Sunday, December 22, 2024
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When Music Speaks

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When Music Speaks

Have you ever noticed the keys on a piano? The colour, the shape, the position, where it fits and where it doesn’t. Imagine this, a nation, a community, a street, a person, can all be explained through a keyboard.

You see one note on the piano is good, it can create a sound, a sense of presence. It can spark emotion and inspire. In every person there are two types of feelings, the feeling of being alone and the feeling of acting alone. To be alone is to exclude yourself from everyone around you, to act alone is to exclude everyone from yourself. Young and old, we all unconsciously do and feel this way, but imagine what a chord can do?

Perfectly placed notes played together to create a sense of presence that can only be described as an emotion. Music and sound that feels so good you can’t help but move to the sound of its inclusivity – that power is within you. You are a note in a song full of chords. That might seem small but without your note, without you, there would be no music.

Imagine a movement that played the symphonic anthem that our nation felt for years to come. Imagine a place those who are excluded can feel included by a single gesture or sign or smile. You see your note, your influence, your part plays a bigger role than the now generation, your part will echo into eternity.

Black or white, minor or major keys, it doesn’t matter – within us all is a note that is longing to be a part of something that is not exclusive but inclusive no matter the shape, colour, gender or religion.

No practical tip on the earth will show you how to do life with others, but from experience my suggestion would be stay confident, but more than that, have a godly confidence. I’m not religious but I have learnt that a godly confidence far outweighs a regular confidence.

Remember you are important, you have worth, and you are wanted in this nation. There’s this verse in the Bible that speaks how God has created you to do good works. Believe and walk it. Within you is the power to be who you were intended to be, who God made you to be.

YOU STAND OUT BY STANDING TOGETHER.

Tuning Out

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Tuning Out

Far from the maddening crowd
Have you ever been to someone’s home and there is just a serenity and calm about their house? My house isn’t like that. AT ALL!!!! I have 4 children, all 7 years and under. My house is LOUD. From the time my kiddies wake in the morning until they put their heads on their pillow at night. Don’t get me wrong, I love it but I’m very aware that there is very little ‘space’ in the noise that is our normal, day-to-day life. I also have to be honest and say that not all the noise comes from the kids. My hubby and I also add our fair share of volume to the soundtrack of our home, and my contribution tends to come in the guise of requests, commands and directions.   I repeat myself – a lot! Have you got your shoes? Where is your homework? Did you wash your hands? Don’t jump on the couch! Eat your breakfast! No! The list is long but that’s my job. I’m mom and my four darlings need a lot of help to navigate life at the moment. But there are some days when it honestly feels like nothing I say actually makes a dent. It doesn’t matter what I ask them, how often (or loudly) I say their name or tell them what to do, I’m just not heard. It can be really frustrating to say the least.

Everything is becoming clear
At the beginning of this year my oldest started school. As part of the ‘get parents up to speed’ process, the new school put on a talk to explain to us newbie’s what we needed to do to help our first grader adjust to life in the education system. Lots was communicated during the evening but one thing that was said was a complete light bulb moment for me. Experts tell us that at around 16 weeks into its development, a human baby can begin making out sound inside its mother’s womb. From that moment there is a connection formed with the outside world and the most constant and most frequently heard sound for that developing life? Mom. Babies hear their mother’s voice for 24 weeks before they their born. It’s part of their world. Mom’s voice so familiar, and so close it becomes background noise. This is why, after birth, yes this voice is comforting and familiar, it’s also very easy to block out and accept as just something in the background, not necessarily something to listen to. So when I’m busy trying to get my message through to my little ones, they’re quite happy to relegate my voice to ambient sound… great!

Shut up or shut out
It’s not easy having your wisdom and loving guidance tuned out. I love my children and want my knowledge and experience to benefit them as much as possible so when they choose to ignore me, to say it’s frustrating is an understatement, but to tell the truth, there are times as an adult I do exactly the same thing to The Voice that would guide and direct me.

