Perspective

Perspective is a powerful thing.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)

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•WE KNOW: We are confident. It is clear. We can see it. There is no doubt. It is true.
•ALL THINGS: Every single thing. Traffic. An annoying boss. Delay. That mistake you regret. All of it: nothing is exempt from “all things.” All means ALL.
•WORK TOGETHER: Adds up. Is part of the journey. Is part of the process. A piece of the puzzle.
•FOR GOOD: The outcome is good. The outcome of ALL THINGS is good.
•TO (THEM): Perspective. As in, “to me, oh, this is how I see it.”
•THEM THAT LOVE GOD: Enhen, so who are the “them” who have this perspective? It is none other than those who love God.
•TO THEM WHO ARE THE CALLED: Further clarification of this, “them”. They are The Called. The ones God has called.
•ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE: These “them”, their calling is not to follow their own purpose - their own way of seeing things, their own perspective of life, what’s good or bad - no. They are called to follow His Purpose. (Him = God.)
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When life happens, how do we judge the events? Do we sigh & say, “God knows best,” even though we really mean, “Why is this happening to me?”
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It’s like watching one of those 90s action films. You start the movie KNOWING the actor can never die. No matter how many times it looks like he’s on the edge, you know he’s going to win.
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This verse is an invitation to swap our emotional tinted glasses for Holy Spirit’s lenses 👓, trusting that •because• you love God, you have won. And if you have won, then everything that happens on the way to your win is just working together to make the story sweeter.
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Whether you lost money, you got your heart broken or you failed at something, in everything, the perspective is, “Hmm, I wonder how this part makes the whole story sweet.”😄
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Because ALL things work together for good in my life’s story, I never lose. I always see the WIN. God is in control of my life. I’m just over here waiting for the next scene like 🎬🍿📺

Note to Self 📝

In the middle of Friday-ing, here’s what I’m fighting to remember:

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Growth happens in the middle of the mess. Don’t expect the process to be organised and don’t worry when everything seems completely scattered.
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The analogy that comes to mind is moving house: you have to scatter your tidy home, fold everything into a moving van and then start to rearrange your valuables into the new place.
The process is stressful and long and tiring, everything seems disorganised and confusing, but the gift of a home is evidence of progress.
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Or how stressful and expensive and emotionally stretching it can be to plan a wedding, when the blessing of the marriage is priceless.
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In the middle of the “middle”, labour to enter that place of rest: where you focus on the progress and the opportunities you’ve been gifted with, rather than on the stress you’re experiencing in the moment.
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Just take a moment to be thankful and have a great weekend!
#NoteToSelf 📝
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Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu: “How Africa can use its traditional knowledge to make progress.”

Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu: “How Africa can use its traditional knowledge to make progress.”
TedGlobal 2017

Everything about this.

We hold the solution to every single problem in our society, but we’re stuck. Why are we stuck?! We must learn to value ourselves! Because only then will we value what’s within us. The solutions must come from within us. They must not be imposed on us from outside.

We must learn how to think for ourselves and stop relying on what others tell us to think.

We must renew the pattern of our minds and open ourselves up to every gift God has placed inside us - every solution God has placed inside us.

It’s not going to be easy, but it doesn’t have to be.

It just has to WORK.

Just Keep Swimming

Today was dramatic.

I slept well but woke up worrying. Started the day trying to fight the worry and ended up worrying even more. All I could think of was the time I was wasting, the things I wasn’t doing, every single way I was failing and how I’d basically spent my life sabotaging every opportunity I’d ever gotten.
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The only thing I felt God say was: just keep going. #FindingNemo style, “Just keep swimming.”
It’s only when you stop kicking that you drown.
So keep kicking.
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Fear is both intelligent and irrational. It presents us with the most plausible arguments for the lies it brings.
“Think through it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Did God really say?”
“Is it time?”
And sometimes it tempts us to answer on God’s behalf. Sometimes arrogantly (because we know how to get revelation), carelessly (because we have memorised bible verses), or fearfully (because we’re worried about looking like we don’t know.)
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That’s how the serpent got Eve: she relied on her knowledge of God rather than inviting Him into the conversation.
Like, “Did God really say? Hmm you know what I’m pretty sure but hold on a minute let me ask Him right quick.” That would have been the end of that conversation! ❌🐍❌
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Today, for me, it came down to this:
Yes, God did say. But more than that, I’m not afraid to ask Him again. And again. And again. Because He’s my Father and I’m not afraid of Him.
I’m not afraid to hear His Voice.
And I’m not afraid to sit at His Feet and tell Him I’m not sure sometimes. And I want to give up sometimes. And I’m afraid I’ll give up again like I’ve done so many other times.
I’m not afraid to talk to my Daddy because He loves me.
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ME - not “us” - because, yes, He loves us all, but He also loves us INDIVIDUALLY, uniquely, specifically, INTENTIONALLY.
He knows our history together. He knows all the times I messed up so He knows the lies the devil is dangling in front of me. He knows how I think, the jokes I like, the people in my life. He knows my vocabulary, so He knows the words to say to me so that I’ll actually pay attention😅. He knows my moods and He knows how to lift me out of them.
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And He never gets tired of me. My wahala is never too much for Him. He LOVES me.💕

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Stay Connected

Stay connected to God: That is His Perfect Will 💕

It’s okay to be confused if what God said didn’t happen.
It’s okay to be tired when you’ve followed His every instruction and it’s not working out.
It’s okay to take a minute to breathe and ask God for a fresh strategy.
It’s okay to negotiate the terms of the offer when it does come.
It’s okay to change your mind.
It’s okay to let go of what you wanted yesterday.
It’s okay to want something new.
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Because: God already knew what the journey would look like. He’s not surprised. He’s not angry with you, and He already has another plan for you to bring you to His Expected end.
That end is HIM. He’s the Alpha and the Omega!
As long as you’re in step with Him at every stage of the journey - as long as you remain in Him; the Way, Truth, Life - THAT is His Perfect Will.
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Don’t be worried about “missing it”. HE is your Goal. And you can’t miss Him if you’re already •in• Him 😄
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