Blog - Page 12 of 46

That you may have hope

One of my favorite books of the Bible is the book of Romans. In Romans, there are so many instances where Paul talks about us being filled with hope…

I am convinced that the reason God promises us so many things and why He provides so many things for us is not so that we can be happy, although he enjoys it when we are happy, but so that we can be filled with hope.

Life can be so challenging some times. Some times things don’t work out the way you wanted them to. Some times people don’t act the way we want them to, or the we expected them to. When things happen that we are not pleased with, it’s easy for us to start believing the lies of the devil. We start thinking maybe God really wants me to suffer, maybe God doesn’t want me to be prosperous, maybe God doesn’t want to heal me. But that is not true.

This is why it is important for us to spend time with God and God’s people so that we can be filled with hope. Because when we are filled with hope it doesn’t matter what lies the devil tries to tell us, we always remember that God is good, and he has good things in store for us. We always remember that what we are going through is temporary, so we can rest in the knowledge that with God things will always end up well.

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Open my eyes to your wonders anew

I was watching this movie over the weekend. There was this pill that when you took it, you were able to see things more clearly, and focus and come up with solutions. Things didn’t look so bad once you took the pill because all of a sudden there was hope, and you could see ways to get out of any and every solution that bothered you. Even if I could remember the name of the movie, I wouldn’t tell you because there were some graphic sexual scenes, and I had to avert my eyes since I wouldn’t go into anyone’s bedroom to watch them sleeping together, so I have no interest in watching it on TV either. And there was also quite a bit of gore and violence. But aside from all that other embellishment, the idea of the movie was pretty interesting…

Sometimes when I feel down, it seems to me that I’m not seeing things clearly, I’m not truly understanding what is going on, I’m focusing on the wrong thing. Lately I’ve been praying “Open my eyes to your wonders anew Lord, open my eyes” because I know God stays the same, and God always wants good things for me, so anything else that may be bothering me has to be because I’m not seeing things clearly. Lately I’ve been seeing glimpses of God all around me – in the skies, in kind gestures, in people’s smiles, in the beauty of nature – it reminds me that no matter what I’m going through, there is so much more to this life.

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This is the confidence we have with him

I make money doing presentations. Yes I have an off-line job, and no it’s not “professional presentation speaker.” Basically whether it is for trainings or for presentations to clients or potential clients, I need my computer to help me earn my bread and butter.

There was a time I would go to make presentations, and I did my best not to be embarassed by my laptop. The laptop case was cracking, the laptop charger was splitting, and to make matters worse the keyboard stopped working, so I had to buy an external keyboard.

For weeks I contemplated how I would get a new laptop, and how I would move the budget around to accomplish that. When I told my husband about it, he empathized with me came up with suggestions, and was generally supportive.

Long story short, I’m currently writing this blog on my new laptop. How did I get it? As soon as my husband became aware, he shifted the budget around, sacrificed a few things, and got it for me… It made me think of that verse:

1 John 5:14-15King James Version (KJV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Sometimes when I have thoughts, ideas, desires, I try to focus on this verse. I can be confident that God always hears me. And If I am confident that God hears me, then I can be confident that my petitions have been granted.

What are you worried about today? What are you praying for and desiring? It’s time to let go and realize that you can rest in this knowledge, and you can have this confidence.

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17 things I love about my husband

The number 17 has always been a special one for me, my birthday, the day I graduated, and the day I got married. Today is my one year anniversary, and I must say that I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I get to share life with this man that I call my husband, my boo, my best friend… So I wanted to dedicate this post to him and share these 17 things about him that make me want to be a better person

17. My husband is a great friend to everyone. Everyone knows that if Kehinde is your friend, he is your friend. He will always have a listening ear, and he is always willing to sacrifice himself for his friends.

16. My husband is an encourager. There are days when I get overwhelmed with what is going on, and with the challenges of life, and my husband always has an encouraging word. I spend so much of my time trying to live 5 days in advance and thinking of all the challenges, and my husband just says “we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”

15. My husband is generous to everyone. My goodness gracious, my husband is so generous with his time, his treasures, his everything. He has a giver’s heart, and I think that is why he is always so blessed, and people are always so generous to him.

14. My husband’s word is bond. When my husband says he will do something, Lord knows he will do that thing. Even if he has to hop on one leg, one eye closed, tired from exhaustion. But if he says he will do something, you can take his word to the bank because he will do it.

13. My husband is committed to his family. I have never met someone who loves his parents and siblings as much as my husband, but this man wants to protect his extended family and his nuclear family. I mean anyone who treats his mom so well is obviously gold.

12. My husband is extremely patient. Me… well I’m kind of a microwave kinda gal. I want it now now now!…. but my husband…well he can wait for as long as he has to wait to get what he wants to get. It’s the most amazing thing because it makes me realize that not everything needs to be immediate.

11. My husband is the wisest man I know. You would think I married Methuselah or something, but I’m not sure how he got so wise, but he is wise beyond his years. There are times when I want to take a different decision, but when I listen to my husband’s wisdom I realize that well… that’s the reason I married him.