The Voice
I believe that God talks to people, that’s not just my opinion. The Bible says He does. I’ve never personally experienced a burning bush or an audible voice booming from the clouds. It is often that quiet, inner voice and pressing conviction that just won’t leave you alone. It might come through reading the Bible, praying or even from a conversation with someone that leaves you with lots of food for thought. I think everyone can experience God speaking to them, if they just open their ears. I have found however, that if there is too much ‘noise’ in my life, I all too quickly tune God out and His voice gets mixed in with the chaos. There are times when I know I can’t hear God speaking to me, not because He’s silent but because I’m not really listening and those are the times that I feel the most lost and directionless. At those times I’ve found the best thing to do is be still and make space. Practically, it means turning off the television and the radio and any other ‘voice’ that just fills the air around me. It means putting time aside to listen to God and asking him to speak.

Seeking to hear
There is nothing sweeter as a mommy when my children come and seek me out want to chat or just be together. It’s a wonderful thing when I speak to my kids and we connect. In those moments I want the world to stop and those precious minutes to last forever. I believe that God feels the same way when we go in search of Him. He wants that’s connection with us more than anything, we just need to turn off the noise and tune in to Him.

What Do You Mean?

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What Do You Mean?

After three years of not performing or releasing a song, Justin Bieber releases a hit and goes straight to the top of the charts of almost every radio station in the world and hit countdown.

It’s a great song, with a catchy beat and even more so a question that we all ask one time or the other while dating: what do you mean?

Here is the chorus:

When you nod your head yes
But you wanna say no
What do you mean?
When you don’t want me to move
But you tell me to go
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
Said we’re running out of time
What do you mean?
Better make up your mind
What do you mean?

Have you ever been in one of these situations where you are left asking yourself the question: what did he/she mean?

I’m sure you have found yourself not sleeping or not eating or writing a text but not sending it. Or sending a Whatsapp message then constantly checking if the ticks have gone blue. That feeling when you can see they are online yet they haven’t replied, but they said they wanted to chat? What do you mean?

One of the common ones we all seem to encounter – I would love to date you but I just don’t know if I’m ready. And then a week later they are dating someone else! What do you mean?

What I found true in these seasons of the unknown and mixed signals is I need to be myself and not lay my identity in someone else’s ‘what did you mean’.

Easier said than done right? I had to draw close to something higher and greater then what I was going through. I would close the door and speak to God, deliberately take time out to clear away the mental clutter. Choosing to empty my heart of the what did you mean thoughts was the best thing I could do.

The danger of placing too much value on what people mean can have you running in circles. The distraction can be your destruction. Is it really worth it? Wouldn’t it be amazing to be so secure in who you are as an individual that whether or not what others mean is for good or bad, you are still firm in your mission, your identity and your joy.

Being a firm person allows you to be consistent, being consistent allows you to view things with eyes that see things for what they are and not the insecurity glasses of what they might be. Being able to handle a confusing situation with ease is something I will always aspire to do. The confidence to stand firm may take its time to be fully yours, but it can be and will be, if you set your sight on it.

What about your season of uncertainty; what do you run to? Do you run to the friend who is asking the same question ‘what do they mean?’ or to Google who is full of facts and suggestions or are you open to lifting your eyes up and allowing God to whisper into your heart?

If you want to find out how you can do this, click the link below.

Why I Don’t like Mandela Day

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Why I Don’t like Mandela Day

Woke up yesterday  morning to a tweet reminding me that it is 13 days to go til Mandela Day. And I thought to myself, what if, instead of needing a special day to do good deeds and be nice, we just became all round better people every day?

In fact, that is the tagline of the day, right? Make every day a Mandela Day.

mandela day

And perhaps that was the heart of the people who came up with the idea [I am shouting down the cynic in me who insists it is just so that someone somewhere could sell a whole bunch of ‘Nelson Mandela Day’ merchandise]. That for one day a year there is this national campaign that gets people motivated and serving with the dream that, by doing that together, it will inspire them to change their regular rhythms and routines and become more generous, giving, kind people.

