Experience, People, Place

I was watching a basketball game, the other day, and two players (Lebron James and Kyle Kuzma) from the visiting team were playing against two of their ex-teammates (Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love) on the court the former used to call Home. I caught the game after it had tipped off, but a valuable lesson I learned came up at the end of the game. The home team lost to their guests, and Lebron and Kyle went over to their opponents’ side of the court, to say hello to their former colleagues. They exchanged hugs, giggled a little, and even had a brief chat, before hitting their respective locker rooms. I was watching the game on my phone (Fairly decent screen size, so don’t judge!), and I made a screenshot of that moment, where all four of them hugged each other. Instantly, I looked beyond the jerseys they had on, I forgot whose court they were playing on, I forgot which teams they belonged to, and all I could feel was the bond they shared. It spoke volumes of the experiences they’ve had together, which had grown beyond the confines of the arena. It really had me pondering for a bit. Have I seen anything like that before? Of course. So, what made this one special? Well, it came at a time where I’ve questioned people’s loyalty the most.

These past couple of weeks, God has been teaching me a lot from my personal devotions with Him, my interactions with people, listening to podcasts and snippets from tons of sermons. The message was clear: Experience, People, Place. In that order.
“That’s a good word,” I said to myself, “but what does that even mean?”
At first I felt it was because I was hearing people attach so much value to their places of worship than the quality of word and their experiences from interacting with the people. Then I realized it was bigger than that. The structure was more mental than physical – the structures we inadvertently build or the ones people build for us.

At Every Sunday service, I watch people walk in, through the front door, to come experience something (Good music, Great Ambience/someone - JESUS), and when I do get to pray for them, my prayer is that they leave with a tangible experience of God’s love, either via their interactions with the people who welcome them to church, their encounter as they surrender all to Jesus in anticipation of a move, or a general sense of being at home, irrespective of what the building looks like.

Believing that every revealed word of God has written references in scriptures, I dug a little deeper into the Word, and a verse which somewhat encompasses the premise for our salvation struck a different Chord.

John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT) .

God’s love for us was a decision He made, thousands of years ago. I mean, a very long time ago, He decided to love a rebellious people – people who would disregard authority; people who would rather harm than protect one another; people who would deprive each other of other
loved ones or material possessions; People who would compete against each other; people who would falsely accuse their neighbours and laugh them to scorn, when they suffer the consequences of their ignorance. God LOVED us. And He’s asking us to do the same. As the express image of Jesus, God requires us to do the same – “Decide to love people, before you meet them.” One question I ask myself, and I think you should do the same is: Is it more difficult to love the people who are already in your life with the same intensity you did before they hurt you, than it is to love people you are yet to meet, knowing they also have the tendency to bring you harm? Take your time to answer this question.

I get exhausted when I read 1 Cor 13:4-8, partly because I feel, just like some other people, I fall short on many levels:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. 6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.

It’s a lot to take in, but if we do everything we do from a place of love, the world will literally be a much better place.

Two of several other verses that reference the extent of God’s love for us are Romans 5:8

“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” and John15:13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

I once worked as a customer service representative for a company, and like most companies, it was big on customer satisfaction. We were serving people from all works of life, from a modestly-built Two-storey building. Even though our customers were scattered across a radius of Ten - hundreds of miles, our job was to make them feel as though we were part of their home, having a face-to-face conversation with them, and ensuring we keep them as faithful and satisfied customers. It wasn’t an easy task, because as humans, our needs change, and so do our demands. We came across perceptive customers, and some rather difficult ones, but the goal of company remained the same – Keep the customer happy. Make them feel you love them. Most of our customers never visited our office or even met any of us, but they could tell a lot about the company we represented by their experience with us, over the phone. The building was insignificant to them. God wants us to tear down the walls that confine us, and let people experience Him through us.

As people who have experienced God’s love and who understand the gravity of the mercy he daily bestows on us, He is asking us to forgive ourselves, first, then Love unconditionally. He’s asking us to forgive as many times as it’s required, and be kind to one another. He’s asking us to pray for those who use us, not only because they need it, but because we need to rid our minds of the excess burden. This word was for me, after all. This singular revelation has healed my mind of a lot.
Where people expect you to be mad, you extend grace towards them. Where people expect you to act irrationally, you take a deep breath and respond in love. I learnt these things in a place of hurt and brokenness – in a place of mental combat. God guided my paths to a place where I felt his presence stronger than I ever did, in the midst of people whose love had no bounds. He helped me realize that I still have so much love to give, but I needed to be intentional about it, and decide beforehand.

I said all that to say this: God is asking us to prepare structures without walls, for people to come experience his love through us - The same love He caused us to experience in Him, through others.

