As I was preparing for Women’s History Month, I began researching the amazing women who have made a difference in our world. There are many, but one reminded me of several important life lessons—Harriet Tubman. She was a former slave, an abolitionist, a leader of the Underground Railway, and worked as a cook and a nurse during the Civil War. It is challenging to summarize the life of certain people in bullet points, but there are at least three lessons we can gather from Harriet Tubman’s life:
Lesson One
Before she escaped, Harriet Tubman often prayed that her enslaver would change his ways and grant her her freedom. I found this interesting because while she would pray for an end to his harsh treatment for herself and all enslaved people, he was likely praying to the same God, except his prayer was that his slaves would be better behaved! Which prayers would GEFS (God, Energy, Force, Spirit) answer? Though difficult, the lesson we can learn from Harriet is to pray for those who do us wrong.
Lesson Two
Harriet always claimed to have a very intimate relationship with God. Based on this connection, she claimed to have visions from God, to speak with God, to receive instructions from God, and to have a heightened sense of intuition as a result of that relationship. The lesson we can learn from her is that through our connection with the Divine, we can find answers and guidance to our life issues.
Lesson Three
Finally, it is said that Harriet told people escaping slavery that no matter what happened, they were to keep moving. There is some discussion about exactly what she said, but regardless of the words, her actions spoke. She kept moving and never lost a person whom she was guiding to freedom. This is deeply important for those of us who have experienced difficulty. Obstacles can often seem insurmountable, but our charge is to keep moving forward.