But I’m not sure it works.

FOOTBALLING WITH THE ENEMY

football with the enemy

One story I have never understood is the idea that in 1914, German and British soldiers in the trenches, stopped shooting each other for a day and celebrated Christmas together with one well-known but hard to verify story that they played a game of football against each other.

The idea was originally called for by Pope Benedict XV who had just taken office in September and called for a Christmas truce. So can imagine soldiers in the trenches waking up one morning to ’13 days til Pope Benedict XV day’ tweets.

Yet his idea was officially objected and it seems like it was the soldiers themselves who decided to make it happen, starting with some carols sung across the lines and then later venturing forth and exchanging gifts and possibly playing a game of football.

The idea to me is completely crazy and if the game of football did actually happen, then all it suggests to me is that the war itself was one big fat game [played largely by people far away from the trenches issuing orders to their pawns].

MAKE EVERY DAY A SOUTH AFRICA DAY

I don’t want to draw too close a comparison between us and the war. For too long in South Africa we have drawn enemy lines and then tried to cross them: black vs white, rich vs poor, even province vs province and of course sports team vs sports team.

But if there is something to be learned from the story of 1914, it is the moment that in the midst of a wartime situation, the men on the ground decided to take part in an act of subversion. To send the signal that they were not fighting the same war as their leaders back home.

With many of the leaders we have at the moment, this feels like a good signal to be sending.

13 days to Mandela Day. 172 more sleeps til Christmas.

WHAT IF… instead of needing a special day to do good deeds and be nice, we just became all round better people?

For every day.

brett
Author: Brett “fish” Anderson
Twitter: @brettfisha
Instagram: @brettfisha
Website: brettfish.wordpress.com 

 

 

What’s With Christianity and the 10 Commandments?

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What’s With Christianity and the 10 Commandments?

When you ask someone to tell you about Christianity, more than often will they mention something about the 10 Commandments?

Most of us have heard about those “10 rules”:

Do not steal!
Do not lie!
Do not murder!
Do not commit adultery!

No need to go on.

Sadly, that is where the answer usually ends. And it then seems that Christianity is merely about following 10 Commandments. About following a set of rules…

I disagree with that!

Let’s talk soccer:

If I had to ask you to list some of the rules for that, you’d probably come up with some of these:

No going off-side,
No stepping over the border lines,
No dangerous tackles,
You are not allowed more than 11 players per team on the field,
You are not allowed to use your hands.

Now let’s think about Oscar who plays for Chelsea (my favourite team). When he runs onto the field to play for his team, what do you think he is thinking about?

Let me suggest some of his thoughts:

Wow, I get to play for this excellent club!
I get to play this game that I love so much!
I hope I play well today and do my best!

Would you agree with that?

I doubt that he runs onto the field thinking:

“Oh my goodness, I must be careful to not run outside of the lines, or use my hands, or run into an offside position.”

No ways! He is not thinking about the rules. He is thinking about the LOVE of the GAME.

He doesn’t play with the rules as his main focus.
HOWEVER he does plays with LOVE and ENJOYMENT as his focus.
Christianity is like that too. It’s not about the rules. It’s about LOVE being our main focus.
I don’t follow Jesus thinking “oh my goodness, I have all these rules to obey.”

Not a chance! I follow Jesus because of LOVE. His love for me invites me into a relationship with Him.

Back to Oscar: When he plays well and plays to the best of his ability, he is playing in the confines of the rules anyway.

Likewise, with following Jesus.
When I am living out in LOVE, I would be living in the confines of the “rules” (10 Commandments) anyway.

It’s all about love.
Because, we all would agree that the world needs more of that! And you have access to that same love right now, why not click the pop-up or banner below to see what I’m talking about.

