Life is a Choice

Every day brings its own unique challenges. Even the best of times bring the challenge of gratitude for all the good in our lives. As winds blow, they sometimes blow cool refreshing air and sometimes they blow dust. Other times, the winds are so tumultuous that they cause so much damage and devastation. And so it is with our lives. Life brings us wonderful and affirming moments and other times it brings us trials and tribulations. There is little we could do to control what happens in life even though we would like to think we do. It is like the wind; the wind blows where it pleases and brings with it what it may.

But the one thing that I have learned from my own personal life is these two simple things:

1.       I cannot control the things that happen to me; BUT

2.       I have complete control of the choices I make

Hmm, that is something to think about. Whatever our lives circumstances, we always have a choice. Even if our situation makes us feel like we don’t have much choice in the matter; we still have a choice. The beauty of life is not what happens to you but what you can do with what happens to you. Let’s say a working class man who has been struggling to make ends meet for most of his adult life gets a windfall of money and this could be through an inheritance or even winning a lottery ticket. Well, you would think his life will be greatly enhanced and improved because he no longer has to worry about money. We tend to think this way because money is believed by many to be the currency of life. In my humble opinion, money is certainly not the true currency of life. What money does is it makes a comfortable life possible. Well, let’s get back to the man who came into a lot of money.  Now regardless of popular opinion that his life will be vastly improved, that greatly depends on what he does with the money and the choices he makes. If he makes wise choices, it could certainly be a wonderful blessing that could add to his happiness in life. But if he lets the money ruin his life, he could lose the most important things in life such as his true friends and his family behind the money. And even worse, he could lose himself, his very soul. So the money is not what will make the man’s life wonderful but it is the wise choices he makes once he comes into money that will make his life wonderful. This goes with anything. Some use their good fortune in life to not only add to their own experience but to the life experiences of others while others do the exact opposite.

I am amazed at human resiliency. You see some courageous people that turn the great misfortunes in their lives to produce so much good in the lives of many. I was watching the story of an amazing woman, Carmen, who suffered an extensive chemical burn at the hands of her ex-husband. She lost her face and a lot of her physical abilities, but the most amazing thing is watching how she made a choice to live a quality life in spite of her loss and she chose to forgive the man who has done such unimaginable thing to her. As I watched her story, I cried not out of pity but moved by her courage. And the one thing she said on the interview that resonated with me was that ‘life is a choice’. You see, even in the worst of your circumstance you can choose a positive life. Courage is not the absence of fear but our daring to face the very thing that we fear. Her story is featured under the title ‘The Face of Courage’. You can click on this link to find it http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_page/D4027. I promise you will be inspired!

I don’t know where you are and what you are experiencing on your life’s path. But whatever your life’s circumstance, you have a choice in the matter. You might feel like you are between a rock and a hard place but you still have a choice. So today, I encourage you to choose a life of gratitude! I encourage you to allow yourself to forgive. I encourage you to abandon your fear and embrace love. I encourage you to choose peace. I encourage you to be a positive force in the lives of all that are around you. I encourage you to make the most of your life because you can!

Life's Peaks & Valleys

The peaks and valleys of life is what make life exhilarating. But more often than not, we humans are more excited by life’s peaks than valleys. It is natural to enjoy the good things in life and cringe at the difficult issues of life. Life’s seeming imperfections; I find are the very perfections of life. The very things we dread as we experience them are the very things that shape our lives into a richer existence. I have to say that the valleys of life are usually a downer because we are creatures who love our comfort and anything that disturbs our comfortable life is usually an unwelcome disruption.

As a fellow human experiencing this wondrous journey unfolding, I am learning to welcome the valleys along with the peaks of my life. I am learning to bravely embrace my life in its entirety. Life is not what we plan for, life is what happens. The ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ happen to us as we journey through life. The key I find is not in the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but rather in our ability to embrace our experience for what it is. When we watch the news and hear about the natural disasters or some crime or accident that has happened, mostly we are moved by others experience but it is not us – it is others; it is not happening here, it is happening out there.

For those who live in the east coast of the US, lately we have been getting some rough weather ranging from unexpected earthquake to the devastating effects of hurricanes. I had a personal encounter with hurricane Irene as a forty plus oak tree fell on my house with an 8 foot branch coming through the bedroom ceiling. To say that it was stunning and freighting will be an understatement. The lesson I learned from the whole experience is how life is fragile and how it can change in an instant. Of course, I was very grateful that it was not any worse than what it was but I also was amazed by God’s protection. When nothing happens, we don’t often think about what can potentially happen to us and our families. When we get a glimpse of how close we came to danger and how our lives have been spared then of course we are grateful for God’s protection over our lives.

