Thankful Thursday: Humility

 Today’s post might finally stay true to word and be short. Humility has been the recurrent theme for me for the past week or so…I do need to examine myself probably and see how I’m applying this in my everyday life..i am  on the fence about a few issues and something (pride?) insists I am simply respecting myself, and not being proud…I’m still praying over that..

But I’m on about humility before God. Humble yourself before Him and He will exalt you. He will raise the humble, and it is His breath in us that gives us understanding. If you are proud and willful, then you won’t be able to submit to Him and hear His wisdom and explanation, you’d want Him to conform His answers and Himself to the way you think..and that won’t happen because He can’t deny Himself, and He has wisdom and understanding far beyond what we can ever  imagine…so it makes sense to learn from Him…but to do this, we need to embrace humility…

For such a simple concept, it is a very hard thing to do. I know..i’ve been at that place where I felt the bible was weak in it’s explanations, I have been there where I felt there were no answers for my questions..and it’s all written here..but by His grace, I have brought my questions to Him in prayer, and I know it sounds cliché..but they have been answered, I have been given insight, and God has provided understanding..but first you need to show humility…

That’s today’s challenge…

I am thankful for life

I am thankful for God

I am thankful for Love

I am thankful for grace

I am thankful for growth

I am thankful for family

I am thankful for friends

I am thankful for my grandparents..it hasn’t always been smooth sailing..but in my heart I know and acknowledge that I am blessed to have them, and they love me so and they are truly there for me, even when I act out and am generally quite a handful to be honest..i see that from the side…I am thankful for them…and their patience, and their care..

I am thankful for who I am, where I am, and all that has brought me here

I am thankful for food

I am thankful that GOD sees me through everything! All my anxieties, He soothes, all my worries, He takes away, every challenge, He gets me through. He is my saviour, my father, my friend, my comforter, my protector..and I am totally head over heels in love :P

I am thankful for the relationship I’m blessed to have with God

I am thankful for His faithfulness, because it is not by my might that I am here, and still here in this relationship, typing this, praying, having devotional time…I gave Him my heart and told Him to never let me go, that this time, was THE time, and He should not let go of me no matter what…and He hasn’t abandoned me, forsaken me, or let me go..this, all of this, rides on Him..He gives me the strength each day, and I am thankful.

I am thankful for grace

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for the little things

I am thankful for the way He looks out for me

I am thankful for wisdom

I am thankful for my sisters…the quality time is phenomenal…I feel God’s presence every time we’re together

I am thankful for kindness

I am thankful for honesty

I am thankful for patience

I am thankful for rest

I am thankful for laughter

I am thankful that I am so blessed, each day, every breath

I am thankful for peace

I am thankful for joy

I am thankful that He always makes a way

I am thankful that He always has a perfect plan, and that His ways are not our ways

I am thankful for books

I am thankful for inspiration

I am thankful for thought

I am thankful for surprises

I am thankful for care

I am thankful for liberation

I am thankful!!!!!!

*I did see this really spot on Bible verse last night…might add it on later

Ciao!

Thankful Thursday: Truth, logic, thin lines and deception.

Sooo..over the last couple of days, I read Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti. I guess it just proves tht there is a time for everything and a thing explored before its time is going to be useless to you. I have had This Present Darkness for over 5 years and I haven’t ever got past the second chapter. I thought..this Peretti dude is sooo tedious and impossible to read and so booooring! So I just stocked up on DekKer who was going down oh-so-smoothly. I used to think that people who enjoyed Peretti had a mindset that I would never come to understand…

One time when I was going through this depression, downhill spiral thing, somehow God sent the Big Bro’s wife to talk to me and we had the most amazing conversation (which totally drew me out of that state and gave me new strength), and somewhere during that conversation, she used the Peretti book as an illustration how fear and depression and anxiety ati be be lo were demons that latched on to us and we carry them about and feed them by indulging them and giving in, and dwelling on them when we should be renouncing them…so I bore that in mind and picked up the book when I got the chance..

