I am an unashamed, unapologetic, and unwavering member of the Beehive. For the culturally uninformed, that means I am a Beyonce fan. LOL

I say fan, but perhaps admirer and student may be closer to the truth. I admire her commitment to excellence, her passion for performance, and her embrace of her African American heritage. And I am a student of her career. She has achieved lasting success in a notorious toxic environment, and has done so with both attitude and elan. I have always been curious about the thinking behind the choices that she has made. Beyonce rarely gives interviews, so I was thrilled that while sitting in the lobby during a recent visit to the doctor, a well worn copy of Harper’s Bazaar with the Queen B on the cover lay on the table beside me.

The issue features an interview that she gave almost a year ago, and is full of precious insight explaining some of the decisions that have shaped her success. Here is one particularly helpful paragraph:

Throughout my career, I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life….It can be easy to lose yourself very quickly in this industry. It takes your spirit and light, then spits you out. I’ve seen it countless times, not only with celebrities but also producers, directors, executives, etc. It’s not for everyone. Before I started, I decided that I’d only pursue this career if my self-worth was dependent on more than celebrity success. I’ve surrounded myself with honest people who I admire, who have their own lives and dreams and are not dependent on me. People I can grow and learn from and vice versa. In this business, so much of your life does not belong to you unless you fight for it. I’ve fought to protect my sanity and my privacy because the quality of my life depended on it.

The primary takeaway from this paragraph is that in order to be successful, you must protect yourself. You must be intentional and ferocious about ensuring that whatever environment that you are in does not “take your spirit and light” and then “spit you out.” Beyonce is warning us about parasites. And parasites do not just abound in the music industry. They nest in every conceivable corner of our lives.

A parasite is an organism that lives on or off of another organism. The organism that the parasites lives on or off is called the host. The parasite usually has no internal molecular structure, but adapts itself to the host, and gets it food from or at the expense of the host. The parasite gradually reduces the fitness of the host, until it is irreparably damaged and can no longer provide the sustenance that the parasite requires. There are 3 major types of parasites:

1. Parasites that live on the surface of the host.

2. Parasite that live inside the host.

3. Parasites that live off of other parasites.

Common examples of parasites are lice, leeches, and ticks. But as you have probably guessed, the world of parasites is much larger than just insects. There are multitudes of people (of various cultures and class) who are parasites. And many of them live in your house, work on your job, go to your church, and follow you on social media.

The biblical paradigm of human parasites is a man named Lot. Lot was the nephew of Abraham, who the Bible calls the friend of God. Lot’s father Haran died, and perhaps out of sympathy, Abraham allowed Lot to tag along when God told him to leave his country and his kindred and follow him to a land that God would show him. In the early chapters of Abraham’s life, the Bible informs us that Lot was always around. Everywhere Abraham went, Lot went. In Genesis 12:4, Genesis 13:1, and Genesis, we read that wherever Abraham went, “Lot went with him.” As a result, Lot became extremely wealthy.

Abraham was the host. Lot was the parasite. Eventually, their relationship introduced a level of conflict that Abraham could no longer tolerate, and order to protect his sanity and his destiny, Genesis 13:8-9 tells us that Abraham decided to separate from Lot.

Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives. The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left

After this decision, the scriptures informs us that God showed up, and made Abraham an incredible promise. Genesis 13:13-16 says:

After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possessionAnd I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!

Notice that this promise was only given AFTER Lot was gone.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I already know that you have some parasites in your life. What I don’t know is how much longer you are going to allow them to prohibit and inhibit your progress. It is my sincere prayer that it won’t be too much longer.

The parasites in your life are holding up your next blessing!