Mind your pace

During my morning walk, a young lady jogged past me with such gusto that I literally felt the wind rush past..lol. For a brief moment, I envied her. I wished I could run like she did but I couldn't. I couldn't because of a knee injury I sustained during exercise some years back.

 Any form of serious exercise would be foolhardy  on my part as it would only aggravate my already sore knee.  So you see, I can't run or jog like my 'friend' but I could walk and walk I did! NO EXCUSES!! Imagine my surprise a couple of miles later when I ran into my jogging friend ...Again! Remember she'd jogged past me but fast forward a couple of minutes later  and we meet again. She was running while I walked but we still managed to run into each other. If i'd known I would eventually catch up with her,  I wouldn't have wasted that brief emotion envying her! ....although I was not in competition with her neither she me.  Envying her was not even necessary

 Though we are strangers, the ultimate goal is the same- KEEP FIT. She was jogging her way to a better and healthier lifestyle while I was walking to mine. She might get to her destination faster but as long as I dont give up and maintained my pace, I WILL GET THERE TOO. Life is a journey and all of us are on that journey. While some are walking, others are running, jogging or even sauntering along the way. The most important fact is to keep moving and never forget the destination. Dont get stuck in a rot, keep moving and MIND YOUR PACE.

• Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses.
• Keep step in tandem with your strength and abilities...yours not another. Remember we are framed /wired differently.
• Don't envy or give room for Jealousy. 
• You are not in a competition with others.
• Your journey is personal 
• Remain focused on your path.
• Mind your pace.
• Make no excuses make use of what you have no matter how little or insignificant it might seem to you..IT MATTERS.

Just Waiting on Him

Editor's Note: Greatness stems from commitment in little things. The level of dedication a man puts into little assignments is most times a reflection of how he'll handle greater opportunities. The preparation for any assignment is as great as the assignment itself. Don't complain, put your back into it. This was exactly what Stephen was doing-being faithful in waiting on tables and dealing with seemingly small matters. Though Stephen was full of Faith and the Holy Spirit, he did not disdain the assignment as it prepared him for the meeting with the Sanhedrin. Acts 6&7. Dear friends, do not despise small beginnings because therein lies the greatness. Ofcourse, I just have to share this article by Greg Laurie of Harvest Ministries. You can connect with Pastor Greg on www.harvest.org. Be blessed.

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Little Drops of Water

It doesn't necessarily start to pour when it rains. It sometimes starts with gentle drips.  Even the heaviest downpour starts with little drops before gaining momentum.

 Altair Urbano via photopin cc

 These little drops are signs which alerts to heavier drops to come. It might begin with sporadic burst of rain drops before becoming a consistent shower but it will be utter foolishness to disregard the tiny drops. Little drops of rain affords one the opportunity to project and plan for the likelihood of heavier showers. As a young girl growing up in the not so posh side of town, rainfalls were well appreciated. Its free water saving most families the stress of  the long walk to fetch water for household purposes. It also affords the kids the opportunity to play in the rain naked and unabashed.

 Frederic Mancosu via photopin cc

As pleasurable as  playing in the rain was, nothing beats the anticipation of the rain itself.  The gentle pit pat of rain drops on the roof tops and the sweet musky smell of wet sand was heavenly. The smattering of sounds on the rooftop was all the neighbourhood needed to start gathering available empty buckets and pans to collect rain water.

It doesn't necessarily have to be much but the anticipation was all the same. The people knew that little will go a long way to alleviate the constant water shortage and the accumulation of little becomes much. They knew that the tiny drops was a symbol of much more to come.

Elijah the Tishbite understood this principle in 1Kings 18. After the land had experienced intense drought for thee years, Elijah prayed that it would rain again but Heaven did not immediately open its gates and poured rain. What Elijah saw instead was a "little cloud no bigger than a man's  hand" 1 King 18:44. It was a little cloud but it was good enough for Elijah. In that "littleness" was packed  everything that Elijah had prayed and expected.

My little boy with autism did an interesting thing some weeks ago that got me on my knees giving glory to God. You see with autism, you have to initiate and motivate good behaviour which could try the patience of even Mother Theresa and I'm no Mother Theresa!!

It was breakfast time and the menu was weetabix but Joshua was having none of it. Instead of throwing the usual tantrum to express his frustration, he gently pushed away the box of cereal, walked to the cupboard and brought out branflakes! In teary amazement, I gave him a hug and breakfast was tantrum-free.

