Right about now people are still either raving about Suicide Squad or lamenting how it wasn’t as good as the comic books. However, there is another “squad” that needs to be highlighted and many of you know someone who runs with this crew. I believe we all know someone who has great ideas of how you should be living your life, running your business, who you should be dating, how to raise your children and etc. I call them the “Coulda Woulda Shoulda Squad.”
This squad runs deep especially in the Kingdom, which should not be surprising. If I could tell you just how many times people have proph-a-lied that I would be a Pastor or Bishop, I would be able to chant “I finished paying Sallie Mae back!” Many in this squad are well meaning, but misinformed, placing what they feel on you but passing it off as “the Lord told me to tell you…” that never goes over very well. However, there are many who are quite mean and forceful with what they believe you should be doing for the Lord and his Kingdom (even though they may not be doing much of nothing with their own lives). Someone once told me that her whole family is pushing her to hurry up and get married so they will be right with the Lord. That sounds harmless enough right? Only problem is that all these women in this person’s family have all have children out of wedlock. Almost every single one. Maybe they are trying to break the cycle, but it’s hard to tell someone to do something when you are sorely lacking in this area.
This article was inspired by those who seem real eager to criticize what those in the Christian Hip Hop community are doing and how they are doing what they are doing. Legacy Conference took place a little over a month ago and many interviews were conducted by various media outlets. I went to watch those videos and gain some insight about what artist are and have been going through. On one of the segments, J Givens was talking about how in his old neighborhood the conflict between blacks and Hispanics caused him to want to learn Spanish. On commenter called J. Givens a sell out and said he should have spread the Gospel instead. I wonder how often this critic shared the Gospel in his day to day life? It’s probably better to assume that he expected J. Givens to do something he probably wasn’t doing himself.
There was also another video in which a camera man followed a few of the Christian Rappers after Legacy Conference was done for the day as they played Pokemon Go. To me it looked like a lot of fun and a great way to connect with people and exercise at the same time. The comments on Youtube however, had me shocked and riled up. People saying things like “Grown Men playing Pokemon” and “guys you should be catching souls not Pokemon” and so on and so forth. Everyone always has something to say about someone doing something that they couldn’t do if they tried (Just look up comments about Lecrae) and that astounds me. People always say “if I were” but the fact remains that you aren’t, so play your part and let your brother or sister play theirs.
I believe this is the part of Christianity that people really don’t vibe with. After a person gets over their presuppositions about the Church and open their lives up to Christ, something strange happens. Depending on the church you attend, people try to tell you how to live and they don’t know you at all. The Coulda Woulda Shoulda seems strong in those moments. I’m of the belief that you need to be qualified in order to speak into someone’s life. If you are not a business owner or have no degree or background in business, then you really have no business telling someone how to run their start up. Many people who aren’t qualified have been speaking into Kingdom member’s lives and the results have been nothing less than catastrophic. People have been sent on a path that the Lord didn’t send them on (You are supposed to preach) or buckling under the pressure of legalism and uptightness, many leave the church altogether. Bottom line: Don’t tell people to Preach the Gospel if you aren’t doing the same thing, and even if you are, encourage someone in a way that challenges and edifies them. I know that a lot of time it may not look like it, but we are on the same team. Let’s act like it and encourage one another because the world is watching.