Bear with me if this sounds like a book review for a bit but that’s how it is :P…The theory with the demons and our negative emotions is a topic all in itself, but the theme that resonated with me personally, and the one which I want to try and broach in this post is about deception and the very thin line between the truth and lies.

The book made me squirm a bit because it touched on things that I feel I’ve been guilty of and may still carry the residue about with me unknowingly. In it there’s a whole movement dedicated to basically re-educating people in such a way that it effectively eradicates and undermines Christianity and creates a world culture that is totally controllable by these people…

See, the thing is…that they didn’t all out go and say this…oh no, they approached it with a lot of logic. They indoctrinated school curriculum which was void of  “excessive religious instruction”, making Christianity out to look like this ancient, dumb, often bizarre thing…nevermind that according to the new curriculum, children were made to meditate and  “channel” and receive “spirit guides” and all this, of course was presented in the most matter-of-fact way as perfectly normal and supremely logical…

Let me try and narrow down what exactly pinches me funny…first of all, it’s the way the devil tries to make a mockery of Christianity, as per makes it out to be  irrational, impractical and generally silly and even dangerous, while replacing it with outrageously questionable things but speaking of them as though they were pure logic and ”humanity” and of course, the total opposite of the picture of Christianity they’ve painted.

This is what is scary. Lies are presented as common sense. Having morals and values and obeying God’s word are presented as being intolerant and unloving. God’s commandments are made out to be burdensome and unfair..and then people start looking for answers elsewhere, and the devil is all to happy to provide this elsewhere, provide alternatives that “logically” sound like a good deal, sound like a good idea, sound like they make a whole lot of sense and are practically dripping tolerance and love…and people accept this..because it’s easier..it’s easier o pick rules that agree with what YOU want to believe, it’s easier than rules that break that and shape you into a better you..people will pick what seems easier..but there is that road that is wide, with the easy way, and the end of that road is death. That yearning that they will seek to fill will never get satisfied, so they hop from belief system to system…eastern mysticism, occultism, witchcraft..because they seem to be bathed in mystery and offer that secret that is the key to it all..this, of course, is a lie..people seeking an easy andwer and oly eager to look for it in complicated places. The yoke of the Lord is light..but that’s not enough, apparently.

This is the part that made me squirm…If you’ve read this blog for a while, or if you somehow read it down to way back when…you’ll see that it is indeed a journey, and I have been at that place where I sought God in other places than through Jesus. All these other philosophies seemed to make so much sense, they seemed so fair and all embracing, and I was gathering my “spirituality” from all these sources..a little Buddhism, a little yoga there, some meditation here, an interest in crystals there. God has saved me, and is still saving me, opening my eyes to understanding why exactly that isn’t the way..this book has been a huge step. I am super thankful for His work this way.

I would say that when stuck in a confusing situation, just ask yourself…Does the Bible agree with this? Is it through Jesus? If there is a no, then move on and leave it alone. I realize how this sounds like the typical “intolerant”, “blind” “fanatic” Christian that the enemy tries to paint..but believe me, this is between you and your interest for the destiny of your soul. Things like this used to rub me the wrong way, used to grate against my ego, like…oh please, so I should dumb down and limit myself in order to be a Chistian? And the devil just goes to town with that deception, using pride to make you seek God everywhere but where He is. Just leading people astray. It’s not “dumbing down”, it is humility, and surprise surprise, humility is quite a difficult thing to do…but when you humble yourself before God, He gives you a whole new type of understanding and clarity..i am testimony to this.

