Reap What You Sow Mondays with Tony: From Burden to Breakthrough — How Black Women Reap Where They Were Once Restricted

As we mark the seventh day of International Black Women’s History Month, we stop to reflect on a truth that has carried across generations, pulsing through every act of courage, every moment of sacrifice, and every whispered prayer in the dark:

Black women have long sown in struggle—but they have reaped in strength.

They have pressed through barriers meant to keep them bound. They’ve labored in silence while carrying communities on their backs. And in places where they were never meant to thrive, they have blossomed anyway.

Their lives speak volumes—from burden to breakthrough, from restriction to reign.

Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Burdened by Systems, Still Walking in Purpose

For centuries, the world has burdened Black women with unjust weights:

Being told they are too loud, too soft, too angry, too emotional—yet expected to be everything for everyone.
Being underpaid for their labor, yet working harder and smarter than many of their counterparts.
Being unseen, even while their fingerprints shaped every movement of progress in this country.
Being spiritual leaders in the home and the church, yet denied the pulpit, the power, and the platform.

And through it all, they still rise.

What Does It Mean to Reap Where You Were Once Restricted?

It means...

To buy property where your grandmother could only clean houses.
To lead the classroom where your mother wasn’t allowed to sit in front.
To own the business your great-aunt once worked at—without title or respect.
To preach the Word in pulpits where your ancestors were silenced.
To live and breathe freely in spaces where you were once barely surviving.

That’s what God does. He takes the no’s of man and turns them into the yes and amen of Heaven.

From Burden…

Let’s not romanticize it—the burden has been real. Black women have:

Held families together while their own hearts were breaking.
Gone to work sick, stressed, and under pressure because “there was no other option.”
Bitten their tongues in the boardroom to keep their jobs.
Raised generations in other people’s houses while their own homes struggled.
Been told by media and society that their skin, hair, voice, and culture weren’t “professional,” “beautiful,” or “worthy.”

These are the scars that don’t always show, but they are carried. And yet—they were never carried in vain.

And Still, She Sowed

She prayed over her children when she didn’t know how the bills would get paid.
She stayed up late, preparing lessons, even while juggling three side hustles.
She mentored the next generation, even when no one mentored her.
She took care of everyone, while still trying to discover who she was.

And through it all—she kept sowing.

In faith.
In love.
In service.
In sweat.
In silence.

To Breakthrough…

The beautiful truth of God’s Word is that what’s sown in tears will be reaped in joy (Psalm 126:5).

Breakthrough didn’t come all at once. It came in the little things. The overlooked things. The everyday moments of pushing, believing, stretching.

And yet—those everyday acts became extraordinary legacies.

Women Who Reaped Where They Were Once Restricted

Let’s look at a few powerful examples of women who turned burdens into breakthrough:

1. Fannie Lou Hamer – A Voice the Nation Couldn’t Ignore

Born to sharecroppers in Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer was beaten and fired for trying to vote. But instead of giving up, she became one of the most powerful voices in the Civil Rights Movement.

She once said, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” And in those words, she galvanized a generation.

She sowed truth in an unjust system—and reaped change that echoed in Washington.

2. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler – Healing in the Face of Hate

In 1864, Dr. Crumpler became the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S. She was mocked, dismissed, and often denied access to patients or hospitals.

But she persisted. She sowed care, intellect, and compassion into communities long overlooked—and reaped a legacy still inspiring Black women in medicine today.

3. Tarana Burke – A Movement from Her Pain

Long before hashtags, Tarana Burke was doing the work—helping young girls who had survived abuse and trauma find their voice.

She turned her burden into a movement: #MeToo.

What was once hidden in shame became a platform for healing, accountability, and empowerment for women across the globe—especially Black women who had gone unheard for too long.

4. Your Grandmother, Your Mama, Your Auntie, Your Sister, Your Cousin, Your Wife

You may never see her name in textbooks. But you see her impact every time you:

Lead with confidence.
Raise your own children with love.
Sit in rooms she prayed for you to enter.

She reaped where she wasn’t even allowed to sow—because God multiplied her sacrifice through you.

Biblical Example: The Daughters of Zelophehad

In Numbers 27:1-11, five sisters came before Moses to ask for their father’s inheritance. In a male-dominated culture, this was radical. Women didn’t inherit land.

But these women spoke up. And Moses went to God—and God said yes.

These women reaped where they were once restricted, not just for themselves, but for every woman after them.

Luke 1:45 (NKJV)

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Reaping in Modern Times

Today, we are witnessing modern breakthroughs that were once unthinkable:

Ketanji Brown Jackson: The first Black woman Supreme Court Justice—reaping in a courtroom where others were once silenced.
Kamala Harris: The first woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian woman to serve as Vice President of the United States. Her presence in the White House is a harvest of every woman who was told to stay in the background. She reaps where generations of Black women were denied access.
Ava DuVernay & Viola Davis: Reaping in an industry that once excluded them—now telling our stories with power.
You: If you're reading this, you are someone’s breakthrough. The way you love, lead, create, and show up is the fruit of someone else's sowing.

The Garden Still Grows

Breakthrough isn’t just for them—it’s for you, too.

You may be carrying a burden right now. You may be sowing in silence, unsure of who sees you or what’s coming next.

But let me remind you of the promise:

“In due season, you shall reap—if you don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Your due season is coming. Your breakthrough is on the way. Your story matters.

Reflection

Take a moment to ask yourself:

Where have I experienced breakthrough that once felt impossible?
Who sowed into me, and how can I honor their legacy?
Am I still carrying burdens I need to release to make room for breakthrough?

Challenge for the Week

✅ Reach out to a Black woman in your life who has poured into you. Thank her. Honor her.

✅ Reflect on your own journey—what burdens have shaped your purpose?

✅ Plant a seed—encourage, uplift, and sow into someone else’s breakthrough.

Call to Action

Let’s keep this movement going. Support a story that mirrors this exact message—light breaking through darkness, hope sowed in hard soil, and strength rising from struggle.

📚 Grab your autographed copy of S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™👉🏾 www.tyronetonyreedjr.com/the-shop

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