(Todd A. Smith)
When Noah began constructing his ark in preparation for the great flood, people laughed at him and thought he had lost his cotton-picking mind.
Who could blame them when people had never even seen rain?
But when God gives a person a great assignment, He often will have that person prepare long ahead of time.
The Shannon Sharpe rape allegation lawsuit is a prime example of why people need to move strategically to take advantage of God’s blessings.
If they do not, Satan will often use every mistake and every flaw to destroy everything that a person has built.
Matt Moret of The New York Times reported, “A Nevada woman is suing Hall of Fame tight end and media personality Shannon Sharpe for more than $50 million, alleging he raped and threatened her during a two-year relationship.
“The lawsuit, filed Sunday in a Las Vegas District Court by attorney Tony Buzbee, seeks damages for ‘pain and suffering, psychological and emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment, and humiliation.’”
Sharpe has called the allegations a “shakedown.”
Days before the lawsuit became public, rumors began circling that Sharpe was nearing a $100 million podcast deal.
In addition to working on ESPN’s “First Take” with star sports media personality Stephen A. Smith, Sharpe hosts the wildly successful podcasts “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap,” which also stars former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
On “Nightcap,” the former football players discuss the latest sports games and other issues.
On “Club Shay Shay,” Sharpe interviews the biggest stars in Hollywood and politics, such as comedian Katt Williams and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
On April 24, Sharpe voluntarily stepped away from his “First Take” duties.
The Savannah State University graduate also has a successful liquor brand.
Despite all the blessings that came his way in recent years, Sharpe made mistakes with his actions and the company that he chose to keep.
I will not discuss innocence or guilt because that will be up to the judicial system.
If he is guilty, he will face the consequences.
If the alleged rape victim is lying, she should face extreme consequences as well.
But Sharpe should never have allowed himself to be in this position in the first place.
If a person has a relationship with Jesus Christ, He will make their calling clear as day.
He often will show a person their future greatness beforehand.
While he might not tell the person how difficult the road will be, that “called” person will know the destination if they faint not.
Therefore, people with greatness in their future must begin making the right decisions immediately.
Almost 20 years ago, God let me know He had something different for me.
I did not know what all would be involved with that.
However, I began moving in my purpose.
I made sure I did not say crazy things on social media.
I made sure I did not say crazy things in text messages.
I made sure I removed haters, users and manipulators from my circle.
I only socialize with people who I feel have my best interests.
And the minute God shows me that a “friend” is not a true friend, I dismiss them even though I might not want to.
Although I have come nowhere near my destination, I worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let anyone ruin my future.
When the young accuser told Sharpe she wanted to have his big Black babies, he should have known he was involved with a gold digger.
When they started engaging in all that role-playing, his antenna should have gone up.
Even if just role-playing, a big Black dude cannot joke about choking a little White lady.
In the technological age we currently live in, one must assume that all conversations are recorded and all text messages are saved.
Therefore, talking about something that could be illegal is not the play.
Regardless, God is so good that He often provides His children with warnings and exits well before destruction visits their home.
Sharpe received warnings from guests on “Club Shay Shay” like comedians Mo’Nique and Williams.
Mo’Nique advised Sharpe on the type of woman he should seek at his age and position in life.
Williams warned him that once Black men reach a certain height, the haters will come to put them back in their place.
Although he has never appeared on “Club Shay Shay,” fellow podcaster B. High said, after the lawsuit emerged, if a person does everything correctly, he does not have to worry about haters coming to rain on their parade.
If a person has no skeletons in their closet, dirt cannot be exposed because their life is clean.
Therefore, their reputation will remain clean.
If a person’s life remains clean, the only way people can sully their reputation is if they make up something salacious.
Hopefully, those false allegations can be easily refuted.
If a man does not involve themselves with random women, a rape allegation is impossible.
If a person does nothing illegal, a legal case against them will eventually go nowhere.
However, when a person does dirt, they must always look over their shoulder.
They must hope that their dirt does not get exposed.
They must hope that past indiscretions do not ruin their reputation and future business opportunities.
Although none of us is perfect, if we do what God commands us to do, then we can avoid the drama that Sharpe currently finds himself in.
The way we live our lives and make decisions might look strange to someone who does not know our calling.
But it will all make sense by and by.