Experiencing a natural disaster at a smaller scale in my own backyard made me realize just how many lives are affected by such incidents. It made it real and I could relate to others who have been through similar ordeals. Valleys, not particularly exciting but if we learn to embrace them we find a gem in our experience. In hindsight, we realize we are better for our many valleys. Valleys humble us and keep us grounded. Valleys make us more humane. Valleys build character in us, making us better people. Looking back at my many valley experiences, I realize I would not change any of them as they have been the greatest teachers of my life.

The good things of life are of course the blessings we hold dear. We cherish them and we enjoy them as we should. They enrich our lives and bring balance to our sometimes challenging journey. But most of us do take a lot for granted and we forget to take stock of our blessings overwhelmed by the daily challenges of life. Nothing, absolutely nothing is to be taken for granted. From the fact that we are here experiencing life in this dimension to everything single thing in our life can change in a split second. So as I coach myself often, I encourage you to take time to notice your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you. And express your gratitude to God for his many blessings. If you are reading this and thinking I don’t have much to be grateful for, then I challenge to write at least seven things that you can think of that are good in your life. It can be small or big, just find things to be thankful for.

If you are going through a difficult time today, I encourage you to look around and find things to be grateful for.  There is no one single human life that is not layered with blessings. In some instances, we have to be diligent in looking for the blessings in the face of the obvious challenges of life. I would say gratitude is often the missing ingredient in our 21^st century high tech existence.  Be grateful for everyday things such as clean drinking water and food on your table. The more you practice the path of gratitude, you realize you have more to be grateful for after all and that allows you to embrace your life more joyfully!

P.S. I realize it has been months since I last blogged. Life happens and sometimes we get so caught up with the everyday stuff that we forget to prioritize. I know I did. Friends that read my blog have been encouraging me to get back to blogging. I am grateful for your words of encouragement, especially to my dear friend Rahel.

Got The Butterfly Award

A fellow blogger from Dublin, Marie, gave me an award last week. Thank you, Marie, for your encouragement and thoughtfulness.

Here are the rules of this award:

• Share something about yourself
• To pass it on to other bloggers

Hmmm, about myself........I love words and their ability to express......love arranging them poetically. I am amazed at how writing and expressing what you feel in your heart can bring so much healing and freedom and even wisdom at times. I love the quite space in my heart and soul when I am writing....it is when I feel the freest and the most vibrant and the most everything. Simply put, I love to write.

There are a lot of excellent bloggers out there who encourage, challenge and bring light to many hearts all around the world. I would love to acknowledge a few and pass this award to:

• BlessedAssurance
• A Meaning of an Optimist
• Cuz You Got to Have Faith
• A Single Mom's Advice on Making Life Easier
• Girl Talk
• To Make A Rhyme

Note: I love butterflies.....love what they represent and their beautiful presence.........I'm actually wearing a pretty silver butterfly pendant as I am typing this (smile).

God bless you all!

How Big Is Your God?

How big is your God? Can he do the impossible? Can he perform miracles? Can he bring the dead back to life? Can he help you pay your bills? Can he heal your broken heart? Can he answer your prayers? Can he give you joy inspite of all your troubles? Today my question to myself and everyone out there is - 'how big is your God?'

Hmmm........my God is real. He is personal. He is interested in what happens in my world. He loves and comforts me. He provides for all my everyday needs. I have been through the deepest valley and some mountain tops in my life but through it all, my God has been my reason for my being. He has sustained me in everything. My God has not only sustained me but his grace was sufficient for me to thrive not just survive. So you see, my testimony is surely my God is awesome! My God is bigger than life itself.

My God is definitely big! He is bigger than all my troubles - past and present. My God is bigger than whatever I face in life. My God is the reason I am filled with joy and I wake up every morning without a dread in my heart. In spite of what has been and is - my God gives me a reason to hope, a reason to sing, a reason to be joyful, a reason to be resilient, a reason to persevere, a reason to have faith, a reason press on - regardless of my present reality.

So again I ask you, how big is your God? Is he big enough and real enough to put your hopes in and to stand on and believe in? Is he just part of your religious practices or is he alive in your heart? Who is your God and what does he mean to you? How real is he and how big is he in your life? Just something to ponder on..........

The God of the bible is still alive and well. He still performs miracles. He still does the 'impossible'. He still parts the 'red sea' and he still raises 'the dead' back to life. God is real. God is awesome. There is nothing impossible, there is nothing too hard that he cannot do. Words do not have the capacity to express all that he is in all his awesomeness, wonder and glorious splendor but to say that he is indeed a 'big' God is understatement of who he is.

So the question remains, how big is your God? Do you know how big he is and how awesome he is? Is your faith in the true God of the bible who is more than able to perform miracles? Do you know the one who gives ife and sustains it?

My testimony today is simply - my God is big!He is bigger than life itself!

God Our Father

When you just think you can't take one more step on your own strength and you feel so weak and vulnerable, the grace of God comes to strengthen you. I have long learned we are not without help or guidance. All we need is to call upon the Lord. He is truly a prayer away.