I think the summary to this post is this…There is a very thin line between lies and the Truth. I keep remembering the Sunday school class I sat in on and they really concentrated on explaining how in the garden, the devil didn’t all out lie to Eve. He did not construct a fresh story for Eve..oh no..He took God’s word, and edited it, so that Eve was deceived. She heard some parts that rang true and allowed the lies to come in under that umbrella. This is the same way a “teaching” or “philosophy” doesn’t have to scream evil intentions from a mile away with lights flashing.. For the most part, it will come looking rational and logical and tolerant and all that good, sensible stuff…it doesn’t make it God’s word… again, this situation is leading me to a lot of prayer and contemplation, because it means I might have to review my support of some things that I really kinda like, for example, Coelho and the part where he’s advocating “channeling” and then you stop and think…and wonder how much that is backed up in the bible..it is a practice that can let in anything..not just the angels you intend to talk to..why dabble with fire? I do think this is a whole other conversation though..right ow, I’m praying, and trying to work with the..stop, and ask yourself, pick a situation apart and hold up every bit against God’s word..don’t let in any kinds of Trojans. If you knaaamean! Basically , watch, be vigilant, for the enemy is a prowling, deceptive lion, out to destroy.

Again I will say…this blog Is about a relationship, a journey. Relationships are not stagnant, I have watched my thoughts and convictions grow, change, evolve. This is life, this is evidence to progress as far as I am concerned. It is not wisdom to pick a ship and sink with it. The Lord has been at work in my life, and I can see that looking back..i am thankful that I have this platform as a testimony and reminder and chronicler of that..

I am thankful for life

I am thankful for my family

I am thankful for God

I am thankful for the relationship He has made possible for each and every one of us to have with Him

I am thankful for my friends

I am thankful for forgiveness

I am thankful for Love

I am thankful for thoughtfulness

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for God teaching me everyday

I am thankful for growth

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit

I am thankful for Inspiration

I am thankful for this post…because as per usual, when I sat down….no clue as to what exactly was going to happen.lol was ready to type “do not be deceived” and let it be that…

I am thankful for curiosity

I am thankful for laughter

I am thankful for grace

I am thankful for His patience

I am thankful that He is faithful

I am thankful that He loves me so

I am thankful for communication

I am thankful for each new day..it’s always a gift, a surprise, and worth living for

I am thankful for His perfect plan

I am thankful for purpose

I am thankful for relationships

I am thankful for books

I am thankful for signs

I am thankful for pleasant little gifts He sends my way

I am thankful that I am SO blessed

I am thankful that He never abandons me

I am thankful that He saved, and keeps on saving me

I am thankful for praise and worship music

I am thankful for beautiful people dem

I am thankful for prayer

I am thankful for God’s commandments

I am thankful!!!!!

Thankful Thursday: It starts with you..fix you.

This is..a nice change in typing the TT..at home, my sisters lappy, watching fresh prince and happy out of my mind after watching the trailer for Feathered Dreams..go see it..i am so proud of my friends dem ;P lemme extend the famzing zone small :P

A couple of days ago, the Quackster and I were having a conversation when I realized I had gone off on a tangent, that was a topic in itself…as always, my intentions are to make it as compact as possible..but we’ll see where it leads…

I will start with myself and say that often times, I catch myself wandering off with the thought pattern that hmm when I get married, somehow, things will be okay then. I think a lot of people (girls especially) walk about thinking this, having this fantasy, and it’s not necessarily conscious…it’s wanting it so much on some level….so we go ahead, throw ourselves into making this come to life, because..when it does..life is going to get that much easier, right?

It probably even starts off when we (speaking for girls) go…hmm, I just need a man, then it will be better…then that doesn’t seem to be doing the trick so they think..well, if I get him to commit and get married, then that would make it okay..i’ll be a married woman, and that status..then you get married…and then marriage isn’t the magic fix-it-all you hoped it will be…so people go ahead and legit have kids in the hope (and I’ve heard this one, real time) that it will help make them closer….and on and on the cycle goes and people keep chasing the status that will fix them, that will make their lives finally fall together..and it keeps being elusive…

That brings me to this…fix yourself first. God is enough for you. He is all you need to complete whatever parts of you you feel are missing. Do not make other people into crutches, do not look to partners as mr and miss fix-its..it is unfair to them, and apart from that, useless to you and will not a healthy relationship bring about.

