I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed first hand. Being a full time mum and having a full time job will do that to anyone. My eldest daughter has been under the weather the last few days and we finally discovered today that she has a chest infection. I am now under the weather because she’s under the weather and I still have a job and another child to take care of. Sometimes I can feel that I try to push myself beyond my limitations and I always suffer dire consequences when this is the case.
There’s a limit to the amount of strain that we can emotionally and physically place ourselves under. I am a naturally intense person by nature and try to apply my best to everything that I do but in the same vein I find myself pushing the threshold of my limitations time and time again. When I do this, I find it hard to see anything positive and the blessings that have I have been showered with seem to evaporate into thin air. The very same things I was thankful for the day before now seem to be somewhat of a burden. I find myself looking at God’s blessings negatively.
Luckily, there’s a solution to the issue. I know that in order to avoid damage to my physical and emotional well-being, I need to take a step back and get some much needed rest. It is imperative that I sit in God’s presence and get rejuvenated – even if only for a short time. It’s not a good idea to get overly stressed out.
Are you pushing yourself beyond your limitations? Do you constantly ignore the warning signs to be still and take a chill pill? If you are like me, the answer is probably yes. It’s time to listen to the still small voice inside that’s constantly telling you to slow down. It’s time to rest in the perfect peace and confidence of Jesus Christ. Take the time that you need for your body to recover. Failing to do so can result in long-lasting problems.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Grace To Rise Above
We’ve all had bad things happen to us. I’ve known people who have lost a child, a spouse, a marriage or a close family member. Some have lost their livelihood and consequently their home. Others escaped horrible abuse growing up in dysfunctional families. Many perish from ill-health due to incurable diseases. A few met their deaths due to no fault of their own – they simply were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not to minimize the impact that tragedies bring to our lives but the sad truth is bad things really do happen to good people.
Sometimes things happen for no reason at all. That’s why I don’t get it when people run around when a crisis occurs and suggesting what should have been done – suggesting that if you had done this maybe that wouldn’t have happened and if you had done that, this would not be happening to you. If only you had prayed enough or that God does not even exist.
Tragedy is a reality and while it is not the will of God, they happen as a fact of life. Some question the existence of God and that if he existed why he allows certain things to happen. Horrible things happen because of the evil nature of the very humans that God himself created. God has given man free will and that free will cannot be removed otherwise we cease to be human. The terrorists that drove planes into the twin towers in New York did not act on the direction of God – they were simply evil human beings being evil to other human beings. Unfortunately, God cannot change the will of man and he cannot take away a man’s free will; believe me I know. I remember praying and praying about certain issues and for God to change some minds but he didn’t. Not because he did not love me or want the best for me but because that’s not the kind of God that he is. I have to come to understand that instead of praying for bad things not to happen, I need to pray for strength in my character so I can deal with any adversity that comes my way.
I believe all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose so when bad things happen (which they will as long as we are alive and breathing) we come out of gaining more than we ever lost. Even when people pass away we have to believe that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. They are in a better place than this dump we live in. I am convinced that with all the perils of life that we might have to deal with and endure, we have the powerful grace of God that allows all of us to rise above; not some special people only – all of us have the grace to rise above our circumstances and our pasts. All the things that we go through are for a reason that is why I always encourage people to share their story. That is one of the main reasons I started to write – maybe someone somewhere will read my notes and believe that by trusting God they have nothing to lose – only the world to gain.
You can rise above anything that you may be going through – I am not talking about some miraculous sign or some supernatural stuff (even though I do believe in the supernatural power of God) from the sky or anything like that but positive things can come from a wealth of negativity.
Sometimes things happen for no reason at all. That’s why I don’t get it when people run around when a crisis occurs and suggesting what should have been done – suggesting that if you had done this maybe that wouldn’t have happened and if you had done that, this would not be happening to you. If only you had prayed enough or that God does not even exist.
