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Keyaira Kelly is an editor, writer, and poet based in Brooklyn. Each week, Keyaira takes readers inside the margin notes of her bible, where she mines through scripture to find golden nuggets of wisdom to help us see ourselves and the people we love through God’s eyes. You can follow Keyaira @keyairakelly on Instagram and check out her podcast Talk To Your Mom on all streaming platforms. If you have any feedback or topics you’d like to see discussed in the column, contact Keyaira at keyairawritenow@gmail.com.
Unique, that’s what you are.
This week, we are talking about Beyoncé, because I always want to talk about Blue Ivy’s mama (LOL!). But for real, I promise there’s a word in this, so just hang in here with me.
When the Renaissance album hit the summer airwaves last July, the planet supernova combusted into a non-stop dance party centered around Black liberation.
Now, from my perspective, Renaissance is a no-skip project. I’m a fan of every single song depending on my mood. But for today, can we talk about Alien Superstar?
Beyoncé is known for her empowering anthems (Alexa, play Me, Myself and I), and I believe Mrs. Carter brought that same message of I can be good all by myself to a 2022 digi-world with Alien Superstar.
As the lyrics go, there is unlimited power in knowing you’re “one of one, the only one,” and this power only comes from one source: the creator. I mean, who else would know just how special you are outside of the one who designed every detail of your existence?
Which brings me today’s scripture that I’m reflecting on, when God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about his calling:
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; appointed you as a prophet to the nations” -Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV).
How comforting God knows us so intimately! Let’s really sit in that reality. Before you were even a thought, God had a blueprint in mind for you that is uniquely magnificent. In short, in coming into wholeness with yourself, the goal is to sync back up with His original vision for you, which most of the time looks different than how society defines it.
I’ll give you a personal example: I never imagined I would be a yogi. Yes, I dipped and dappled, but true commitment, I didn’t see that in my timeline. Frankly, from my ego’s perspective, it didn’t look hard enough.
So what did I do instead? I became obsessed with (unsupervised) heavy weight-lifting. I took such pride in an early wake-up and a fast-mile walk to the gym to toss around the heaviest weight I could manage for an hour. Then, I would rush back to my apartment while checking emails, to quickly shower, eat, and be online in time for 9:00 am newsroom meetings.
Fitness And Wellness Coach Lateefah Fleming Talks The Benefits Of Yoga For Black Women
The idea of this pace (which some may find impressive), I find nauseating now. After months and months of intense lifting and working, I developed pain in my left hip. So what did I do about it? Nothing ya’ll. I reduced the load, but still wouldn’t stop. The ache in my hips eventually got so bad, I had to ask myself why I was so attached to doing something my body was begging me to stop doing?
It took a literal breakdown (and 9 months of weekly therapy) for me to finally grapple with the fact that I was moving at a corporate pace that was never designed to meet my needs for slowness, flexibility, and rest (especially as a BLACK WOMAN).
Insert yoga*. As someone who has spent most of her life alternating between fight or flight nervous system responses, slowing down to be present was foreign to me. But my breakdown (which I will re-frame as my reset) forced me to stop everything, including my career. I couldn’t manage an intense workout anymore because my physical and emotional capacity was so depleted, but yoga allowed me to gently move my body and start reconnecting back to myself.
During different poses, I found all sorts of trauma, like two car accidents, multiple job losses, and abandonment hiding everywhere — in my shoulders, my hips, my wrists, and my lower back. The memories would literally come to me as relentless flashbacks as I was breathing through different poses. So needless to say, I did not like yoga. But ultimately, the body/soul alignment that comes with yoga was what I needed to metabolize decades of suppressed memories.
SZA Keeps Her Toned Physique By Doing Yoga
Healing is a lifetime journey, so at 33, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know everything. But this is what I know for sure: being committed to one way of doing something and explaining “that’s just how I am” is a surefire way to stunt your own evolution.
Challenge everything you believe about yourself and be willing to release YOUR vision for your life in exchange for what God wants for you. And keep your eyes on your own paper! Yes, we can glean inspiration from others’ healing journeys, but the goal is to follow your own unique blueprint, and you only uncover that gold by spending time with yourself and Father God, the original architect.
Until we meet again,
UNIQUE Keyaira
Journal question: What is something your body is telling you to stop that you are ignoring? (This could be diet, exercise, or even related to your social or romantic life). Make a list of three.
Challenge of the week: Take one item from the list and commit to taking a small step towards listening to your body with more attentiveness.
*Please consult with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine
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The Beautiful Word: How I Found The Godly Message In Beyonce’s ‘Alien Superstar’ was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
