Doubting self

Countless times I doubt myself,
Countless times I let it slip.
Countless times the doubts I have
Are nothing but lies.

Self confidence cannot be bought
Self confidence a valued asset
The mistakes of the past a lesson learnt
Countless times it weighs me down


Outline your strengths
Know your weaknesses
Device a plan to work it out.

Doubting myself is nothing but a lie
To keep me from reaching my goal.
I've got help, I've got all I need
His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Selah

Lucy

I watched the movie Lucy a few months ago and I really liked it. I wasn't so thrilled by all the action and thrills of the movie but rather I was drawn by the message of the movie (well… what I got from it).

Lucy was an ordinary lady like me, until she got super powers from a pack of drugs she was transporting (she was a drug mule) that went burst in her. What I thought was going to kill her made her supernatural. She developed so many super powers she never even thought possible. She could hear other people's thoughts, could understand foreign languages, could fight really well and had knowledge about everything. She wasn't normal.

At the end of the movie she disappeared just like Enoch in the Bible. This got me thinking about how as Christians we should be supernatural. We have the Holyspirit living in us (pause) think about this! The Holyspirit is infinite in His abilities, He is God! Just like Lucy, we have super powers which can make us do the impossible and impact our world in ways no one can imagine. We can all live beyond our natural abilities; we have the strength and the wisdom of God available for us to tap into. Yet how come very few get to experience these powers? The answer is simple! Until we form a strong bond with Him and allow him take over our body, mind and soul we won't actualise this.

Let us therefore quit trying to be normal, let's be supernatural by forming a strong bond with God, reading His word to understand who we should be, praying to Him to help us use the supernatural powers available to us (not for selfish gains) for the expansion of his kingdom.

Remember "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)".

 

Trapped!

A few months ago whilst I was on my way out, I bumped into my neighbor who was gardening. She seemed particularly engrossed with a plant in a unique flower pot. I was more interested in the flower pot to be honest and asked her where she got it from. she went on to tell me it was passed on to her by her mother (by the way my neighbor is in her late 60s) and she has had the plant in the pot for 25 years!

below is the plant in the pot

Would you be shocked if I told you that the plant you see in the flower pot is an Oak tree?!!! I tell you I was shocked and something jolted within me. How can an oak tree be so small? Its 25 years old for crying out loud. it should be doing a lot more than sitting in a pot!! check out the image below for a "proper" oak tree.

I do not know the age of the tree above but I sure know that a 25 year old tree should be somewhat close to that in height and should have more leaves. 

My Neighbor's tree is obviously TRAPPED (pardon my shouting). Does this resonate with something on the inside of you? Can you think of areas in your life where you may be trapped? Where you should be flourishing but are not? Have you limited yourself by not thinking or stepping outside the box?  

As I was talking to my neighbor she noticed my shock and said " I really ought to go plant this oak tree in the forest so it can reach its full potential" and I couldn't agree more. To be trapped in that little pot for over 25 years is against the purpose of the oak tree. Just like me, think about areas in your life where you may be trapped and make that decision to break free! Selah

I could go on and on about the message I got from my little encounter but I wont, think about it for yourself and make that change!

Its been so long

I have been meaning to blog for a while now but a lot has happened since my last post. I have had a baby so now I am officially a mother of 2! I never knew life could be so busy but guess what? I'm loving it and count it a great privilege to be a mother.

I love Autumn. The beauty of the golden leaves scattered on the ground and the crisp weather is what makes me love it so much. Interestingly there is a lot to learn from the shedding of leaves in Autumn. When we allow God to break us and mold us into his plan for us, it can be similar to the shedding of leaves in Autumn. The fact that the leaves have fallen off and the trees look gaunt does not mean it is over, its just a season in the life of the tree. In Spring, the leaves grow back and the flowers boom and once again people will be able to take shelter under the tree.

Life has happened since the last time I was here and hopefully I'm back for good now. My next post is about something that resonated deep within me when I encountered it and I cant wait to share it. This blog is intended to be a diary of lessons I'm learning on my journey to be a better person. If you stumble upon this blog and are blessed, praise the Lord.

No Resolution

Its the beginning of a new year and just like previous years, I am tempted to make new year resolutions! I guess we all make resolutions because we feel we have a clean slate to make amends where we failed. Last year just like previous years I resolved in my heart to do things differently. Whilst I succeeded in some, I failed in others and the feeling of guilt on 31/12./2012 clouded my judgement until God delivered me.

The truth is I didnt fail at all for not accomplishing all my resolutions in 2012. If anything I am a better person than I was on 01/01/2012. I am wiser and I learnt a lot of things about myself. I am thankful for my family, friends and experiences 2012 brought and because of that I have resolved not to put pressure on myself in 2013.