As much as we want to make the exterior look very attractive, the bulk of the work is internal. The goal is to let our actions be so positively influencing that people would crave to know more about who we’ve been with (God) and where we gather to seek him. The goal is that people’s experiences with us should be the same, anywhere we go.

Let the first thing people notice about you be the love you radiate, then the company you keep, before the place you meet.

STRENGTH FOR THE WEAK

“Let the weak say I am strong”

It’s very possible to utter these words, every other minute, yet get weaker and weaker. Pretty ironic, yeah? Actually, not really. At times, I wonder if this is because of a lack of faith or simply the absence of the knowledge of our status in Him. On one hand, faith is a way of life, and it comes by hearing the ‘word’, so if we want to live by faith (which is God’s expectation for the righteous), our craving for the ‘word’ should be outrageously consistent. On the other hand, If God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, so why then do we need faith? I may be wrong, but that scripture sounds like “whether you like it or not, I have given you everything you need for life and godliness” But do we really have everything? Maybe we have everything at our disposal, but there are conditions for accessing them. That’s where faith comes in.

The truth is, having faith is not a choice we should ponder on, if it’s the basis of our existence. “The just shall live by faith, but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in Him.” Hebrews 10:38. Just like we need air to breath, food to eat and water to drink, we need faith to live. I dare say without faith…we are dead. Life would really be hopeless without faith.

I woke up this morning with a dire need for strength. The devil likes to see us drown in our downtime, wallow in pity and deteriorate into a condemned state. As a matter of fact, he derives utmost pleasure in it. But how long shall we continue to entertain him? How long shall we continue to let our flesh prevail?
There is strength in God’s word. There is strength to pick ‘yourself’ up, immediately after a fall, and there is strength to remain standing. Someone once said "Grace wasn’t given to us so we can constantly take advantage of it after we sin, but just in case we Sin." In other words, the fact that we have a lifeline at our disposal doesn’t mean we should abuse it and drain it into a drought. God is a God of the weak and also a God of the strong. If He can make you strong, He can keep you strong. He will.

I have come to understand that the principles that govern the earth and its resources were brought to existence by words, and only words can alter or activate them.
“Let the weak say I am strong.” Uttering those words repeatedly and truly believing them causes the mind to align its thoughts to the gravity and potency of its contents. “I have my shortcomings, but I am strong and I can overcome every one of them!” “I have a problem with being obedient, but I have the strength to prevail against disobedience!” “I have a problem with being sincere, but I have the courage to tell the truth and be free!” “I get very feeble and vulnerable to things that don’t edify my spirit, but I have the strength to feed my spirit and starve my flesh!” “I have a problem with doubt and fear, but I have the strength to be bold and courageous!” “I can do all things!!!”

Anytime you find yourself in any of the circumstances aforementioned (and more), take advantage of the strength that has been made available to you, and activate it with faith. Also, in confessing your possession of 'strength', don't deny where you are. Help usually comes to those who admit they need it, so don't miss out on an opportunity to be helped, by putting up an appearance of strength.

Seek for strength in weakness. And when you find it, guard it with your life.



Live by faith. Stay alive.

THE COMPLICATIONS OF A SIMPLE LIFE

This weekend crawled up on me with a range of ideas, a backlog of indecisions and one two many reasons not to be anxious. Words have been uttered with actions to validate them; deeds have gone on an unannounced journey, left astray by thoughts, but that’s not even the major hitch. The problem is the verdict is split between two onlookers – the one who sees fault in everything you do and the one who feels you shouldn’t even be attempting to do stuff on your own. Mannerisms of the former are quite clear – they make you feel inadequate and they are so good at condemning everything you do and fail to do. That actually leaves out NO good impression. The latter? Oh, the latter is everything the former is not. But do they actually exist?


A lot of our deeds are blamed on influences from the company we keep, the neighbourhood we grew up, and sometimes our inability to decipher good from evil, by merely taking a gaze. The truth is, most of the people who judge you do so on the basis of what they heard about you rather than what they know about you. One bad impression can sum up your entire life, and create a lifelong bitter testimony. But don’t be fooled. The one who doesn’t criticize you may have more against you than the one who frequently calls you out. I know the next question is “who then is the good guy? The one who sees and talks, or the one who sees and keeps shut?” There lies the complication. I leave you to your discretion.


The answers to every question cannot be answered by any. Some people tend to have answers to everything, even though half the time they are clueless. Sometimes it takes almost a lifetime to understand the seemingly simple things…or to come to terms with their reality.
I have come to understand that the answers to some of these questions lie in the acceptance of the situation, and the peace you find within. It doesn’t necessarily mean physically settling for the worst because you feel you don’t have what it takes to achieve the best. Besides, who really knows what’s best for you?


