BREAK THE CHAIN!

Hallelujah, finally the man gets his time having arrived wrapped in a purple ribbon.  This is that glorious & fantabulous day that has come to recognize us (I know you want me to get to the point quickly). Roll the drums, clap your hands, stand up for those who God has blessed with the title "father, daddy, dad, baba, paps etc" - I want to wish you all men a happy father's day. I want you to know that you are really appreciated & today is your day, enjoy & relish it. You may now resume your positions as you were (dusts off hands in acknowledgement & appreciation)

I think the rope is burning or is going to burn my hands. Why am I holding it so tightly, if the rope keeps on slipping am going to burn off my palm, damn! Confusing moment huh, let me clear the sudden fog of being lost by the sentences above. Why is it that whenever we have something in our possession though it may be damaging to us, we still keep on hanging on to it? Is it that we are afraid that if we let it go that we shall be left with nothing to keep us company or is it the sense that we shall feel all empty on the inside lacking a purpose or a direction. 

You have despair, confusion, hate, anger, hurt, fear, trauma & so forth milling through your mind day in, day out. All of which, can tie you down to a state of immobility in your life in such a way that you can no longer unshackle yourself from the prison you are in of your own creation whether voluntarily or not. We get so caught up in the happenings that have molded us that we forget that we can open a door that will set us free, we just need to insert the key & take hold of the handle & turn it. 

Many are the times that our path has been chartered by our past that keeps us in check that we don’t realize that there is a different way of handling it all. It is said that if you repeat something the same way over & over again, you still eventually end up with the same result though expecting a different turn out. We become caught up on the thorns in our lives that we forget that there are flowers that we can also smell & appreciate their beauty. No one is destined to be in the same spot no matter what the universe may be communicating. 

It may take time before you reach your full potential but that does not mean that you are to be a slave to your circumstance. We at times resign to fate & gave up on the hope of a better tomorrow as that is all that we know & understand. However, nothing in this world is cast in stone even if we don’t want to admit that change scares us silly. We become so mortified that if you decide to let go of the chains that are holding you down & back, you shall be lost. It is true, you can be lost but that does not mean that you can’t be found. 

Many have been through the very path that you have been in & have managed to overcome their situations. It could be your childhood trauma, it could be your work drama, it could be your health complications, it could be your adulthood drama, it could be your relationship drama, it could be your personal growth drama & so on. None of this matter once you realize that you have the key that can open the padlock that keeps your chains in place. We get to a point in life that we need to find a way of releasing into the world all that is holding us back. 

At times, it may not be intentional bondage but more of an upbringing tie that has kept one stagnated in one place. Who we are, is not defined by the world but ourselves. You can make a choice of breaking free by taking a step in talking & confiding on those whom you trust, you could broaden your mind by reading books, you could take up a sport or physical activity/challenge that can help you decompress the fire/pain/hurt within, you could visit different places to soak in their serenity to change your usual environment hitting the reset button & so forth. 

Let me ask, do you think you hold meaningful conversations? When you are having a conversation does it involve any financial growth or restructuring? Does your conversation lead to an opportunity? Does the conversation build the other person involved in it or even yourself? Does your conversation lead to the broadening of the mind? If not, you need to check what it is that you mostly talk about.

 Most times when conversing with one another we have the weakness of talking about the latest escapade, newest joint in town, most hardcore drink that has been made, captivating technology that has been invented & many others. I have nothing against all these as we must enjoy life as it is. However, is it that most times you center your conversations of things that are but having no meaningful impact in your life (I am just asking; there is no need to feel am up in your space)

Let me pen off with this, when you pray (if you do), have you been praying and crying at night saying, “God why me?”. If God was to whisper back, He would say, “Why not you? I didn’t sentence you to pain, I trusted you with it. I didn’t sentence you to trial I trusted you with it. Because I knew that even through your tears, you wouldn’t deny my name. Even through your pain, you wouldn’t stop worshipping. Even through your questions, you wouldn’t stop serving. Even through the rejection, you would not stop sowing”. Is there anybody that in spite of the circumstance, in spite of what looked like a coin flip, you still served God. You still honor God. You still praise God. You still give him glory!