Author: Darrel Hofland
Twitter: @darrelhofland
Instagram: @darrelhofland
Website: www.darrelhoff.wordpress.com 

 

5 Controversial Things You Never Knew About Jesus

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5 Controversial Things You Never Knew About Jesus

The Controversial stuff you won’t hear at Church…

#1 Jesus Had Some Rotten Branches in His Family Tree

Unlike our politicians and celebrities, Jesus was not ashamed of the skeletons in his family’s closet. The list of His ancestors includes: Abraham who slept with his servant to produce an heir, Judah who sold his brother into slavery, Rahab who was a prostitute and citizen of an enemy country, David a murderer and adulterer, Solomon a womaniser, and the list goes on…

#2 Jesus’ Main Opponents Were Religious People

Not a fan of phoney televangelist hypocrites who preach stuff they don’t live? That manipulate people into handing over all their cash? Good, ‘cause neither was Jesus. One time he got so mad at the way religious people were ripping off the poor, he made a whip and smashed up their market stalls. He went all Incredible Hulk on them! He said it would be better if they took a long walk off a short plank than come between people and God, with all their man-made rituals and rules. This didn’t make him too popular with the ‘powers that be’, and ended up getting him killed.

#3 Jesus’ Friends Came From the Rough Side of Town

Think Jesus wanted to hang around with a bunch of suit-and-tie squares? His friends were outlaws, prostitutes, drunks, political rebels and traitors. He was known as the “friend of sinners” and spent most of his time with people rejected by society.

#4 Jesus Was a Revolutionary

Rejected by the religious elite, put to death by a corrupt government, and a champion of the poor and the oppressed – Jesus was the original revolutionary. Centuries later His mother Mary’s prayer was once banned in many South American countries. Communist governments had to ban his teachings because his followers hate injustice and reject the oppression of governments. The early Christians made Roman officials really mad with their motto “Christ, not Caesar is King!” His teachings were so revolutionary that they changed history, and yet unlike many other revolutionaries, the only blood he shed was his own.

#5 Jesus Never Said “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”

A survey conducted in America asked the question, “What is the most popular verse in the Bible?” The top answer was “God helps those who help themselves”. Thankfully, you won’t find that phrase anywhere in the Bible. Because it’s dumb. The God I believe in helps people, like me, who can’t help themselves. People who get it wrong, who make bad decisions sometimes, and need some help. Someone once tried to insult me by saying, “Your faith is a crutch”. My answer was, “Hell yeah it is!” If your life is perfect then great, I’m happy for you. If, like the rest of us, things aren’t always so great for you, then you’re in good company. I dare you to try asking God to help you make some sense of life. 16 years ago I did, and I have no regrets. Click the pop-up or banner below.

luke2
Author: Luke Larner
Twitter: @lucaslarner
Instagram: @lucaslarner
Website: theroadsidemusings.com 

CEO’s sleep on street in aid of the homeless!

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CEO’s sleep on street in aid of the homeless!

A few nights ago a group of CEOs got together in Johannesburg for the 702 Sun International CEO Sleepout which took place in Sandton (absolutely no irony there).

As I am in America land at the moment, I only knew about it from the Twitterer and then was only able to get glimpses of what was happening from the same medium.

In some ways it seemed like a good idea – I heard about R24 million being raised for the homeless (but nothing about how it’s being planned to get it to them), but there were also a lot of aspects about it that started to make me a little wary.

And so at one point I tweeted this: “I love the idea of #CEOSleepOutZA but celebrity chef soup and all night coffee seems to be somewhat missing the point?”

My friend Megan, who lets me improv with her on occasion and who sometimes says really nice things about me online, responded to my tweet by asking: “What exactly do you like about the idea?”

And while I responded with a defensive attempt at an answer, I had to be more personally honest and admit to myself that I didn’t really know. Something inside me wanted it to be a really good idea somehow and yet so much inside me was really just alarm bells going off.