Aight, here’s me being logical. If we knew why everything happened, this knowledge will take away the fun of being human. Sincerely, many, if not all of us, like to be adventurous. As in, who wouldn’t want to learn something new, every other day? New ways on how to answer questions at interviews, how to fix our favourite delicacies, how to dress well, how to study effectively, how to fussily manage our time and resources… the list continues.
I mean, even those who are ridiculously wealthy still wake up everyday thinking of other ways to invest their time and money. Think of ‘knowing everything’ as not having room for ‘learning anything’; think of ‘knowing everything’ as a child who is born with speech and an accent from day one. Okay, that last illustration sounds scary already, cos we’re not used to seeing stuff like that, right? But I’m sure you get my drift. Growth, curiosity and the quest for knowledge are a few of the vital elements that make being human sensational.


People will say stuff about you that ain’t right, but keep moving; They will try to discourage you or devalue your exploits, but keep moving; You may have soaked up all these negativity, but you still have an opportunity to sanitize your mind, so the earlier you start, the better.
Don’t plan to fail, and don’t be scared to fail either. The former just paints you in all colours of folly, while the latter bares the courage in you to win… or at least give it a shot.
Don’t create limitations for yourself and disguise them as goals. If you can conceive it, then it is definitely attainable. The problem is you may end up chasing after what you don’t necessarily need (It's complicated. I know). Nothing brings much pleasure to naysayers than seeing you perish in ignorance.


Maybe the answers to certain questions have been kept away from us intentionally. It is now left to us to discern, and selectively accept the things we can’t change. Note the word ‘selectively’. We’ve been told to accept the things we can’t change, but it's easier said than accepted.
Above all, Trust God. God is faithful, even when we go through tests that seemingly exceed what we can handle. Whether you accept it or not, there are forces fighting against your progress in all ramifications of life. I battle with them, too.It's not God's desire that any perish, so cling to His thoughts towards you, but first, get rid of anything that disconnects you from Him.


As long as you are alive, there will always be a better day, and something new to look out for. Be anxious for nothing. In everything you do, put God first. Let Him guide your thoughts and actions. It really is the simplest way to survive all the complications of life.


Aight, close your eyes…take a few deep breaths…and wait for my next post.



Work hard. Pray harder. Trust God

TRADING ME FOR US

What would you do if you were given the ability to read minds or even transcribe facial expressions and thoughts into texts, then transferring them to your pc without physically typing them out? Okay, I don’t know what I would do, too, but I’d definitely be a bestselling author. Aight, this is just my way of saying there are a number of things I wish I could do, but I know I can’t sleep and wake up the following morning to see them all done. That’s life. If we could live on wishes, I guess no one will be wasting time on a 9 – 5. By the way, Good things don’t always come to those who wait; they sometimes wait for those who get up and seek them.

Every day has its challenges and demands. Some people decide to make others’ happiness their priority, while others never give up on attempting to ruin their neighbors’ day, and eliminating every chance of redemption. We all want to be thought of as some kind of influence or catalyst to someone’s growth, either for self-centered reasons or for the humble pleasure that accompanies exemplary references.

For me, the past year has been very adventurous, daring, experimental, and quite revealing. The question would perhaps be “What was revealed?” Well, trying to explain it all would be as ridiculous as sitting by the beach, in the dead of the night, and attempting to count every Star in sight. One thing I can exhaustively tell you is I don’t know the half of myself. I’m sure some of you would agree with me that it takes certain unplanned incidents to draw out some traits you never thought existed.

I have contended with ‘Me’ for a while now – What I like, what I want, what I would do to get what I want, and the extent I’m wiling to go to keep what I have or what I think I had.
I try hard to break away from the manmade and self-inflicted cultural idea that there are specific levels of feat that should characterize every phase of one’s life, every age bracket. Though I’m not in absolute denial that there should indeed be a level of achievement one would look back to, every now and then. It would be a sheer waste of time to defend the fact that the world would be a predictively boring place without individuality, challenges, disappointments, failures, trials, errors, and of course, the ‘could-have-beens’ and ‘would-have-beens’.
Spending more time in my own world and with God has given me insight into a wealth of eternal common sense. I’ve read a few books (Very few, I must say), but not a single one has provided such unequivocal guidelines to a fulfilled and peaceful life worth living.

