Chapter · Faith · Journey · Life

Staying in your lane on Purpose

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In life we are constantly bombarded with things that seek to grab our attention either to take us in the right direction of our higher purpose or to make us make detours that take us away from purpose. We all have principles we live by that highlights for us the right and wrong. Each time we do right we are happier and doing wrong tend to cause us regrets, disappointments and generally just zaps the joy from us.
The dictionary defines principles as the guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct. Your principles could be derived from your religious beliefs, family ethics, cultural beliefs or your personal beliefs. As people who are striving each day to be the best of us we don’t necessarily set out to do the wrong things or as a Christian I’ll say we don’t necessarily set out to sin or take detours. Some how life happens and before we could catch our next breath we find ourselves doing the exact things we swore we wouldn’t do. If we are being honest some of the choices that lead us down the wrong path or cause us to sin are not things that others did to us but choices we made because we couldn’t say no to our senses. Sometime we are our own worst enemies we know the things that trip us or that are not good for us but we hang around such things only to play the blame game when we get hurt. God loves us but He hates sin and in order to align with His purpose for our lives we must count on Him and depend on Him to get it right. Having had my own fair share of detours in life and learnt from my mistakes. Below are some of the ways to keep from going in the wrong direction. The list isn’t exhaustive and this should only help as a guide and included to some of your own personal list of what works to safe you from going in the wrong direction that don’t serve your purpose.
i) Stay connected to your source: The source of a thing is its sustainer (anon). A fish will not do well outside of water so how do I expect that I will navigate life successfully, live out my true potential and say no to sin without my source (God).To stay connected to Him means building my relationship with Him daily through prayers and the study of the word. When you stay connected with your source and you are working daily on the relationship by way of studying the bible you are opening yourself to receiving direction and instruction on how to stay in the right lane. The word of God is filled with all what is expected of our lives and how we can do right but when we don’t study it we won’t know how well to respond when life presents us with choices that is bound to sway us in the wrong direction. Through Prayers we are communicating with God how we feel and we are swapping our weakness for His strength. We pray to align ourselves to Him so that we can be quick to discern and get the courage we need to face life in His will.When you pray you are inviting the enabler to help you live out the godly principles you have learnt and forgive where you may have goofed in the past.

ii) Have the right people in your circle: I’m not one who blame others because I believe everyone is capable of choosing their action at any given time. But I believe if we hang around people who don’t helps us grow then we may be in company of those that are bringing us down. Because nothing stays on the same plain. It’s either they are adding to you and you are adding to them or y’all are just not helping each other. They say evil communication corrupts good manners and the bible clearly states a company of fools will be destroyed. So if I’m bent on living right and fulfilling purpose then I can’t just let anyone hang around who isn’t helping me go forward. If all they talk about and all they want to do is the wrong stuff and I continue to hang around them, one day something will give and I will be pushed to subordinate my values to the the wrong that’s placed before my eyes. If you know you want to be the light that shines so bright you need to hang around other lights so that you can provoke each other unto good works.So check your circle. Your association determines a great deal how far you will go in life don’t just hang around just anybody for the sake of it.

iii) Have an accountable buddie: You can’t tell everybody everything about your life. There are some people you can trust to hold you down even when you are at your worst. People who won’t tell your secrets at the mountain top who will cover you in prayer when you’ve made your worst fall. Someone you can call when you sense you are about to do something or you’ve done something and who you are sure would knock sense into you. It helps to keep you in check when you have an accountability buddie. These ones are different from your everyday friends. They are people you know want you to do right and to stay on course with keeping to your goals. So be careful while you choose these ones.

iv) Have a time of reflection: Life can get so busy and it becomes important to take time out to reflect in a quiet place. If we let things get too busy we lose the grip on our core and all that keeps us grounded and sane. We feel drained and find ourselves constantly in battles of choices even when those choices atime are no brainers. But because we are tired and worn we start to make blunders and find our life going out of balance and we see our choices taking us down the road we said we were not going to head down. Don’t let your life spiral out of control take time to have your “me” time where you look into your life and tell yourself some good old truths to keep you from straying. Within every 24hrs do a self check where you can see where you’ve neglected things that should be priority and where you could play back your actions.

