Musings

Knock, Knock!?

Anybody home?

Whew!. I have not come to this space in sooooo long.

To be honest, I got lazy and had a lot going on.

I have been journaling though😊

Anyway, how have you been?...hope life has treated you well.

A lot has happened since the last time I posted here. I have changed jobs, attended a few parties, acquired a few clothing items, made new friends, traveled locally and internationally. Visited Barbados for the first time (went for a wedding), Visited Bahamas for the first time (cruise stop), Visited Nigeria twice in one year (2023)!

I think my outlook to life has shifted too. I am understanding myself better.  Let me tell you a little bit more about that:

1. Waiting is not fun at all:

I used to think I have a lot of patience, but now I know I do not. I am as restless as anybody out there.

You know like when you have the inner assurance , or even written/verbal assurance, that something is coming your way, like waiting for a package to arrive, but it is taking "forever" to arrive! ...But I know that those that wait for/on the Lord, will experience divine strength (Isaiah 40;31)

 2.  Conquer the fear of rejection and FOMO (fear of missing out) :

This is a work-in-progress for me. For the longest time I did not realize that some of my actions and reactions stemmed from these fears especially if you are sensitive person. For example, shying away from relationships , putting people at arms length because I was already anticipating not belonging, not good enough and being rejected. So, I consciously and intentionally affirm myself with words like " I doing my best, I am a work-in-progress, I am enough, I am beautiful". 

3. Manage your expectations:

  

This is a lifelong lesson acquired skill. I'm sure you have heard that phrase before, but like me, it doesn't really stick until you actually experience personally that expectations . I mean expectations from people , especially.  We all change and our expectations change too. So, for example, I am learning not to expect to be reciprocated or appreciated the way I invested my time or substance into something that is not work related. 

4.Failure or having to redo something is actually blessing in disguise:

   It shows that we have been given another chance to learn, to adjust , to re-evaluate! I realized that it is our response or how we respond that matters in these circumstances. It's okay to be upset and be sad, initially, but don't allow yourself to stay in the "pity party" mode.

5. Invest in your relationship with God:

 I cannot emphasis this enough. You see, after all is said and done, you need a safe place (where you are yourself, no pretense) a deeper connection and sense of peace, and the only guaranteed place of experiencing these is in God. Even when/if I feel God is silent or things are not going as expected , there is a "knowing" that He is present. Even when life seems uncertain, God has a good plan for you.(It might not be your plan)

I hope someone out there finds this helpful.

Will be back soon💓.

xoxoxo

What's Your Story?

....I am going to tell you about the months that I had anxiety over getting sick. On February 13, this year (yes, I remember the date). I got sick on a field trip. Later that day, I started to worry that I was going to be sick again, because I had gotten sick 3 times that day already. I had this same exact issue the previous year, but I think it was a different thing I was worrying about. 
Two months passed and I was still worrying the same thing! I remember that during the months that I was anxious, I wouldn't talk about anything else but this problem. I would cry almost everyday because I was so tired of worrying. I kept saying " I'm just so tired of this". But it didn't change anything. I would cry, complain, frown, and anything that was the opposite of happy.
But do you know what I didn't do? I didn't decide! I did not decide that I wan't going to worry anymore. it was like this would NEVER end. I tried everything my parents told me to do like : Deep breathing, distract my self with fun activities, writing down and repeating bible verses...everything!Nothing turned the worry off like a light switch.
I started listening to Joyce Meyer messages/sermons on YouTube , and that helped a little bit. I also  read one of her books ( Battlefield of the mind for kids). Sure enough, little by little the worry started to go away.
It took a HUGE a whole lot of bible verse confessions, deep breathing, walks AND deciding not to worry.
I am still learning that in EVERY circumstance I should trust God. I'm also learning that I have power over my thoughts and that I can chose my own thinking.
I am proud to say that after ALL those months, I have pretty much crossed over the finish line of worry and anxiety.

That, folks, is my 6th grader daughter's write-up for her God-story assignment a few weeks ago( A summary of a time in your life that God helped you). She gave me permission to share it here.:)
2015 has been a great year. It had it's ups and downs, no doubt, but we have our trophies and scars to show for making it this far.. And we are have what it takes to go into 2016.Amen!
I want you to think back from January of this year till now: What's your God-story?

Dear God…..

Welcome February!

February the shortest month, the month that ends with the same day of the week as the month of October every year….Yep, you read that right. You can check your calendar to confirm.

Anyway, this post is not about the month of February. I found these prayer quotes I found online when I typed in “Dear God”.  It’s amazing the kind of things one would come up with on the internet. 

It was not out of boredom, I think it was borne out of finding the words to express some of my thoughts in the simplest way.

Warning: By the time you are done reading these quotes you would have said a prayer or two :)

Research suggests that loving dads help pass on faith to their children.

By Jim Daly of Focusonfamily.com

In a previous blog post by Jim Daly, he wrote about passing along a faith that lasts to ones children. That post focused on the most important thing parents can do: live out a vibrant faith themselves.

It turns out,the key to getting faith across to children has a lot to do with the fathers.

In a New York Times article  that ran earlier this year, Prof. Vern L. Bengston shared the results of original research that shows how important family bonds are to passing on the faith.

In other words, without emotional bonding, doing all the “right things” may be for naught.

As the professor put it:

Fervent faith cannot compensate for a distant dad. A father who is an exemplar, a pillar of the church, but doesn’t provide warmth and affirmation to his kid does not have kids who follow him in his faith.

It’s amazing how central love is to the “formula” of raising kids.

I came to the same conclusion as I thought through the themes in my most recent book, “The Good Dad.” In it, I wrote:

I’ve come to picture parents’ relationship with their children as something like a playground tetherball. You, as the parent, are the pole. You’re not going anywhere. Your child is the ball. And the rope connecting you – the tether – is the love you share for each other. Your mutual affection is what connects you.