Long time present
It's about 2 years since I last posted on this blog and a lot has happened. I have gone through many changes in my life including the loss of one of my brothers and I have had personal tragedies that have led me to question everything. However, the most important thing that I can proudly state is that no matter what I have been through, my faith in God has remained stable.
I am a believer in everything happening for a reason even when the experience is so painful. The way I have got through these tough two years is by praying more and more; praising more and more and trusting God more and more even when I had no energy and felt as if no one was listening.
Yes, miracles do happen because God has remained faithful. Looking back on the Footprints poem, it was when I saw one set of footprints that the Lord carried me. I had nothing else left, no energy, no motivation, nothing....one day I got so tired to the point that I went to pray in church and after a while fell asleep there...it was the most refreshing sleep ever because when I woke up, I had a peacefulness inside and made me stand still in the presence of the Lord. I felt like I had got an awakening by the Holy Spirit.
I still feel it. I feel new. I feel re-energized. I feel encouraged. Thank you God for not giving up on me.
Stay blessed everyone.
STRENGTHENED
...the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(Psalm 27:1)
...whosoever believes in Him shall not be ashamed.
(Romans 9:33)
(Psalm 27:1)
...whosoever believes in Him shall not be ashamed.
(Romans 9:33)
Five
Lord, I have been married five years and all the things I used to fantasize about being married have remained exactly that - a fantasy!
Marriage is not easy, especially when I don't get my way (all the time). I am used to getting what I want when I want it but of all the lessons I have learnt since being married is that to love someone is indeed a great thing! Sometimes the joys overshadow the bitterness of unspent anger and vice versa. But of late, the anger seems to be mounting a big come-back. Many times, I am reminded of the vows I took and humbled by the fact that I said I would be strong in good times and bad, in sickness and in health......you catch my drift?
My patience has definitely grown and my tolerance too. Compromise means just that! And boy is this ringing loud in my ears!
I resolve to keep on keeping on and to overlook the unpleasant. I am going to be a better wife because after taking stock, I have realised that I have lapsed a bit in one or two areas. Anyhow, the 'tug of war' continues and life goes on!
I salute those people who have been married for sixty odd years! Tell me the secret. please.
Marriage is not easy, especially when I don't get my way (all the time). I am used to getting what I want when I want it but of all the lessons I have learnt since being married is that to love someone is indeed a great thing! Sometimes the joys overshadow the bitterness of unspent anger and vice versa. But of late, the anger seems to be mounting a big come-back. Many times, I am reminded of the vows I took and humbled by the fact that I said I would be strong in good times and bad, in sickness and in health......you catch my drift?
My patience has definitely grown and my tolerance too. Compromise means just that! And boy is this ringing loud in my ears!
I resolve to keep on keeping on and to overlook the unpleasant. I am going to be a better wife because after taking stock, I have realised that I have lapsed a bit in one or two areas. Anyhow, the 'tug of war' continues and life goes on!
I salute those people who have been married for sixty odd years! Tell me the secret. please.
Time
There is a time to dig, and a time to plough
A time to sow, and a time to reap
A time to plant, and a time to harvest
A time to scatter, and a time to gather
A time to weed, and a time to water
A time to collect, and a time to distribute
A successful crop requires time
A successful outcome requires timed planning
A successful result may come after failure
Repetition to conquer shows motivation to succeed
So it's okay if things take time
As long as waiting time is not wasted time
by Pauline Okposi
A time to sow, and a time to reap
A time to plant, and a time to harvest
A time to scatter, and a time to gather
A time to weed, and a time to water
A time to collect, and a time to distribute
A successful crop requires time
A successful outcome requires timed planning
A successful result may come after failure
Repetition to conquer shows motivation to succeed
So it's okay if things take time
As long as waiting time is not wasted time
by Pauline Okposi
Inner beauty
Don't be concerned about the outward beauty
that depends on
fancy hairstyles, expensive jewellery or beautiful clothes.
You should be known for the beauty that comes from within;
the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit,
which is so precious to God.
1 Peter 3: 3-4
Those who need me
Please God, let those that need me always be able to recognise me and reach me,
no matter how good or bad I feel inside.
Amen.
Pat Caplin, of Colchester.
no matter how good or bad I feel inside.
Amen.
Pat Caplin, of Colchester.