God does NOT, and will NOT reveal everything to us. It is His glory to conceal things. To you and I, there’s some kind of grandeur that comes with unraveling hidden things.
God has placed us on a journey of self-discovery, with a map, a few tools, and instructions as we progress. He also gave us the Will to choose (This is probably the most dicey tool in the hands of any man). No one man knows how God operates within everyone, at every given point in time. Like T.D Jakes said, “God remains the same, but His methods change.” (Paraphrased). But there’s a Villain called ‘Me’, who happens to ‘know it all’ and thinks things are always meant to be perfect.
‘Me’ thinks highly of itself, sees the wrong in everyone, and never accepts any blame. ‘Me’ always has an excuse for everything – why things are the way they are, and what could have been done to avoid every unfortunate situation. ‘Me’ makes too much preparations for tomorrow, that it misses the opportunities of ‘today’. ‘Me’ bottles up its disappointments with a pointed nose and a frown, but ‘Us’? Oh, ‘Us’ calls you out, expresses its displeasure, but later hugs you with a Grin.

‘Me’ says “It’s my way or no way” but ‘Us’ says “Let’s try both ways and stick the one that works.”
As a slave to Fate, ‘Me’ thinks it’s ridiculous to have faith and be optimistic, yet realistic. ‘Me’ Says “but He’s got braces” and ‘US’ replies, “Have you seen your toes, lately?”
“Me’ Says “Look what s/he did to me”, but ‘Us’ Says, “Look what you did to your neighbour.” ‘Me’ says “I don’t like it when she pouts and hang her neck from her shoulder like it’s missing a knot, but ‘Us’ says, “Seriously? Have you seen the look on your face in all your photos?”

If I were to act religiously mysterious, I would say, before God formed His greatest creation (man), He said, “Let US create man in OUR own image and likeness…” Okay, that may not be the best biblical example, but the fact still remains that two heads are better than one…when their motives are selfless.

Before you do anything, put yourself in the shoes of others. How will your actions affect them? Don’t see it as giving them the power to dictate what you do or the pace at which you do them; you’re simply creating room for peace, whilst maintaining your sanity. If you want it to be all about you, be my guest…go create your own earth.

I used to feel good, living for ‘Me’. Now, I feel great…living for ‘Us’.

YOUR WORDS, YOUR BOND!

When we go to bed at night, we think about the activities of the day – the ones we engage ourselves in, willingly or unwillingly; we think about love; we think about guilt; we think about the people that walked into our lives and the handful that walked out; we think about our victories and our defeats; we think about those mountains that stood in our way early in the day (maybe from days before too); we try to use our minds to turn some things around – correct some or even wish we were never part of certain ordeals.


Life is not without its ups and downs, or highs and lows. It's never a crime to believe in something, neither is it absurd to trust someone unreservedly, without anticipating a glimpse of disappointment. Many promises have been broken; things we never thought would happen speedily come to pass before our very eyes, without prior notice...but we still dust ourselves up and keep moving.

We wish words alone were enough to authenticate people's intentions towards us...we wish the promises they make (made) to us can assuage our doubts and fears...we wish that every vow made could ignite love and sincere concern that will burn forever. We wish wishes could really bring the desires of our hearts to fruition. However, sometimes wish for the most absurd thing…very absurd. Well…


We live in an uncertain world. Most times we don’t even know who to trust, when to trust and why to trust. “What if those words, sweetly spoken, eventually turn out to be nothing but lies and deceit”?
Some people have pushed us to the point where we expect ANYTHING, so we are not caught unawares. Some have pushed us to the extent that we cushion the anticipated effects of disappointments with the conclusion that ANYBODY can disappoint. But…Can we ever be prepared for the worst? Can we ever accept it as ‘one of those things’, and move on?


As you set out each day, try your best to treat people the way you’d want to be treated. Say only what you mean, or hit the mute button. Admit to your wrongs and make amends as swiftly as possible, without placing more emphasis on justifying the reasons for your actions. Words cut deeper than the sharpest knife, so be cautious.


Someone out there is relying on you to say something sweet to them - something that will brighten their entire day; someone is expecting you to just be you; someone is expecting you to be responsible and faithful; someone is expecting you to say the truth, no matter how much it will hurt; someone is expecting you to say ‘I’m sorry’; someone is expecting you to keep your promise and cling to the vows you effortlessly made a while ago! If you must say it, then be ready to honour it.


Your words, your bond. Little wonder God honours His word more than His name.

H.A.L.T.T – Heal and Learn to Think

There’s so much going on on social networking sites, and in the media in general. Trust me, it feels like an entirely different world in itself, with tales that are either within rational expectation, too good to be true, or ridiculously void of common sense. We hear about very successful relationships and marriages, lasting from over a few weeks to decades, and of course, some that barely made it past the first date. Sometimes you can’t but wonder what the whole buzz is about. Well, let me give you a preview: Some can’t do without media attention (it’s contagious); some are just dramatic in nature; some rely on people to think for them, either by posting comments of praise or criticism; some are just addicted to breaking things – hearts, vows, promises and so on.

