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BY Esih Efuru

I attended an expo this weekend that featured a variety of vendors and diverse performers. As I greeted familiar faces and introduced myself to new ones, I checked out the various singers and poets doing their thing on stage. Most of them did a great job and received a great response from the crowd throughout the day. As the expo went on, one particular performer took the stage to silence. I initially thought the silence was because of a technical glitch, but it was because the crowd didn’t seem sure of his ability to hold their interest. He stood humbly before them with his head bowed, and signaled the D.J. to play his music. I looked around as people shook their heads and assumed that his performance would be a bust.

As the music began, the young man quickly began by engaging the crowd. He smiled confidently and affirmed them with compliments as they returned stony looks to him. Nevertheless, he kept on smiling and performing with enthusiasm. Some of the crowd shifted toward the vendor tables, as others remained to see how his performance would end. I stood in the middle of the room and took in the sincerity within his voice. He had an amazing range and incredible energy, but both were lost on the distracted crowd that refused to cheer him on.

As the bridge of the song approached, I waved my hands excitedly and yelled, “You’d better sing that song!” and kept waving with every turn of the song’s choruses. Eventually, he caught my eye and smiled, and turned up his performance a bit with extra moves and higher notes. His confidence rose and he ended the song with a riveting note that put everyone on their feet. I cheered from my place in center and screamed my kudos above all of the others. I caught his eye once again as he whispered me a “Thank you” and bowed. I encouraged him to keep singing and let him know that he was on his way.

In your pursuit of favor, there will be many rooms you enter that have no familiar faces or kind words to guide you through the moments. When you are at the center stage of destiny, focus your attention and energy on God, who is always there to help you make it. God’s consistent presence through your life’s big moments may sometimes be all you have to believe that the steps are worth taking. Though you don’t see any hands waving or hear any applause, the strength and power that comes with knowing that God is on your side can carry you over a mountain and across deserts. As in the case of all who embrace their inner giant, the crowd will come to distract you and heckle you away from your promise. You must tap your foot to the beat of positivity, smile, and press even further.

The more engaged and excited you become in your moments of truth and their connection to your future, the smaller the noise of doubt around you will become. The pressure that you face is designed to “press” the greatness out of you and leave the residue of fear behind. When you keep your mind, heart and soul focused on God, the one in the center of the room that loves you the most, the push and press seems worth it. The key to conquering the moments is to surrender your all to them. God will meet you in the middle. The matter in between is not relevant to your imminent success; God’s story for your life will always end with you as the hero.

Esih Efuru, a 45-year-old writer, artist and minister, is raising a daughter in Charlotte, NC. Email her esihefuru@gmail.com

More article by Esih Efuru

A Matter Of Faith

Remembering Maya: A Caged Bird Sings

Don’t Look Down

Dream Big And Watch It Take Shape

One in the Crowd  was originally published on praisecharlotte.com