look up.
And maybe you’ve been there too—running so hard you forget who’s really carrying you. Maybe you’ve been ignoring the signs, telling yourself, “I’ll rest later. I’ll slow down later. I’ll get to it later.”
But there may not be a later. We have to be mindful not to destroy ourselves in the name of ambition.
So let me remind you the same way I was reminded: sometimes the Creator will sit you down. Sometimes you’ll be laid flat on your back—just to make you look up. And looking up is the best place to be—because that’s where your help, your peace, your strength, and your blessings come from.