Prayer Edition | Day 4 | Diamond Reynolds

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” - 2 Timothy 1:7

I saw a beautiful photo story about Diamond. The artist said that cinema has to do a better job showing the tenderness of Black lives. I thought about it and remembered the single best moment in cinematic history is when Denzel Washington looked wickedness in the face, flexed his back, and braced his heart for an act of terrorism. You remember.  His "ally", Matthew Broderick, ordered the use of violence to inject fear into the heart of this free Black man. Denzel resisted. And with a single tear of defiance, he became fearless. Fear is the greatest tool of white supremacy. So today, we honor a real spiritual warrior. A woman named Diamond Reynolds, who refused to be paralyzed by fear and found a way to speak.

Spiritual Warrior of the Day:

On July 6, 2016, Diamond Reynolds watched the murder of her boyfriend Philando Castille. The officer's gun was still drawn. Pointing in the car at her and her 4-year-old daughter. At that moment, Diamond got snatched up by a spirit of love and became fearless. She pressed record to tell the world what was happening to her family. It was an act of raw and radical love.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear." - 1 John 4:18

Once it was over, Diamond folded into soft tears.  Unafraid, once again to show us a Black woman. Vulnerable. Real. Soft.

That is spiritual warriorship.

Do not give them your humanity. Don't stop crying. Don't stop loving. In fact, love harder.  ...your children, your neighbors, your soul mates, your self, your God. Your love is perfect. Black women, don't fold into darkness. Your love is our light. Rock with it. Roll with it. Wail if you have to. Tell the world what is happening to us. Shout it out. Don't hold it in. 

That's what Diamond taught us. 

It's no wonder she calls herself Lavish Reynolds. She IS lavish. Thick with humanity. Thick with loving-kindness. Thick with inextinguishable joy. With radical vulnerability. With supreme love and light. And at point-blank range, fear could not win over her love.

Join GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp - The Prayer Edition at blackhistorybootcamp.com to receive specially curated emails with prayers, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. Together we will discover the stories of 21 spiritual warriors.


Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or interview excerpt played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:

Speak to My Heart - Donnie McClurkin:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3nAwU0F5Tb3wdeSa2mAMe5?si=DOFURVDgQIer2L35tkbJVg

Everlasting God - William Murphy:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3ypSY1hp9s6k1xzZ6OSCTH?si=Wk1Q72-uR0-O6zz0PiEilA

Diamond Reynolds | Iyanla: Fix My Life | OWN:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INZ5VdRQ10s