If you’ve been in a relationship before, you’d agree with me that there are some you wish never started, and others you wish never ended. Once in a while, I try to read a few blogs with captivating captions and i just feel some of the contents are unreal. One of such is a post i read recently about a dude who was going out with a lady, and at the same time promising another person marriage. That’s not all. He had a girlfriend who was providing shelter for him under her roof. After spending so much on this dude, and on the marriage, little did this lady know that she was signing up to become a ‘possession’ rather than a ‘partner’. Personal possessions are not always handled with care or respect, you know? A guy that would tell you “Now that you are my wife, you have to transfer all your properties to my name or make me a signatory to your account(s)” is up to no good. Dude, get a life!

This doesn’t mean ladies have the right to make certain demands too,simply because they now bear his last name and the title ‘wife’. Anyway, i don’t care if that story is true or not, but I don’t expect a responsible man to beat up a woman who refuses to make him a signatory to her account, or condone his quest to render her bankrupt. Scratch that, i don’t expect a responsible man to beat up a woman, however justified he feels his reasons are. Dude, have you lost your mind?Forgive me. I digress a lot.Like I stated earlier, if you’ve ever been in a relationship, there’s at least one person you wish you never made up your mind to date, and maybe one you wish never walked away. Speaking of the former, okay, you have certain regrets about your Ex and the time you spent thinking you were the power supply to his heart, not knowing that you were just one of many back up options? I sympathize with you, but don’t rid yourself of the fact that you can still be happy with someone who will make you his One and Only.

Some of you spend a ridiculous amount of time on social networking sites like twitter and facebook. It’s not a bad thing, not unless you tweet 200times a day, and 97.8% of your tweets are about how miserable you feel, how you’ll never trust guys again, how useless and uncaring you feel your Ex was, how lucky you are to have walked away from the relationship (though it’s a lie), or how he took advantage of your vulnerability. Like seriously?? And you expect that ‘tall, dark, six-packed and handsome’ dude on your timeline to ask you out? Hell no! Not every dude wants to be a potential Trending Topic on twitter, when the chips are down. Have you seen how they shred tweeps apart on that platform? Scary. A lot of dudes would rather not be with a lady who is quick to make her private life public every time she logs into the cyber world. I know some of you do it to gain attention, and you want people to share your grief and all that. STOP IT! It’s not cool.

Speaking of those who wish that dude never walked away, have you stopped to think about why things didn’t work out? Have you stopped to think about what YOU might have done wrong? About what you said and the gravity? Have you even learnt from the experience? I don’t think so. Instead you’ve become a stern believer of the doctrine that all guys are after the same thing – the insatiable desire to go all fleshy on you. Or, in your words “They just want to hit and run.” I think it’s high time you shoved that mentality down the drain. Come to think of it…maybe that’s your major problem….you think ‘for’ the guy, and so your every action is an attempt to resist the fear of what you believe he wants, and you never give him a benefit of the doubt. Here’s one secret: ‘Some guys want to be trusted as individuals’. I bet you didn’t know that.

During every healing process, there are reflections of the good times and the bad times you enjoyed, but unfortunately, a lot of people focus less on the good and allow the bad cloud their judgment. My honest advice: I don’t know how long it takes to heal (maybe it’s dependent on how deep the cut is/was), or how long you should stay single before hopping into another relationship. Sincerely, i don’t care, but one thing you must know is that scars from fresh wounds can still be bruised. You really need to give yourself time to heal, and even more time to think before you say ‘yes’ to the next request.Here are some things I feel you should think about: Don’t focus on how NOT to get things wrong in the next, but let your focus be on how to get things right.

After sufficient healing time, don’t force it, and don’t place yourself under pressure to jump into another one. If the previous one started out nice and sweet, there’s a high probability that the next will start off nicer and sweeter, but that’s not a guarantee that it will last longer. Come to terms with the fact that guys also deserve some special treatment, once in a while. I mean, we like it when you deliver pizza and ice cream to our doorsteps, or even invite us for a movie. It’s not an abomination for you to be the catalyst to a great time out.
In the words of Lady T’Mill “When developing a relationship, be willing to put as much into it, if not more than what you want out. Keep things fair”

Lest I forget, if you are one of those ladies who like to say “I’m hanging out with my b*****s, tonight” or “My friends are h**s, you’ve just gotta love ‘em” and you get mad when guys make those words your nickname, it’s a strong indication that you are oblivious of the gravity of your problem. You may not see anything wrong with it, especially if it’s part of your vocabs among your friends, but that’s really disgusting to hear. Respect yourselves, and maybe guys will stop disrespecting you.