I am amazed at how God works in our life. When you just think you can't make it or it is too hard, there comes his grace to carry you through your hard times. He provides EVERYTHING WE NEED according to his riches. He wakes us up every morning and appropriates sufficient grace for the new day so we can face whatever the day may bring. One comforting thought for me is knowing that God has seen all my unseen tomorrows and there is nothing that he does not know. So when the future looks uncertain, I am certain in the knowledge that my father holds all my tomorrows and he is on my side.

In these uncertain times that we live in where there is rumors of unprecedented natural disasters and economic instability, it is a comforting thought to know that God's mercy and grace is new every morning and that his constant love will never leave us or forsake us. It is also comforting to know that God is in control and is all powerful when we feel that life is out of control. He will sustain us and he will provide for us. Jesus said if he provides for the birds and dresses the lilies of the field so magnificently how much more will he provide for us.

Today I encourage you to stop worrying about the unknown tomorrows or your finances or your challenges in life and bring it all to God in prayer knowing that the most powerful being is your father. God as our father is the source of all life. He gives us life and sustains our life. He provides everything that we need for life. Life by the way was not our invention but his creation and he sustains it well. All we have to do is just trust in our father and know that he watches over us.

So go forth in confidence in knowing that you will never lack anything because God is your provider! Go forth with joy and peace in your heart for you are loved and will never be forsaken!

Got Another Award.......Stylish? Hmmm

Few weeks ago I received 'Stylish Blogger Award'......imagine that! Ofcourse, I am touched and flattered. The person who awarded me is a fellow blogger, Amie, at http://ameaningofoptimist.blogspot.com/. Thank you Amie for being so generous with your support. By the way if you haven't already please check her blog....very insightful and fun.

What to do once you have been given this award:

•  Thank and link back to the person that awarded this to you
•  Share 7 things about yourself
•  Award 15 recently discovered bloggers
• Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

 The Seven Things About Me:(rarely do I cook the same dish twice)

• I love to cook.
• I grew up in Africa.
• I have lived in three continents of the world for atleast seven years.
• I can't imagine life without my savior and lord, Jesus.
• I too detail oriented and a perfectionist to a fault.
• I love writing poems.
• I love British movies such as Emmy and Pride & Prejudice. 

Keep on blogging, keep on sharing! let's all grow together.

I don't have 15 bloggers to pass this award so for now here are the Bloggers I would like to award this to, for their blog being so stylish!

1. Faith: Great Adventures of a faithful Girl at Cuz You Gotta Have Faith; Simply beautiful!
2. LaKenya: Blessed Assurance; real life experiences with a spiritual depth.
3. Marie from Dublin: The Color of Our Skin; all I'm gonna say is please check her out!
4. Pamela: The Spiritual Soaking; an excellent read for the spiritually hungry.

Remembering.........Reminiscing!

We are always on the go, bombarded by the immediate needs of our daily life that we do not take the time to sit still and look back at our life. When I look back at my life, I see so many instances of God’s goodness and faithfulness. When I stop long enough to remember what God has brought me through, the difficulties I have overcome, it was not because I was strong but because of his grace and faithfulness. I see that throughout my days God has been by my side always strengthening me, always providing for my needs, always comforting me and always leading me. The mistakes that I have made in life were never because of a lack of God’s leading in my life but rather it was because of leaning on my own understanding and not heeding his word or the nudge in my heart telling me to take the higher road.

I have been doing a lot of looking back and reminiscing about my past victories and even failures. How God has never let me down. How God has always been so near, just a prayer away! How God carried me through my storm. How he held my hand and kept me strong. How he comforted me through my heartbreaks. What an awesome God he is, what a wonderful God we truly serve. God is a loving father to his children. As a loving father, he provides, loves, comforts, leads, teaches and disciples his children. I have experienced all these – his loving, comforting, leading, teaching and also disciplining. No one likes to be admonished or disciplined but it is a part of being a child. A father disciplines his children out of love.

God’s disciplining is like pruning. As a farmer prunes a fruit bearing tree to bear even more fruit, in like manner God disciplines us so we could bear more fruit in our life. He disciplines us so we could grow into our full potential of who he created us to be. It is an integral part of his love for us for he wants nothing short of the best for his children. And the best for each one of us is to grow into the person God created us to be and to realize our purpose in life. I testify to God’s goodness even through his disciplining for it has allowed me to grow into maturity. I know I have a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do so I do anticipate some more disciplining along the way.

Storms are such an integral part of life just as they are of the weather system. As I’ve heard one preacher say one time, you are either coming out of a storm or going through a storm or will go through one somewhere down your path for storms are a part of life. It is absolutely true! Well, it is in the stormy times of my life that I have grown the most and have gotten closer to my maker. I have witnessed God’s absolute faithfulness going through my storms for I was never forsaken or alone. I felt God’s presence calming my heart as I went through the most trying times of my life. My God is my rock. He is a sure foundation that I stand on regardless of what I am going through.