In one Tyler Perry stage play, Madea spoke about people looking for partners when they haven’t sorted themselves out. What do you want to do with another human being when you don’t even have yourself figured out..

NOW, I’m not saying that you should stay in isolation until you have it all figured out, because that is not possible. Other people are there in our lives because they help us grow in so many ways, we help them the same way…BUT, the problem is in placing the responsibility on them, and skipping the part where YOU work on YOURSELF.

YOU are where it starts. A complete and healthy YOU is what makes a good better half/partner, a good parent, a good friend. Don’t go into relationships thinking that they owe you to make your life fall into place, don’t chase those external things, material and immaterial that you feel will be “IT” and from then it will get so much easier..because it won’t…that’s life..it’s not a tragic thing..we keep working, we keep living, every day has its own challenges..that’s beautiful…

Our pastor says it often, how people have this mindframe where there’s this target they are working towards where they feel happiness is, after which they can heave that final sigh of relief..and they keep on keeping on, target after target, thinking okay, maybe it’s this next one..graduate college, okay,get a job, okay, find someone, okay, get married, okay if only I got this promotion, okay If only I had a kid…and on and on…it’s not bad to have targets and goals..but don’t confuse them with your source of happiness.

Work on you and your relationship with God, and He will fill all the holes and straighten out all the wonky bits..i promise that…God is enough and all you need…He will fill you up with Himself and give you what to share with others..surely that is lovlier than hanging your broken self over anyone who crosses your path and demanding they heal you..when God does that perfectly….

It starts with you.

I am thankful for life

I am thankful for love

I am thankful for God

I am thankful for my relationship with Him

I am thankful for my family

I am thankful for His faithfulness

I am thankful for family

I am thankful for friends

I am thankful for surprises :D

I am thankful for His thoughtfulness

I am thankful for patience

I am thankful for forgiveness

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for laughter

I am thankful for DVDs :P Fresh Prince!!!

I am thankful for food

I am thankful…for waiting

I am thankful for His perfect plan

I am thankful for the Holy Spirit

I am thankful for His word

I am thankful for prayer

I am thankful that He protects and keeps my family

I am thankful for the amazing people in my life

I am thankful that He is my rock, my fortress

I am thankful for every breath

I am thankful for books

I am thankful for this journey I’m on

I am thankful for the signs

I am thankful that HE is GOD and greater than everything

I am thankful for His unending love

I am thankful!

Thankful Thursday: The words we plant

Okay, so I’m going to say that this might be very condensed upfront. The internet is acting up, nay, conspiring as The Quackster has said..and yes, it took me 20 or so minutes to realize that instead of perfecting my solitaire game while I practiced calmness and waited for the internet, I could start typing in Word.

Now, the Bible verses that go with this post are !saiah 55;10-11…no, I do not have them ommited to memory and no I do not have a bible by my side like riiight now..and as the internet is acting up..well, you know how is goes..

Basically it’s this..like the snow and the rain do not just fall and do nothing, so are our words. The rain comes down and nourishes the earth, waters the plants, before it evaporates and turns back to rain/snow/hail….and the words we speak are like seeds, kernels..they do not just fall on the ground and cease to be..they take root and grow and become plants and bear fruits.

The sort of fruits that they will bear and the sorts of plants that they will be depend on you and what you are sowing. It is very important to bridle your tongue, set up a gate over your mouth. It’s often hard to do because the effects are not immediately tangible You think..it’s just words. They say, sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt…

The Bible makes the significance of the things we speak very clear..our world, all that it is, in the beginning…was the word, and the word was God…do you see where we are going with this? If a word brought things into being, if “Let there be Light” started this whole party..then how can words be mere words?