PS: I’m not a relationship doctor….I’m just a guy who has a couple of ideas about how a few guys think.

meit

SKETCH IT; THEN MOLD IT!

When HE was tired of hearing me describe what I wanted, with additional features every other day, HE got fed up and said to me “Okay, I’ll give you all you need to bring that mental picture into life. Mold it and I’ll breathe life into it, but first, you have to sketch it.”

He gave me a pen, an eraser, a sheet of paper, clay and a bucket of water. “Finally, I had the power to create, right in my hands.” I thought to myself. YEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!!

I set to work, gathering materials for the perfect masterpiece ever created in the mind of man. Everything I ever thought about…all that I wished for…All my expectations – Good attitude, decent character, great potentials, flawless skin tone, wonderful facial features, untarnished eloquence, 100% truthful, average height, sound diet, and very long natural hair with an obvious halo, I put down on a white sheet of paper. It looked so good, but I felt something was still missing (actually, a lot), so I picked up the eraser and wiped off half of the sketch, and continued drawing. I tried to add the subject's choices into the sketch, but i ended up with my partial wishes. Hours went by, and I still wasn’t satisfied. Days, weeks, months, years passed by, and I hadn’t even started molding. Out of frustration, I used what was left of the eraser to wipe off the whole sketch, tore the sheet of paper, broke the pencil, scattered the clay all over the tiled floor, and threw the bucket of water out the window.

I went back to Him with tears rolling down my eyes. “I tried…I’m sorry…I thought I had the perfect picture in my head…I thought I knew it all” I said to him. “But I’m sure if you give me two more pencils, 3 erasers, a fresh sheet of paper, and more time, I can come up with the image in my….” “Shut up!!!” He interrupted. “You’ve spent almost a decade sketching. When are you going to start molding?” He asked, with a straight face.

“Be patient, son!” He continued. “Circumstances will alter your sketch; feelings will war against your intentions, and selfish expectations will break your wall of reasoning. What you thought was impeccable might just be a mirage…What you thought was perfect may not even exist. Trust me to bring the best your way. Be patient, son!” He concluded.

I woke up, picked a pen and a sheet of paper…and wrote “IT AIN’T OVER. I KNOW WHAT I WANT. I’M GONNA SKETCH IT, THEN MOLD IT!”

If you keep forcing him/her to fit into the sketch on your paper or to adapt to your selfish desires, you will end up creating a ‘puppet’ that will eventually malfunction, when ‘it’ can take no more.

If we all had the power to create who we would love to be with, the fun and adventure that comes with discovering our uniqueness will be buried in our quest to ‘paint the future’. What a boring life it would be!

He’s not perfect, but He could be better than the picture you have in your head. She’s not all that you expected, but she certainly could be the one you need to cure you from the illusion that there’s a perfect person out there.

You can sketch it, but molding it would be almost impossible.

Work. Pray. Be grateful

Living Outside a Secure Terrain - L.O.S.T

There’s a feeling of loneliness…a feeling of abandonment (even though you try to bury it under a smile) when you go through stuff and those you used to think love you more than enough to take a bullet for you, suddenly walk away leaving you to your fate. Suddenly they become too busy to even pick your calls or reply your texts. At that point, you feel taking your own life would be justified, after all, who cares? Well, I’m sure you don’t expect me to say, “Yep, get a very strong rope, wrap around your neck, tie it to a pole, and jump off a high rise”? Maybe you’ve never found yourself in such a situation, but you’ve had someone approach you, saying “I have absolutely nothing else to live for. All I have is gone.” All you have might be gone, but you’re still living.

There’s a feeling of rejection…an ardent feeling of guilt resident in your heart because of one thing you did yesterday or the day before, or an addiction you can’t seem to have control over. Each time you engage yourself in that act, you feel like the filthiest or the most irresponsible person ever. It might not be morally disturbing to the ears, because of the kind of world we live in…but somehow you feel you’re doing something wrong. This guilt has built a fence around you, with spikes along its edges. It has caged you in, debarring you from sharing your ordeal with anyone for a shot at liberation. Every night you lock yourself indoors, weeping and magnifying the pain inside. Does this feeling sound any familiar? Look around you. You might just be far from Home.

