Never Forget: You’re Worthy And Needed In This World
Have you ever felt like you didn’t have enough experience or weren’t good enough to help others? When we’ve been abused and torn down, it can be hard to remember just how worthy and holy we still are in God’s eyes. Ask Alice Dunbar Nelson.
Alice Dunbar Nelson was married to one of the greatest Black poets of all time, Paul Laurence Dunbar. But a look below the surface revealed that everything was not as it seemed.
Though Nelson was a fierce fighter for women’s rights, her life with Paul Laurence Dunbar was filled with his abuse and alcoholism. His doctor treated him with whiskey – a dreadful attempt to soothe the tuberculosis destroying his body. When he almost killed her in a fit of rage, she knew it was time to leave.
Romans 12: 1 reminds us, “Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship.”
Nelson may have gone through hell with Dunar, but she never changed who she was. She was an advocate for women’s rights and an incredible writer in her own right.
Her experiences kept her writing, speaking out, and advocating for Black women. Even when she was sick and dying, she kept a diary and voiced her desire for liberation.
Nelson faced hardship, abuse, and rejection. Despite this, she kept seeking to uplift others. You’re worthy and needed, too. How can your hardships inform the way you show up to support others?
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