So today, I offer up to him my gratitude for all the times he has rescued me, for all the times he has comforted me; for all the times he has loved me through my pain and for all the times he had carried me on his back. My Lord, my God, my savior, he is dearer than life itself to me. He is the air I breathe. He is truly my source of life. He is my strength and hope. And I know that the God who has been there through all my ups and downs in the past will not leave me nor forsake me so when I look out to my future, my confidence is not in the economy or my abilities or what is happening around me but my confidence rests in him alone. He has seen all my tomorrows and I know can trust him for he has proven himself to be trustworthy.

I encourage you to take some time today to do a little remembering, a little reminiscing. Remember God’s goodness, his faithfulness and enduring love. Let your heart sing a song of thanksgiving. I submit to you that regardless of where you are on your path today, if you look back at all your answered prayers, you will be encouraged and lifted up. Your joy will be overflowing and your hope will be alive for you know that God has not left your side. If you are in need, just call upon him……he is just a prayer away. You are never without help and you are never alone. You are loved and cared for by your creator. God is your, mine, our present help.

Let’s remember today!

Power of Prayer

One of the most powerful things in my life is the power of prayer. To me, prayer is not a mindless repetition of words to get God's attention but an earnest conversation with God. The God who gave us the ability to hear has the same ability too, only his hearing is infinitely better in every possible way. So I discovered early in life that God is not only this powerful being who created man (& woman), animals, earth and brought the entire universe into existence but he is also an intimate personal God who cares about each one of us. I went to an Orthodox Christian School in my early life which encouraged me to read the bible for myself. And that is how I discovered that I can have a personal relationship with my creator through his son Jesus. I want to emphasize that I was not taught this in the school, church or family I grew up in. To me, it was not about religion but rather about the truth. Here is the passage that transformed my life, John 1: 1-12:

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.
 ⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. ⁸ He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
 ⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

My own conversations with God began at the ripe age of 12 (couple of months shy from 13) after I accepted his son Jesus. I began to have spiritually significant dreams and these are dreams I remember vividly to this day. So my path has begun not as a religious but purely spiritual experience. I remember feeling uncomfortable doing some of the things I used to love to do and I did not know why I would feel that way. So I strarted to ask God if these feelings came from him and I pleaded if they were indeed from him to please give me the strength to change and he did. And as a result, those very things I cherished before had no hold on me. This started a revolution of sorts in my life. Because now I knew that God truly hears and answers prayers. And I prayed about things that were pretty serious and things that were not that significant. But time and again, I saw how God heard my cry for help. It was just mind blowing. I can say that at that point I discovered the key to life which was coming to God with everything including all my heartbreaks and problems.

In the most desperate times of my life, when I needed the presence of God to comfort me and calm my internal storm that is fueled by the fear of the unknown, I have cried out to God and he has in fact answered my prayers. I have also learned to be patient for God does not always answer our prayers on our time which is immediately or in the fashion we would like him to which is to always say YES to our requests because he is a loving father. That might sound strange to some people but let me explain. Loving parents would have to say later or simply no to some of the requests their children make. They do that not because they do not love their children but because they do. They only say yes to their children's request when they are in their children's best interest. In the same way, God says later or simply no to some of our requests because of his infinite love for us. I have asked God for some things in my life so desperately but his answer was no but in hindsight it was the best answer. I am so thankful for a lot of God's no's or even his silences because now I can see for myself that he had something better in mind. But I will be lying if I said to you that I feel this way one hundred percent of the time because I don't. That's when I need to lean on my faith and trust God, even when I don't I understand why God will allow some things in my life, I know that he loves me and he has my best interest at heart.

Prayer is simply a conversation with God. A conversation is not a monologue but rather a dialogue so you have to take time to listen to what God has to say. God speaks through his word and he speaks to our hearts. Sometime he speaks to us through our dreams and sometimes he speaks to us through other people. God speaks all the time if we will only open our ears and hearts to hear him. And prayer is also the greatest form of fellowship because that is a time we open our hearts and pour it all out to God and take time to hear to what he has to say to us.

Whatever your life circumstance is and wherever you are on your path, I encourage you to make time to pray. Prayer holds the key to a triumphant life. If you are tired of being tired, struggling with life's many challenges, I encourage you to come to God with all your struggles. Just open your mouth and tell him what has been bothering you. Just pour your heart to him in simple words. God is not interested in rigid religious practices as much as he is interested in having a relationship with his creation. So talk to God and open your ears and heart so you could hear what he is saying to you. God is always speaking but we tune him out so we are the ones who should learn to get in tune with God so we could hear him speak. I guarantee you that life will be so much better and fuller when you start to converse with God. You will understand that you are not alone on this journey we call life. You have someone who brought you here and he has a purpose for your life. Your conversations with God will lead you to discover your purpose in life and give meaning even to the most painful experiences of your life.

