Tag: faith

  • The Journey.

    I was already four hours into the journey and had only another 30 minutes left if all factors remained constant. Read: if I did not have to stop for a restroom break.

    I was determined to get there in exactly those 30 minutes and not a minute more. In the days leading up to this journey, I had prayed about the roads, the people I would meet, and just about as many things as I could think to cover in prayer. I was not as open-minded as Doris Day singing “Que Sera, Sera.” Instead, I engaged the power of my tongue to speak life into the journey. This journey was going to be smooth, and I was not negotiating.

    About two and a half hours in, I stopped to get gas. My first choice of gas stations was unavailable, so I redirected myself to the next one. I was doing my best not to focus on how much driving I had left because all that did was weary me. I would attempt to look only at the map, but my eyes kept exercising their free will and wandering toward the estimated arrival time. Between you and me, a lot of inner work was happening just to keep going.

    This was not the kind of road trip you plan with friends, where you get to stop and sightsee along the way. It wasn’t a daunting journey either. It was simply one that needed to be done.

    I was operating in faith.

    I had been summoned to a meeting. I had the choice to say no and ignore it, but I chose to exercise my free will, move in faith, and attend. And boy, am I glad I did!

    I learned something profound that I will share with you in a minute. But before I do, remember that God’s ways are not our ways. His ways are higher than ours. Whenever we pray for something, we must also pray for the eyes to see and recognize it when it comes, as well as the grace to handle it.

    Now, there have been plenty of times when I have wondered why the path to where I am going cannot just be a straight line. Like, are all these detours really necessary?

    I have come up with various explanations for them. Sometimes, perhaps, I have not asked God for guidance. Other times, I may have asked but failed to wait on Him for direction. I remind myself that God is not the author of confusion. He leads us when we allow Him to and learn to wait on Him.

    And then there is the story of the children of Israel. If you are not familiar with their story, they complained about just about everything. LOL. Their journey, which could have taken approximately 11 days (Deuteronomy 1:2), stretched into 40 years because of their disobedience and lack of faith, and that generation did not enter the Promised Land. I do not need to learn that lesson firsthand. I can learn from their experience.

    But as I drove and checked my GPS, I noticed something. The GPS had the route it was recommending, but it also showed another route that could get me to my destination with less traffic.

    If you and I are anything alike, you might be surprised that a GPS would even think you would choose any other option than the one with less traffic. Like, why wasn’t that the recommended route to begin with?

    I loved this alternative route. The roads had traffic lights, which meant I could slow down and stop. I could take in my surroundings instead of going pedal to the metal on the highway, with my gluteal muscles tensed as I tried to overtake other vehicles and match the speed of traffic while making sure I wasn’t going so fast that I received a personal greeting from a state trooper.

    I was enjoying the different landscapes along the way. I got to appreciate the architecture of homes tucked away in their own little worlds. I imagined visiting restaurants that looked especially inviting under the lights. And most importantly, I stopped fixating on my arrival time.

    Suddenly, it came to me.

    God orchestrates our journey called life. He has a path for us, a plan that existed long before we came to be. There is an appointed time for everything, and when we are aligned with His plan, the journey itself can become an adventure.

    His path has trees, traffic lights, and different towns, each with its own requirements and opportunities to build on our experiences. Some of those experiences do not feel fun AT ALL while we are going through them. Some are thrilling. And some feel like floating on a flamingo floatie in a pool with a watermelon fresca in your hand.

    And even when we take detours, He is merciful enough to lead us back.

    This journey reminded me to appreciate the experiences and lessons I encounter along the way, rather than focusing merely on getting THERE.

    When my only focus is getting there, I miss the beauty surrounding me. I miss the lessons. I miss the moments that might be shaping me into the person I need to become.

    And when I finally get THERE, what then?

    May God help you and me learn to keep our eyes on Him. May we trust His direction, appreciate the lessons along the way, and extend ourselves the grace to embrace the journey, even when it looks different from what we expected.

    For He will guide us through.

    Until next time.

    Love,
    Jo.

  • Let’s Count to 100.

    Let’s Count to 100.

    There I sat, feigning sleep in an attempt to put both of them to sleep.

    They were twins. We had a busy morning filled with made-up games—as they all are—running around, sitting down, and doing this and that until it was time for a nap. I was under the impression that, after all that rigorous movement, surely the children would be in dreamland as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

    Well, that was an adorable little assumption.

    Surely, They Would Sleep

    After carefully placing both of them in their individual cribs and whispering, “Time for a nap,” I sat between the cribs on a pillow and closed my eyes.

    This was me demonstrating what time it was. But before I could even say Jack Robinson, I heard them whisper.

    They then proceeded to stand, jump as though on a trampoline, and free-fall onto their mattresses.

    My lesson on taking turns seemed to hit the wall while we played with toys. Or so I thought. They had exhibited such prowess in waiting patiently for their turn to engage in contrary activities. It was as though they were testing to see if I had mastered my other class in “waiting.”

