Flying with Broken Wings

By Dr. Robert Smith Jr.

We live in a world of broken people burdened by the pain of unresolved conflicts, mourning unrealized dreams. It matters not if youre African American, Hispanic, a person of color from the Caribbean or elsewhere in the world, Asian, White, single, married, affluent, whether you live on a fixed income, reside in an upscale hamlet or community plagued by social and economic neglect. It matters not if you were raised by a single mother or father, or achieved academic success or failed to complete the tenth grade. So many brothers and sisters are among the walking wounded. Men and women tortured, traumatized by past and present events in their lives that have cast a dark shadow over their sense of internal security and healthy perspective on who they are as human beings.

My thesis is this: every person, regardless of the circumstances of his or her life, has value and worth. Simply stated, you are somebody because of your uniqueness. Every human being has talents, special abilities, and temperament that benefit a community, family, or society.

This book is not aimed specifically at faith communities, whether Christian, Jewish, or disciples of Islam, though on a visceral level, I hope my words touch brothers and sisters trying to fit into a group to lift their self-image, brothers and sisters who heard negativity in the voices of their childhood repeated ad nauseam: You are nothing. Youre not as smart as your brother or sister.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514451052

Dr. Robert Smith Jr.

Dr. Robert A. Smith Jr. received his doctorate of theology from Slidell Baptist Seminary in Louisiana and a master of divinity at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut and has had advanced training in psychotheraphy from the Alfred Adler Institute in New York City. A retired substance abuse specialist from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where he was responsible for development of patient treatment plans for recovery, patient orientation, and individual counseling and seminar speaker on topics of social relevance and bereavement counseling, Dr. Smith was also the group facilitator addressing such topics as self-esteem, healthy lifestyle, and reconnecting with faith. His ministerial tasks included pre- and postmarriage counseling, Bible study, preaching, and pastoral counseling, among others. In four decades of ministry, Rev. Dr. Smith has pastored at prestigious churches in the metropolitan New York area and taken the gospel to New England, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Northern New York State. In 2002, he founded Church of the Savior in the Bronx, New York, with the expressed mission of proclaiming salvation in Jesus Christ to the broken, neglected, and unloved men and women searching for wholeness and forgiveness. Dr. Smith is a firm believer that every human being, despite their circumstance, has special abilities that benefit a community, family, or society. From his humble beginnings in Brooklyn, New York, to his acceptance to the prestigious Fairfield University despite failing grades in high school, he is a testament that anyone can fly with broken wings if they believe in the Living God. Dr. Smith is married to Theresa Marie, his gifted partner whose love and commitment to Christ made aspects of ministry a reality. He is also the proud father of three children, who love him despite his imperfections. Dr. Robert A. Smith Jr. can be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Dr. Robert Smith, Jr.

Cover image by David Hawkins

Edited by Rozaan Boone

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016900773

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-5107-6

                Softcover        978-1-5144-5106-9

                eBook             978-1-5144-5105-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Rev. date: 01/13/2016

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CONTENTS

1. Birthplace

2. Somebody helped this brother!

3. What happens when your plants die?

4. The more you explain yourself, less you are understood

5. ...And God said yes to my destiny

Foreword

First and foremost, this effort is dedicated to two of the most extraordinary people I have ever known, my parents, Dorothy Louise Smith and Robert A. Smith, Sr.

My mother nurtured me in her womb, and since I was a young boy encouraged me to do more in order to make a positive contribution to my community, larger human family and individuals struggling with fractured self-esteem.

She instructed me to be humble, to never brag about my accomplishments, never mention who I know and to always be thankful for the blessings I receive from God.

My father honored me by giving me his name. He was a tireless provider for me and seven siblings, and his short life of fifty years was a testimony to Grace under Fire. This quiet giant endured racism, unequal pay, fought every day of his life to maintain self-worth, a positive perspective on life, and to feed his faith in the Living God, his strength and hope.