Tragedy is a reality and while it is not the will of God, they happen as a fact of life. Some question the existence of God and that if he existed why he allows certain things to happen. Horrible things happen because of the evil nature of the very humans that God himself created. God has given man free will and that free will cannot be removed otherwise we cease to be human. The terrorists that drove planes into the twin towers in New York did not act on the direction of God – they were simply evil human beings being evil to other human beings. Unfortunately, God cannot change the will of man and he cannot take away a man’s free will; believe me I know. I remember praying and praying about certain issues and for God to change some minds but he didn’t. Not because he did not love me or want the best for me but because that’s not the kind of God that he is. I have to come to understand that instead of praying for bad things not to happen, I need to pray for strength in my character so I can deal with any adversity that comes my way.
I believe all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose so when bad things happen (which they will as long as we are alive and breathing) we come out of gaining more than we ever lost. Even when people pass away we have to believe that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. They are in a better place than this dump we live in. I am convinced that with all the perils of life that we might have to deal with and endure, we have the powerful grace of God that allows all of us to rise above; not some special people only – all of us have the grace to rise above our circumstances and our pasts. All the things that we go through are for a reason that is why I always encourage people to share their story. That is one of the main reasons I started to write – maybe someone somewhere will read my notes and believe that by trusting God they have nothing to lose – only the world to gain.
You can rise above anything that you may be going through – I am not talking about some miraculous sign or some supernatural stuff (even though I do believe in the supernatural power of God) from the sky or anything like that but positive things can come from a wealth of negativity.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Share Your Story - Dare to Live Your Dreams
What do people think when they see you? Is your life an inspirational story? Do you inspire others to be the best they can be? What mud did you have to wade through to get to where you are today? Did you realize a dream that everyone thought was impossible to achieve? Where you constantly laughed at growing up just because you were different?
Every body has a story. My life is definitely a story – a story of loses and a story of gains. A story of joy but at the same time filled with so much pain. I’ve been criticized all my life but I am glad because I am in good company. Jesus Christ was criticized over and over again. But he stayed true to his mission and he fulfilled his destiny. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, tell someone about your life. It could help one person out of the prison they have created for themselves. It could bring hope to someone who feels like they have nothing left to live for and help them grab a new lease on life. You could be the lifeline someone somewhere out there was desperately waiting for.
I sometimes wonder where all those folks are now – those that laughed and those that cursed. Those that scorned and said nothing much will come out of me. I try to use my writing to plant a seed a hope, encouragement and inspiration to others. Never give up on your dreams. Never focus on what people are saying. I learnt people will always talk whether you do good things or do bad things. Whether you have dreams that you are trying to achieve or are hopeless. People always have something to say.
We have to understand that not everyone will like us or understand us. Not everyone will see things from our point of view. But does that mean that we should run and hide? Does that mean that we must not remain true to ourselves? Absolutely not! We ought to be happy with who we are – our personalities and the way we were created. If we have flaws in our character than we can develop and work on, by all means we must aspire to be better but at the same time, we must never allow the words of others who think we are too loud or we talk too much to make us question ourselves.
I remember when I was worried that my 10 year old was very vocal and I remember some fanatical people saying their children did not speak unless they were spoken to. For a minute, I questioned my parenting and thought maybe it’s something I could change until one of her Teachers told me how her being vocal was a gift that God would use mightily in times to come.
Share your story – believe in yourself. There is no-one else on the planet like you. You are unique and what you have to offer the world, no-one else can give it like you can. You can realize your dreams if you step out in faith. Give God something to work with.
Every body has a story. My life is definitely a story – a story of loses and a story of gains. A story of joy but at the same time filled with so much pain. I’ve been criticized all my life but I am glad because I am in good company. Jesus Christ was criticized over and over again. But he stayed true to his mission and he fulfilled his destiny. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, tell someone about your life. It could help one person out of the prison they have created for themselves. It could bring hope to someone who feels like they have nothing left to live for and help them grab a new lease on life. You could be the lifeline someone somewhere out there was desperately waiting for.
I sometimes wonder where all those folks are now – those that laughed and those that cursed. Those that scorned and said nothing much will come out of me. I try to use my writing to plant a seed a hope, encouragement and inspiration to others. Never give up on your dreams. Never focus on what people are saying. I learnt people will always talk whether you do good things or do bad things. Whether you have dreams that you are trying to achieve or are hopeless. People always have something to say.