v) Be mindful of the information you take in: Social media is filled with a whole lot of information. The good, the bad and the ugly. If you are a person who isn’t fighting to go anywhere in life or a person that isn’t ready to be somebody whose life has meaning and glorifies God then you won’t need to sift the information you take in. But if you love God, yourself and want to add value and live a life of meaning in this life then you have to be mindful of what you let yourself eat at life’s information banquet. Go after what inspires greatness in you, what pushes you to be more of the good person you want to be. What comes out of you will be as a result of what you’ve taken in. So if you’ve filled yourself with junk all day you are not strengthened to say no when opposition arises to sway you in an unwholesome direction.

The above list isn’t exhaustive as I pointed out earlier but they are just basics to help us stay in the right path as we pursue our God given purpose for our lives. When we spend time with our source, have the right information, have the right circle of friends, have accountable buddies, take our constant reflective time we are strengthened to act right and take actions that serve our purpose more. Let’s be honest life will throw things at us that will try to sway us from doing all the right things we have made up our mind to do but the choice of whether we win or lose is a matter of where we are anchored.
May we continue in the right path and no matter what happens on our journey may we always remember that we are royalty and we have the responsibility to guide our crown. May our lives always work to give God glory and may we never take the wide road that lead to destruction may we always stay on the narrow path that leads us to life.

I will love to hear from you. Share with me some of the things you do that helps you stay in your lane on PURRPOSE.

THANKS to all who have liked and will like my blog posts and those who have left me comments and followed my blog. You inspire me to stay on PURPOSE.

You win when you don’t QUIT.

Photocred:Kelly Langston images taken off the internet images of “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” search.

Faith · Journey · Life

The lie(s) you bought!!!!

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Life is a market and there is always buying and selling going on very single time. People are always selling things to us on a regular basis. Things that fit or do not fit. They make their pitch of their sales by their words (what they say to us) and their actions (what they do to us). And I’m not saying people can’t sell what they want to sell at anytime, it’s a free world and a free system just like there are shops on every high street selling several things, people are “life’s shops” but as a consumer I can choose what I want to buy and where I want to buy at any given time and I can decide if it’s not fit for purpose to return it so that I don’t end up junking my world. So many of us have bought lies from the human being who represent one of life’s many shops such lies like we are too sluggish, we would never amount to anything, we are not good enough, we are ugly, we are not worthy of love, we will never get it right, you are too skinny nothing fits you, you are too fat nobody will ever love you, you should have been a doctor and by now you would have been better off financially…..the list is endless.

At some point in our life we walked into some people who we thought were selling truths, who affirmed us, whose goods we thought were good quality that will help us in life but somehow things turned. The truth is sometimes this people didn’t change from good to bad we were the ones that just got carried away thinking they were good for us because they sold one good item to cover up the many lies they would later sell to us. To be honest, sometimes the people selling these lies are not even strangers they are people who know us so well and because of these ties that bind we think their sales are pre-approved and we can’t do anything about it, we believe the things they say and the junk they throw at us is got to be the truth so we continue to shop with them and continue to buy the lie. We junk up our world and we become so complacent and too lazy to take responsibility of sifting the words that we constantly hear.

Growing up in a supportive family where love isn’t found wanting I was blessed to know early in life how to sift what I buy from people. I wasn’t the most beautiful kid you’ll see (if I’m being honest) but I wasn’t ugly but some of my peers felt different as they thought that I was super ugly they likened me to a monkey. I remember always looking at them and wondering why they were so mean. Looking back now I ask myself how could a bunch of kids sell a lie that huge to another kid. Couldn’t they see how hurtful those words were or are some people just wired to be mean???? We were all kids but I didn’t get why they were so mean in their action but I still didn’t let it worry me by stopping me from going to the playing ground.(I don’t know how I found that courage). I didn’t break, I didn’t let their words push me to a corner where I felt alone without friends.