My boy now pro actively makes requests and asserts his preferences. I almost did a triple jump  the day he gently opened the front passenger seat of my car showing his desire to sit beside me. These "little" milestones  might seem ordinary to other parents but to me it was  all the sign I needed.  Its about to pour "rain" in my household and my empty pots and buckets are ready for the flood

. The little drops of water is gradually becoming streams of water. The years of drought is over and I am overjoyed. I can see the little drops of water in my son's life, how about you? Don't give up yet! Whatever the situation,never discountenance the evidence of "little" that you are seeing; with God little is much!! If the "little cloud no bigger than a man's fist" was good enough for Elijah, then I'ma start celebrating.

Lord, Unrush Me.

Editor's Note:It's interesting that I'm sharing this devotion written by Lysa Terkeurst. She is an amazing speaker and best selling author. Lysa writes on an issue that I was privileged to hear from another beautiful lady, Francina Norman.  The world is in such a hurry that it misses out on the most important things in life-people and moments. These days people and events are mixed up in a blur with no opportunity to truly appreciate what's happening at any given moment. When last did you stop to enjoy nature just for the pleasure of it and not because you got stranded on the roadside?
No wonder, life is sometimes described as a rat race with people scuttling about. My son loves nature and would most times stop to appreciate colourful flowers but of course I wasn't having none of that-no time to frolic in the grass!

I never had the patience to stop and allow him have his moment until an ordinary situation changed me. Josh and I were returning home from shopping when I saw a lady stand on the grass path while her little girl picked flowers. The woman did not rush the little girl but watched with a smile on her face while her "daughter" enjoyed herself. For the woman, it was about that moment of letting a little girl enjoy herself-nothing else mattered. No rush!! Reminds me of Jesus' encounter with the woman described in Mark 5:25-34. Jesus was on an important journey but was interrupted by a woman who had an issue. Jesus did not push her way but stood and listened to her story"oh boy, did she she have a story!. Vrs 33"then the woman knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at her feet and trembling with fear told him the whole truth".  Jesus did not rush her but listened! He did not let his other assignment stop him from hearing this lady's story-she was just as important.  .
Oh that we might be UNRUSHED. Enjoy Lysa's devotion.Follow this link to read more

Its a beautiful day.

There is something about a beautiful day that makes everyone smile especially where the people are used to dismal weather. The brightness of the sun pushing through dreary clouds is a dear sight to behold even for people who tend to allow the weather dictate the mood for their day. On a regular cold dismal day, it is "normal" where I live to be greeted with statements like "what a horrible day", "have you seen such crappy weather before", "its such a cold day" etc. You might say they are saying it as it is but lets look on the bright side, we are not in a tsunami prone zone! Admittedly most days are cold and blistering but admittance to such negative statements could put a damper on even little miss sunshine. Like a bad weather so is the person with a negative attitude. They have a way of killing the lights anywhere they go. Truth is, just as a bad attitude is contagious,so is happiness. My favourite people are the light bearers. They turn up in the most dismal places and the light goes up. They carry excess joy and laughter with them everywhere they go. Every child of God is created as a light bearer to illuminate and glow everywhere not only in church. Sometimes "bad weather" happens through painful experiences that may dim the light...don't condemn or brandish the bible over the victim like a weapon(we Christians do these things... the word of God is the standard but be wise) rather empathise and help turn back the light on full blast. For some recovery might be immediate while others might take a long journey...BE PATIENT. However that is not dismissing a special group whose bad attitude is a force of habit!! I know a lady that is desperate to be married and she could frustrate even a saint to break his/vow of silence with her lamentations. Initially I would be upset at her negativity after all I'm not married too (ADVERT:note to every rich bachelor reading..lol)but you don't see me dragging anyone into a well for that; until I read Proverbs 13:12 "hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes its a tree of life. So that changed how I related with her but its not an easy task if not for grace. Aside from this little torn in her flesh, she is a very lovely person and I choose to focus on her other endearing qualities and pray for her MR Right to come soonest. As children of God, we are encouraged not to allow circumstances to determine how we perceive the world rather to shape the world with THE WORD OF GOD. Ireland is a very lovely place to live and bring up children and it has become my home. It is cold most parts of the year but that does not detract from its beauty and its wonderful people. Its not perfect but I'd rather focus on the good parts. So after weeks of horrible weather we got a break today. The sun is shinning and everyone is smiling. During my morning walk I did not hear a single negative comment about the weather...indeed a longing fulfilled is a tree of life

Transformed by LOVE.