So the challenge I’ll put before us with this post is this: be aware of the words you speak.sit back and listen to yourself, note the words, note the mood you convey, the things you confess, the energy which you convey…I assure you that it can be scary how much negativity we constantly prophesy into our lives..if God didn’t override them as often as He does, we would speak ourselves into destruction, into oblivion, into pain and depression and worthlessness and no success whatsoever…It might sound way out there..but for one day, listen to yourself, then make amends as much as you can. It is not something to be done in a day, it’s a process..but I do believe it would be well worth it…Speak life. Lol yes, I see how I sound like all them charismatic churches them…but I’m not on about speak money into your life..just…realize that words are more than just words..they are powerful.

I am thankful for Life

I am thankful for Love

I am thankful for family

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for kindness

I am thankful for forgiveness

I am thankful for patience

I am thankful for solitude

I am thankful for wisdom

I am thankful for His perfect Plan

I am thankful for books

I am thankful for movies

I am thankful for laughter

I am thankful for the internet (in general…right now, it’s a cow)

I am thankful for food

I am thankful for signs, omens

I am thankful for where I am, who I am, and all that has brought me here

I am thankful for sleep

I am thankful for rain

I am thankful for His patience

I am thankful for His faithfulness…He holds my hand and sees me through each day

I am thankful for contentment

I am thankful that He explains everything in time and gives me the strength to endure

I am thankful for Grace

I am thankful for His friendship

I am thankful for peace

I am thankful for emotions

I am thankful for words

I am thankful for start-overs

I am thankful!!!!

Thankful Thursday: Points of View...

So half falling asleep sometime around 11am today, this thought comes to me about how the question of "How God Is" has been a stumbling block to me quite a number of times in the past, and truthfully, sometimes it still comes up and it makes me hyperventilate and is a seed of doubt that tries to turn me away..Thank God now i'm older and wiser and know to turn to Him for shelter from that sort of foolish temptation and so i run to Him and somehow we work it out..

So anyway, back to the way it used to be a problem to me. It would be a problem in the sense that i'd think..okay, if i pin down The Nature of God, i'd know how to BE in a relationship with Him further along the journey. It used to frustrate me to no end that (what i now realize as based on MY mood) one day, He's my buddy and my best friend, and then the next you read something and go...wait, what if i have it all wrong...what if He's all severe and not so down for a laugh..am i being disrespectful? So then this distances comes up because i'm sensing Him as The God That Smites and goes to war and all of that...and each time that switch happened, i'd be mad frustrated and a lot of the time it would leave me in tears and open up the gates of the temptation that is "What if all this is just a great big lie"...and that is a very dangerous precipice to be at...like, don't go there...if you find yourself there, it is a lie..turn, and RUN.

Over time, i think i've gotten better at understanding and handling this, but sometimes the little girl in me is at the forefront and i'm like? God, could you PLEASE just tell me the WAY You are so i know how to be with YOU...

Then you think about it...it's a bit selfish, isn't it? To want God to paint Himself in one colour for you. The God that created everything, that knows everything...to be One way. So...i was asking Him to tell me that He's a fiend, or He's a bunny, basically.

I do believe at some point or the other you have come across those charts that have the names of God. The bible is not only full of just the names of God, but has titles that describe the capacities in which God IS...He is the Father, the Healer, The Protector, the Comforter, in fact..lemme just Google :

Elohay Kedem - God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27). Elohay Mishpat - God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18). Elohay Selichot - God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17). Elohay Marom - God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6). Elohay Mikarov - God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23). Elohay Mauzi - God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2).Elohay Tehilati - God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1). Elohay Yishi - God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:46). Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19). Elohim Chaiyim - Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10).Elohay Elohim - God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17). 


 El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). El Elyon - The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18). Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10). "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples: Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19). Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1). Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23). Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11). 


And also, I AM. He IS. The way He is, all encompassing.


