Month: August 2020

MY NEW DISCOVERY!

MY NEW DISCOVERY!

One of my daughters came visiting recently and brought some Nigerian delicacy which I was genuinely happy to receive. I was about to start eating the meal when she mentioned the fact that she made the meal. I was taken aback and looked her straight saying, ‘I am 100% certain you didn’t make this meal girly.’ She then responded to me on how she made it. According to her, a visit to a YouTube page gave her the knowledge required to make the meal easily without the extreme amount of stress the process of making it usually creates.

I was super shocked and at the same time excited about this new discovery. Looking at the YouTube page and the number of people who have watched the video, I wondered how I never discovered this before now and decided to share this new discovery, but I tried what was recommended first and realised that the new system truly allowed me make the food quickly and easily without so much stress and sweat. (Ok – my first attempt was not the best, the meal ended in the bin; but the second was close to perfect!) I was still totally blown away knowing how easy it now was to prepare this meal. I then chose to share this new discovery with my sisters as my first share group.

I got the link from YouTube and put in my family WhatsApp page – titled it as…My New Discovery! I then mentioned to them what I found out and told them to watch and try. I was however shocked to discover that they had always known this and had even used my ‘supposed’ new discovery. I watched each of the three girls mention how this was not new and wondered why I was just discovering after they have known this for years! I then said to them – ‘so you knew this before? Why hadn’t you shared it with me? And by the way how many other things do you know that you haven’t shared with me?’ They laughed and went on to other things, but the situation taught me a lesson which was – A new discovery for me might not be a new discovery for the other person; but it is still mine and I can experience and enjoy the new discovery while sharing it with other people who might not know of this discovery as well.

God’s word makes it clear that we should continuously share one with the other. The bible says

‘You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.’ 2 Timothy 2:2

There are many things we hear and are taught which will be of help to other people around us. The bible implores us to get educated for a change and to also help other people in their journey of growth and change as well.

So, what have you discovered in the last 3 months? Who have you shared it with and how has that changed you and them? As we think through these things and act on them, we change our world for the better…so keep discovering and keep sharing.

If this blog post has blessed and helped you to date, why not share with at least one more person. It will be their own New Discovery and I am certain it will bless them too.

God is on your side!

Inspiration

I PROMISE!

I PROMISE!

I recently got the consciousness of these two words as I watched the new DULUX advertisement where the company states how many of us use this phrase loosely. We tend to easily say ‘I PROMISE’ even when the phrase is not necessary. We use it to validate our thought of the moment and to make a point when we want people to believe us.

I remember the story told by a lady whose dad walked away from her at the tender age of about 9 years old with a promise. According to her, her dad took her to her grandmas’ home and left her there saying he was coming back in a few weeks with a pair of shoes for her. According to this lady, her dad never showed up again. Many years later as an adult, she saw her dad again on his sick bed before he passed away and she said the major part of her emotion and thinking that day was ‘where are the shoes you promised to bring me daddy?’ At that stage, she was an adult, but the promise her dad made to her as a child was still a huge part of her expectation and that disappointment didn’t leave her even when she no longer required anything from him.

Just as this young impressionable girl was, many of us at different times have trusted people based on what they promised us or sadly we have even adopted the same position where we actually promise and do not deliver either. We now live in a time where promises are delivered loosely, hence the advertisement on ‘promise being promise’ making a lot of sense to many of us.

Promises seem to come in all shapes and sizes with so many clauses both by the commercial world and even between individuals. Promises, irrespective of how loosely they are given, come with expectations and when they are broken, that creates disappointments. That is irrespective of the excuses and reasons for breaking such expectations.

I am however happy to state that there are still completely dependable promise givers. I know one of them and that is MY GOD HIMSELF! When He gives a promise, He will fulfill such promises without fail. Our God is a great Promise-keeper. Let me share with you one of the promises He gave us which He keeps always

‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

You and I can depend on this promise keeper, our faithful God who never gives excuses. I implore you to get into His word and find His promises, the conditions, and do your bit knowing fully well that He will not fail as He does His own bit of fulfilling such promise.