    They almost called my bluff.

    But through prayer—MUCH PRAYER—I settled on waiting patiently. I knew that they would eventually wear themselves out and sleep.

    They did. Eventually. It only took a millennium.

    Now, I have been told I have extraordinary patience, which I credit to the Holy Spirit. However, on this particular day, I was struggling to engage that patience.

    The days prior to this had been rough. I had not been attaining maximum rest. As they giggled and flopped onto their mattresses, with the spring attached to the bed giving them a cheer, I kept asking God to please settle them down.

    After some time, one of them finally gave up and slept. I remember whispering a thank you, followed by a prayer request to have her sister sleep too.

    Her sister, on the other hand, had other plans.

    I kept praying, and I remember almost giving up.

    I started to make peace with the fact that I was not going to get both of them to sleep. But before I gave up, I made one last prayer that changed something.

    I said, “God, I am going to count to 50, and if she is still jumping, I will get her out of her bed and go.”

    I had been holding pee with the hope that it would not take them long to sleep. It never did—until today.

    So, I began counting.

    The closer I got to 50, the more her jumping intensified.

    In hindsight, I think the intensity of her jumping might not have actually changed. However, because I was focused on the jumping and on how soon she would stop, anything that was not the result I desired felt exaggerated.

    Before I got to 50, I felt the nudge to count until 100. That was my last offer.

    I kept counting and was determined to stop at 100, but something in me did not want to give up, so I kept counting beyond 100.

    To what end? I did not know.

    She still was not asleep.

    She would pause her jumping, and just when I thought my patience had finally paid off, she would stand up and free-fall onto her back.

    At this point, something in me had changed.

    I had stayed, and I was no longer counting. Suddenly, I heard a voice tell me:

    “Your timing is not My timing.”

    I leaned in, and what followed was guidance. God was guiding me to stop focusing on the sound of what seemed to not be working and fix my eyes on Him.

    Attempting to focus on God felt like rolling a stone up a hill because all I could hear was her free-falling.

    I asked God for help to fix my eyes on Him, and He pointed out that I needed to be willing to receive His help.

    I could only receive His help if I released every other thing. This included my focus on what looked like a disappointment.

    With the help of the Holy Spirit, I managed not to focus on the sound for a minute, then two. Then the duration of my focus on being still kept getting longer and longer.

    I would drift to the sound, then quickly strive to get back to stillness.

    By the time I noticed there was no more sound coming from her flopping, my focus had changed.

    She had finally slept.

    I opened my eyes and gave thanks to God before quickly dashing to relieve my bladder.

    The Lesson

    This moment was so profound to me because, in that moment, God refreshed the lesson of fixing my eyes on Him.

    He reminded me that even when I pray and wait on Him, there will be noises trying to distract me from the goal.

    God is able.

    If He does not do something, it is not because He is unable to do it. He may simply be saying, “Wait,” or “No.”

    But in everything, His ways are higher than ours, and our timing is not His timing.

    What was done in 10 years, God can do for you in a minute.

    It is easy to say, “Wait on the Lord.” But when the testing comes to see if we really are about what we say, then we get to find out if we, too, are about what we speak.

    What I Took Away

    I was reminded that waiting is not the same as doing nothing.

    Sometimes, waiting means staying.

    Sometimes, it means praying.

    Sometimes, it means resisting the urge to react to every noise around you.

    And sometimes, it means fixing your eyes on God when everything around you is telling you to do otherwise.

    The twins taught me something that day: my frustration did not change the timing, but changing my focus changed my experience of the waiting.

    I am here today to remind you to fix your eyes on God.

    Wait patiently on Him.

    And lean not on your own understanding.

    With Love,

    Jo.

  • The Pink Room

    Leila’s face could not hide her utter disappointment when her mom told her that she could not have the pink room because it belonged to the baby. They had just moved into a new home and you see, pink is her favourite colour. She just could not understand how her mum could deny her choosing a room, knowing all too well that she lived and breathed pink! She looked at me with sad eyes and pouted. I empathised with her. I had just visited their new home and Leila’s mum was giving me a house tour. The house was tastefully done. Beautiful and had perfect natural lighting. Before I could begin to ask or puzzle about why she could not get that room her mum continued…”Leila, you know this room is too small for you. I want you to have another room so you can have a bigger room and your own bathroom.”

    Leila did not have even an iota of excitement to show. She had made up her mind on what was going to be her room. As i stood there this moment stood out for me as a revelation and learning moment. See, Leila’s mum had considered Leila, her needs and in wanting the best for her she chose a room that had other functions Leila had not considered. Leila had only focused on one attribute of her dream room. The colour. This got me wondering. Just how many things had I inquired of God but did not realise that God had given me better than I had even asked for? However, because of the limitation of the exact response I might have wanted I failed to appreciate and give thanks for having received better. I pondered on how what we want does not always serve us best. That what we want may be far lacking hence doing a great disservice to ourselves.