What it boils down to is this; speaking for myself, i know that there are times when i view God subjectively, based on MY own mood or state of mind at the time. Recognizing this isn't the way to go, i start searching for the Objective God. This is where i make my huge mistake and look for One Way in which He ought to be...and this simply isn't possible or true in any way...God Is. Avoiding the subjective view of God would be to avoid seeing  One of the many Sides to Him simply because it is convenient for you at the time.


As much as i hate drawing parallels between God and man to avoid squeezing Him into human boxes, i have to point out that if we, as humans were asked to give a one word description to ourselves, we won't be able to, because it just wouldn't be true. Based on situations we can be called upon to demonstrate our compassion, at another time, the situation calls for us to be more reserved or even make decisions that seem mean, but have as their motivation The Right Thing.


We can only call upon character traits that we possess. Some have more of one sort than the other and maybe this is what we use when we classify them as "good" or "bad". We cannot use or demonstrate what we don't have within us.


What is true of God is that no matter what side of His nature He has to demonstrate in any situation, we know that it is Right, and Perfect, and is motivated by Good, and by Love. LOL i know how this sounds..even now, if i saw someone else write it, i cannot promise that my eyes wouldn't have rolled..but hey..


What i know is that God loves me...and in those moments where i (finally!) just chill and "be" in His presence, with my mouth sealed shut...i can feel the Love, i can feel His jokes, i can feel Him smile and i;m just overwhelmed by it...so i know that no matter what side of Him i may be seeing or feeling...He is there, and He loves me..above all...that rocks my world.


I am thankful for Life


I am thankful for Love


I am thankful for His presence


I am thankful for His faithfulness....dooooood! can you imagine i'm here? looking at my past history of my walk with Him...it's a big deal...This January i prayed that no matter what, He shouldn't let me go this time...and He is faithful..the joy is indescribable


I am thankful for my family...i really don't need much when i'm with them...yes, love just wraps all around you


I am thankful for laughter...my sisters and i laugh ourselves into hysterics on the daily!


I am thankful for my sisters...they are just awesome...so intelligent, so compassionate, so uber funny, so kind and supportive...:D


I am thankful for food! see the joy i get from cooking eh! and feeding my babiesss :P


I am thankful for my friends...i have some truly amazing ones..especially in moments when i am difficult, and they understand me and my quirks and don't stay mad or upset or take it personal


I am thankful for prayer...for more than just being able to talk, but for being able to listen..and as i recently discovered, feel. Prayer has gone 3D people!


I am thankful for my parents, for my grandparents..


I am thankful for care


I am thankful for thoughtfulness


 am thankful for lessons learned, lessons being learned...


I am thankful for lessons learned through relationships..every friendship, every acquaintanceship sef, leads you somewhere, makes you grow..got a book on this recently too..i know how it has been in my life and can't wait to read it! will get back with a review of it :P


I am thankful for books! and for Condios bookstore in PHC...they always have books that feed the soul..God bless that lady mahn! She's doing a blessed service


I am thankful for Lady P..i am thankful that God placed her in my life because her friendship is awesome! :D


I am thankful for unlikely pairings


I am thankful for signs


I am thankful for Understanding


I am thankful for wisdom


I am thankful for growth


I am thankful for kindness


I am thankful for patience


I am thankful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful Thursday: Keepin' it real...

I legit almost totally forgot that today was thursday and i had to type this..i came online to print out my devos and the flicker of a reminder somewhere in my head just went off..so yay that!

Of course, the progression of that was me realizing that while it's all good and well to have remembered, i have no topic and no theme...

Not to worry though...i thought of what struck me i recent times, and i really didn't have to look far. You see only yesterday, God somehow used a Jon Acuff post (again!) to really touch me...for the past week or two, i've felt slightly apart from God..not in the way it gets when it's bad and i all out drift away..but just knowing that i could do better, but still somehow end up putting off God time and not spending enough time in His presence and limiting it to devotional times in the morning and evening..like, not enough prayer, not enough listening, not enough meditating..and that eats at me somewhat and it kinda makes me feel guilty...