Prayer first changes us. It calms the storm within. It channels joy and peace into our troubled hearts. We feel relieved from all the burdens that are pressing on us. It energizes us. It allows us to appropriate the grace of God. Prayer changes us first before it changes our situations. It moves our hearts before it moves our mountains. I testify to the awesome power of prayer in my own life. When I am weak and feel like I can't take one more day of whatever situation I am in, as soon as I come to God in prayer, it all changes. My situation could be the same but I have the strength and the will to continue on the path God has put me on, not just surviving but thriving through him.

Start praying today and discover the amazing power of prayer!

Unprecedented Natural Disasters....Are We Living in the Last Days?

When we hear about natural disasters around the world, mostly we feel for the people going through it and some of us may even feel compelled to reach out to the hurting in their time of great need. I am ashamed to say that I have not really done anything substantial in the past as a result of learning about a natural disaster that has happened in another part of the world. In recent memory, from the earthquake and tsunami that hit South East Asia in 2004 to  the earthquakes that devastated Haiti and China to the enormous earthquake and tsunami that just hit Japan ....unprecedented disaster all around the world that is ever increasing at an alarming rate. And yet, those of us who live in the part of the world that is unaffected carry on our every day life with uncanny calmness as if what has happened there won't happen here.

The earthquake and devastating tsunami along with the nuclear crisis in Japan is at the center stage of our global media. I am not a news junky, but lately I have found myself glued to the TV watching CNN and other news channels to stay updated on what's going on across the Pacific. For a brief moment, I thought about what it must have been like for those who went through this heartbreaking natural disaster. I thought about those who did not make it......what it must have been like in their last moments. I can't really say I know what it must have felt like because I have never been through what they went through and are still going through but it causes me to pause my routine day to day existence long enough to think of my fellow humans on the other side of the globe.

We are experiencing natural disasters at an alarming frequency and with much greater intensity. It is happening so fast that if you try to take it all in, it will literally blow your mind.......not in a good way! It's overwhelming to witness what is happening all over the world. The days that we are living in have been foretold in the Judaic Christian Bible. Not just what is happening in the world in terms of unprecedented catastrophes but also our social and cultural environments have also been prophecied thousands of years ago. Last week, I  heard a news anchor reassure his audience that 'IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!!' I was amazed by how self assured this man was as he confidently claimed to know that IT IS NOT the end of the world. Well, I beg to differ. I would say we are in the last days of human existence on earth as we know it. The birth pains have began.........it would be wise to at least keep an open mind about it rather than dismissing it without much thought. What if you're wrong and it is truly the end of the world; what then?

Here is what our Lord Jesus said about the last days according to the gospel of Mark: 'When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁸ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.  You must be on your guard. ....Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ¹³ Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved..... those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.' Mark 13:7-9, 12-13 & 19-20 

Do you think Jesus is talking about what we are facing today? The answer to that in my estimation is a resounding 'YES!!!' What we are witnessing all over the world is 'the beginning of birth pains'! And Jesus cautioned us to 'be on our guard'. So today, that is my message -  These are the beginning of birth pains.  You must be on your guard.

Not Bad Hmmm......Got An Award!

My dear friend Chere gave me 'The Versatile Blogger Award' exactly over a week ago! I know I am uncermoniously late expressing my gratitude but really thank you so much. Thank you for your support and for being the first follower of my blog.

I felt so flattered and honored to receive this award as a fairly new blogger who is navigating my way. Thank you Chere!!!

The rules for after you have been given this particular award:

- Thank the person who gave you the award :)

- Share 7 things about yourself

- Pass the award to up to 10 other versatile bloggers

- Let those other bloggers know you gave them the award

Seven Things About Me

1. I am a believer in the saving grace of God.

2. I enjoy a personal relationship with my Savior and Lord, Jesus!

3. I am married.

4. I am blessed to have a wonderful family.

5. I am a peoples person.

6. I have friends I have known almost all my life - literally - and some that I have met fairly recently but they are all such a blessing!

7. I enjoy watching a good movie with a great story line.

And I'm passing this award to the following bloggers:

1. Chere, A single Christian Mom's Advice (http://asinglechristianmomsadvice.blogspot.com/) 

2. Le' Optimist, A Meaning of Optimist (http://ameaningofoptimist.blogspot.com/)

3. Kidist, Kidistg (http://kidistg.wordpress.com/) - New Blogger like me

4. Aimee, Aimee - Girl Talk (http://aimee-girltalk.blogspot.com/)

I know my list is short but I'm sort of new to the blogging world................

What About Peace?