    This meditation caused me to pout too. What God wants for us is always far greater and much more useful to us. God’s plans for us are to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future. If we surrender to God we trust that He will not put us to shame as he promised, that he will not drop us or let us fall. We have our understanding of things but it is not God’s understanding. Unless, of course we seek God for His understanding. Surrender is a heart’s posture. It calls for dying to self (flesh) and allowing God’s will be done by His Holy Spirit.The question is why do we fight and doubt the motive of the one who created us? Will the creation ask the creator “how do you know what is best for me?”, when the creation was not present when the creator decided what He would create and for what purpose?

    If you came up with an invention today (which by the way is something to be considered) would you not be the one who knows the most about it? Would you not know how it works, its capabilities, how to fix it if broken and generally the ins and outs of it? That is the same thing with our creator. He knows us more than we know ourselves. He knows what is best for us and knows that we are victorious. He is assured of us prospering and being successful because it reflects on him. God already tested you before he put you on earth and saw that you were able to do the work He created you for. You came here like a letter carrying a message. Your message is inside of you and it brings light and hope to all who get to know you and experience you.You are the message.Allow God to show you that you already are victorious. Step out of the letter. All creation is eager to read the message and see your light.

    As you go about today, trust that God wants the best for you. When you pray leave room for God to surprise you. God really cares for you and He will leave the 99 just for you. Seek God with all your heart and He will show you things you have not known before, He will bless you with things you did not know you needed .You matter and God loves you so much. It’s the greatest love you will ever experience. Let God love you and let your light shine!

    With love,

    Jo.

  • You are the light of the world

    You were born to shine and for the whole world to see. Your light is a guide to others . We all carry our light within us from even before we come into earth. This light we carry is so magnificent, so powerful, so beautiful and very real that when we let it shine it transforms the world for the better. This light within us brings freedom, peace and an abundance of treasure. A treasure that already belongs to us but is not evident in darkness.

    Imagine trying to find something in darkness. Now imagine trying to find this same thing in light. Light reveals things hidden and no matter how small the light appears to be, light is light. 

    When we show up in our light it looks like someone carrying a candle in a dark room full of people holding candles that are not lit. When this person extends their lit candle to light up  another person’s candle suddenly the light in the room becomes more. Then in turn that person turns to light the candle of the person next to them and the one after and so forth eventually creating a domino effect whose result is a room full of brilliance. When everyone shines their own light, darkness cannot prevail. For light chases away darkness. What glorious light we carry!

    Fear is darkness. It dims our light because of the fear that our light is too bright. I am here to remind you that indeed you are meant to shine so bright for the whole world to see. What and why do we fear when we already have everything we need inside of us to do what needs to be done? It may sound like an out of this world phenomenon which makes so much sense because we are from ‘out of this world’. Fear lies and says “you can’t do that. No one has done it before. What makes you think you are special?” Well. I have got news for you! You CAN do that. Truly, it hasn’t been done before because you were meant to be the FIRST one to do it especially that way. This is how you shine and share your light with the whole world. You should know you are special because there is only one you in the entire universe. You are rare and your light is rare. No one shines like you do. Imagine the world without you. Oh how we would miss out on experiencing treasure! 

    How will you ever know how bright you can shine if you do not allow your light to fill the room? When you allow your light to shine for the world to see, you illuminate the way for people who are trying to find their path. When they find their path they too start to shine and they illuminate the way for someone else finding their path and eventually the whole world lights up. There is no limit to the goodness you will experience in this life. You have the power silence that darkness that lies by saying you will never know what that light feels like. You already are light. You are an overcomer and you have overcome this darkness. Believe it. See yourself above that darkness. You are above it . Say it , begin to see it until you live it. You are here for a reason. I want you to remember how precious you are. Do not rob us of your light. Allow us to experience you. The world needs you and your light.

    Picture this, if  there is only one person in a room holding a candle that’s lit ,the effect of the light will impact those near  but not everyone gets the full effect of the light. However, if more people lit their candles then there would be enough light in the room for everyone to be impacted. we can all shine because there is room for us all. We light each other’s candles by encouraging each other, being kind to one another, sharing love, joy, peace, being patient and gentle. We shine in our light by discovering and working in our gifts and talents which creates opportunities for people to live elevated lives. We were created for a purpose and are gifted differently. All gifts are unique, important and work together to create a better life for everyone. Think about all the inventions that have already invented. For instance what If the Wright brothers never showed up in their light, who knows where the world of aviation would be or if it would exist at all. What about Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf. How would you from a different part of the world be reading this message?  How would I share this with you? 

    You have been hiding for too long! I encourage you to go out and shine today. Find your light. It is within you. You never lost it. You just dimmed it and this is the moment to let it all out.

    You were made to shine. Go on and shine!