If it’s any famous person that I hope has a movie to tell their story it has to be Tyler Perry. Through all of the Madea plays / movies that have been released, plus movies that has shown black culture, Perry has become an inspiration for so many African Americans and future directors. With his major success and somewhat new location of his movie studio, Tyler recently was able to add to his list of success that he now has his own highway sign in Atlanta. Recently posted on Instagram, Perry made, I feel, the whole city of Atlanta smile as many are dealing with the gentrification growing throughout the metro Atlanta area. Perry contributes his success to “Pray, Work, Believe and Repeat” and his story will almost bring a tear to your eye from his instagram post.
Right before Labor Day weekend kicked off, Perry posted a picture of a sign being changed off Langford Parkway to now read Tyler Perry Studios, East Point. Replacing the name Fort McPherson which used to be the home of confederate soldiers. On Instagram, Perry caption the picture with an inspiration story about his success and life.
Driving into work today I saw these signs on the highways being changed. My eyes filled with water knowing what God has allowed to happen in my life.
Atlanta has truly been the promised land for me. I came here with nothing, lived off Sylvan Road, ended up homeless and starving, but I was always praying and believing. I was always keeping the faith, knowing that if I worked hard, did my absolute best, kept my integrity, honored every blessing, and remained grateful through it all that everything would work out. And it has, thank God.
But to all of you looking at my life now, I want to share a scripture/prayer that helped me keep going from St. Mark 9:23-25. It’s a simple prayer by a man who had faith, a man who believed, but still had doubts. He said, “LORD I believe but help my unbelief.”
Even in my darkest times when I wanted to give up, I kept believing, and I asked God to help me to believe past any naysayer, any doubt, and any problem.
Just know that it is possible to believe in your dream and still wonder how or when it’s going to happen. Stay the course. Pray, work, believe and repeat. You’ll get there. Just believe for as much as you can, and ask God to help you believe for the rest!
All I want to say is that God has a crazy and almost comical way of showing you he’s always had you even when you thought you were alone. How wild is it that the same street that Tyler Perry had bad memories about being homeless and starving is the same exact location in which he would be able to be a BLACK MAN who buys 330 acres of, use to be, confederate property and build a successful movie studio. THAT ALMOST FILMED BLACK PANTHER. You can’t tell me life isn’t amazing. Just keep fighting!!!!