Peace is not having your life in perfect harmony or even having a blissful life. Peace does not come with the accumulation of wealth, though money can certainly buy things that facilitate a comfortable or even a luxurious life. Peace does not come with power, though power can give us status in society. Peace does not come with the achievement of our wildest dreams, though the realization of our dreams will certainly bring its own benefits and add to our happiness. So how can we have peace or experience undisturbed peace in our lives?

I have found that peace comes from the realization that life is not ours to control and accept our misfortunes along with our many blessings. As we embrace our life without a need for explanation, then a sense of peace starts to come over us. But the most complete peace that I have experienced came from trusting in someone. As I chose to trust in the person of Jesus, in his power to save and accepted his lordship over my life and surrendered, peace like a river washed over my soul and took residence there within since that moment of time. Jesus promised in the gospel of John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” I testify to the validity and truthfulness of Jesus' promise as I have experienced this Peace in my own life. 

My life has not been easy or trouble free but in the ups and downs of life I have a distinct sense of being grounded in spite of the curve balls life continues to throw my way.  I sense the feeling of anxiousness start to take hold as I try to control my life, but peace is waiting in a garb of trust, acceptance and surrender. Surrender is not a word that is frequently used or even appreciated as it is met with a foreboding that it implicates one has given up the fight of life or lacks zeal of life. Though it may seem that way, in the most trying times of my life, I have learned that peace doesn’t come in fighting harder or smarter but in surrendering to the will of the Lord. I will be lying to you if I tell you that my life is one picture of surrender and acceptance but quite to the contrary it is marred by struggle to accept with an ongoing fight between my ego (my flesh) and my spirit. But nevertheless, I have enjoyed peace that passes human understanding, peace promised by our dear Lord to the extent of my willingness to surrender and simply trust that everything will eventually work out for my good. And this trust and belief comes from the knowledge that our savior lives and he is faithful to the end of time.

To some readers this may sound a very narrow minded view of the world and life in general. Certainly, such outrageous claims cannot be true, right? Well, it is definitely a narrow path but one that completely transforms a person’s life. A surrendered heart is a heart filled with undisturbed peace in times of great success as well as great loss. Peace is not a commodity that can be purchased but peace is a gift from our creator when we open our hearts to completely trust him. So if you are a believer who has already made the decision to surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but still struggle with lack of peace in your life, one of the following could apply to you:

·         Unable to fully surrender your life

·         Trying to control the outcomes to your life’s circumstances

·         Unable to fully trust God with everything

·         Questioning ‘why’ as you go through hardship or unexpected loss

·         Trying to make sense of everything, current reality or past experience

All the above will lead to more anxiety and lack of peace. Today, I encourage you to completely let go of all your inhibitions and fears especially fear of loss of control over your life as you open your heart to simply trust in God. If you have not made that decision, I would certainly invite you to give it a serious consideration.........this is not an invitation to change your religion or place of worship but rather an invitation to a change of heart which will ultimately result in change of life. I promise you, if nothing else in this life, you will experience the peace that comes from trusting and surrendering your life to God.

As for me and my household, I have chosen to trust and surrender - one day at a time. It's a daily journey but of faith. I share this with you today because I have sought many avenues in the past to find peace but none or no one has been able to give me peace except God.

Peace - Shalom in Hebrew and Selam in Amharic (my mother toung) and in Arabic!

The Lost Art of Chivalry........Small Acts of Kindness

The days of chivalry seem to be behind us. Society doesn’t put much weight on kind words and being courteous. It is old fashioned to be nice to a complete stranger or let an older lady have your seat on a bus or the simple act of holding a door open to a stranger behind us. If you drive in the D.C. metropolitan area, you would know that everyone is out for themselves. I usually drive on the notorious Baltimore Washington Parkway, also know as 295, to and from work; like any congested highway, it can take its toll on you. I have noticed I have become more like everybody else and less like what I would like to be. Which begs the question, what happened to good old fashioned chivalry? The stress of modern life seems to strip us of our patience making small acts of kindness redundant.

I have found that when you do small things to make others smile; magic happens. You feel warm and content. A kind word doesn’t cost us anything but makes a world of difference in someone’s life. A simple hug heals broken relationships and builds bridges; it brings such an unexpected joy to the giver and the receiver. A small act of kindness, such as helping an older person carry their grocery to their car or a simple smile to or from a complete stranger instantaneously lightens our soul and brings an unexpected joy into our hearts. A smile is a gift that keeps on giving! We all have our days when we don’t feel like ourselves and it feels like it’s too much of an effort to even crack a smile, but as you greet people with a smile before long you will be in a much better state of mind. It’s hard to stay in a bad mood when you are smiling and your smile will certainly make your environment more cheerful. It’s a lot easier to smile than to frown; it certainly takes less energy and it doesn’t hurt that it generally puts you in a better mood. A smile is an instant facelift without a stitch of makeup.  

