This is dedicated to the queens who are already stressed due to the coming week because the weight of their responsibilities and trials are just too heavy to carry. To the women who feel too weak – physically, emotionally, mentally and financially – to continue moving forward. My hope is that this post will adjust your vision to help you realize that you have a resource at your disposal to triumphantly overcome the woes of the world.
Okay, so let's state the not-so-obvious. Technically, you could successfully ride the waves of life without Christ at the center of your life. However, without Him, it would be hard to stay afloat with the weight of your own world trying to hold you down. You see, when life's trials, like when your coworker oversteps their boundaries or when your money is funny, tries to drown you, Christ is like a floatation device keeping you on top of the water.
God is your helper, a true provider. He wants to get you out of sticky situations and into glory with Him. Being a product affected by your surrounding turbulence is only a choice. There's another option which is to elevate above the storm beneath you. With Christ, joy and peace are inevitable.
So, though the mere thought of the week ahead may wear you down, you can still tap into God's supernatural strength, knowledge and abilities to help you kick this week's butt. You will make it through with Christ by your side. All you need to do is believe and surrender yourself to Him.
Here's a prayer of victory to recite when you feel like life's drowning you and you need God's strength to carry you through.
Dear Heavenly Father:
You are marvelous in all your ways. You care so much about your children and never let us do this thing called life alone. Thank you for being all that you are – a healer, provider, protector, enemy-checker, etc. Thank you for showing me what true love is by unconditionally loving me no matter what I'm doing and look like. Right now, I lay down all of my worries and burdens at your feet, Lord God. You are the ultimate source of strength so in the areas where I'm weak, fill me up with your strength. Your Word says that I can do ALL things through YOU who gives me strength. So right now I confidently declare that I can do EVERYTHING that I'm called to do.
Not only will I make it, but I will come out victorious in your name. Therefore I break the chains of depression, frustration, impatience, insecurity and pride. I break the chains of fear of the unknown and the lack of resources. You've promised that you won't let your children be without and every promise you make is filled, so I know that you will come through with the resources I lack. Thank you for being a promise keeper and my light in every dark tunnel. Thank you for the victory that we know is coming.
In Jesus' name, amen.
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Featured image by Shutterstock
The visual album is a little over 40 minutes long, but in that short amount of time, it taps into many of the multihyphenate’s emotions and experiences, like unhealthy relationships, therapy, family dynamics, and more – all while showcasing Keke’s bops and fire dance moves. One scene that resonated with me most is when she walks into a music studio with someone in the music industry she thought she could trust, played by Harlem’sRobert Ri'chard.
You expect to be greeted by the studio norms, but instead, the room is filled with dead animals and people eating raw meat, while everyone is strangely oblivious to it. Just from that startling scene, it’s clear that her experience within the music industry was a dark one. She explains, saying, “The biggest struggle, simply put, was misogyny and politics, just trying to get people on board with you, people are so clicky and don’t see success for you. It’s just a lot of drama that’s not based on talent, and it gets really exhausting and tears at your spirit.
Keke Palmer
Photo courtesy of Keke Palmer
She continues, “Every artist is sensitive and trying to grow, learn, and be safe in their career, and it’s constantly halted with all of the other stuff. The people I was choosing to be around were not for me. It’s the same people that continued the negative narrative that I became conditioned with from my first record deal.”
As the art continues to dig into what she went through in the industry. It also explores her personal relationships with loved ones and how she unpacked them through therapy. In one emotional scene, she opens up about not fitting in. She tells her mother: “I feel trapped. It’s like knowing exactly who you are, and everyone’s looking at you and seeing something different.” I don’t know if it was the fact that Mama Palmer was actually playing herself or the power of Keke’s words, but it felt very honest, and it made me wonder where it stemmed from.
