by Maya Angelou as told to Elise Ballard
We are loved by Love itself. There is nothing good that we can’t do.
The truth is everybody probably has 250 epiphanies. The way you’re changed at ten prepares you to be changed again at fifteen, but you couldn’t have been changed at fifteen had you not had that change at ten. You see what I mean? Epiphany builds upon epiphany.
When I was maybe twenty-two or so, I was studying voice, and the voice teacher lived in my house and rented from me. He taught a number of accomplished actresses and singers, and they all studied in my house.
Once a month, the voice teacher asked us to come together and read from a book called Lessons in Truth. We all would read a page, or a half a page, whatever he assigned. And at one point, I was reading and read the line, “God loves me.”
And he stopped me and said, “Read it again.”
So I read it again: “God loves me.”
He said, “Again.”
And suddenly I became embarrassed. I was young and black, and everybody else was white and accomplished. And I felt he was really embarrassing me. Putting me on the spot. So I read it with ferocity—forcefully: “GOD. LOVES. ME.”
And, at that moment, I knew it. I knew it!
I thought, “God? That which made bees and mountains and water? That? Loves me? Maya Angelou? Well then, there’s nothing I can’t do. I can do anything good.”
Even now, telling you this some fifty years later, it still brings goose bumps to me. I could weep with joy at the knowledge that I am loved by Love itself.
What is the good you can do right now?
Dr. Maya Angelou is a celebrated African-American poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, actress, producer, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.
About the Epiphany Series:
This article is an excerpt from my book, Epiphany: True Stories of Sudden Insight to Inspire, Encourage, and Transform. To buy the book or read more, please CLICK HERE.
About the author:
Elise Ballard’s book, Epiphany, contains amazing stories of fascinating people from from all walks of life resulting from her asking everyone the same question: What is Your Greatest Epiphany In Life? With 100′s of interviews from world-renown figures, thought leaders and performers such as Maya Angelou, Dr. Oz, Desmond Tutu, Deepak Chopra and Barry Manilow to people such as a former inmate, leading psychologists, an elementary school teacher, homemakers, business leaders and many more, these epiphany stories not only contain great wisdom and insights but will also perhaps inspire epiphanies or cause you to remember epiphanies of your own. You can also visit her website, EpiphanyChannel.com, to learn more about the project and share your epiphanies.