Your day will go so much better when you are nicer to the people in your life from your family, friends and colleagues to complete strangers that randomly cross your path. It may not always be what society dictates, but next time try being nice to a complete stranger just for the heck of it and see how it makes you feel. Nowadays, people even feel a tad bit suspicious when you are nice to them. It’s almost like being nice is not an expected behavior. If you are nice to someone who is your boss or has some authority over you, it could be perceived as ‘brown nosing’. Wow! How could we have fallen this far where being nice is not the norm but the exception? No wonder stress has become our constant companion and in the midst of our material abundance, we are less content and more miserable.

The golden rule, ‘Treat others the way you want to be treated’ is a key to a peaceful and joyful life. The world certainly is not fair and the pain we experience can sometimes make us less open and more closed and even cold. We may think it is safer to not put ourselves out there and pretend to not care, so others can’t hurt us. Modern man’s defense mechanism to deal with the stress of  life in these chaotic times is to not be vulnerable, not care enough about others. We may think that being nice is a sign of weakness and we can’t afford to be perceived weak in a world of the survival of the fittest. So we learn to be fiercer and less gentle as matter of necessity to survive the toll of modern life.

Today, in spite of the global economic crisis, most of us living in the western world have a lot more than our basic needs. By the rest of the world’s standard, we may even be considered to live in luxury. So why are we more stressed and less content with families falling apart all around us? I think, unbridled materialism is at the root of our problems. I think it is time for all of us to adopt the lost tradition of being good to our neighbors and being courteous for no particular reason. I would say a little chivalry goes a long way. A small act of kindness such as greeting others with a genuine smile is what we need more in our fast paced, high strung and stress filled lives. Give it a shot today; send a thank you note to a friend or help someone in need or simply be a courteous driver and see how that in turn impacts your life. I dare you to put this principle to a test. See if this won’t make you feel so much better about life in general and make your life more enjoyable.

Like most people, I am impacted by the stress of modern life, but a good old fashioned chivalry is in order. I don’t know about you but I am ready for a change. I want to live a more meaningful life in spite of the challenges I may be facing. A meaningful and grounded life is not found in monumental achievements, but in a life graced by common human decency and chivalry.

Go out and discover the joy found in small acts of kindness. You will find that there is more joy and contentment in giving than receiving.

What about truth

From my quick study of psychology and how the brain works, our perception is not based on the actual ‘TRUTH’ but the truth as we perceive it to be. Let me explain. The truth about any one single matter is established and lucid. Let’s consider a very divisive issue; man was either created or evolved. With the abundance of information and scientific discovery, we are amazed at how intricately life has been formed. From the cells in our bodies to how life is sustained on our planet point to an intelligent mind that is behind the creation of life. The more we learn from science, the more we are intrigued by how intricately life has been formed. Life is not an outcome of happenstance but complex design. Scientific discoveries are unwittingly making the case for creation. According to the TRUTH, man was created. We can’t say it’s possible that man evolved. It is one or the other. I picked this particular issue, because it is easy to see how the truth cannot be a number of things about how man came to be.

As it is popular in our day, truth is not individualized but the truth stands alone. The truth about any issue of life is established on the premise of ‘how things really are’. But our perception of the truth may be different. I may perceive one thing in one way and another person may perceive the same thing in another way. But this does not mean there are two sets of truths. The difference is in how we processed the data, but the data is the same.

We are different in the inside as we are on the outside. As individuals, we have been shaped by the culture we grew up in, our life experiences and by the percepts passed down to us from our parents, caregivers, teachers and even friends. A lot has gone into making us the person we are today. Well, how do we know if we hold the ‘truth’ as it actually is rather than as we perceive it to be. As a woman of faith, I turn to the word of God. The word of God holds the truth as it actually is. It does not always say what I want it to say, but it is the truth. In Romans 12:2, Paul admonishes, ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Therefore, our mind needs to be renewed by the truth so we can have the sensibility to know the truth. The word declares ‘the truth shall set you free’. For instance, once you learn the mathematical truth that one plus one is two, you know the truth. This truth will allow you to know the true value of one plus one which is two. If someone says to you that one plus one is three, you will reject this false claim because you know the truth. Well, this is a very simplistic idea of truth but it illustrates the point.

 So if the truth is one, why do we have so many variations of it in our world as proclaimed by different religions and sects? It goes back to perception. Our perception dictates our translation of what we see and hear.

There is a hunger in all our hearts to find and know the truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Today, I point you to Jesus who proclaimed himself as the ‘TRUTH’!

The Power of Now

As a young person, we look forward to our life as an adult and the independence it will bring us. We don't really think about the responsibilities it will bring along with the privileges of being a grown up. We are so much in a hurry to grow up that we miss some of our childhood and the bliss of our carefree life (at least for most of us). It seems like with every new generation, children are growing up fast and losing their childhood innocence even faster.

