8 Things a Christian Could Learn from a Crip named Nipsey
Considering I was not a fan of Nipsey Hussle’s music, I did not want to hop on the Mourner’s bench acting like a true fan. However, a few months before His death, I started watching videos of the man behind the music. I became an admirer of Nipsey’s love or entrepreneurship, ownership, technology, and innovation. After hearing of his murder, I found myself weeping for days. His murder forced me to revisit some unhealed wounds of my childhood. Trying to make sense of Nipsey’s murder took me back to my old porch, bedroom, or corner store. Those were the places I would try to make sense of the news of another brother, homie, and friend being killed. His untimely death forced me to mourn his loss and those I was too traumatized to mourn growing up. The way Nipsey died reminded me of all the good guys whose life was taken by someone who shared the same set with them. As I spent the last week or so learning more about his store and his devotion to his family, there are 8 things I gleaned from his experience on earth:
When you are focused on doing a great work, the praise of people is not what is important. There was a confidence that Nipsey exuded when he talked about the vision he had for his community. He did not wait for people to catch on and applaud him. He stayed low key and made great moves without making a grand announcement about it.
Most people who know you will not honor you until you are dead. When Nipsey died celebrities suddenly started wearing his clothes, visiting his store, and posting pictures to show that they were associated with the man. Suddenly the world had so many great things to say about him. I wonder what impact he could have truly had if they honored him before his passing. I wonder how many stores could he have opened employing formerly incarcerated people around the nation, had they deemed his life worthy of honor before it was taken. His death was a reminder to support people while they are alive and honor them while they live.
Use your talent to fund your dreams. Nipsey discovered he could rap, believed his rap skills were so dope that he charged $100.00 for a mixtape. The money from that project helped fund other things such as his store, official album, and what would have been his greatest gift to his community to date, Too Big To Fail STEM Center (https://www.toobigtofail.org/). Nipsey knew his talent was merely a vehicle to get him in a position to do what truly gave his heart joy.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics will always be around, and its worth your energy, money, and time to invest in one or all of them. Nipsey had started using his influence to teach his fans and followers about cryptocurrencies, coding, and other things. He was trying to get people to see beyond their present state and start investing into the future. He wanted his community to have access to the same information that was putting others lightyears ahead in the Tech world. This reminded me that the responsibility of obtaining knowledge is sharing it with others, and it would be wise to invest money in places that will have a presence in the future.
Investing in your community ensures a win for everyone. Nipsey Hussle loved his community, and he showed that love by investing into it. He showed that love by employing the people who lived in it. He showed that love by pouring into others. By choosing to employ the formerly incarcerated, he helped them see they had options. By becoming the owner of the storefront property that held memories of racism and police brutality gave hope that better days were ahead.
When you die your net worth will not be shared at your funeral. The only thing that will be shared will be the experiences people had with you while you were here. Nipsey Hussle was a man who put on for his city. I read countless stories about how he helped children, families, and the formerly incarcerated. Those who shared stories about him at his funeral talked about how honored they were to know him and experience life with him. No one mentioned his bank account. They only talked about how rich he was as a human soul. He had so much wealth to give that it overflowed on them, and it inspired them to want and to do better.
Jealousy unchecked will make us willing participants in the deaths of true visionaries. There are many theories associated with why Nipsey Hussle was killed. Until evidence is provided, I am going to side with jealousy being the true murderer. Sadly, someone Nipsey knew was responsible for ending his life. When we are envious of others, we will do drastic things in an effort to soothe our insecurities.
The world is desperately in need of a Savior. The funeral brought out the critics, the judge, and the jury. Church folks were upset about the world (specifically Jermaine Dupri) tweeting "I believe Nip was Jesus." Some saints were furious because some people were now burning sage to find peace and ward off negative energy. They were appalled at people subscribing to the idea that they're God. Yet most failed to ask the question, "Why would the world think Nipsey could be Jesus?" Maybe they did it because he had love and compassion for His community. His presence provoked peace. Maybe finding out he used sage gave them some kind of hope for finding peace for themselves. Hearing his mother say, "God is within" was validation for many souls who are desperately in need of it. Instead of seeking to understand them in an effort to educate them, we started attacking their intelligence, condemned them to hell, and etc. We Christians have done a marvelous job of criticizing the lost, and our haughty self-righteous approach has drawn people further away. Truth is, if we as the Church was collectively on our job of spreading the Gospel/making disciples, people would know who Jesus truly is. They would not be in search of a Savior. They would know how peace could be found, and they would be intimately acquainted with God their Creator because of it. However, we're too busy building buildings; fighting for spots on conferences; arguing over doctrine; mic tossing at musicals; and having emotional gatherings with little power being experienced or Gospel truth being taught. If we're going to point a finger, it should be towards ourselves asking "How can I minister effectively to the lost? How can I be a light in a dark place? How can I show them the error of their thinking in a way that respects their experience but ultimately brings them into the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their only Lord and Savior?" May I suggest that if the world doesn't know who Jesus is, it is because we have failed to show them. It wasn't through our criticism that they would know we are His. It's by the love we have one for another (John 13:35), and our world is desperately in need of it.
Nipsey Hussle, like Christians, is proof that redemption is possible. A man who was once a slave to the streets became a king in his community. He did not give much focus to what was, but he gave more thought to what could be. He was 100% flawed, and yet the perfect vessel to fulfill his purpose on earth. Nipsey Hussle the Crip reminds us that we all have past. Nipsey Hussle the man reminds us we determine whether our past motivates us or deters us from creating a better future. In 33 years. he did more for people than most of us ever will. His leg of the race is over but for us the Marathon continues. I pray we all finish strong.