Promises
Never make promises
unless you are sure you will honour your word.
For people who make promises
that they don't keep
are like nimbus clouds
that bring no rain.
Guard your thoughts
Guard your thoughts;
for your thoughts become words;
your words become speech;
your speech becomes action;
your action becomes habit;
your habit forms your character;
your character determines your destiny;
your destiny forms your vision;
your vision becomes your purpose;
and your purpose tunes into what you do day after day!
This is evident from the following Bible passage therefore take heed:
Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens
and do not return without watering the earth,
making it yeild and giving growth to provide seed for the sower
and bread for the eating,
so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty,
without carrying out my will and
succeeding in what it was sent to do.
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
Our Father
Our Father
who art in heaven
hallowed be thy name
thy kingdom come
thy will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread
and forgive us
our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
Lead us not into
temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
Forever and ever,
AMEN.
Lord, I thank you for me
Lord, I thank you
for slowing me down
for making me see those details
that I so often ignore
as I rush on by.
Lord I thank you,
for letting me see
that weakness in me
that needs so much
to be strengthened by You.
Lord I thank you,
for relaxing me
that I may take one step back
and let be, those things
that I have no control over.
Lord I thank you,
for the change I feel in me
as I slowly re-build my wounded,
rushed, exhausted, ignorant self
because in Your presence
I have the courage to do better.
Lord, I thank you.
by Pauline Okposi.
for slowing me down
for making me see those details
that I so often ignore
as I rush on by.
Lord I thank you,
for letting me see
that weakness in me
that needs so much
to be strengthened by You.
Lord I thank you,
for relaxing me
that I may take one step back
and let be, those things
that I have no control over.
Lord I thank you,
for the change I feel in me
as I slowly re-build my wounded,
rushed, exhausted, ignorant self
because in Your presence
I have the courage to do better.
Lord, I thank you.
by Pauline Okposi.
Christ on the Cross
They stripped you bare and stole your clothes,
and jeering passed you by;
They stretched you on a wooden cross
and hung you out to die.
Now I before an altar stand,
nor find a place of death
But with a living Lord contend,
and my indwelling breath.
For you are my salvation, Lord,
my hope and vision bright;
The all-revealing living word,
and my indwelling light.
You are my indwelling Good,
a presence all divine
Of God in human form bestowed,
to be holy, to be mine.
So when I take you in my hand,
my Lord, to life the key;
To all the world just bread and wine,
to me your guarantee.
by John Rae, of Littlebourne, Canterbury, Kent.
and jeering passed you by;
They stretched you on a wooden cross
and hung you out to die.
Now I before an altar stand,
nor find a place of death
But with a living Lord contend,
and my indwelling breath.
For you are my salvation, Lord,
my hope and vision bright;
The all-revealing living word,
and my indwelling light.
You are my indwelling Good,
a presence all divine
Of God in human form bestowed,
to be holy, to be mine.
So when I take you in my hand,
my Lord, to life the key;
To all the world just bread and wine,
to me your guarantee.
by John Rae, of Littlebourne, Canterbury, Kent.
Just keep working, those debts will go...
These are turbulent times.
This almost seems like an understatement but it's not.
These are turbulent times.
How do we cope?
Things seem to get harder but still we ask the question.
How do we cope?
Keep on saving your money.
There is not enough to live on so how can you say so, but
Keep on saving your money.
Where is your faith? In money or God?
Right now focusing can be difficult because worries are too many. Still
Where is your faith? In money or God?
Right. Just keep working, those debts will go.
Really? Yes. "Be strong and work; for I am with you." Haggai 2:4
Right. Just keep working, those debts will go.
By Pauline Okposi
This almost seems like an understatement but it's not.
These are turbulent times.
How do we cope?
Things seem to get harder but still we ask the question.
How do we cope?
Keep on saving your money.
There is not enough to live on so how can you say so, but
Keep on saving your money.
Where is your faith? In money or God?
Right now focusing can be difficult because worries are too many. Still
Where is your faith? In money or God?
Right. Just keep working, those debts will go.
Really? Yes. "Be strong and work; for I am with you." Haggai 2:4
Right. Just keep working, those debts will go.
By Pauline Okposi
Failure. What failure?
Has something you have been working on failed to impress? Take heart and learn from those who have been there done that.