As I grew older and reflected on that season I learnt that people will see what they want to see and there will be some people who will see beauty in me and there will be some who won’t no matter how hard I try to make them see it. I learnt that I just have to be willing to change my crowd and change people’s position in my life if they are no longer interested in helping me see the best in me. Today, I go to places and I see people tell me how pretty I am but it still doesn’t get to my head but I’m thankful I weathered the childhood playground bullying and constant taunting and without letting it affect my self esteem. Yes, their words bothered me but no their lie didn’t crush my self esteem thanks to God and an excellent support system. I still I’m not “MISS WORLD” today but I’m the “MISS ME ” of my world and just like I didn’t buy that lie way back then I wouldn’t buy it today in anyway from anybody especially now that I know what my bible says about being fearfully and wonderfully made by a God who took His time to make me in His image and likeness.

Too many times we wait for heroes to come save us from the lies we bought and have now become. We’ve waited too long even to the point that we have now forgotten that we equally can step up and step out wearing our own super hero cape and hold every word and thought captive by telling ourselves our own truth that is founded on deep rooted convictions from God’s word. Words that tell us that we are powerful, blessed, amazing, brilliant and that we are loved. In order to not end up with items YOU don’t need, YOU have to take the items back to the store and get your refund or exchange. YOU have to be the one to take action and deal with the lies YOU bought. It’s ok to have people support you but first as the person who bought the lies YOU have to be the person who takes responsibility to return the lies. Until YOU’VE had enough of buying the lies YOU won’t do what is required to stop the purchase.

I’m not sure what lie you bought up until now that has affected your entire life and your belief system about your person and you think 2015 is just not going to make a difference because you are too lost. You can make 2015 count and it can be your best year yet if you will dust yourself and start finding your voice day after day by speaking the truth to yourself about your life instead of sitting in the same place and letting people speak their lie to your ears. Know this for sure anybody can throw words around because we can’t put a stopper on anybody’s mouth just in the same way we can’t demand that a store be shut down because what they sold didn’t work for us but we sure can put a stopper on the mouths that speak negativity into our personal lives by refusing to buy the lies they constantly speak to our lives. We can choose to hang around a different company, we can go on our own with God until we are strong enough to know those encouragers we are ok listening to.

You are responsible for what you buy and what you buy has a way of affecting how you will view your life. If you had only one thing to purchase in 2015 make the item something that will be of significance to your life and your authenticity. Make your one trip to life’s store worth it. Be responsible in your purchase, value yourself too much to not purchase a lie and if by chance a lie still creeps into your purchase don’t sit with it return it. Do better this year don’t buy a lie. You could get sold a lie but you have a choice not to buy it. In life it’s not really about what we are called it’s what we answer to.

Let me be the voice that sells you the truth in the here and now as you are reading this YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, YOU ARE LOVED OF GOD, YOUR LIFE IS ATTRACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE, YOUR WORK MATTERS, YOU ARE CHANGING LIVES, YOUR EXISTENCE IS ENRICHING, YOU ARE SMART, YOU ARE BRILLIANT, GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE, YOU ARE CAPABLE OF LOVING SOMEONE AND YOU ARE CAPABLE OF RECEIVING LOVE, YOU ARE CAPABLE OF CHANGE, YOU ARE ONE IN A GENERATION.

Check your life and if you are not okay with certain habits by all means work to change them so that you can be empowered to walk bold in the earth and in your calling and in your authenticity. If it’s certain things you can’t change that you know requires the divine, don’t stress or beat yourself up over it, take it to God in prayer. Let go and let God. Get your cape darling because in 2015 we are going to be our own superhero and our vote and God’s vote (not the lies of others) will count more to determine how our life turns out.

Be an encourager. Be the eyes that sees the best in people and be the voice that calls the best out of people.

Remember WE WIN only when we DON’T QUIT.

Bible references: Psalm 139:14 Genesis 1:26

Chapter · Faith · Journey · Life

The Journey (not just our destination) teaches us Lessons as well!!!