Early this year, if someone walked up to me to say, “I see you wandering down the forbidden road” I would have sworn by my own grave that it wouldn’t happen, even if all hell broke loose! That response would probably lie between pride, confidence, or ignorance of how vulnerable and helpless I can be without God’s guidance. I don’t know where I would be without Him. On a second thought, I know – I’d be lost in sin…too far to make my way back without bruises and torn limbs, that’s if I ever make it back.

The devil knew how difficult and practically impossible it was to lay hold of Job, whilst God’s hedge surrounded him and everything he owned. There are some things we shouldn’t even wish for. There are some people we shouldn’t even wish to be like, cos we have no idea of what they lost to gain what they have; we have no idea of what they consciously sacrificed to get to where they are.

Staying within the hedge God has created around us is vital to our survival. Outside God’s camp, there’s no guarantee that you’ll return unharmed, so why take the risk?

It’s not safe out there. The TIME is nigh. We have to be vigilant. God’s hands extend to the ends of the earth, but we can still wander away from under his covering.

Even though God permitted the devil to do everything he wanted to all that Job had, the loss still affected Job. The devil is still prowling like a roaring lion, seeking for whom to devour. A metre away from God’s camp and you’ll become a potential prey. Our protection is in the Lord.
Everything above may not be applicable to you. Glory to God. But you might have noticed that some people are missing from camp. Help them navigate their way back. We ARE our Brothers' keeper.

Three of Seven prayers: Lord, I sometimes wander away from your presence, advertently or inadvertently. It could be fun outside the camp, you know? But I’ve come to realize that no form of pleasure outside your presence is worth the risk of getting lost in the world. We want to be where you are…dwelling in your presence and surrounded by your glory. Lord, protect us and our families. May we not be carried away by the pleasures of the world, that we forget who we are and who we belong to. Amen.

Work. Pray. be Thankful

WHEN YOU DON'T HEAR A VOICE

"The soul that can speak through the eyes can also kiss with a gaze" - Gustavo Adolfo Becquer.
I'm not sure what really caught my attention in that quote, but whatever it was, I guess I kinda heard a voice that said 'I speak even when I'm silent'

I remember growing up...If you're discerning enough, you'll know that the look yo mama gave you yesterday that said "Get ur feet off the sofa" has a different meaning, today, like "How many times do I have to tell you to do the dishes after every meal?" Or "Do u realize that you are embarrassing me in front of our guest? Go to ur room, NOW" Oh my! Don't even try to picture the eye-contact and the look on that face. (I think I exaggerated a lil too much Lol) You just have to act like you heard a voice that instructed you to move, especially when you are convinced that what you're doing ain't right.

There's this feeling of relief/disappointment, when we don't hear God's audible voice at the time we really need Him to speak back to us. God doesn't always speak to us with an audible voice. If we have the mind of Christ (like we claim to) and the holy spirit to guide us, then we probably are more in line with His will than we think.

The fact that things might not be working out the way we'd love them to doesn't mean there's something we're not doing right. Well, you know urself better than I do.
Evaluating your life based on people's expectations from you can be detrimental to fulfilling God's actual plan for you. Be careful who you give access into the affairs of your life.

I've heard people say "God always speaks. We're the ones not hearing Him" Well, yes He does speak, but not always via the medium we expect; Not always with a still small voice or a voice that causes the earth to tremble.
Maybe the response you require is 'wotchu thinking, son? Don't do it!!" But instead, there's a conviction within that analyzes every possible outcome of your proposed action, and suddenly your mind is filled with unrest until to take a step. You'd actually be extremely foolish not to back off, simply because you didn't hear a voice.

We get to a certain stage in life, where we are the weighing scale of our actions; a stage where we actually know good from evil, but we still feel very adventurous, and decid to pick evil, hoping we'll have enough time to get a second shot.
Thank God for grace, but grace alone will not save us, so I guess it's time we started living right.

Two of Seven Prayers: Lord, we are not denying that we are ignorant of what is good and what is evil. Our flesh sometimes gets the better of us, and tend to cripple our ability to respond to the leading of ur spirit. Cast us not away from your presence, Lord, as we retrace our steps, and align ourselves back to the paths you originally created for us. Order our steps, daily, even when we don't Hear you speak. Amen

Work. Pray. Be Thankful!

A CHILD'S TOUCH

I haven't written in a while....I mean, i've been writing, but i haven't posted stuff in a while, cos i never get to finish registering my thoughts at once, for the past 7 months (It always gets to a point where it doesn't make thorough sense). I'm sure some of you feel that way, from time to time. i may be wrong. It's sometimes very easy to get distracted from what you used to do with so much passion and conviction, and at times, it could be very difficult to unlock yourself from those shackles of distractions that have entangled you and wrapped a thick dark clothing around your face, to mess up your vision. Have you ever felt so far away from Home, even though you never wandered away for more than a mile? Have you ever felt like you've slept for so long, even though you never shut your eyes for a second? Have you ever felt tolerated, even though there are more than enough people around you to hold hands with and have fun? Well, that defines how I feel sometimes. (No questions. lol).