And then came the post...(it's on Stuff Christians Like, btw, about typos in the Bible)..Jon uses Proverbs24:16 as illustration, and it says :Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” 


Then he used this phrase that really clicked with the mood i was in..he said something about how we rate our righteousness in terms of pre being saved and post being saved and how we expect of ourselves that we should be perfect and not fall, and falling is a shameful thing to let happen...okay, those were not his words..but it's kinda the point, and it really hit home with me..and the verse says it clear as anything, that though the righteous man falls...it doesn't say "if maybe impossibly"...That one is righteous does not mean one is fall proof..it is that we get up each and every time and continue what we have started, and God will see you through it..


The second part of what really touched me about the entire post was that Jon keeps it real. Very often, in line with the demands we put on ourselves to be perfect, we project that same image to the world, convincing ourselves that the world expects it of us. Even when we slip up, we put our big girl and boy pants on, put on a brave face and look like we have it together...and then we look at each other, and think that everyone has it together...and enter major panic mode because we think we are shams and we are faking it and we can never never truly hold it together...but it's all a lie and an illusion...


It's always a huge relief when Christians share the real stuff, the struggles, the challenges. Not because we want to stare with mouths wide open and enjoy a spectacle, but because we are all going through the same things, and knowing that you are not the solitary loser is sometimes all the encouragement you need. Sometimes we need to know that everybody, no matter how "together" they seem to have it, also go through the struggles, and you facing a particular challenge does not mean that you're bad or a weak christian or anything of the sort....So keep it real..it's not about running about bemoaning your existence to all who cross your path..it's just knowing when to say look...i'm not in a righteous bubble..there is no holiness shield that keeps problems clean away from me...we all face them the same, we all turn to God and Him alone to see us through our struggles...


*i might come back and edit..but mahn i gotta run!


I am thankful for life


I am thankful for God


I am thankful for Love


I am thankful for my friends


I am thankful for family


I am thankful for food, for cooking...my joy currently knows very few bounds


I am thankful for protection


I am thankful for forgiveness


I am thankful for grace


I am thankful for my relationship with God


I am thankful for Prayer


I am thankful!!

Thankful Thursday: interlude

I am thankful for life, that i have it, that it is dynamic, for friends and for family,  for experiences and for growth. Life is beautiful, life is complex, and most of all, that God is there with us every step of the way, especially when we tap into the amazing recource that that is. God is always there, God is always God, whether or not we allow Him into our lives, He's always there, and we are the ones who limit ourselves by not fully entering into a relationship with Him.

Surrendering is not always the easiest thing, for some reason we are wired to want to fix things, and comin g from that sort of logic, the free for all that surrender is is something quite hard to do. Think of it..surrender calls for you to give up your cares and worries and allow someone else handle them...yet we still try to sort things out even when we give them over to Him...it's a continuous process, learning to surrender all. Like...all...not keep any standby bits somewhere in the recesses of our hearts...

Gah i'm going to be honest..this post is...not it..i'm not even sure the theme i'm trying to explore..So maybe i'll just leave it until next week...

RIP to all the people who died because of the Dana Air crash in Nigeria, and i pray God consoles and comforts their families and loved ones...

I need to come back and do a re-do of this post...maybe it's because i'm typing from M's room and we are about to go out and this is a very new turn of events as concerns my plans for today and this evening...maybe i'm not comfy, maybe i didn't get in da zone...but i had to post this..if only for my conscience


I am thankful for life

I am thankful for God

I am thankful for His revelations

I am thankful for his guidance

I am thankful for His blessings

I am thankful for Love

I am thankful for His perfect plan

I am thankful for friendships

I am thankful for my family

I am thankful for my relationship with God and how He has been faithful and saved me and i'm still here

I am thankful for growth

I am thankful for forgiveness

I am thankful for understanding

I am thankful for wisdom

I am thankful that He keeps me safe

I am thankful!!!