Quotes that Hit Different - Lisa Yancey

“ You can’t have a breakthrough without breaking something…” Lisa Yancey

I remember thinking that I was this perfect little Muslim girl in training…thinking that I was doing all that Allah asked of me…perfectly. Fasting (check) Prayers (check) Homeschooling (check) Charity (check) Teaching at Mosque (check) Volunteering (check) Modest clothing (check) Literally thought I was that Proverbs 31 chick. Ok, I was Thing is, it didn’t protect me from a damn thing. I still suffered. In the midst of a trial I was told that I had a transactional relationship with God…on some quid pro quo. I was at my lowest and was really fucking pissed at the god I’d been acquainted with…you know the one that promises you a buncha shit if you act in a certain way. What had to be broken in me was religious arrogance…a pair of rose colored glasses…polytheism and a limited patriarchal capitalist understanding of the Divine taught by purveyors of flawed religious ideologies...that are not rooted in Divine revelation. I’m still coming back…piecing together all the shards…knowing that that god isn’t my God. Today, my understanding of the term, “May Allah sufficient” means nurturing an authentic relationship with the Divine. Simply put, knowing that I don’t have to accept a narrow version of the higher power is one of my breakthroughs. Knowing that I don’t need a conduit to access what is Divine is one of my breakthroughs. Though I’m still navigating my understanding…I am now…years later…grateful for the breaks that lead to my breakthroughs....and healing.