Once we are adults, then we get caught up with everything that adulthood brings into our lives. We have to make a living and build a life, married or single. We discover that adulthood had a lot more than we anticipated as kids. As an adult who is working hard to make a living, we look forward to the time when we could be retired with good financial standing so we could enjoy the rest of our days doing the things we love to do. We day dream about the trips we will take and all the R&R we will have once we are on our own time. Well, I am not there yet, but based on my observations of my parents, life doesn’t always turn out according to your plans. For instance, my dad is busier now in his retirement than when he was employed.

It seems that the most important mission of life is living. To fully experience life, I have learned to be present in the present time. Life happens in the space of now. Now is the moment of time, when life actually happens. There is much time spent in all our lives either looking back to bygone days or looking forward to what is to come. Everything that I have experienced in the past are simply in the past and my worries about tomorrow are simple speculations. The more I dwell on my past, I feel stranded, losing my ability to move on with my life. The more I dwell on the ‘what ifs’ of tomorrow, I feel paralyzed by fear as I lose my ability to be in the glorious now.

My recipe for dealing with the past is prayer. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 so looking back we will always find things in our lives we could have done better. And if you feel you’ve done things that you are not proud of, then learn from your past mistakes and ask God to forgive you of your past sins. The blood of Jesus is just as powerful today to cleanse us if we will only believe. The way I deal with my future is to ‘hope’ in the living God. If you put your hope in him, it gets rid of all that anxiety about the future that you can’t always plan for. This is not to say that I don’t believe in planning, financial or otherwise, but I personally choose to put my faith in God. This faith walk allows me to unburden my heart and life and keep my load light. Faith and hope puts back the spring in my walk and keeps me smiling no matter what life may bring.

Staying in the ‘now’ allows you to fully experience your life. In the bible, the Apostle Paul writes (Philippians 3:13-14), “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal." As Christians, this is critical for us to do. Unless we are willing to let of our past with all its baggage, we can’t really move forward in the things that the Lord will have us to do. The baggage of our past will slow us down if not completely stunt our growth. There is such a wonderful freedom in letting go of our past. As we let go of our past, then we make room for our life in the present. We also allow God’s new blessings to flow in our lives.

By faith, I let go of the past and choose to press forward by living life in the present. Faith is an act of trusting God with my life and all my unseen tomorrows, taking one step at a time. Now is when my life is taking place. Now is the space and time when I can experience my life. Now is the magical moment of time when life happens. The magic lies in the simple act of being present in your own life. Do not let life pass you by! Watch out, your life is happening right NOW!

Life's Journey

Like most of you, I've been on this journey called life for quite a while now. I am amazed by how little I have figured out and how life is filled with so many surprises. I've been to different places from Africa to Asia to America and the more I'm exposed to a different culture, the more I am humbled and enriched by the experience. Life's journey is one we have all undertaken since birth as human beings on this planet. It is a human journey that we all share. Regardless of our color or where we come from, we all are created in the likeness of our creator, God, to experience life here on earth. I ponder on my journey a lot. Why am I here? What is my life's purpose? Why am I going through this or that particular situation? I am learning that at the core of my existence, there is a push and a pull, a struggle between love and fear.

When I was younger, I used to think if I could overcome this obstacle and accomplish that goal, then I would be happy; I would be satisfied. So, with this belief in mind, I worked hard to accomplish my goals and found measured joy and satisfaction in my accomplishments. It felt good until I realized that I needed something more. This quest is ongoing. Yet I see a pattern. When one need is fulfilled, there pops another one. When one goal is accomplished, another goal starts to form in my mind. So, my belief that I would be happy when I have this or that is no longer as believable or as convincing as I see myself go through this cycle over and over again. I realize there has to be more to life.

I have had my share of heartache and heartbreak. I have also been fortunate to have had many more blessings in my life that filled my heart with gratitude. In all my ups and downs, I have found that joy has nothing to do with my circumstance, but with my attitude towards life. It's not so much what I go through in life, but how I view my situation. How I feel about my circumstance determines whether I will have joy and peace or chaos and turmoil in my life. It sounds like a cliche, but as they say the glass is either half full or half empty depending on how you view it.

As humans, I have learned that we are not as helpless as we sometimes like to think. Whether we come from money or poverty, we still have a choice. Whatever our life circumstance, we all make choices everyday. So many of our choices are automatic, guided by our habits; and some of our choices are made with more deliberation. But consciously or unconsciously, we are constantly making choices. Our choice can be as trivial as what to wear or as profound as what path to take at any point in our life. This realization that I have a choice regardless of what I am facing in life has brought so much freedom into my life. It elevated the dread of having to face adversity and brought patience even when I don't fully understand why I had to go through what I am going through.

The freedom to choose is empowering. This empowerment also brought me some enlightment. Now I know I am not a helpless victim. I always have a choice in the matter. I can choose love over fear. I can choose forgiveness over holding grudges. I can choose peace over chaos.

I am learning...........I am growing.