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The above quote from Mandy Hale's book (I’ve never been to Vegas but my luggage has been) struck a chord in me when I read the book earlier in the year and each time I see the quote it continues to minister to my spirit. Too many times we wait to get to a destination before we look to find the life lessons embedded in it. We all want to arrive, we all want to find and hold the treasures, trophies and spoils of our war but sometimes the “destination” is just “the destination” but the true lessons are embedded in the journey. 2014 is about coming to a close. It’s been 12 chapters long and several pages but somehow some of us have a way of waiting for the end of it to really see that we find those things we wrote on our vision board and prayer list before we admit it’s a good year or that the year taught us anything that has improved our person and equipped us with the wisdom to help someone else on their journey to purpose. Let’s face it maybe you didn’t start the business as you expected but you took time out to build yourself and prepare for the destination, you learnt how to build your brand, you built your network and have some really great relationships now that you didn’t have last year or the year before that. Agreed you didn’t get to your destination but you didn’t give up either and the truth is you are closer and more prepared to get that business off the ground than you were before.
Maybe you didn’t get the promotion you felt you deserved but you learnt how to put your best foot forward and do all it takes to demand what you really believe you deserve.

Don’t get it twisted I’m not a traveller who never want to get to the destination or a warrior who never cares to be the champion but life has taught me that the process is as important as the end and I can’t always base my wins on just what I get for completing my race sometimes the fact that I took part in the race is a blessing on its own and the lessons I learnt is as valuable as the prize I get from winning the race.

This year I decided I was going to be more intentional about living and not just take what is thrown on my plate, I told myself I was going to get better with everything and be the best of me. I knew this was a challenge because going up against your past is much tougher than looking over your shoulder at someone else because you know “you” and all you have to change and how daunting it is to win against the personal records you set in the past. You understand that you’ve stayed the same because you’ve not pushed too hard or because you lacked motivation or you just never saw a reason to change any of those routine that never serve you to be better. You know you have to win over complacency and set a new record in your personal routine of reading, exercising, communication, diet etc. I knew I was going to have to hold myself to some higher standards and discipline than I’ve done in the past if I am to be better than I was before. I pushed myself because I knew to be intentional meant you are not waiting on people to get you to do things and by doing this I learnt a lot of lessons about myself.

I learnt I’m stronger than I think I am and more resilient than I ever gave myself credit for. I learnt it’s ok to choose me and to walk away with my head held high instead of playing the blame game when out of my own lack of discernment the people I give my commitment to turn out to be users. I learnt that when I fall I don’t stay down I have only one option and that is to get up and keep going. I learnt that sometimes my mind could be thinking ‘no’ but my actions won’t align and I’ll fall right on my face doing the things I said I wouldn’t do but also the fact that I didn’t align my actions with my words don’t rule me out of life’s race I must get up and find my alignment and comeback swinging harder next time I’m faced with the same situation and as long as I keep rising and keep going I will find alignment and I will win. I learnt that sometimes the only thing standing between us and our goal is our inability to get out of our own way and go after what we say we truly deserve. I learnt that I can walk away from things and people that are not serving me and my greater purpose. I learnt that personal discipline is the key to trumping your past and soft answers really turns away wrath. If you put your mind to it you can really change the things that are within your reach and you can live comfortably with that change.

Hands on heart the result of 2014 didn’t turn out as pretty and perfect as I would want it but it’s amazing how much peace I have as I round off this year. The tunes I played and the pitch I sang wasn’t perfect all through and the truth is I wasn’t going for a year that was halfie halfie, my game plan was to win it all even though this didn’t happen on all sides I’m glad i played the hand I was dealt without being a coward in the face of all that came. I stand at the finish line of 2014 to say thank you to the God who brought me through every step of the way. The very God I failed many times but who still forgave and yes I have a smile on my face not because everything is perfect but because I have being stretched and I am grateful to God and give Him the praise due Him.

Let’s me be honest I’m smiling because the stretching made me wiser, stronger ,better and the mistakes grew me and I can walk away from this year knowing His grace brought me through one more time. So whether I didn’t get all the things on my vision board sorted I’m thankful I still got God,family and friends who believe I’m worth the love and who are still cheering for me. This year I’m smiling because my level of honesty with myself reached an all new high and I got my routine in good gear. I’m still a work in progress and I believe the journey always teaches us so many lessons if we truly pay attention to the messages. It’s great to have all our request granted from our vision board but it’s more amazing to know our lives have been enriched by everything that came our way and by our resolve to be a better person. I pray we all have a better 2015 where we count more wins. Cheers to a great journey in 2015 and don’t wait till the end to count your wins. Stay wining all day everyday.
In Christ alone my hope is found. Cheers to the NEW YEAR!!!