She expounded on the scene, saying, “Everybody is perceived as someone now in the social media era, but I was coming from my own personal story, growing up in front of people and being seen since I was a kid. I can never go back from that; I can never be a new person again. I’m always going to be whoever people invented me to be. My mom used to say this quote to me, ‘never let other people’s perception of you be a perception of yourself,’ that is hard to do. But I finally had to live up to the quote and resist the temptation to allow people to tell me who I’m going to be and what’s there for me, which specifically happens a lot in the music industry.”
"My mom used to say this quote to me, ‘never let other people’s perception of you be a perception of yourself,’ that is hard to do. But I finally had to live up to the quote and resist the temptation to allow people to tell me who I’m going to be and what’s there for me, which specifically happens a lot in the music industry.”
You can tell sis is feeling real liberated, and the art isn’t the only reason. She credits the love from her relationship and son for sparking something new in her. “I have such a beautiful bond with my mother, but it’s not something I thought I could realistically have outside of my family,” the new mom explains. “The kind of unconditional support and love they give me is so selfless. I just wanted a partner that felt like my family – one that wasn’t burdened or intimidated by my success, and I think hoping that and thinking about it brought it into my life.”
Keke also feels like motherhood has impacted her creatively and brings a sense of peace. “Nothing is more important to me than my son. It’s this sense of ease because there’s nothing I care about more than him. Everything will be okay. That ease has brought tons of inspiration, courage, and power,” she says. “He’s my everything. At one time, all I had was my career, then it went to building a bond with my partner, and that was the beginning of me really having something of my own. It’s not a part of entertainment; it’s my family, so for that to keep growing, it just makes me that much more creative and full.”
Keke Palmer
Photo courtesy of Keke Palmer
Wait a second – speaking of things her son gave her. We had to get into her mom-bod. Like many, motherhood has changed her body, and the Millennial Diva looks bomb AF, while she mentioned being appreciative of all the love she’s getting online about it, it made us discuss the pressure women sometimes face trying to fit an aesthetic.
“I think I’ve always been body conscious because so much is about your body in the industry. But after having my son – I’m just like, who gives a shit? I still want to be on point because that’s part of my industry. But I think a lot of moms feel that snapback culture because of celebrities and social media.
She continues, “I try to stay on point because of the opportunities I want, but it’s never to the point where it’s life and death. I think there’s a level of confidence I have in this new body. It’s really about how I feel inside, more than what it looks like outside. I never thought I would have this (hips, thighs, and etc.), but now it’s here, and I’m so confident. I feel better than ever.”
“I think I’ve always been body conscious because so much is about your body in the industry. But after having my son – I’m just like, who gives a shit? I still want to be on point because that’s part of my industry. But I think a lot of moms feel that snapback culture because of celebrities and social media."
From Barbershop and Akeelah and the Bee to Nope and Hustlers to the endless viral digital moments, Keke continuously works and keeps us entertained. But one of my personal favorite things about her is how inspiring she is, and the Big Boss music and film is a clear example of that. “I think I’ve seen a lot of benefits to the seeds I’ve sown. I overcame a lot. Specifically, I’m not afraid to be my biggest champion. I’m not in a place where I need people to agree. I feel so secure, and that was kinda the energy that we [her and her EP, Grammy award-winning Tricky Stewart] put into the project.
This Big Boss era is ultimately about ownership, independence, and strength. There’s been moments in my life where there might have been hesitation or confusion, but now everything is solution-based.” Keke embodies the idea that you can do what you love with who you love on your terms. And I really love this Big Boss Era for her and can’t wait to add the music to my playlist. It’s giving, summer 2023 is gonna be one for the books!
Big Boss, the film is available Friday, May 12, 2023, exclusively on KeyTV and available for streaming wherever you stream your music.
Keke Palmer Presents: Big Boss | Full Film
Listen to & Download #BigBoss the album now: https://vydia.lnk.to/Big_Boss#BigBoss is the remarkable true story of #KekePalmer, a young woman from Chicago wh...Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image courtesy of Keke Palmer