10. My husband is always looking for ways to add value wherever he goes. This man never ceases to amaze me. Whenever and wherever he goes, he finds a way to just add value. Some people think about what they can take from people, or how they can gain from others, but he is always looking for opportunities to add to others.

9. My husband is a snazzy dresser! Boy let me tell you… I had to step my game up when I became associated with him, ‘cos my husband definitely knows how to accentuate his handsomeness, and yeah I ain’t ashamed to say he’s all mine 🙂

8. My husband is strong. Whoa! that man is strong, and I’m so thankful for that because there is nothing too heavy or too big or too whatever for him to carry for his wife. And he is always willing to use his strength to help the wife of his youth 🙂

7. My husband is extremely resilient. Just as with anyone, this man has been through SOME THINGS!!! but you wouldn’t know that by just being around him. He bounces back from any challenge and any problem quite quickly and easily.

6. My husband is the humblest man I know. No matter where he is, he is always willing to do whatever he has to do to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. When he is right he is more than generous not to say “I told you so” and when he is wrong, is very quick to apologize.

5. My husband is very empathetic. He is always thinking about others, feeling other people’s pain and trying to avoid others being uncomfortable. He always tries to put himself in other people’s shoes and figure out how to help them, and how to solve their problems.

4. My husband is a very sacrificial person. He is willing to deny himself to ensure that others are well taken care of. And this extends beyond just his family. He is willing to sacrifice, just so that other people are okay.

3. My husband is a wonderful listener. Granted when listening to a woman like me, all he has to do is grunt a few times so I know he hasn’t fallen asleep or something. But for someone like me whose love language is quality time, and who connects through conversation, I feel so loved whenever he listens to me and spends time with me…and I’m thankful everyday for that.

2. My husband has the most amazing laugh in the world. I mean he smiles alot, but when I get him to laugh, I feel like I have accomplished so much. His laughter is like music to my ears, I can’t help but want to join him laughing.

1. My husband loves God more than anything or anyone, and because of his love for God he is able to love people in such a sacrificial way.

There are many more amazing things about my husband, but I will stop at 17, and use this opportunity to thank him for this wonderful first year, and to thank God for the privilege to be called his wife. HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

For all the ladies in waiting, I promise you that there are still many wonderful guys out there, don’t give up hope.

For all the newlyweds, I pray that your marriage is sweeter and sweeter everyday.

And for all those who have been married for a long time, I pray that you find something about your spouse for which you are thankful everyday.

dancing

There's enough space in the sky

There’s enough space in the sky for all the birds that want to fly, and all the stars that want to shine, and there’s enough space at the top for the people that are willing to do the work.

I’m often amazed at how quickly we hoard information, or try to jeopardize other people’s successes because we think that will make us more successful than others. But what I see time and time again is that it’s the generous people that have all around success, while the stingy people continue looking for more and are never quite satisfied.

No matter what your desire is, remember that it is the givers that continue getting, not the grabbers. And remember that you can accomplish almost anything, if you’re willing to do the work, and persevere during the not so fabulous times.

There’s enough space for you, me, and everybody else… in fact… we would all be in a better position if more of us were successful.

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Life is not fair

When my ex (the one I wanted to marry) ended up getting married years before I did, I was angry and bitter. I felt that God wanted me to end the relationship, and since I (capital I) did the hard work of ending the relationship, I felt that I deserved to be married and happy before he was. But you know, life is not fair.

I remember as a child we always talk about how things are not fair, and adults often told us that life is not fair, and we just had to deal with it.

Lately I’ve been really thinking about how unfair life can be. Some people have more privileges than I do, and I have more privileges than some other people. Some things I wish I can do but can’t, but there are some things that I can do that others wish they could. That’s life. it’s not fair.

Sometimes people think that other people’s lives are easier because we see that they have something that they want, but in the end, we all have problems, and we all wish that our problems were solved. But that’s life. It’s not fair.

I’ve started to come to terms with the fact that life is not fair, because whether I’m happy about it or not, it continues. I realize that if I want peace in my life I should just accept life as it is, and not feel sorry for myself of for anyone else. In the end all we are responsible for is doing the best with what we have. We don’t have to solve all of life’s problems. We don’t have to solve everyone’s problems, we don’t even have to solve all of our problems. All we have to do is do the best with what we’ve got, deal with problems as the come, and rest in the knowledge that in the end it will all work out.

smile

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Other People's secrets

If I told you some of my deepest secrets you would probably think I was very strange, or you would be glad to know that there was someone else in the world that shared your peculiarities, and then you would probably want to be my friend…

We all have secrets, every single one of us. The neighbor that looks perfect, and you wish you could be like, the lady in church who always seems to have everything under control, the woman whose kids are incredibly well-behaved, the smiling lady with the amazing husband…all of us, we all have secrets.