Faith · Journey · Life

KEEP PLAYING

 
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But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way. Bible Hebrews 10:39(MSG)
 
 
As  a kid I thought adults never had problems. Somewhere in my mind I thought because they are grown they had life all figured out and there’s a manuscript where they get step by step  guide on dealing with life. I thought when I get to that age my parents would hand me the “dealing in life”manuscript a step to step guide for finding happiness and living one day at a time. But as an adult I discovered that adults just LIVE amidst all that life throws at them. 
 
It’s no longer news that life happens to all of us but what is news is how we deal with it. As we do life on a daily basis there will be ups & downs and everything in between, sometimes we won’t like the cards we are dealt but that doesn’t mean it’s time to throw in the towel or quit playing.  It’s a new year for me and i’ve decided more than ever before to pay more attention to how I play on life’s field, I want to own my stage more and add value more that’s why we are here in this life. Life so far has taught me that some seeds will not bring the harvest you want but it’s still ok to sow anyway, God will send the harvest you should get when you should get it, some prayers will not get answered the way you want but praying is still the coolest thing you’ll ever do as a Christian, and when you don’t seem to understand God or see His hand you can always trust His heart. 
 
What we face are not meant to break us  we just need to know how to suck it up and continue to play. Some things happen to teach us a lesson and some happen to usher us into our dream.I pray life never robs us of our desire to continue playing through all of life’s season. I pray we stay focused for when we lose the desire to continue playing we give a chance to hopelessness. There is nothing as devastating as giving up hope that tomorrow will be a better day and our dreams will be a reality. Each time we give up hope we pass on growth, maturity, progress, joy and happiness. In all you do NEVER stop playing because you think the weather isn’t favourable or the odds are stack against you.
 
Thanks to  my ride or die family and friends who I continue to do life with. It’s hard going on by myself in this world and having you all in my life makes me believe I’m doing something right. For what it’s worth because you are watching and cheering I’ll keep playing no matter what life throws. I promise you also that I’ll be holding my Pom poms and cheering loud for you as you play in life. Please don’t ever stop playing because you only win when you are still in the game.
Chapter · Faith · Journey · Life

Peaks and Valleys………We made it here

Whatever I have, Wherever I am,I can make it through anything in the ONE who makes me who I am~ Philippians 4:13 (msg)

The marvellous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour will not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse~ Helen Killer

We started out not knowing how high we were going to fly. We stepped forward in hope and with determination to make the most of this journey. We kept pushing because we were determined not to let this whole experience be like the past years.Without a road map but with God’s word and a mental navigation we saw the peaks and made it through the valleys.

For one i was determined to find happiness, stay focussed and chase after God on a different level. I was determined to outdo my past and be a better person than i have been over the years. My first blog this year was titled don’t change the song and like everyone who was on this journey i had moments when i felt like a billion bucks and moments where i could have changed the song because life changes seem unending,dreams seem so far away and goals seem unattainable but i did not let the highs, the lows and everything in between faze me.

Determined to learn and determined not to give up or complain i became my own pastor preaching to myself to continue, i became everything to myself from cheerleader to motivational speaker because i have finally learnt the most important lesson- people or things are not responsible for our happiness but we owe it to ourselves to deliberately choose to be happy and take everyday we are given as a gift from God and make the most of it.

I certainly can’t remember details of every single event but i go over the one goal i was working on through this journey (which is to be a better me through every experience) and with joy in my heart i can say the peaks and the valleys of this year matured me. I owned every moment and i did not let anyone rain on my parade by telling me what i can or can’t be. We are only defined by God’s word and unless they are God’s word they don’t get an opinion in determining who I am.

I don’t know what your peak and valley experiences were this year but i hope it pushed you to appreciate God, beauty and the simple things of life. I hope it revealed you as you are meant to be and helped you appreciate yourself just a little bit more than you did years before.