I just read part of this article now from Eyewitness News which is titled, “CEOs overwhelmed by experience” which contains such gems as this: “It grounds me when I have to experience what they experience every day.” (Attributed to ‘a business executive’ – this is cutting edge journalism here it seems).

So the one tweet showed me pictures of the all-night coffee stand. A second one alerted me to the celebrity chef who was on hand to make soup for the participants. I read a tweet which spoke of how the one lady arrived with a sleeping bag able to take temperatures of down to minus twenty degrees.

This article went to say how, “The country’s top decision makers braved the cold winter evening and swapped their beds for the concrete pavement along Gwen Lane.”

As @MrSmithMachine tweeted, “To truly complete the #CEOsleepoutZA experience, they should let homeless people sleep over at all the CEO’s Sandton mansions tonight”, which seemed a little more on the button.

CEO Sleepout

Because every homeless person has an iPhone with portable charger

Because every homeless person has an iPhone with portable charger

This article did mention that the money raised was going to be going towards Boys and Girls Town which absolutely does sound like a great deal (especially if it happens before the celebrity chef or whoever designed the designer cardboard chair/sleeping bag combos gets their cut), but it mentioned that it was about raising “awareness about the plight of people living in poverty.”

I’m not so sure.

If you are not aware that there is widespread poverty in South Africa, then you really should book a consultation with your local proctologist to see about having your head removed. The plight of people living in poverty? Well, that seems like quite an easy one to figure out as well, especially to the extent that one would be sleeping in a warm sleeping bag, eating designer soup and drinking coffee in front of the press.

The cynic in me wonders how many of the people/companies involved did so for the press it generated, or to stick up a photo in the entrance hall, or add it to the company’s list of accomplishments come year end. The eternal optimist fights back saying that for some people it must have been a genuine experience, and hopefully it somehow opened eyes and will open wallets and hopefully even mindsets towards the huge disparity between rich and poor in South Africa.

I honestly am interested though. What are your thoughts on the event? Is this something that will make a positive difference to the poor in South Africa? I would love to know your thoughts on this one…

My heart says “Yes, Please”, but my gut is really screaming “No!”

brett
Author: Brett “fish” Anderson
Twitter: @brettfisha
Instagram: @brettfisha
Website: brettfish.wordpress.com 

Why NOT to keep things in the dark!

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Why NOT to keep things in the dark!

You have one rule to follow, and at face value it seems like a pretty easy rule at that.

“Don’t eat of the fruit of that one tree. You can eat as much fruit of any of the other trees available to you, but just not that one, big, beautiful tree, standing in the middle of the garden.”

For the first couple of days or even weeks, things go well. It is almost as if you don’t see that tree at all. That is, until someone asks you why you should not eat from that tree. At that point that tree becomes the center of your thoughts. No matter what you do, you cannot stop to think about that tree.

I am sure this story sounds familiar, since it is a rough retelling of the story of Adam and Eve, found in the book of Genesis. Take some time, and change the characters, and that one sin in your life that keeps on tripping you, to fall flat on your face, and you will probably recognize this story in your own life as well.

If you were to read a bit further in the Bible you soon find out that the first time you will find God showing mercy is right after this story, since Adam and Eve get kicked out of the garden of Eden, but not killed, as was the promise in the beginning.

In Proverbs 28:13 it says the following:

 

“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

 

We all have sins. Sometimes we think some of them are bigger than another’s sins, but in the eyes of God there is sin, nothing more and nothing less. The key to living a life of peace and prosperity is that we need to make sure not to try and bury our sins. Not from God, and also not from our fellow believers. Bring them out into the open, even if it is really hard, and start to experience the freedom that brings.

God wants us all to be free, and not to be burdened by our sins. Satan on the other hand wants us all to stay focused on our sins, and to lose sight of the mercy, goodness and grace that Jesus showed us on the cross. If you focus on your sins, you remain exactly where Satan wants you, but if you simply turn your eyes to Jesus, you will see how small your sins are in comparison to what Jesus did for you on the cross.

