The Fault in our Stars.

The title of this post is based on a movie about two teens, Hazel and Augustus who both have different cancer conditions. They met at a cancer support group and their journey of love follows the complexity of living a full life within a short time. Truth is, I have not watched the movie yet but was deeply moved by its promotional clip. The part that caught my attention was when Hazel asked Augustus why he was staring at her. He gave a simple yet profound answer "because you are beautiful".According to the world standard, there is nothing pretty about a girl living with cancer and logging around an oxygen tank to help her breath. But Augustus saw beyond Hazel's challenges and only focused on the beautiful woman trapped within that broken shell. Never mind that Augustus was broken Himself. Knowing his own "brokenness" he connected with Hazel's "brokenness". The cancer was the bridge that brought them together. He did not judge her or condemn her but empathised with her suffering because he was suffering too. He understood her pain, weakness and frailties.

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In  a particular scene in Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, the noble man Cassius says to Brutus  "the fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves".
We live in a broken world with broken people who deny their brokenness but go about hurting people while hurting themselves.  The world is filled with hurting people trying to heal others when they require healing themselves.These ones end up doing more harm than good "you hypocrite,first take the plank out of your own eyes and then you will see clearly to remove the speck in your brother's eyes" Matthew 7:5 .
The thing is we've all got something in our "eyes". Nobody has perfect vision that is why every man is a work in progress as we journey to perfection.

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I sometimes attend a support group for parents with special needs kids in my area. The aim of the group is for parents to glean from each others experiences and encourage one another. At the meetings we don't laugh at each other but laugh together, bonded by our challenges though some more trying than others. It would be foolhardy to laugh at others when my life aint so perfect itself.
Our challenges might be different but everyone has got an issue whether speck size or plank size. Instead of laughing at others, show understanding!
The fault in our stars is that we spend too much time time judging others instead of empathizing, showing compassion and offering  a helping hand.

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That's why I adore Jesus. He did not come to judge the world but save. John 12:47. He had every right to condemn but he didn't.
Relationships will augur well if people love more and judge less. The fault is not with our stars but in us.Too many broken people acting all put together but broken nevertheless.  We are broken people desperately in need of a saviour. Thank God we may be imperfect but we serve a perfect God who makes all things beautiful in His time.

Its all in THE WORD

The day Baba quarrelled with the self acclaimed "olowo Adugbo"(neighbourhood richman) would forever be etched on my mind! not because they exchanged fisticuffs but for the wise words baba used to put this local bully in his place. You see, Olowo adugbo had been harassing the neighbourhood. He was a custom officer and privileged to own two houses on one street. His boisterous voice, semi military status and material possessions in an area mostly filled by low income earners made him a somewhat feared person. Olowo adugbo decided to seal his uncontested bully position by putting up a gate at both entrances to the street without consulting anybody and worsened the situation by keeping a tight reign on the keys. He alone determined what time the gates would be opened and what time it closed. Nobody could stand up to him but we all mumbled under our breath silently waiting for the day this neighbourhood terrorist would have his comeuppance. Well Baba as he was fondly called had had enough! Baba was not rich by the world's standard. He was an elderly man who lived in an uncompleted building with his family. Baba wasn't much to look at either but he had a healthy disposition towards life and was friendly with everyone hence the nickname "Baba" which means father. That fateful morning, Baba was waiting for "olowo adugbo" to open the gate and demanded without mincing words that either the gates were opened earlier or removed entirely. In the midst of the verbal exchange, Baba silenced his opponent with these deep truth " with all the money you have, you sleep in one room and I sleep in a room, that makes us equal". you could hear a pin drop in the silence that ensued. Without uttering another word, this once feared man dropped his braggado,handed the keys over and walked away. And so the era of intimidation ended. Like everyone else Baba had had enough but he took a bold step to end a situation that was downright unpleasant to him. This amiable man did not resort to fighting but a few choice words put the bully in his place and on a leash. Life would definitely be easier if we like Baba could put our enemies on a leash instead of mumbling and complaining. At the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) School of discipleship, we were taught three principles of victorious living. 1. Know yourself- baba knew his rights so could confront his opponent. 2. know your enemy-Olowo Adugbo despite his braggado was just a toothless bulldog. 3. Know the weapon of your warfare- the Word of God. you cant have too much of The Word. To put the devil in his place, all you need is the word of God and there you'll find revelation of who you are. After all, according to 1 peter 2: 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." In matthew 4:1-11, Jesus had an encounter with the devil in the wilderness. Our saviour exercised heavenly authority simply by speaking THE WORD and was not confused about His(jesus) identity My friendly neighbour did not have much but he knew himself and spoke the right word- this was enough to topple a local tyrant. If Baba can, SO CAN YOU. Its all in THE WORD