I loved horror movies!!! The gorier the better! I remember laughing through The Blair witch project when it was released. My friends on the other hand were scared shitless and screamed all through the movie. It was simply hilarious! Can't remember which was funnier? My friends or the movie that was tagged the scariest at the time. It was just a movie not reality....silly! I was never really a fan of the action movies so could never sit through a film by Rambo, Steven Seagal or all other macho type men but bring on Zombie the flesh eater, evil dead 1&2 etc. These were my favourites for some unfathomable reasons not some silly romantic films. I despised girl flicks. They were pointless and plain unbelievable. Who writes or believes this crap? Love was a MYTH. My disdain for love stemmed from a childhood that was starved off love. I never experienced the hugs, kisses, or gentle words that are some of the expressions of love. My parents weren’t overt love people, they weren't built that way. I recall with laughter the first time, I gave my father a christmas card; he brushed it off with a shrug and a gruff thank you. I knew my gesture embarrassed him....outward expression of love still embarrasses him. So I conditioned myself not to FEEL. More so, I transferred my warped childhood experience of love into my relationship with God and men-expecting nothing but rebuffs, criticism and judgement. But somewhere deep inside, the little girl in me loved Mills& Boons-romantic novels that celebrated happily ever after. It was a deep set hunger that my subconscious desired to be with filled but never found. I envied friends whose family basked in display of affections. So watching horror movies and showing indifferece was a facade I built to deceive the outside world and unfortunately myself. Over time, I became conditioned by events and circumstances until JOSHUA CAME ALONG. I must confess nothing prepared me for motherhood- not the ante-natal classes or the nine long months of waiting for the delivery my son. I never experienced the sudden rush of love that every mother talks about when handed their new babies. Ours was a relationship and bond that grew with time. With Joshua I have learnt to love and be loved in return. Love can be spontaneous but the spark can be quenched if not kindled daily. It requires daily commitment to remain in love no matter the circumstances. Who knew a special little boy could break the reserves of my lacklustre heart and turn this horror movie loving woman into a mushy little girl. Dearest Josh, in the six years you've come into my life, I've learnt what it means to forgive and be forgiven. I'm not ashamed or afraid to publicly display my affection for you with a hug and a kiss. Only you could teach me that love is not a feeling but commitment and It is hard work albeit an enjoyable one. I have learnt to be protective, selfless, share, patient, tolerant and humble enough to say sorry when I’m wrong though I’m older and could always claim to be right. Through you, God has transformed this cold heart of stone into a warm heart of flesh. Now I know how the Disney character in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was transformed by love into a dashing prince through the power of LOVE. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Above all, I have learnt to experience God in a new way through the eyes of another human. When you look at me, you don't see imperfections but LOVE wrapped in the finished work of grace and I've come to see myself that way too. Finally, I can no longer stand horror movies. I tried watching "The hills have eyes" the other day but could not look beyond the trailer. Thanks for helping me grow into a better person. P.S. To celebrate Valentine's day, I'm not cooking dinner but would order Chinese take-away. I'm not in the mood for any culinary adventure after my disastrous stint in the kitchen trying to make pancakes. however will be trying out that recipe I found on spicebaby.com for SPINACH IN AN OMELETTE...YUMMY. http://www.spicebaby.com/combos/spinach-in-an-omelette-mix-up-your-egg-recipe.html#&panel1-1

Don't give up.