We have to understand that not everyone will like us or understand us. Not everyone will see things from our point of view. But does that mean that we should run and hide? Does that mean that we must not remain true to ourselves? Absolutely not! We ought to be happy with who we are – our personalities and the way we were created. If we have flaws in our character than we can develop and work on, by all means we must aspire to be better but at the same time, we must never allow the words of others who think we are too loud or we talk too much to make us question ourselves.
I remember when I was worried that my 10 year old was very vocal and I remember some fanatical people saying their children did not speak unless they were spoken to. For a minute, I questioned my parenting and thought maybe it’s something I could change until one of her Teachers told me how her being vocal was a gift that God would use mightily in times to come.
Share your story – believe in yourself. There is no-one else on the planet like you. You are unique and what you have to offer the world, no-one else can give it like you can. You can realize your dreams if you step out in faith. Give God something to work with.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Obedience Reserved For Sundays Only?
My 4 year old punched her older sister today as we were getting ready to attend a Sunday morning service at our church. I told her sternly not to hit her sister and God didn’t really like us kicking and punching one another. She turned to me and promised she would be nice once we got to church!
It’s amazing how early on in life we can develop an occasional obedience to the Word of God. We sometimes reserve God for Sundays only when he wants to be a part of our lives every single day. We are on our best behavior on Sundays as if God takes a vacation from seeing our hearts every other day of the week. My 4 year old probably thought it was ok to quarrel with her sister provided she didn’t do it while at church.
We are to be obedient to God every single day – at home with our families and on our jobs. Seeking God at the start of every day and allowing his voice to be the first thing we hear in the morning will allow us to be obedient throughout the entire day. We become very familiar with his voice through his word that it’s relatively easy to distinguish the real from the fake. So when time comes during the day to discern if what we are hearing is from God or not, the task is a piece of cake.
So if you reserve God for Sundays only, have a change of heart. God is so much bigger than all of that. Our God is not a Sunday only God – He is an every day God.
It’s amazing how early on in life we can develop an occasional obedience to the Word of God. We sometimes reserve God for Sundays only when he wants to be a part of our lives every single day. We are on our best behavior on Sundays as if God takes a vacation from seeing our hearts every other day of the week. My 4 year old probably thought it was ok to quarrel with her sister provided she didn’t do it while at church.
We are to be obedient to God every single day – at home with our families and on our jobs. Seeking God at the start of every day and allowing his voice to be the first thing we hear in the morning will allow us to be obedient throughout the entire day. We become very familiar with his voice through his word that it’s relatively easy to distinguish the real from the fake. So when time comes during the day to discern if what we are hearing is from God or not, the task is a piece of cake.
So if you reserve God for Sundays only, have a change of heart. God is so much bigger than all of that. Our God is not a Sunday only God – He is an every day God.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
What's Your Plan?
It's surprising to see how many adults stumble through life without a plan. Majority have no real destination or are there clear directions documenting how to get there. There's a new philosophy of "taking each day as it comes" but a little bit of intelligence will also tell you that dreaming without a plan is simply wishful thinking and that preparation plus opportunity equals success.
We all want to win and we are more likely to win if we have a plan. God is methodical, he is a cerebral thinking God; he does not co-exist with confusion. If you doubt my take on that, go back to genesis and look at the systematic way in which the world was created. Sometimes spirituality gets in the way of practicality and we think because we are believers and we walk by faith that means that we don't need to plan. But faith being the substance of things hoped for indicates that we must have a goal in mind and we must be determined to get there. So thinking along the same lines, what is the sense in having a goal if you have to plans on how to meet it?
To build a car or a house, there is a plan. But we get married without a plan, have children without a plan on how they are going to get an education and show up at our jobs everyday without a plan. No wonder we are failing in every aspect of our lives. We stumble around day after day - our vision limited to the events of that one day.
I once heard a wise man say he has what he will be doing for the next 20 years documented and that he cannot die because when you have sound plans you are working with, death must surely respect you.
So I ask you today - what are your plans? Do you have a blueprint for your future? What do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years, 10 years? Where do you see yourself 15, 20 years from now? What do you want to be doing and where do you expect your children to be (if you have any)? What plans are you making for the generation behind you? What are kind of ideas do you have for the legacy you want to leave behind?
Bisi.
