No Pressure

Hello Friends, my son accidently poured water on my laptop so its with the repairs. Thank God for insurance. It would have cost me a dollar and a dime to have it repaired if I had not covered  the computer when I bought it. It was not convenient at the time to pay the extra money for the insurance but years down the lane its been worth it. I've had to take it in twice for repairs now and never had to pay extra. Please try and insure your valuables because accidents do happen no matter how careful you are. Don't think of it as an unnecessary luxury but a neccessity that will come in handy sometime.

Now today's post.
I'm all about goal setting but don't feel so pressured to achieve your desired plans that you'll sacrifice your morales for them. Its not healthy for you or any one at that. Do your best and leave the rest to God as the saying goes. This is no excuse/ reason to be shoddy at your plans or not make any efforts at all. I simply mean you don't have to sell your soul or hurt others in your efforts to achieve your goal."what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and los4 his soul" Mark 8:36.   Neither should you be selfish or cut corners to be fulfilled or successful. Don't put yourself under pressure and don't put others  under as well. Do what you can! Go the extra mile but with wisdom.

In Genesis 24, Abraham gave his servant an assignment to find a wife for his son isaac. The servant who was not overly familiar with God's covenant with Abraham(he was not as convinced as his master) became worried about the responsiblity placed on him as the instruction was specific "go to my country and to my own relatives. Get a wife for my son" vrs 4.
 The servant was concerned that the intended woman might not want to return with him to which Abraham responded and this inspired this article. "the woman may not want to come with you. If she doesn't, you will be free from your promise but don't take my son back there". 
In essense Abraham what meant was

• don't kidnapp the girl.. lol-be righteous in your dealings
• don't take my son back there-don't fall back into sin to achieve your goals
• Come back home if your mission fails-If you encounter difficulties in your plans feel free to re-evaluate, re-strategise and re-trace your steps back to the beginning
• Abraham freed him from the oath-your goals are not tied in stone. you can readjust them. No need to comprise your values
•  Abraham understood that the covenant was between him and God not the servant.  He also understood that he needed the young man to achieve his goal but Abraham  was not going to force him. He rather encouraged him  and  trusted God for good success for his servant

NO PRESSURE!! As you journey onwards to a better you, be mindful of the people you meet along the way. Don't treat people as disposable tools. Treat every man equally and be considerate of others.  Tust God with your plans and He will establish your path. NO NEED TO CUT CORNERS. NO PRESSURE JUST HAVE FAITH.

The Flip Side of Counselling.

I over heard someone counselling a friend on the phone the other day and the conversation virtually spooked me . Like seriously. I didn't mean to eaves drop on the conversation but given my vantage proximity with the "counsellor" on the train I had a good seat in the house for a "good listen".

 From the one sided conversation, I gleaned that the caller who happened to come from a dysfunctional family had just lost her mother and was in dire need of comfort as expected. However the words of the "Counsellor" were anything but comforting. It ranged from tossing blame to fuelling the already smouldering fire in the other person's life. I practically cringed at every suggestion that this person made. I am not a counsellor and I believe neither was the person. This person was not helping in anyway but was driving a wedge between members of an already bickering family. As at the end of my temporary assignment as "unpaid Amebo" I almost became depressed and I wondered what state the other person would be in. 

Friends, its good to seek help even advice from others but more importantly be mindful of whose advice you are seeking. Not everybody is a  qualified  counsellor.  The on-line dictionary describes a counsellor as a person who gives counsel or advise. The person must be qualified!.If I need advice concerning my car I go to a mechanic not a hairdresser. However I can approach a hairdresser if the person has experienced similar challenges that I am privy to and has constructive advice . Before I bought my current car I sought advice from a friend who'd driven same model to know the benefits or otherwise of the car. Counselling in itself is good and most times necessary if a person is seeking help in dealing with an issue.   A counselling session should therefore bring clarity not condemnation. You shouldn't feel worse after sharing the issues that concern you with another person.

JESUS AS COUNSELLOR

When Isaiah prophesied concerning the birth of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, he described Him as the "Wonderful Counsellor". He is a wonderful counsellor because His words/advice does not bring condemnation. A person is much better after encountering Him."there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ" Hebrew 4:15

Jesus is a qualified Counsellor because He's been through everything that you are going through. "for we do not have a High Priest who's able to empathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are-yet did not sin.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS COUNSELLOR.
One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit is Counsellor amongst many. When Jesus was going to be the Father, He did not leave the disciples bereft but comforted them in the person of the Holy Spirit to help, intercede, strengthen and counsel the disciples and us too in this dispensation. 

For now I've given up eaves dropping, don't want to be depressed by another person's palava!