If this thought of letting go of your sins in God appeals to you, and to live a free life, please click on the pop-up banner or the one below to find out more.

coenraad
Author: Coenraad Fick
Twitter: @coenraadfick
Instagram: @coenraadf
Website: love-serve.co.za

Does God Believe in YOLO?

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Does God Believe in YOLO?

I was recently chatting with my father (a rare occasion – considering the fact that he’s a regular man of few words) and he asked me the following question: “Tegan, what brings you joy?”

If he had asked me that question two years ago, I probably would have said something like: “Harry Styles and Twitter.” My, how the times have changed, and boy, how I’m glad that they have.

There are a number of problems with finding my source of joy in a social media site or a young twenty-something boy-band superstar. For one, neither of them are essentially real parts of my life – Twitter is a fun thing to do with a computer and Harry Styles will forever be somewhere high up on a stage, unattainable by the mere human fans who worship his long curly locks and rock star tattoos. Secondly, they are not solid or reliable by any means – Twitter can crash and be removed from the internet in an instant, and Harry Styles could marry Kendall Jenner tomorrow and crush a million hearts in the process.

But, most importantly, neither of those things were designed to bring me joy – not true, lasting joy, at least.

 

What brings you joy?

 

To rejoice is simply: to celebrate. To laugh and dance and have a real good time. To possess an enjoyment that flows out and blossoms in all the areas of your life – in all the light and the shadows, in all the trials and the good times, in all the anxieties and despair that have so much power over our hearts and our behavior. It is still possible to have joy and rejoice even then.

Ever heard of King Solomon? History dubs him as “the wisest man who ever lived.” He wrote a book called Ecclesiastes (can be found in the Bible) which is all about the purpose of life, what are we supposed to do here; general YOLO type stuff. His observations (remember: wisest man who ever lived) are as follows:

 

“So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

 

Now, he’s not telling us here to stuff our faces with all the food we can, down 50 shots, and then go ‘enjoy’ life in the way we are told to by Miley Cyrus’ music videos. He means we must enjoy it, truly – and we know that sometimes overindulging in our ‘celebration’ (whatever that may be) can very often take all the enjoyment out of it. It is possible to rejoice and have true enjoyment in things without allowing excess to let us get carried away.

Sometimes people forget that God is a joyful person, and that he created fun. All too often we see him as this great, far-away being who is very removed from the human experience. But I believe he created us, therefore he knows us intimately, and he created us to rejoice! He desires that we experience life to the full, and that we truly know the joy he offers us in this vast, exciting, challenging, amazing world. But what that joy means with God is very different to what the world says. It’s so much better.

So to answer my father’s question: People bring me joy. Friendships, family, surprisingly friendly and loving strangers, and the relationships I have formed in my church. Food brings me joy (a lot of joy). Music brings me joy. Dancing (although I’m not so sure it looks like dancing). Comedy. Reading. My boyfriend brings me joy (or at least he will, when I eventually find him).

But, my friend, none of those things are even close to the joy I find in God. The more I learn about God, the more I see his truth unfold in my life, the closer I get to him and the more I know about his love – that kind of true joy is unobtainable in what I’ve just mentioned above. It is some eternal thing, ungoverned by circumstance or feeling. It is a shining star, and every other source we get it from on earth is just bright dust below it.

So, what brings you joy? What do you always find yourself celebrating over? Maybe it’s Harry Styles. Maybe it’s something more. Whatever it is, I want to remind you that you haven’t been given this life by accident. There is a big reason to rejoice, and I encourage you to go out and find it. Why not click the pop-up or banner below.

tegan
Author: Tegan Lee O’Neill
Twitter: @teganleeoneill
Instagram: @teganleeoneill
Website: meandmy300.wordpress.com

NOW or NEVER?

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NOW or NEVER?

