The First!

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. – Exodus 13:21 NLT

This morning I watched charmTV on my SmartPhone. It was the first episode of the “Who We Are” series and it featured Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first elected and consecrated female Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. She said the thing about being first is that nobody is in front of you; you have to make your own way. Growing up her family exposed her to many firsts as her grandmother was a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

During “Who We Are”, Bishop McKenzie spoke about her own experience as the first female bishop in the AME Church. She also spoke about Wilma Rudolph, the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics and Althea Gibson, the first African American woman to win a major singles title in tennis. Another first mentioned was Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice on the Supreme Court. There are many other firsts, past and present. Just recently Simone Manuel became the first African American woman to win Olympic Gold in swimming.

While it may be challenging to make your way as the first, remember God does not call the equipped but he equips the called. When you say, “Yes Lord, I’ll go first!”, trust and know that God is always ahead of you leading the way.