One of my favorite hymns is the one titled, “Just a Little Talk with Jesus”. It was originally written in 1937 by Cleavant Derricks, and has since been re-recorded by numerous artists and orchestras. I first heard it sang by Willie Nelson from my grandpa Lyle’s stereo when I was a very little girl, and it’s stuck with me ever since.

Nowadays, whenever I find myself feeling stressed or freaked out, I think of that song and take its advice:

“Now, let us have a little talk with Jesus

Let us tell Him all about our troubles. 

He will hear our faintest cry

And He will answer by and by.

When you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’

And you know a little fire is burnin’,

You’ll find that a little talk with Jesus makes it right.”

Unfortunately, I don’t always like what God has to say, especially lately. As important as prayer is to me, sometimes, God answers in ways that I can’t stand. As I said before, I feel that God has been really urging me to use my voice and my influence for good, which goes completely against my quiet, private nature. 

However, there are problems in this country that I simply cannot ignore, and that have been weighing down on my heart for years. Literally years. Now, it’s reached a boiling point, especially since I’m a university student majoring in STEM, at a very contentious time in our country’s history.