As I end today, I thought to share a verse in one of my favorite songs. SO WILL I by Hillsong

God of Your promise
You don’t speak in vain
No syllable empty or void
For once You have spoken
All nature and science
Follow the sound of Your voice

You can enjoy the version of this song I love at https://youtu.be/QdIOaAvvOp8

God is on your side!

Inspiration

DO NOT STOP LOVING!

DO NOT STOP LOVING!

One of the occurrences that has never left my mind as a person was the tragic incident that occurred to my next-door neighbor who had an accident at a music festival and sadly passed away. What was remarkable about the period was the mum and how she dealt with the grief of the loss of her son. As you will appreciate, she was in an awfully bad state and needed as much support as possible. Over time, sympathizers started getting back into their daily functions and she had fewer and fewer visitors. A group of people however did something I have never forgotten since then.

As the lady’s sad news went round, a group of people from a certain church – which most other christian’s will refer to today as a sect, came to her door. Introduced themselves and became daily visitors, providing practical and spiritual support for her during the period and after everyone else had left; they continued to invest time in the lady, providing support for her and her household. The continued show of love and assistance to the lady was definitely outstanding and now, almost 4 decades on, I still remember clearly how this group showed love and support when most needed, even after everyone had gone back to their business, forgetting the lady and her sorrow.

The incident and assistance of this group has been a well-remembered point in my mind. I will always say to myself that I will ensure that no matter how much work it is, to love when no one is there looking and when the other person is not expecting anything from anyone else. Loving non-stop is a Christ type of behavior and this group of people demonstrated it so well in the life of my neighbor that they left an impact, not just with my neighbor but with myself a young teenager as well.

Loving and showing love to the people around us is not an action of convenience or something to win us brownie points with anyone; but something that we can do to make an everlasting change in someone else’s life. I will therefore want to implore you to embrace this as well. The group did not need to preach any message to the woman, they just showed her love and that won her over.

Gods’ word says:

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone that loves is a child of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7

WOW! Loving reflects how much we know God. It is easy to love the people we know and are related to. It is easy as well to love people that are lovable; but a lot of work to love people we do not know at all or that we cannot benefit from.

Every so often over the last 3 decades, when the Lord brings that incident and the love shown by the group of strangers to my heart, I am reminded that the difference maker will always be the love I show to both those I think deserve it and those I might think do not.

If Jesus showed love to everyone, then the more I know Him, the more I am meant to show love to everyone and will advise the same of you today. Love shown, not out of compulsion but out of compassion is what lasts and impacts.

God is on your side!

Leadership

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS!

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS!

I read a story earlier this week, which I learnt from and thought to share with you

Once, a young man wanted to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man on the earth. The lad wandered through the desert, mountains, and plains to find the wisest man in the land. He finally reached a beautiful castle in the high, atop a mountain where a very wise man was said to reside.

The wise man listened attentively to the young man’s curiosity to know about the secret of happiness. The wise man replied that he didn’t have time to explain the secret of happiness at that moment but, he suggested the young man have a look around his castle and its beauty and uniqueness and return in two hours. He also assigned a task to the man. He handed over a teaspoon to the man which had two drops of oil. The wise man said to the young lad ” As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”

The young man began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.”Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian embroideries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in the library?” The boy was embarrassed and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been to not spill the oil that the wise man entrusted to him

“Then go back and observe the marvels of my world, “said the wise man.”You cannot trust a man if you know nothing about that man and his surroundings.”Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time more conscious about the surroundings and observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he explained in detail everything he had seen.”But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?” asked the wise man. Looking down the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.”Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you, “said the wisest man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”

Just as the wise man stated above, there are things around you and with you that you need to be conscious of, so you can appreciate them.

God’s word says

‘I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.’ Psalm 139:14

God has already put in you as well as around you, things to celebrate, value and appreciate. Take time out to thank God for them all. Appreciating your God and His wonderful works in your life and around you is the true secret of happiness – so enjoy the life God has blessed you with.

God is on your side!