In my line of living I no longer pray that God gives me what I think I need, but to give me what He knows I need. God is the only one who has been in my & your tomorrow, so he is the only one who knows what I & you are going to need when you & I get there. May you enjoy the week that is about to unfold before you!

AM ON THE RUN!

“No human is limited”, one of the most famous & memorable quotes you have ever heard been uttered by the world renowned marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge. My friend, this man can zoom not even run considering his pacing speed is quite something to admire (runners will understand, don’t feel bad if you are not one). The meaning of the simple quote is so deep rooted that though it has only four words, it has a meaning that goes beyond the normal interpretation. 

While we are alive to the fact that life is journey, it requires that we try our level best to put our best foot forward in all that we do. I can imagine if you & I are or were in the same room, you would tell me to my face (or through a hand written note) that I am going bonkers. Maybe I am, but that does not mean that I am not unto something (loony as I may be, hmm). 

Just like the sun rising in the morning, it comes with the hope of a new day fresh & untouched. There is no day which is similar to the other no matter who you look at it. One Monday is different from the next or previous Monday, thus creating uniqueness in the day that is. When we are brought forth into this world through the miracle our birth, we are catapulted into what is deemed as our destiny. 

The journey of getting where we are meant to reach is a whole different story altogether. The churning of the wheels of fate is lubricated by a variation of oils that makes the gears turn at different speeds. At the time of maturing & realizing where we are meant to be, we push forward to make this into a reality. Soon enough, we realize that we are meant for a greater purpose & thus requiring that we climb those mountains of pain, swim in those rivers of confusion, walk in those valleys of despair, run in the forest of fear & come out victorious. 

No one is better equipped to face all these but you (don’t look around you expecting someone else to do this for you)! Who else did you imagine will take up your mantle & light your torch to burn bright & illuminate the darkness around you? Think about it.

 “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift that is why it is called the present”.

Did you know that no one can propel you into your supposed destiny apart from you! A simple example, if you are to make tea, you will need to boil some milk (unless you are lactose intolerant – just learned this new term), water & some tea leaves to come up with the final product. No one is going to wake up for you, have sleepless nights, deny themselves the small comforts of life, go out there & test the waters or even clock the necessary hours to get to your intended goal/dream.

When you wake up each day, you are meant to have an idea of what it is that you want to achieve in the course of the day. If you look at the billboards, glossy magazines, newspapers or the internet you will see a face or two that are making headlines for the achievements that they have obtained. Don’t let that douse your fire that you can’t make it.

Your goal or dream may take longer to achieve but you will eventually get there. Patience is one key thing that you have to exercise so as to get it right & in the proper dosage. This idea of using short cuts to get the end results will have a damning consequence that will make the life span of your goal or dream contaminated.

 

“Life is about breaking our personal limits and outgrowing ourselves to live our best lives”.

If you ever watched the movies Coach Carter, you will remember this, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us. It is in everyone and as we let our own lights shine. We consciously give other people permission to do the same as we are liberated from our own fear. Our presence automatically liberates others.  

“You must be willing to do things today others won’t do, in order to have the things tomorrow, others won’t have.

All in all that you do always remember that you have a path that is meant just for you. We may deem that the grass is greener on the other side but in reality the grass is greener where it is properly watered & taken care of. Just like how we would say that you are the source of your own happiness. Life is a puzzle that we can’t figure it all out at once; all we can do is piece it together bit by bit.

In the pursuit of happiness, don’t forget your starting point, why you are battling & where is your intended destination. It may not look like it, considering that at times things don’t work out the way we desire them to. Things will come tumbling down like the walls of Jericho, making you wonder am I strong enough for this like Samson. It may feel like one is fighting while under water against the weight of it all.

No one said that to get to our destiny or goals or dreams will be like taking a ride in the calm sea. Oh no! It will be like walking through a raging storm tossing you all over, pushing you to maintain a stability that will not get you off balance. As you forge forward in life, you have to clear the path of all the bushes of guilt, shrubs of disappointment & long grass of nearly giving up.