I know some people wanted more out of this journey but somehow events turned and they are left with broken hearts, broken dreams and broken promises. I can relate, i’ve been there and that’s one of the reasons why i like to relate to life in chapters and journey because the end of one chapter or journey leads you to another exciting new beginning full of hope and possibilities. Don’t give up just yet because morning always come no matter how dark the night.

The journey and the chapter of 2011 is about to end and we are about to start another epic season. But before you peek into the script of Act 1 Scene 1 of the next season make sure you give the last day of 2011 your best and end it on a high. I hope like me you all have plans to be in church tonight because that’s where we kick it off into the new year but above all i hope your heart find its way to God and stays with Him because you don’t want to start climbing in 2012 without a backing or a stronger arm to hold.

To the moments and the people that changed us in 2011, to friends that became family, to words that were meant to break us but motivated us to keep going, I raise my glass and i say THANK YOU.

I love you all. Lets go start our journey and our stories over again in 2012. This very moment Promise yourself to reach higher, dream bigger, grow better and take the limits off God because with Him all things are possible.

We are more than a conqueror.

Faith · Family · Life

You Changed my Life

Today 27th October 10 years ago, my life changed, my world shook and a defining moment was birth. It was school holidays and I had plans to enjoy my break as best as I could but little did I know that my journey for the rest of my life without an earthly father was just about to begin.

Daddy and his girl took a drive out of town, the motorway wasn’t busy and like every other time my dad wowed me with his sense of precision in driving. He took every turn carefully, overtaking when necessary and easing off the accelerator gently to avoid going over the speed limit.

We were enjoying our ride until someone’s mistake happening outside found its way on our turf. Dad did the bravest thing with the little time he had left, he managed to swing the wheels…. but how far can you swing the wheels to avert evil in a sudden moment to save your life? Dad was brave in that moment and as I’ve grown and processed that episode I gleaned a life lesson that “Giving up in the face of life’s sudden twist is not an option, you must continue to do all you can do”.Had my dad not done what he did based on the God given wisdom we would have ended up under the trailer and not one soul would have made it out of the car alive.

Standing at the edge of the motorway covered in blood and watching my dad struggle- my life flashed before my eyes and a sense of purpose was further drummed into me and I knew again with more clarity that “people are the only resource that matter and family will forever be the greatest asset we are blessed with”. At that moment wisdom explained to me that I can’t continue to major on minors and no matter how high some things may scream they just won’t make priority list and I must learn to choose my battles and focus my strength and cherish every moment I have with the great people I’m blessed with.

My faith in God was rebirth through that incident. My dad lived his life telling me but more importantly showing me God dependence and as this episode played out I knew it was time to stand and be a faith girl, knowing God for me. I knew if I was going to make the rest of my life’s journey without bitterness, depression and a sense of loss hanging heavy on my shoulder and holding me down from my God ordained destiny then I needed to make God my anchor. God continues to wow me and he stands true to His word as the father of the fatherless.

Can I quantify my dad’s life- NO, not here, not now, not on this page and definately not ever. His death reminds me everyday that we are time bound on this side of eternity. We are individuals on a mission and we have to continue to live on purpose adding our unique individuality to the human race, touching lives and giving back in ways that we are empowered and inspired to. We can’t just exist as a completion to balance out the Eco system. We were created to make impacts in our families and in the lives of those around us.

Dad the whole world may not have known or heard your name but in the course of doing life you touched the life of the many people you were opportune to meet. You touched your family and prepared your little girl for life even before she was ready to face it. I’m stronger because you lived and taught me faith.

Saying my dad is one in a million is saying I’ll meet someone like him someday and that’s a lie. So i put it this way He was one in a GENERATION and nobody will ever be what he was. I speak for his queen,prince and princesses …….Dad you changed our lives and we have grown to understand God, purpose, faith, love and life.

Thank you for living your life the way you did. Even time cannot erase what you said, who you were and the impact you made on us. We continue to pass on your legacy of giving and helping in the ways we can. Amidst all the challenging things we face living without you is most challenging but God’s grace continue to lead us as we live everyday. Dad you may be gone but you will not be forgotten .