The only goal I have set myself in 2013 is to stretch myself to be a better person and to do the impossible which in myself I cant do alone but with God's help I can.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I want change (not coins)

I want to change! But not alll of me!
I want to be better but it seems so hard
I want to lie in bed till its late, but there are so many tasks piling up
I want to eat what I want  like ice-creams and chocolate and dont want to be fat
I want to go shopping and have savings in the bank at the same time
I want to touch my world without leaving the comfort of my sofa.
Grow up! Get up! Take action, change is all I need.

(Rant Over)

I tell myself everyday and I mean everyday that tommorow I will be a better person. I know I have to take definite steps and be strict about it but its hard! I really do want to change so I can be a better person but its proving really difficult. It appears I am set in my ways! For example, I know I should eat more vegetables and fruits, but I load myself with carbs. I know I should exercise more, but I always seem to have an excuse not to go to the gym.

I have been thinking really hard and I think the time is now to indeed change these bad habbits. Its not going to be easy, but I must pay now to play later. So with this in mind, I have decided on these immediate steps and I will like you to challenge me on it every time you visit this blog. (This piece serves as a means for me to be accountable to you!)

1. Exercise for a minimum of 30 mins everyday (I have a workout DVD at home)
2. Eat Salad as a meal everyday and have at least 3 fruits during the course of the day
3. Cut out Sugar
4. Read something to help develop myself spiritually and in my career everday for at least 1 hour

My battle with acne

Pre - October 2010
Before I got pregnant over 2 years ago, I was one of those ladies with a blemish free face. I only ever had one or two pimples when it was that time of the month and that was it.  So about 6 months into my pregnancy, my face started erupting with pimples! You can imagine my horror when I looked into the mirror and not only had my face and nose doubled in size, but my entire face had spots! People said that I would be back to my old self after the baby came and I believed them.

Present Day
How wrong they were! My kid is 20 months old and I still battle with acne. I have tried a lot of treatments and just when I think I may have found the magic cure, the acne comes back with a vengeance! I have gone from expensive creams to the cheapest in my quest to find a cure. So I finally decided not to bother myself any more with expensive creams since they are not working.

I use body shop tea tree facial wash  and will start using natural products that can be found at home like bicarbonate of soda as an exfoliator, nutmeg and milk mask, lemon and honey mask and finally Aloe vera.

Fingers crossed something will work soon.

Dreary weather and its benefits

The weather this week has been so dreary and gloomy! Its been raining non-stop thus making it difficult commuting. I have to go to work in the rain and looking outside the window now has kinda dampened my spirit, the rain is pelting down heavily and I cannot but worry how I will make it home in this rain.

Interestingly, a few weeks ago there was an announcement regarding the shortage of water in the UK and a potential drought was declared only a few days ago (read this report). Why therefore should I be upset at the rain? It is a blessing from God!
I should be thankful rather than grumble at the rain. The rain means crops will grow and we will have water to drink. What I regard as a little inconvinience is indeed a blessing from God. We should apply this same attitude to seemingly unpleasant situations. In all things give thanks, beacuse it is working together for our good.

Rain here I come! I'm happy you are here!

Just like the days of old

A few months ago, I heard about a pastor who was being prosecuted for declaring his faith in Iran. He is being charged with Apostasy, for renouncing his Muslim faith for Christianity.

His name is Yousef Nadarkhani. He is a father, husband and friend. I feel a sense of responsibility to pray for him just like the saints did for the apostles in the bible (Acts 12:5 – 11). The saints prayed and the Angel of God broke down the chains and set Peter free without the knowledge of the guards.

We can do the same now, that same power is available to us. Let's pray for him so that he won’t end up like Stephen. I read an article last night which is here and the author couldn’t have written a better charge to us Christians. We can’t stay silent; we can’t let this man die unjustly.  Please lets pray, God can do it, God WILL do it.

My Billion Pound Business story

Paid employment will not make you a billionaire! I have been thinking of what business venture to start due to the harsh reality of these words. How long will I continue to work from 9 - 5? How long will I spend the best part of my days helping someone else grow their business? I am not saying it is wrong to work 9 - 5, but if I want to be a billionaire (which is my dream), then I have to start by building a business and making it grow.

I prayed to God, and he asked me the vital question "What is in your hands"? You see, I am a very good cook and my husband has been begging me for years to package my cooking and sell. He told me years ago to try baking and I refused. I thought to myself "why would I ever want to bake? There are too many people doing this already". 

Anyway, November last year after praying for years, I had to answer the question regarding what I have in my hands. The answer was my natural talent for cooking. Luckily for me my sister in-law came into town and offered to teach me how to bake (she has been baking professionally for 30 years!). We had our training session and she said I was a natural. 

I have since set-up a cupcake business which will be launching in March. I bake the yummiest, loveliest cupcakes you will ever eat. 

I will be posting my baking experiences and pictures here, so please come back to follow my billion pound business story and place your orders too (wink* wink*).