Water of Life

Kirstin hates fish! For some reason the mere sight of any fish in whatever manner seems to irk her. I have noticed at several events how she walked past any delicacy that contained fish no matter how it was garnished or presented. This particular day, a meeting was held at my house and my dearest catering crew decided to make a platter of fish the main dish. So guess who turned up her nose at my lovely array of food but I wasn't going to let her get away with it this time-no one turns up their nose at the food I spent good money on even if she's wearing drool worthy shoes! "Are you not eating anything", I asked "innocently. She shrugged her shoulders but I wasn't letting go easy. After much prodding she told me she HATED fish because of the painful memories associated with it in her life.(seriously, I initially found it difficult to believe because food plus+me= very happy memories and I've got my plus size waistline as proof..lol). Kirstin parents were poor and could barely feed their 5 children. A good meal most times consisted of unmentionables with the obligatory Mackerel fish heads that her mum could glean off the market fish monger. So fish in whatever form reminded my dear friend of poverty and shame despite the fact that the memories were over 35 years old. Kirstin now has the privilege of avoiding fish as she could afford to eat whatever she likes but our dearest woman at the well did not have that option. Remember the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:1-40? In her discussion with Jesus she requested for the living water "so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” She wanted that life giving water so she wouldn't be drawing from that "well again". "The well" was a constant reminder of her position in society-a fallen woman, outcast, recluse, fornicator etc. She was tired of quenching her thirst with water drawn in despair, lonliness and shame. It was bad enough that she had to make that endless journey but drawing water from that well was labourious "the well is deep" (John 4:11). Imagine making that painful journey day in, day out, year in, year out; same drugedry yet no new outcome. She always went back thirsty! Imagine her surprise, when she found there is a way out of her present life of shame and that way was just by the well. Like this nameless woman, I had a well I was drawing from for years. It was a well whose water was coloured with pain, regrets, depression,failure until I found another kind of well whose water was refreshing and life giving. All I had to do was exchange one for the other. People in developing countries appreciate pipe borne waters because they've experienced the challenges of drawing water from murky wells and river-its more convenient, healthier and readily available. No more long treks to fetch mostly dirty water. what well have you been drawing from? It may be the aftermath of misadventure, failure, rejection, abortion, divorce, fear you can stop today. You must know by now that drawing from the well of negative actions is never easy. It is painful and dark. When you think of people that hurt you in the past or opportunities lost, you suddenly become infused with anger and pain and the day just roles into despair and depression. Lets chose to drink from the well spring of living waters its REFRESHING, LIFE GIVING AND FREE.

Part of the plan

The book of John 4:1-40 recounts Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman. This was not a chance encounter but incidentally part of his earthly mission. Jesus did not just appear at the well because verse 4 of that chapter tells us "He had to go through Samaria". Jesus was going to Jerusalem but he had to make this "stop" to reconfigure the journey of a woman who was lost. The Samaritan woman was lost emotionally, maritally socially and religiously. Maritally, she'd been with five husband and the sixth man was not even married to her. She was a social recluse as the bible tells us she was at the well during the hottest time of the day-ALONE. Most maidens and women always go to fetch water in groups and mostly in the evenings (Gen 24:11). emotionally, she was an outcast; given the strict religious laws at the time, who would want to be associated with an immoral woman?, better to brave the intense sunlight than endure the condemning stares and gossip of the other village women. Religiously, she still had a warped mindset of true worship,(John 4:19-24) Jesus could not continue to Jerusalem until he met with this woman. He felt the pull of her mess and needed to turn it into a compelling message. That journey into Samaria was not a detour but PART OF THE PLAN. Jesus came to earth with a plan and that lost lady with a whole lot of gabbage was part of that divine plan. What is that plan you may wonder? TO SAVE THE LOST. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost",Luke 19:10. Salvation met the samaritan woman at the well. She was lost in sin and burdened by religious dogma but Jesus met her right there and then and SHE WAS SET FREE. Her CV did not matter to Jesus and yours does not either. It does not matter how far lost you are, Jesus died for you.Your story like that of the woman at the well can be His Story, if only you'll let him. That nameless woman stands for each and everyone of us who has at one point or the other made very poor choices but its all good because Jesus loves you the way you are. Moreover, there's no hiding from him,He is ALL SEEING. Remember, you are not an after thought no matter what you are going through, YOU ARE PART OF THE PLAN.

