As many of you know, Grammy winning Gospel Artist and Season 3 winner of Sunday’s Best, Le’Andria Johnson, appeared on a two-part episode of Iyanla: Fix My Life. Part one aired Sat, March 16 on the OWN network and it was a powerful episode! She also reported to rehab around the time this episode aired. It’s no secret that Le’Andria has experienced some tough times in her life and is currently suffering from alcoholism while grieving the death of her brother from two years ago. Due to all of life’s hardships, subsequently her relationship with God is fractured and needs mending. Phil, the manager of her record label, reached out to Iyanla Vanzant on Le’Andria’s behalf.
There was a lot that Iyanla began to unpack with Le’Andria about her issues and more importantly, the ROOT of those issues. One of many important points that Iyanla made is that “Addiction is not just about ingesting drugs or alcohol. It’s a condition of the mind and heart.” When confronted with the question of whether or not she thinks she’s an alcoholic, Le’Andria responded “No, because I’m functioning”, to which Iyanla replied, “Spoken like a true alcoholic”. It’s so important to acknowledge your shortcomings and the fact that you can’t overcome them on your own. Once that happens, healing can begin!
At one point during the episode, the process overwhelmed Le’Andria and she walked out, telling the producers she was contemplating leaving. When they informed Iyanla of what was happening, she came out to encourage Le’Andria, not just with her words but with the SCRIPTURE! She quoted Proverbs 3:4-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all thy ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path”. She kept reiterating “lean not unto your own understanding”. Many of us struggle with this while in the healing process. We try to figure things out on our own but its not up to us to figure out. That’s where our trust in God comes in. We trust Him to get us through, to lead us and guide us along our healing journey. After giving it some thought, Le’Andria returned to the set and continued the process.
I commend Le’Andria for so many reasons! She acknowledged that she needed help. She got the help she needed. She had the courage to go thru the healing process and she’s doing it ALL in the public eye and under public scrutiny! I am praying and believing Le’Andria will come out of this with a closer relationship with God and her testimony will encourage others to seek the help they need to overcome their inner struggles. Grief, hurt and pain are real y’all! Depression and anxiety is real! Seek the help you need to heal. You have a right to heal! You owe it to yourself to heal. You can’t give God your best when you’re not AT your best.
If you or someone you know is an addict, struggling with substance abuse and/or drug abuse, SEEK HELP! There are many resources available to you. You do NOT have to go through the process alone! Keep going until you overcome it. It may take more than 1, 2, 10 or even 20 tries but keep going! Remember, Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