She'd had enough! Who wouldn't? Nana had been married to her husband for 12 years and half of those he'd spent in a drunken stupor. Sometimes he'd be so *wasted* that she'd be called out from work to take him home. These days she feels more like a child minder than a wife. She could barely recollect when they last made love or experienced the intimacy of marriage. How had it all gone wrong? Where did she go wrong? She'd tired of begging him to consider the trauma of his drunkenness on their ten year old son; the effects of his dad being carried in daily like a rag doll as result of alcohol abuse. She was tired of feeding him like a child when he was too drunk to feed himself. She'd had enough of the whispers and snickering’s when she's out shopping. "Pity stares" as her son would call them. Right now, she'd had enough of hiding her head in shame and was calling it quits! The church had prayed but her husband seems to be getting worse than getting better. She believes it’s better to opt out of her sinking ship of a marriage than drown with it. But something keeps telling her to hold on and not give up yet. You see, when her husband was not drunk, he was the sweetest of all men; loving, caring and always eager to help out. Initially, she'd remained in the marriage because of her son but today she'd realised her reasons were deeper than that. She still believed in miracles. She still believed in God and she remembered her marital vows. Nana is not alone in this quagmire. For a brief moment consider how many times you've felt like giving up on people and situations when they fall short of your expectations. A couple of days ago, I stumped up to my room in typical dramatic Gladys style and slumped on my bed vowing not to get up until God came down and gave me some quality face time. Earlier on, I'd been helping my lad with his reading and writing. It was all going well till we hit a brick wall. I didn't throw a tantrum like I would in the past but I wouldn't be Gladys if that moment was devoid of drama hence my melodramatic conversation with God. Overtime, I've realised God takes every moment of our lives seriously. No emotion is too small to bring before Him. He wants your cares, worries, laughter etc. If it matters to you then it MATTERS TO GOD. God did give me quality face time as I requested… lol. Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up". It so easy to give up than pushing for results. But we only reap a good result if we endure and push through. Perseverance is never easy but always worth it if we keep the goal in mind. How many projects have you given up on and wondered what would have happened if only? The bible says in Genesis 1:26 that we are made in God' image and as far as I can recall GOD IS NOT A QUITTER. He never gave up on man hence He sent Jesus to reconcile us back to the father through his death and resurrection. I heard a story once about an athlete that competed in a race. Along the way, he sprained his ankle but continued nevertheless. At the finish line he was asked why he didn't quit when he hurt himself. He told the reporters that his country did not send him to the games to quit. "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace". 2Timothy 4:12 I have purposed not to let little hiccups deter me from my goals. The next day, I was back to my motherly duties with heaven's own seal of assurance that I WOULD REAP A HARVEST IF I DONT GIVE UP! To my amazement, the lessons flew without a glitch and I wondered what my stress was about previously. LESSON LEARNT: God cares about everything that concerns you. DON'T GIVE UP trust Him to work all things together for your good. YOU JUST CHILLAX.

P.S Teaching is not my forte at all..lol but I'm learning patience. "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing " James 1:3-4

Don't give up.

"Sometimes when you are the closest to your breakthrough the pressure is the greatest. You have come too far to give up now! –Joyce. That statement credited to renowned precher Joyce Mayer is so profound. Have you ever been pressed to use the toilet, with your bladder full to bursting and set to give out on you? You manage to hold on to the wee and at the first sighting of your house or nearest toilet, you start to leak? I have been there so many times that I have lost count. Embarrasing isn't it? If you ask any pregnant woman in her final trimester,most can barely wait to get the baby out and the pregnancy over with despite the initial excitement of pregnancy. I remember in my final weeks of college, I just couldn't wait for the whole experience to be over and done with. I had to consciously encourage myself to go to school and hand in my assignments. It became harder to study and remain motivated. What kept me going those last few weeks was the thought of all those hours I had already put on this academic pursuit. I couldn't imagine failure or failing. Not me! No way! The journey to achieving a Masters degree in International Communication had cost me a lot emotionally, financially, psycologically and physically. I barely had time for Joshua, my family or any social life at that. In the midst of life challenges, it so easy to give up entirely or cut corners. I had a colleague who dropped out from the M.A programm citing too much pressure on the home front and problems with two courses. You could literarily knock me senseless with a feather when she told me she was dropping out at the die minute. We had survived the worst hurdles and had submitted our second semester assignments and she was dropping out? "you are not serious", I told her but she looked me dead pan in the face and retirated that she was! I begged and cajoled, reminding her of how far we had come but there was no changing her mind. we had only our thesis left to work- on and she two courses to re-sit and she was dropping out! I understood her challenges but could not fathom why she would not push through. I have been believing God for a husband and its not been easy. The loneliness is worse;no one to share true intimacy with. There are times I want to only be with and around that "special somebody", not just anybody. In the midst of "my wait" different men have come into my life but none fit my vision of a husband. Have I been tempted to settle for less? Ofcourse I have.I'm as human and vulnerable as the next person(I'm not made of stone you know...lol). However I constantly remind myself that I've not waited this long or held unto Godly values to settle for just anyone that bats sexy lids or flaunt manly biceps at me.No sir!. More than ever before I'm convinced that my breakthrough is round the corner and all that is needed now was Godly confidence, restraint and trust. I'm not looking for Superman or even Robin but a born again Christian. Like my good friend and pastor would say "it is better to be happy and single than be married and miserable", Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo. Many of my friends are married and some are ready to toss "a friend" at me or have one idea or the other on how to nab a man but I've refused to bulge under the pressure of "age" or compare myself with my married younger cousins. Of a truth, I want to be married and desperately so in the last couple of weeks but I choose to lean on God's strength and trust Him to help me make it through to the very end. Afterall, the bible says in James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him".