Last night, i went to bed feeling a lil cold (not literally), but somehow i hit the 'snooze' button...eventually. I woke up this morning, my feelings lacking adequate definition. i knew I had to push myself to lighten up...I knew i had to give God nothing less than my best at the service, even though my relationship with him has been a bit..... I got dressed and hit the road. I kept replaying the song we learnt at the tuesday rehearsal "One Thing Remains" by Jesus Culture (This song has blessed me). The words that resounded in my head were "Even in the obvious face of defeat, believe" Okay. What next? What exactly was I supposed to believe in/on? I sought for clarity...

After selecting and rehearsing the songs for the day, i sat down to have a quick chat with a friend, and she said to me "God will never withhold any good thing from you" Huh??? Like, seriously?? As if that wasn't enough, the preacher spoke for over 45mins, making references to God's unfailing love. I learnt that God doesn't love us MORE for what we've done or what we do, neither does He love us LESS for what we've not done, or are yet to do. He just loves us. Period. He loves us in our strong moments, in our weakness, mess, inadequacies, shortcomings, and in any other situation we seem to have put ourselves in (or find/found ourselves in). The preacher's testimony of how he overcame betrayal and distrust with intentional and purposeful Love - the kinda love that was processed in heaven - knocked me off balance. That singular display of love attracted a word that quenched 14yrs of thirst. His testimony blew my mind. With tears almost rolling down, I gave in "I believe. Take the Wheel" At that point, I felt His love again.

May we not miss what God wants to do in our lives, all in the name of a Let's-be-realistic mindset. His timing may not align with your urgent and I-need-it-now-or-never needs, but He remains faithful. I don't think he will ever be sorry for not being on time, like we expect Him to. Jesus heard of Lazarus's ill health, but delayed for two days. Jesus did not only delay to make martha and her sister feel any different, he was about to teach the disciples, you and I, a new level of 'believing'. The Message bible puts it this way "Then Jesus became explicit: "Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn't there. You're about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let's go to him." John 11:14-15. He wasn't doing it for the spotlight, like some of us do today. Even martha didn't fully understand (I wouldn't have either). She believed that if Jesus asked the Father, her brother would be raised up, but in the resurrection, at the endtime "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you." John 11:21-22. "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time." she said. Sometimes He responds sooner than we expect, and other times he takes His time. He is God. He is never late. My prayer for us is that we'll always be ready, with our faith intact, no matter how long it takes for Him to respond.

God's love is as gentle as a Child's touch. It's purposeful. It's harmless. As i played the bass lines to the song, this morning, i recalled carrying a baby a few weeks back (Well, i love babies hehehe). As i held this Child close, she stared at me. Noisy room, loads of distractions, yet she kept her eyes locked on me. I wish i could understand why she couldn't get her eyes off me..It was a mystery. Even when people carried her, she kept turning her head until she could no longer see me in sight. Once again, i carried her, and I felt the attention again. i leaned closer and she stretched her hands to touch my face...Wow! What a feeling it was!!! I was just unnecessarily happy. A group of people watched me carry this child round the hall, and were actually convinced she was mine. lol (i wish!). Others asked what i did to the child to capture her attention.

There's no depth in any of these, neither is there a theological explanation or revelation, but on that stage, this morning, I felt God's unconditional love...the kind of love that cannot be fully comprehended...the kind of love that says "I don't care what you've been through, I don't care what others may think of you, I don't care how many times you drove a spear into my side, I don't care if you are tagged (by people who think they know better) as unholy, filthy and unworthy to stand before me, i don't care if you just messed up the other night" The kinda love that says "I still have my eyes on you" The kinda love that never judges or holds to heart hurts and disappointments...the kinda love that forgives when we ask.

There's nothing special we've done (or are doing) to attract God's optimum attention. He loved us from the inception and creation of the earth. That love hasn't changed...it never will. Don't miss what God is about to do, and has started doing in your life.

My prayer for us is that God will touch us in a way that we have never felt before. He will turn things around to favour us. Also have it in mind that He will never withhold any good thing from YOU. If it's good for you, He'll surely bring it your way...and if it' not, He can take it away, if you give Him the chance to. The question is "Are you willing to let go, and receive what He has for you? Selah.

Though we might not fully understand why, but He loves us anyway. NEVER forget this!!!! Work Hard. Pray Harder. Thank God