Oscar Wilde remained unshaken by the failure of his early play The Duchess of Padua:
Oscar Wilde remained unshaken by the failure of his early play The Duchess of Padua:
'The play itself was a profound success.
But the audience was a profound failure.'
Now isn't that a clever way to get up when you are down!
Only don't forget to look carefully at both sides because the source of failure is somewhere in-between.
Be wise!
Advice on being content
Quentin Crisp's view of social mobility:
'Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level.
It's cheaper.'
Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Founding Fathers put it this way:
'If you want to know the value of money,
go and try to borrow some.'
Everyone is talking about me...
Have you ever been in a situation where 'everybody' knew something that had happened to you and was telling everybody else about it? That must have made you really angry.
'Why can't they just mind their own business and keep quiet?' you may have asked. Or better still, you might just decide to go on and give them something to talk about. Whether that does you any good or not is up to you.
The way I see it is that you cannot stop anyone from talking about you. Today it is you, tomorrow it is someone else. It is the social nature of human beings. Mind you, it would be odd if nobody had anything to say about you.
Oscar Wilde, the flamboyant Irish dramatist believed that:
'Why can't they just mind their own business and keep quiet?' you may have asked. Or better still, you might just decide to go on and give them something to talk about. Whether that does you any good or not is up to you.
The way I see it is that you cannot stop anyone from talking about you. Today it is you, tomorrow it is someone else. It is the social nature of human beings. Mind you, it would be odd if nobody had anything to say about you.
Oscar Wilde, the flamboyant Irish dramatist believed that:
'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about,
and that is not being talked about.'
There you go, not so bad, eh?
So what next? The answer is simple: Guard against your reputation, it is far more important than gold and jewels.
So you find things funny, don't you?
"Everything is funny as long as
it is happening to somebody else."
Will Rogers,
American humorist.
Did you just ask your friend for money? Big mistake!
'The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet
and steady and loyal and enduring nature
that it will last through a whole lifetime,
if not asked to lend money.'
Mark Twain
American satirist.
If you want to break a friendship, ask your 'close friend' for money to get you out of a tight spot with the promise that 'I will pay you back when my paycheck comes in'. Now that is the biggest mistake you will have made and it could probably signal the end of your 'friendship'. Why the quotes? Because a true friend (very rare in this materialistic world we live in), will not hesitate to help you.
The mistake that a lot of us make, me included, is to turn to our friends all the time when we get out of budget. We forget to turn to God, who is the source of all our needs. I sometimes wonder why this happens and have come to the conclusion that maybe it is because they are the nearest to us at the time. We trust them to understand that predicament that we have been telling them about and hope that when we are in need they will sympathise with us and give a helping hand.
Oh how wrong I have been. My experience is that when you tell someone that you have a problem, chances are that they will also tell you (true or not, I do not know) that they also have a problem and so cannot help you. Some problems seem to grow legs the moment you mention your own. Sad, but possibly true.
So I get so disappointed. Why? Because I told the wrong person my problem and worse still turned to the wrong person for help and advice. I should have told God and trusted my Heavenly Father to help and guide me. God is the only one who can help in times of need. You just have to believe it and speak to Him when the going gets tough. Then, stop and LISTEN TO GOD for your response. You will be surprised at the outcome.
When things are difficult financially, God wants you to learn how to make it better. It is usually a tough lesson on learning to better manage your financial resources and I know that by seeing it this way I have come out stronger. Take heart, all is not lost. Remember this prayer the next time you are in a financial dilemma:
O God...give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.
For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say,
"Who is the Lord?"
And if I am too poor, I may steal
and thus insult God's holy name.
Proverbs 30:8-9
Jesus said,
"Your Father knows exactly what you need
even before you ask Him."
Matthew 6:8
Money
Money makes the world go round! Have you heard that saying?!
How round can this already round world get?
Think about it - some say that money is the source of all evil. True.
Others say money is evil. False.
It is the LOVE of money that is evil. True.
How round can this already round world get?
Think about it - some say that money is the source of all evil. True.
Others say money is evil. False.
It is the LOVE of money that is evil. True.
What money cannot buy...
Money can buy a house,
but not a home.
Money can buy a bed,
but not sleep.
Money can buy a clock,
but not time.
Money can buy you a book,
but not knowledge.
