BrotherStrong Weekly Encouragement and Prayer
Healthy Black Man Challenge Week 38
Focus: Healthy Self, Reclaiming Joy
Week of September 21, 2026
Theme: "You Are Allowed to Enjoy Your Life"
Weekly Encouragement
Brother,
When was the last time you did something simply because it made you happy?
Not because it made money.
Not because someone needed you.
Not because it accomplished a goal.
Not because it checked something off your list.
Simply because you enjoyed it.
Somewhere between responsibility, work, family, bills, expectations, disappointments, and trying to become better men, some of us stopped having fun.
We learned how to survive.
We learned how to provide.
We learned how to push through.
We learned how to handle business.
But did we remember how to enjoy being alive?
Brother, joy is not childish.
Joy is not irresponsible.
Joy is not something you have to postpone until every problem in your life is solved.
If you wait until everything is perfect before you allow yourself to be happy, you may spend your entire life waiting.
There will always be another bill.
Another responsibility.
Another goal.
Another challenge.
Another reason to say, "I'll enjoy myself later."
But later is not promised.
You are allowed to laugh now.
You are allowed to celebrate now.
You are allowed to enjoy your children now.
You are allowed to travel.
You are allowed to play.
You are allowed to have hobbies.
You are allowed to sit on the porch and do absolutely nothing.
You are allowed to turn the music up.
You are allowed to dance.
You are allowed to enjoy good food, good conversation, good friends, and good moments.
You are allowed to smile without explaining why.
Brother, everything about being a Black man does not have to be heavy.
There is strength in our joy too.
This week, do not just ask yourself what needs to be fixed.
Ask yourself:
"What makes me come alive?"
Then make room for it.
Weekly Prayer
God,
Thank You for the gift of life.
Thank You not only for sustaining us through difficult seasons, but for giving us moments worth enjoying.
Restore our joy.
For every brother who has been surviving for so long that he has forgotten what happiness feels like, breathe new life into him.
Help us notice the goodness around us.
Teach us to laugh again.
Teach us to celebrate without guilt.
Teach us to enjoy the people we love while they are still here.
Help us stop postponing joy until everything is perfect.
Heal the parts of us that believe life must always be hard.
Give us permission to experience Your goodness in ordinary moments.
Let joy strengthen our minds.
Let joy refresh our bodies.
Let joy restore our souls.
And let our lives become evidence that strength and joy can live in the same Black man.
Amen.
Weekly Activation: Week 38 Challenge
Theme: Make Room for Joy
Mind: Write down five things that genuinely bring you joy. Not things you think should make you happy. Things that actually do. Then ask yourself how often you intentionally make room for them.
Body: Do one physical activity this week purely because you enjoy it. Ride a bike. Play basketball. Dance. Swim. Walk somewhere beautiful. Throw a football. Play with your children. Move your body without turning it into another assignment.
Spirit: Spend ten minutes thanking God specifically for things that bring you joy. Do not ask for anything during this time. Simply remember. Smile. And say thank You.
Reflection Question: When did I start believing that being responsible meant I could no longer have fun?
The Journey Continues
Thirty eight weeks into the Healthy Black Man Challenge, we have done some serious work.
We have talked about discipline.
Healing.
Forgiveness.
Responsibility.
Integrity.
Rest.
Presence.
Self talk.
Asking for help.
Financial health.
Peace.
But Healthy Self cannot only be about repairing what is broken.
It must also include enjoying what is beautiful.
You are not doing all this work simply to become better at carrying burdens.
You are becoming healthier so you can experience life more fully.
Brother, healing should eventually make room for living.
Discipline should make room for freedom.
Work should make room for enjoyment.
And responsibility should make room for laughter.
Do not become so committed to becoming a better man that you forget to enjoy being the man you already are.
Weekly Affirmation
I am allowed to experience joy.
I do not have to earn every moment of happiness.
I make room for laughter, rest, celebration, and life.
My responsibilities do not eliminate my right to enjoy living.
I receive the gift of today with gratitude.
A Word to Black Women Reading This
To every Black woman reading this,
This week, help us remind Black men that they are allowed to experience joy.
Sometimes the Black man in your life has become so accustomed to carrying responsibility that he may not even recognize how little time he gives himself to simply enjoy life.
Ask him what makes him happy.
Ask him what he used to enjoy doing.
Ask him what makes him laugh.
Ask him what he would do for fun if nobody needed anything from him for a few hours.
And please continue sharing the Healthy Black Man Challenge each week with every Black man you know.
Share it with your son.
Share it with your husband or partner.
Share it with your father.
Share it with your brothers.
Share it with your coworkers and friends.
Invite every Black man you know to continue this journey toward becoming healthier in body, soul, and spirit.
Thank you for supporting Black men beyond what we provide.
Thank you for celebrating our laughter.
Thank you for making room for our humanity.
Thank you for continuing to believe that Black men deserve lives filled not only with purpose and responsibility, but also with peace, love, laughter, and joy.
Weekly Challenge for Women
This week, create or encourage one joyful moment with a Black man in your life.
It does not have to cost anything.
Watch something funny together.
Cook his favorite meal.
Play a game.
Take a walk.
Turn on some music.
Talk about an old memory that still makes both of you laugh.
Or simply ask him:
"What would be fun for you right now?"
Then, if possible, do it.
No lesson.
No agenda.
No expectation.
Just joy.
Closing Reflection
Brother,
You have survived some things.
You have carried some things.
You have overcome some things.
And you are still becoming.
But do not spend your entire life preparing to live.
Live.
Take the picture.
Take the trip.
Call the friend.
Play with your children.
Celebrate the accomplishment.
Wear the good clothes.
Use the good dishes.
Turn the music up.
Laugh until your stomach hurts.
Watch the sunset.
Enjoy the moment.
Thank God you are still here.
Brother, joy does not mean you have no problems.
It means your problems do not get to have all of you.
There is still something worth smiling about.
There is still something worth celebrating.
There is still life left to live.
You have learned how to survive.
Now give yourself permission to enjoy being alive.
Until all have been touched... keep reaching!
Jeremy
I Am... You Are... We Are... BrotherStrong!