And to my friend and brother in Christ, Dr. Michael Thornburgh, former chair of the Religious Studies Department at my alma mater, Fairfield University in Connecticut. Dr. Thornburgh was a brilliant church historian and committed Christian who taught me to think critically, to always be intellectually curious, to embrace truth and to serve the Lord with all my heart, mind and strength.

To my wife, Theresa Marie, a gift from God, who gave me the freedom to explore and create something out of nothing.

To my children, Mark, Randy and Jah'Mila, who love me despite my imperfections.

To my aunts, Margaret Lake and Mildred Jackson, who have loved me from birth to this very moment in my existence. I will love them even...when the white wings of death shall separate our days.

Introduction

Flying with Broken Wings

The eloquent 19th Century writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau in his classic American novel, Walden Pond, made an observation about the plight of people in the town of Concord, Massachusetts in the 1830's which is applicable today, The mass of men [and women] live lives of quiet desperation.

We live in a world of broken people burdened by the pain of unresolved conflicts, mourning unrealized dreams. It matters not if you're African American, Hispanic, a person of color from the Caribbean or elsewhere in the world, Asian, White, single, married, affluent, whether you live on a fixed income, reside in an upscale hamlet or community plagued by social and economic neglect; it matters not if you were raised by a single mother or father, achieved academic success or failed to complete the tenth grade. So many brothers and sisters are among the walking wounded. Men and women tortured, traumatized by past and present events in their lives that have cast a dark shadow over their sense of internal security and healthy perspective on who they are as human beings.

My thesis is this -- every person, regardless of the circumstances of his or her life, has value and worth. Simply stated: You are somebody because of your uniqueness. Every human being has talents, special abilities and temperament that benefit a community, family or society.

This book is not aimed specifically at faith communities, whether Christian, Jewish or disciples of Islam, though on a visceral level, I hope my words touch brothers and sisters trying to fit into a group to lift their self-image; brothers and sisters who heard negativity in the voices of their childhood repeated ad nauseam: You are nothing. You're not as smart as your brother or sister.

There are men and women whose achievements are both recognized and celebrated. Why? Living vicariously through the accomplishments of others enables us to live out or escape our own humdrum lives. Painfully, too many of us live in the shadow of life instead of in the sunshine of self-actualization.

The reality of achievement does not mean successful people do not have deep-rooted scars or demons they were never able to exorcise. The landscape is littered with the corpses of people who made us laugh, moved us with their music, touched us with performances on the big screen that left us in awe of their talents.

The late Whitney Houston died of a drug overdose. Her voice, kissed by God, now silenced forever. Robin Williams, whose comic genius made us laugh, committed suicide. Academy Award winner Phillip Hoffman, a brilliant character actor, died of over-consumption of heroin. What did the aforementioned celebrities have in common? Perhaps the lack of self-love, always needing public applause, a constant need for attention that diminished the ability to celebrate their existence.

How many of us have risen successfully out of the dungeons of traumas, disconnections, the oceans of tears that flooded our faces, even from being labeled maladjusted? Risen above an economic system that views us as disposable, or worst, irrelevant, the least likely to rise to impact society?

The autobiographies of Dr. Maya Angelou, Dr. Ben Carson, President Barack Obama, Rev. Al Sharpton, Stevie Wonder, James Earl Jones, Harriet Tubman, and Fanny Lou Hamer have a common thread woven through them. Each experienced early childhood depravity. For some, like Dr. Angelou, it was sexual assault resulting in withdrawal and silence for several years.

President Obama was abandoned by his father which could have left deep scars on his self-image if left unaddressed, could have put him on a path of destruction, aborting his improbable journey to the presidency. Instead, he gathered strength from people who loved him.

Rev. Al Sharpton, overweight as a teenager, mocked by his peers because of his processed hair and weight, forged a life as a civil rights leader, and host of a nationally-watched news program, touching lives positively. His story reminds us it's not where you start, but how you finish that counts.

Stevie Wonder, totally blind from birth, could have spent his life lamenting the loss of his sight. However, through the gift of music, he brought hope and courage to people across the world who experienced poverty, rejection, disappointment and lack of opportunity to utilize their God-given gifts.

Academy Award-winning actor James Earl