Prayer Works

4 days ago I wrote about the decisions I had to make (here) and how crucial it is that I make the right ones. I worried all night and decided that worrying wouldnt result into anything, so I did what everyone should do! I went on my knees. I prayed to God and surrendered it all into his hands. Prior to my post I had embarked on a 21 day fast and waited on God for direction and guidance. Surprisingly after the fast I didnt see any visible result hence why I went into worry mode. A friend of mine provided a link to this blog on what to do when waiting on God, it is a really helpful resource and provides insight into the waiting process.

 So back to my testimony, it turns out that  God had other plans. He gave me better than what I was praying for. He opened my eyes to another opportunity I would never have considered and voila one problem solved!!

Decision making is not easy

The weight of the decisions we have to make is what distinguishes an adult from a kid. Also the higher you go in life either in your career or as a human being, the greater the decisions you have to make. The CEO of a company is entrusted with making KEY decisions that will affect numerous lives (his employees) while the president of a country is burdened with numerous decisions that could make or break a country (ask GEJ). 

As a wife and  parent, I have to make decisions that will ultimately affect my kid (s) and husband. Its not just about me any more. I (we)  have to decide on where to live as this will determine the school our kids attend. I  have to decide on my career and how it affects my work life balance. I (we) have to decide on the church we attend, I have to decide on the curtains for the rooms and the list goes on and on... 

The scale of the decisions vary and some decisions can be corrected if wrong the first time. For example, I can always buy another curtain if the first one I buy doesn't quite go well with the room but it would be much harder to change my kid's school if I enrol them in a crappy one (I would probably have to wait for another year).

I am faced with making some key decisions this year, and I can only pray to God to help me to make the right ones, cos these are make or break decisions. 

Decision making is not easy

The weight of the decisions we have to make is what distinguishes an adult from a kid. Also the higher you go in life either in your career or as a human being, the greater the decisions you have to make. The CEO of a company is entrusted with making KEY decisions that will affect numerous lives (his employees) while the president of a country is burdened with numerous decisions that could make or break a country (ask GEJ). 

As a wife and  parent, I have to make decisions that will ultimately affect my kid (s) and husband. Its not just about me any more. I (we)  have to decide on where to live as this will determine the school our kids attend. I  have to decide on my career and how it affects my work life balance. I (we) have to decide on the church we attend, I have to decide on the curtains for the rooms and the list goes on and on... 

The scale of the decisions vary and some decisions can be corrected if wrong the first time. For example, I can always buy another curtain if the first one I buy doesn't quite go well with the room but it would be much harder to change my kid's school if I enrol them in a crappy one (I would probably have to wait for another year).

I am faced with making some key decisions this year, and I can only pray to God to help me to make the right ones, cos these are make or break decisions. 

Hectic, Busy, STOP!

These past few days has been so busy for me that I feel drained!! I had training scheduled in our offices outside London, so I had to do a bit of travelling over two days. I guess what also made it tiring was the fact that I didn't know what to expect, had to also train a bunch of engineers on new processes which they were in some ways resistant to.

I prayed to God to make it a smooth training event and he did wonders! Not only did I get good reviews on the evaluation forms, they were receptive to the new processes too. Thank God for that!

Due to all the travelling and stress, I have been hit by the flu! hopefully I will feel better before the weekend is over.

Lesson I learnt from the week is to commit all into God's hands and he will do that which we cannot do.

Novice/Learner Driver

I started driving lessons yesterday. It was a nerve wrecking experience but at the same time awesome! I had never driven in my life before yesterday and for me I think I left it too late.

You may ask, why now? Well... as a new mother (baby is 15 months, so Im not exactly new), I think it is important for me to be mobile. As it is now I have to always wait for hubby before I can go shopping, go visiting friends and family who live quite a distance away and he has also gotten  to the stage where he wants his freedom and not be a driver.

So back to my driving lesson, the instructor is quite good and called me a natural :-). The car never stalled and I change my gears effortlessly. I had 2 hours of lessons yesterday and today I had another 2 hours. In total this has cost me £80!! quite an expensive venture if I must add. I'm not complaining after-all its for the greater good (greater good?).

I'm so excited and cant wait to start driving confidently. Wish me luck.

My Kindle is here

I decided to be an avid reader this year and what better way to achieve that than to buy a kindle. You see, I love to read but the thought of logging a book in my bag puts me off sometimes. So I end up surfing the web on my phone and if there is no signal, I play angry birds :-)

In my bid to stick to the plan of reading more, I ordered a Kindle which got delivered today! I'm so excited and can't wait to get started!!

Wait a minute!!! Does this mean I have to always buy books? I'm sure there will be a library where we can loan e-books right? Guess I should have done my research!! Anyway I'm excited and will cross the bridge of buying books when I get there.

Yay! I'm back to blogging after 6 years

It's been six years since I blogged. Its good to be back and I promise myself to update this blog daily. I intend to make this an online diary about my musings.

Lets get this party started.