Don't Stop Believing
March 17th , 2010
I got to tell you, I miss my mother every day. I have never felt a pain like this, or missed someone so much and so hard. It is the single most difficult thing I've ever had to endure in my life. Some days I don't want to get out of bed and, the truth of the matter is, if I wouldn't have booked this tour, I wouldn't be leaving the house at all.
I performed last night in Milwaukee and as I was leaving the Arena, I was caught in the traffic of all the people leaving. I sat there behind the tinted windows looking at thousands of people leaving the venue. So many smiling faces and happy people, couples holding hands and children running and laughing. I saw several buses in front of the venue loading the elderly. It brought tears to my eyes because I know that while so many think that they came to get something from me, the truth is they gave me so much more. The joy and laughter and happiness are contagious. It's great having something meaningful to do; something that gives me joy. God bless you for that. You are helping me to find my way through a very rough time.
Seeing all of the folks that enjoy what I do, all over this country is so inspirational to me. It moves me, because I remember when nobody was coming to my plays. My first play took 7 years to get off the ground. From 1992 to 1998, I was trying and trying to find an audience. I would put it up in different cities, one show a year, and every time I tried, it failed; (or what I thought was failure, now I see that it was all a part of the success). I wanted to give up so many times. So many people told me it wouldn't work; so many people made it their business to convince me to give up on my dreams. But I didn't give up. I kept moving. With no one being there, I kept believing; when I got down, I would pray even harder. I think I wore God down about that show!...LOL. So glad He heard my prayers. It scares me to think where I would be if I had given up. WOW! What a thought…if I had given up, you wouldn't be reading this right now. Thank you Jesus for faith. All of that to say...don't stop believing!
I woke up this morning with this question for you, and think about this...What brings you Joy? What dreams have you abandoned because it got too hard or you failed at them? People will often tell you what you can't do; they will try to discourage YOU from reaching for your goals...even the ones that are closest to you will say things that hurt the most, but, whatever you do...DON'T STOP BELIEVING!
God didn't give your friends and family your vision - He gave it to you. You have to try. I think that is why there are so many unhappy people. I think so many people have walked away from their dreams because it got too hard; they stopped believing because they got discouraged...don't stop believing!
Every miracle in my life started with someone telling me what I could not do.
TP
I have to agree, I think people have stopped believing in themselves, resulting in downward spirals that ultimately cause needless trials and trouble on every side. We struggle to believe that God actually has a plan and purpose for our life. Tyler Perry's trust in God and his confidence in himself opened doors that the Bible says "No man can shut!"
I attended Tyler Perry's play, "Madea's Big Happy Family", last night at the BiLo Center in Greenville, SC and I laughed and cried and laughed again for two hours straight. I left the BiLo Center feeling encouraged and full of joy. The audience was comprised of people of all races, ages and genders yet we laughed in perfect unison and cried in grand harmony like the most beautiful of all the choirs I have ever heard.
A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick. Prov 17:22