When you do get the time, go & listen to the song titled “I’ll give thanks by Housefires ft Kirby Kaple”. Then once you do, let me know what you think about what it is all about. I will leave you with these words found in the word of God in Psalms 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and redeemer”!

I AM FEARFUL!!!

Hi, how are you doing? How was your day? How did it go? Ooh! It went like that. Don’t you worry about it, you shall be okay. I know the sun may seem to be blotted out of the sky & covered by the grey clouds but things will look up. You don’t think so, because your world seems to have gone upside down & turned inside out. 

Well, I can tell you for free that no matter what hurdles or obstacles or disappointments or misery or pain or confusion you are facing, one way or another you shall see that light at very end of that dark tunnel. You don’t believe me, I can’t blame you. Who would believe me? 

Who in their right mind would fathom that in this treacherous time that anything good will come out of the wood works as it all seems like a distant reality. Well, don’t fret, it will get better & the sun will shine bright for you. I know that things are tough but you are going to make it. 

Did you know that the sun always rises from the east in the morning bringing with it a fresh new beginning and sets in the west to bring to a close the day that has been. During the day showering you with its warm rays of light, soaking your every fiber with its warmness. 

We do have moments that things in our lives just take a serious left turn making you wonder if you pissed of some unseen force. You think am joking, you should listen to half the stories of the people you meet on a daily & you would be shocked by the weight of it all. 

Anyway, not to digress but what I can but tell you is that you are blessed and highly favoured. It may not seem or even look like it but if you are able to read this you are more blessed than you think. Are you not alive, breathing & living? Ooh, you feel just because nothing is working in your favour that you need to be at the bottom of the pile, as you deem yourself unworthy, isn’t it? 

I can’t allow that kind of thinking to ride in your upstairs? Why you ask? It is because from the moment that you were born there was someone who celebrated your existence on this earth. You would not at the time have realized that you were loved, appreciated & for an instance had brought happiness to others. 

So, No! I don’t believe that you ought to be taking it in at the scum level of the pile. You are a light like no other to those around you, only that you have not realized that you are precious. We have a tendency to think that since we are weak as described by others that is the way we are. 

I also have fears. Ooh! You thought that I was invincible & that the amazon part of me was forged from steel (more like brittle wood). Let me tell you, we all have our own fears on different levels. An example, I have a fear of getting a whooping from the one who raised me as her son if I disrespect her. I have a fear of failing. 

I have a fear of disappointing. I have a fear of not been good enough & so many other fears (you are not the only one, you are human). Through this all, I do know that it is through my fear that I have grown to overcome that which stands in the path of me & my preplanned fate or destiny (don’t worry am also confused by the wordiness of it all). 

All in all, you have got this. You need to believe in yourself as it all starts with you for you are the main attraction at this event called life. When you have the time, you need to take a moment when gazing at the stars (do we still do that? Shrugs shoulders in wonder) or while on a nature walk or stroll to reflect on who you are, to where you have come from & lastly to where you are meant to be. 

It is said that what we don’t understand we fear but that does not change the fact that we are still human. Now, is the time that you take control over your life & steer it on the path that you are meant to be on. Nothing in this world is just black & white, sometimes situations are blurry. We all have our limits but that does not meant that we can’t achieve fetes that seem to be out of our leagues.

Did you know that once you lose something that was of value but you were blinded to its actual weight in gold, it is at that time that you then understand & realize its true worth to you. Just like the way the saying goes, “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush”. Think about it, I could be wrong.

 When you are tempted to worry, set your mind on what God has said, “Matthew 6:34 – Don’t worry about tomorrow, tomorrow has enough concern of its own”. When you are tempted to fear, set your mind on what God has said, “Isaiah 43:1 – Don’t fear for I have redeemed you and I have called you by name, you are mine”. When you are tempted to doubt, set your mind on what God has said, “James 1:6 – But let him ask in faith and do not doubt but trust in the good God”. When you are tempted to quit, set your mind on what God has said, “Galatians 6:9 – Do not grow weary in doing well, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”. When we are tempted to sin, set your mind to what God has said, “Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overcome you, except that what is common to mankind and God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. He will not allow temptation to be more than you can stand”.