Y'all, let me tell you something that happened during our Culver's mukbang that really caught me off guard. We were sitting there eating our burgers, having a good time, and somehow the conversation took a turn that I was NOT prepared for.
So we started talking about how Darius has changed since high school, right? And I mentioned - because it's TRUE - that ever since he went off to that PWI (that's a predominantly white institution for those who don't know), I noticed something different about him. Now, I wasn't talking about his education or anything like that. I was talking about his spirituality, his relationship with God.
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And y'all, this boy looked at me and basically said he don't pray no more!
I said, "You don't pray no more?"
And Darius had the AUDACITY to say, "I never prayed ever."
EXCUSE ME?! I know that's a lie because I raised this child in the church! This is the same boy who used to know all the Bible verses, all the books of the Bible. He could recite them! Genesis, Exodus, Numbers... he knew them ALL. He was such a good baby in church, telling people to stop lying and everything. He was so spiritual!
Now, I tried to get him to say grace before we ate our food, and he's acting like saying grace is not even prayer. He told me, "Saying grace to me is not prayer, Mom." Can you believe that?
I even tested him on the books of the Bible during the video - Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth - and he could barely remember them! He was trying to tell me there's a "Book of Joseph" which is NOT a thing, Darius!
Look, let me be clear about something. My kids - ALL of them - we raised them in Christ. We raised them as a Christian family. That's just what it is. Now, when they get older, they're gonna do what they want to do. I can't control that. But that's not to say you don't stop praying for them, because trust me, they need Jesus. They need help too, right?
And Darius was sitting there trying to tell me about how going to college changed his perspective on things. He called it different "experiences" or whatever. But I'm telling you, something shifted when he went to that PWI as an adult. It's different when you're a kid versus when you're an adult experiencing these things.
At one point in the video, I literally said "I rebuke you, Satan!" because he was coming at me sideways about this whole thing. And he got offended! He said, "Mom, I am not a heathen!" But then he's sitting here telling me he don't pray?
The thing is, y'all, I noticed this change had been happening. There were signs. Like when he'd say grace, he wouldn't really put his heart into it. Or he'd be like, "I already did it, Mom" when I know good and well he didn't. And I'd just let it slide because... what am I gonna do? He's 22 years old now.
But hearing him actually admit it out loud in the video? That hit different. That was hard for a mama to hear.
Now, Darius tried to make some argument about how people who don't believe in God still say "bless you" when someone sneezes, so saying grace doesn't mean you're religious. And I'm sitting there like, "That makes no sense to me, Darius!" But he kept insisting that it's just part of American culture or whatever.
We even got into this whole thing about whether or not you can say "God bless you" if you don't believe in God. He was trying to compare it to saying "Merry Christmas" when you're not Christian. And I'm like, "Boy, what are you talking about?"
The conversation got so deep that I had to tell him, "This is gonna be continued... this is a whole different conversation for a different day." Because y'all, I had A LOT to say, but I was trying to hold back on my own channel. I wasn't about to get into a full theological debate in the middle of a Culver's mukbang!
But one thing I made VERY clear: Just because they choose to do what they want to do with their spirituality now that they're adults, that doesn't mean I stop praying for them. Period. Dot.
And when Darius said "period," I corrected him - "It's ON period!" Because that's how serious I am about this. I will continue to pray for my children whether they like it or not, whether they're praying themselves or not.
Y'all, this is the reality of raising kids in this generation. You do your best. You raise them in the church. You teach them the Word. You take them to service every Sunday. And then they go off to college, they experience the world, and they come back... different.
It's hard. It really is. But all you can do is continue to love them, continue to pray for them, and trust that the seeds you planted when they were young will eventually grow back.
That's all I'm gonna say about that for now. But trust me, we WILL be having a longer conversation about this in the future. And it's gonna be very interesting, too.
Pray for my baby, y'all. Pray for Darius. He needs it! 🙏