So try not to be too harsh with yourself because of your secrets, and the fear that people may think that you are strange because of them, you may be surprised to find out that they have very similar secrets. And try not to condemn people for making the decisions they make, when you don’t agree with them, because sometimes our secrets push us to make decisions that may not make sense to others. And if you’re every privileged to learn about someone else’s secret, whether it was purposely divulged, or you accidentally gained access to the information, protect this information with your life, because their life may depend upon it.

NoComplaintRevolution

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Worried? Change the station

worried? I’ve found myself worrying a lot lately. If there’s something to worry about, I’ll quickly begin worrying about it. If it’s something that can’t be solved, even better, because it means I can just keep thinking and worrying about it… It doesn’t matter what it is, cleaning the house, writing a blog post, safety of Nigeria, getting stuck in traffick etc. etc. etc.

I was listening to an audiobook recently and the lady talked about changing the station. If you keep getting thoughts you don’t like, just change the station in your mind. If you keep getting thoughts of how bad things are, and how much worse they can be, change the station… You have more control over your thoughts and your moods than you realize, so you just have to take control and start thinking about only the things that make you happy, and forget the things that depress you.

So I’ve been trying to remind myself of all the wonderful and amazing gifts I have every day. I can hear, thank God, I can see, I can read, I can write, I can talk, I can walk, I can do all sorts of things millions of people wish they can, thank God. I have a wonderful husband, I have wonderful parents, I have wonderful brothers, I have wonderful inlaws, I have amazing friends, thank God. Yup! Once you change the station you can’t help but realize that you have an amazing life. So, what are you thankful for today?

Happy 4th of July to all my friends in the U.S.

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Peace and Confidence

ahh peace… just saying the word makes me want to take a deep breath, sigh and rest…

I’m always working on being at peace with whatever situation, and wherever I am. It’s not easy sometimes because the things you think you’ve let go sometimes come back to you and you say to yourself “wow, I thought I let that go.”

One thing I’ve noticed is that you can’t have confidence without peace. You can’t have good health without peace. You can’t have trusting relationships without peace. You can’t have all that God has called you to have without peace.

I remember one time, while I was in church, when someone told me about something someone else had said about me. I felt so hurt. I thought this person was my friend, and I felt that I sacrificed myself so many times for this person. I ran out of church crying and went to my car. Thankfully one of the ladies from church ran out with me and prayed with me. She prayed for so many wonderful things in her short 5-minute prayer, but what I remember most is that she prayed for peace, and I remember how my whole body heaved a sigh of relief at that very moment she prayed for peace. Until today, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I remember that moment and I thank God for peace, and watch as my body relaxes. It’s the most amazing thing to me, it’s things like this that prove the strength of our words (but that is another post).

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about peace, and walking in peace. Life can be unexpected some times, but you can walk in peace. Life can be scary sometimes, but you can still walk in peace. Life can be unfair, sad, painful, and every other negative thing you can think of, but you can still walk in peace…

because I have confidence that He who began a good work in me is able to complete it in a beautiful and wonderful way… because when he created me, he looked at me and said that I am good.

Soo… what are your thoughts on peace and confidence… how have you been dealing with this journey called life?

I thank God for the peace that He has given us, and I pray that you walk in it Today, and every day.

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father's day 2014

Happy Father’s day to my father, the best father any girl could have ever asked for. A man who knows how to help a girl transition through the awkward phases of life – girlhood, ladyhood, wifehood – and still let her know that she is beautiful and wonderfully made, and a joy to be around. A man who sacrificed all for his children, even when his children may not have realized or appreciated it. A man who taught me the kinds of qualities to look out for in a man…

Happy Father’s day to my future baby daddy, my husband… yeah we may not have kids yet, but I’m so excited for the opportunity to watch this man love and raise children. A man who loves me so passionately and sacrificially. A man who I’m thankful for every single day. A man who shows me that there are still many wonderful men out there. A man who gives me hope in Nigeria, and in the dying world we live in. A man who is a quiet strength everywhere he goes, whose passion in life is to help and serve, and does so to everyone in a way that still boggles my mind… A man that I am so privileged to do life with everyday and to grow old with (if the Lord tarries).

Happy Father’s day to my big brother, who has shown me what it means to sacrifice for his children. Who loves his children so much, raises them so well, and loves his wife so wonderfully. A man who loves God, and is not ashamed to show it. A man who gives me hope in the young men of our generation…and to my other brothers and brother-in-laws, such wonderful and strong men.

Happy Father’s day to all the father’s out there, and all the men acting as mentors and surrogate fathers. Happy father’s day to all my friends, and all the strangers out there. Happy father’s day to men with baby mama drama, and baby mama’s that painfully, keep you away from the baby. Happy Father’s day to the men who are learning everyday about what an awesome privilege it is to be a father and how much we need you in this dying world.

Of course Happy Father’s day to the most important father of them all. The God who formed us all in the womb and has blessed us with everything that we need, even before we realized we needed them.

Have a wonderful Father’s day! And don’t forget to cherish every man in your life.

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