He came back

He'd missed him! Jesus came back and Thomas had missed him. All the disciples were agog with the news of the master's return and he'd missed Him. He couldn't understand what the fuss was all about anyway because he won’t believe them until he saw "his nail pierced hands and sides- better still not until he'd put his fingers through them. There was no convincing Thomas despite the excitement amongst the disciples. As far as Thomas was concerned Jesus was dead and buried, his tomb stood as evidence of his demise. "Maybe the disciples were hallucinating", he thought. "It must be the pressure from hiding. Fear has a way of messing up with the senses you know. Try hiding from those blood thirsty Pharisees, you'll start seeing things I bet you". He mused within himself. The other disciples must have felt sorry for him. He'd missed the greatest event of his life. What a mighty loss! I would have felt sorry for Thomas too if I'd witnessed such a mind blowing occurrence. They'd seen the master beaten and crucified. In fact they'd taken his body for burial and that massive tomb stood as a constant reminder of the hurtful past few days. Now, He’s risen and Thomas missed it! How sad! Poor Thomas! Fortunately, that's not the end of the story. The bible records in John 20:26 that a week later whiles the disciple were together in the house again, this time Thomas was with them, guess who showed up? JESUS. I'm sure Thomas was shocked. He probably thought he'd never withness what the other disciple did and may have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. Thomas had missed out at His first appearance to the other disciples but Jesus was not going to let him miss out on the resurrection story. It was not enough to have second hand information about the risen lord but Jesus was going to give Thomas a personal visitation. Many times, I've found myself missing out or falling short of everybody's expectations including mine. That point that you wonder if you'll ever do right by any standard- A SEALED TOMB MOMEMT-and suddenly a ray of light shows. It’s no longer a sealed tomb moment but A JESUS MOMENT. Thomas may have stepped out briefly for a breath of fresh air but he missed Jesus. He'd been a faithful follower but he still missed it. Jesus did not judge him but came back for him because Thomas was important and SO ARE YOU. We all miss it sometimes but don't despair Jesus is ready to meet you just where you are. Maybe you'r battling a drug addiction, alchohol, anger or even fornication it does not matter. DON'T GIVE UP ON YOU BECAUSE GOD DIDN'T EITHER. Like the parable of the lost coin in Luke 55, Jesus is meticulous and tenacious in His search FOR LOST SOULS. You are part of a family-a very important one at that. Jesus came back for Thomas; He came back for me, HE IS COMING FOR YOU.

Everyday a CHRISTMAS

She calls me her "Christmas buddy" because we get to chat only on Christmas day. My friend is a fantastic lady but for some inexplicable reason Christmas is the only time we get to connect and spend hours on the phone catching up. After the excitement of the day is over, it takes another 364 days or the odd 365 for us to reconnect again. A lot of us are familiar with this cycle. When I was growing up my brothers attended church only on the 24th of December to herald the birth of Jesus and after that Jesus is shoved back to the angels till the next Christmas eve. It was a ritual that took years and eventually concerted efforts by their wives to break. Christmas for a lot of people is the only opportunity to pamper and get pampered then its back to the doldrums of daily living. Where I live, the Christmas lights have finally been removed from the streets after many weeks of brightening the night skies and many hearts. Even the bravest person has put away the much celebrated Christmas tree and decorations. It’s all back in storage till the next season. The festive buzz has died out and everything and everyone is finally back to normal. However, normalcy for some is trying to pay off huge bills incurred to buy gifts and decorations for loved ones. Some debts are up to the value of €2,000. Ironically, most of these lovingly and painstakingly purchased gifts end up being sold on eBay or done deal described simply as unwanted Christmas presents. Some are even planning for the next Christmas already by joining much advertised savings schemes geared towards having a debt free Christmas. I miss the spontaneous laughter and greetings that filled the air in the build-up to Christmas; everyone smiling and happy just because it’s Christmas (even enemies become friends for a day, problems forgotten). It’s like the reality of Christmas and the message it brings, the festive cheer and well wishes have simply varnished till December 2013; the spirit of celebration boxed away like the trees and tinsels used to represent it. Already everywhere you turn its gloomy faces of people hit with financial worries, health scare and family crises. But it doesn't have to be that way. Beyond the commercialisation of Christmas, the message of this great celebration is timeless and can't be put in storage. It shouldn't be put away in a small corner of our hearts and pulled out like a magician's trick if and when necessary. IT IS AN EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE. The mere reason that today is not 25th of December doesn’t change the reality of GOD WITH US. Remember, in all that you go through GOD IS WITH YOU and not stored away in storage or in heaven waiting to appear once a year. Everyday offers new opportunities to be embraced by the love of God and be reminded of His faithfulness. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22-23. So cheer up! The calendar might say Christmas is over but in my heart every day is Christmas.". "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." Mathew 1:23