Ever find yourself wanting something you know you just can’t have? Like those pair of R2000 shoes you eyed out the other day in the mall. If you’re anything like me, you would do whatever you could to have them. You’d negotiate with your mom and tell her that although you’re 20 something years old, she is still your mom and needs to spoil you. (That has only ever worked twice). You’d go to your online banking to check how much money is in your account, hoping there may have been a miracle in the space of a few seconds whilst logging in. You’d even consider opening up a credit card or an account! Now that may seem extreme, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do right?

I’ve recently been in a season of “waiting”. I’ve wanted certain things in life but know that it is something I can’t have right now. Why? Not because it’s not good for me, just that it’s not good for me right now. So many times I have found myself in a season of waiting and cursed it because I didn’t recognise it for what it was; a season of stretching. And when we don’t recognise the season, we seem to go through it much longer than necessary. You see, waiting does not diminish us, it enlarges us.

When contemplating life, and the meaning thereof, I looked up the definition of the word WAIT. One particular definition caught my eye.

To wait means: to remain in readiness for a specific purpose.

 

Full stop. That’s enough to chew on right?!

Now I’ve learned the hard way in life that you can’t have what you always want now. Why is it us human beings have a “Now or Never” mentality!? Sometimes, you’re not ready for it and therefore you need to patiently wait for it. You can’t buy those pair of shoes now with money you don’t have. Because maybe, just maybe you need to learn how to save money first, or pay your bills first before buying those shoes. Or just learn that there are far more important things in this world than to have those gorgeous pair of shoes – like perspective.

I’ve really learned over the past two years in Bible college that it’s important to OWN perspective. This means to see the things that are preparing you NOW for the things that AWAIT you. And if ‘to wait’ means to remain in readiness for a purpose, well then I am surely going to remain ready for the things I want in life. I’ve never wanted an ordinary mediocre life. I want an extraordinary marriage. I want an extraordinary life. I want to be an extraordinary leader and writer. So what am I doing about it now? Well…now I’m working on my cooking skills so my husband will be well pleased one day (hahahaha, Lord help us). I am writing and reading more so I can be an inspiring blogger one day. I went to Hillsong Leadership College in Sydney to learn more about Jesus, ministry and leading in all spheres of my life. I lived with six other girls (yes, SIX) so that when my time comes to get married or dealing with others, I’ll understand what it means to be patient and kind and selfless. Haha! I am waking up earlier to spend time in the Word – the Bible – so that I may be filled with life, and constantly be purified by His truth. I will not have sex before marriage because my husband is worth waiting for. You see a sacred commitment means a sacred sacrifice. These are the things I am preparing for whilst in the waiting. What are you waiting for? What makes you ready?

There is something attractive about someone who remains ready for their God-given purpose (even when they don’t know what it is). A few things I’ve learned about “in the waiting” are:

  1. Remain Content: To be content in every season, is a heart stance that brings peace, because you trust and know that God has gone before you and if He has brought you to this point, He will take you through this point. Your state of happiness and joy is not determined by the seasons. It’s determined by He who leads you through the seasons.
  2. Remain Quiet: It’s normally in these times that we complain and react because we can’t see what’s ahead or we have waited too long. But it’s in these times we actually just need to shut our pie holes and be still, listen more and remain undisturbed by everything around you.
  3. Remain Sure: Because He who promises is faithful. Always. He is a God of surety and certainty. So too are you, His child, who can be sure and certain.
  4. Remain Expectant: Don’t give up. Keep pressing on. Keep speaking life. Keep dreaming. Seasons come and go. But you can be sure that God will exceed your expectations. Why? Because He says so. Ephesians 3:20. Remain expectant.

 

Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on the object we’re waiting for – Charles Stanley

 

Whatever you’re waiting for, it’s worth it.

If you’re unfamiliar with referring to God in times of figuring things like this out, why not click on the pop-up or banner below and find out exactly how to start this journey.

bonita
Author: Bonita Mattison
Twitter: @bonitam
Instagram: @bonitam

 

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