We all want to win and we are more likely to win if we have a plan. God is methodical, he is a cerebral thinking God; he does not co-exist with confusion. If you doubt my take on that, go back to genesis and look at the systematic way in which the world was created. Sometimes spirituality gets in the way of practicality and we think because we are believers and we walk by faith that means that we don't need to plan. But faith being the substance of things hoped for indicates that we must have a goal in mind and we must be determined to get there. So thinking along the same lines, what is the sense in having a goal if you have to plans on how to meet it?
To build a car or a house, there is a plan. But we get married without a plan, have children without a plan on how they are going to get an education and show up at our jobs everyday without a plan. No wonder we are failing in every aspect of our lives. We stumble around day after day - our vision limited to the events of that one day.
I once heard a wise man say he has what he will be doing for the next 20 years documented and that he cannot die because when you have sound plans you are working with, death must surely respect you.
So I ask you today - what are your plans? Do you have a blueprint for your future? What do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years, 10 years? Where do you see yourself 15, 20 years from now? What do you want to be doing and where do you expect your children to be (if you have any)? What plans are you making for the generation behind you? What are kind of ideas do you have for the legacy you want to leave behind?
Bisi.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Forgive Yourself
Let's face it, we all do stupid things. Things that we later regret. We make bad choices and weak decisions. We do not weigh the pros and cons of what we plan to do, who may get affected by it or how our actions can change the entire course of our lives. We decide on what to do based on how we think we are feeling at the time not fully grasping that feelings are temporary and not concrete enough to base decisions on. After all is said and done, we eventually need to find the courage to carry on and move beyond our pasts. We need to find the wisdom and strength required to forgive ourselves and leave all hurt, guilt and regret behind.
Guilt and regret does nothing good. They keep us bound and chained to the pains and hurts of our past. They love to remind us of what they think we have lost and how much we should have gained if the wrongs that happened to us never took place. The longer we keep these unwanted guests around in our mind, the more we torture ourselves and prolong our suffering. But there is a God who is forgiving and loving who told us at the death of his Beloved Son - 'It is Finished!" God is kind and merciful and has released us from sin. There are no more sacrifices needed for the forgiveness of sins. We are forgiven and it is over.
There may however be consequences that we must suffer for our choices and we may have to live with those. But once we have repented, fixed or made restitution, we must finally take responsibility for our actions after which we are free to move on with life. Deciding to forget the past is a choice - a good choice. It does not mean that we sweep things under the rug; it simply means that we have decided carrying the dead weight around is not worth the effort. Remembering who hurt us or treated us badly when we were 5 years old does us no good at 55! We can decide that relationships with certain folks are too trying - that's fine. But we must release the past in our own minds because the healing must begin with us.
Are you punishing yourself over a decision in the past or what a certain someone or people did to you? Let it go today. Release yourself from the prison of guilt. Grab on to a new lease on life with the help of Jesus Christ. He is waiting for you - for the next chapter of your life.
Bisi.
Guilt and regret does nothing good. They keep us bound and chained to the pains and hurts of our past. They love to remind us of what they think we have lost and how much we should have gained if the wrongs that happened to us never took place. The longer we keep these unwanted guests around in our mind, the more we torture ourselves and prolong our suffering. But there is a God who is forgiving and loving who told us at the death of his Beloved Son - 'It is Finished!" God is kind and merciful and has released us from sin. There are no more sacrifices needed for the forgiveness of sins. We are forgiven and it is over.
There may however be consequences that we must suffer for our choices and we may have to live with those. But once we have repented, fixed or made restitution, we must finally take responsibility for our actions after which we are free to move on with life. Deciding to forget the past is a choice - a good choice. It does not mean that we sweep things under the rug; it simply means that we have decided carrying the dead weight around is not worth the effort. Remembering who hurt us or treated us badly when we were 5 years old does us no good at 55! We can decide that relationships with certain folks are too trying - that's fine. But we must release the past in our own minds because the healing must begin with us.
Are you punishing yourself over a decision in the past or what a certain someone or people did to you? Let it go today. Release yourself from the prison of guilt. Grab on to a new lease on life with the help of Jesus Christ. He is waiting for you - for the next chapter of your life.
Bisi.
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