Money can buy you a position,
but not respect.
Money can buy you medicine,
but not health.
Money can buy you blood,
but not life.
Money can buy you sex,
but not love.
So you see, money isn't everything.
And it often causes pain and suffering.
anonymous.
Money can buy you anything,
but not everything.
And you thought money can make you happy,
think again!
Did I hear someone about to give up copying
the lifestyles of the rich and famous?
I thought so.
I am an eagle
Have you ever been in a situation where everybody around you keeps off because you spoke to them about God and Jesus Christ?
Have people abandoned you because you have chosen to put God first in all you do and are not ashamed to admit it?
Have you felt alone in a crowd during break time when everybody is talking about the night before when they went out and got so drank that they woke up in a strange place with someone they did not know and yet they do not seem bothered about their lifestyle?
Have you felt alienated when someone asks you how your weekend was and you say that you spent it at a retreat praying and meditating on the word of God; then suddenly everyone looks at you like you just lost a nerve, then silence, then they start moving away and leaving you sat there alone?
Have you felt out of place because you never attend those parties that everybody else goes to but instead choose to spend a quiet time at home praying and thanking God?
Find comfort in these words from Isaiah:
Have people abandoned you because you have chosen to put God first in all you do and are not ashamed to admit it?
Have you felt alone in a crowd during break time when everybody is talking about the night before when they went out and got so drank that they woke up in a strange place with someone they did not know and yet they do not seem bothered about their lifestyle?
Have you felt alienated when someone asks you how your weekend was and you say that you spent it at a retreat praying and meditating on the word of God; then suddenly everyone looks at you like you just lost a nerve, then silence, then they start moving away and leaving you sat there alone?
Have you felt out of place because you never attend those parties that everybody else goes to but instead choose to spend a quiet time at home praying and thanking God?
Find comfort in these words from Isaiah:
But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
and they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40: 31
Eagles don't fly in flocks but are usually spotted soaring alone, high in the sky; catching the air currents with their wings spread wide and making flight look effortless.
God calls us to soar in flight...not to constantly flap our wings.
Be Blessed.
Disappointment happens
Sometimes things don't go the way we want them to. Somebody you trust betrays and rejects you and makes you feel inferior, less confident - a huge blow on your self-esteem. Then when you look back, chances are that you start blaming them for their disloyalty and even go as far as blaming God (If God loves me how can He let this happen to me?!) but not yourself.
Now wait a minute! Did you not hear that inner voice telling you not to go ahead with it? Did people close to you not tell you that it was not right? Did your friends not tell you that they thought you made the wrong choice and should beware? Ha! There you go - God tried to talk to you in many ways but you ignored and thought that you knew better, that you were right and they were wrong. So before accusing God, stop and search. He was there but you pushed Him away.
But wait a minute, God did not let it happen to you. It happened to you because you made the wrong choice! God did not leave you, YOU left Him and decided to go it alone. And the result? Disappointment! Between you and God, guess who moved - YOU did. Looking back, God is still where you left Him, patiently waiting for you to come back and start all over again.
And start all over again is what you must do. First start by forgiving yourself for your error in judgement, then forgive that which wronged you. Get back with God and include Him in everything you do. You will not go wrong. Learn from your failure and make sure the lesson, not the deed sticks in your mind. And God will still be by your side, guiding you if only you let him.
Now wait a minute! Did you not hear that inner voice telling you not to go ahead with it? Did people close to you not tell you that it was not right? Did your friends not tell you that they thought you made the wrong choice and should beware? Ha! There you go - God tried to talk to you in many ways but you ignored and thought that you knew better, that you were right and they were wrong. So before accusing God, stop and search. He was there but you pushed Him away.
But wait a minute, God did not let it happen to you. It happened to you because you made the wrong choice! God did not leave you, YOU left Him and decided to go it alone. And the result? Disappointment! Between you and God, guess who moved - YOU did. Looking back, God is still where you left Him, patiently waiting for you to come back and start all over again.
And start all over again is what you must do. First start by forgiving yourself for your error in judgement, then forgive that which wronged you. Get back with God and include Him in everything you do. You will not go wrong. Learn from your failure and make sure the lesson, not the deed sticks in your mind. And God will still be by your side, guiding you if only you let him.
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3
Take care and God bless you all.
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