HOW DO YOU HANDLE ADVERSITY

I Just read this a while ago and thought, wow!  What am I?  A carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?  How do you and I react to adversity?  Read on and be blessed. 

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.

She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.  Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water.  In the first, she placed carrots; in the second, she placed eggs; and the last, she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a second bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a third bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"  "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.  She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they soft.  She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.  Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.  The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.  The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.  The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.  The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?  Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?  Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?  Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

--author unknown

OBEDIENCE AND THE BLESSING THEREOF

 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. ² You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: ("According to my child's teacher - obedience is doing what you are told to do when you are told to do" - in what areas does the Lord require obedience of us? Are we obedient in such areas ... if yes, read on, if not, ref to Isaiah 1: 18 thus: “Come now, let’s settle this,”says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.Though they are red like crimson,I will make them as white as wool  ....Now, come with me and lets believe, declare and confess of the blessing of the Lord!! ³ Your towns and your fields will be blessed ...What has been happening to our towns and fields lately - fires, accidents resulting to horrifying deaths - loss of God's people, who may be did not even know the Lord?  Are we obedient as a nation?  This we need to ask of every blessing that is pronounced?  ⁴ Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.   ⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed.   ⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.   ⁷ “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!   ⁸ “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
 ⁹ “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. ¹⁰ Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.  ¹¹ “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. ¹² The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. ¹³ If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. ¹⁴ You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

We are a special people, unique people, called by God to be his children!  We have a rich inheritance and blessing from above.  Do you believe this, do you live it?  Besides being partakers of such an inheritance, the Lord requires us to OBEY him.  In the passage above, the word obey is repeated 4 times!  It is the only condition to all the blessings promised above.  Will you chose to obey the Lord today?  Will you "do what He tells you to do, when He tells you to do it?

Blessings.

WAIT PATIENTLY, AGAIN I SAY WAIT!!

WAIT PATIENTLY, AGAIN I SAY WAIT!! These are not very easy words just to speak to someone!  Waiting is already not so much a friendly action point especially in this day and era - where all seems to be happening just so fast. So when you tell someone, wait, and further you add ... patiently!!! Only a divine intervention can cause this to happen.

Yesterday I attended Sunday service not in my usual assembly but somewhere else where I was invited.  At first I was not very comfortable being in a new place altogether - the difference in almost everything including the way of worship made me really uncomfortable.  However this was shortlived - immediately the pastor stood to speak, there was life in the house, not to mention in me.  Not along after he had started talking of the Lords message to his people did he turn to a verse in the bible that leaves me humbled every time I read it.  Ps 27:14 "Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the Lord".  As the pastor spoke, I could not avoid remembering how many times God has humbled me as I waited for him - I may not be able to testify of myself whether I was patient or not, but I prayed day and night, I called on his name, I lifted my hands and voice to him, acknowledging that he was the only one that I was waiting for to hearken to my prayer and come throu for me.  Sometimes I felt like he had abandoned me, but this notwithstanding, I registered my acknowledment that on him alone was I waiting.

I must confess that waiting is not easy, but I have a testimony - when we focus on the Lord Jesus as we wait, and not focus on our need, the Lord comes throu for us - somehow, he does come.  In his own divine way, he makes a way - for his beloved child, whom he gave his son Jesus to die on the cross for.  And, let me just share further on what happens when we wait ... Ps 40:1-3  " I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. (Amen!)  ² He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.   ³ He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what he has done and be amazed.  "They will put their trust in the Lord."

Halleluyah!!! thats what the Lord does when we wait patiently on him.  He lifts u up. From that situation you feel that no one can take u out of, no one understands, but bless God because he perfectly understands, and he has a good plan for you.  Not only does the Lord lift you up from whatever entanglement it might be, the zigzagged and meshed - muddy, mire, slimmy - you name it - he lifts you out of it and STEADIES YOU!!! Amen, he makes your legs support you - your system gets better, if it is your job, you get a better one, a better financial breakthrou, a better lifestyle, a better home!  He steadies you!  For his own glory, that this may draw many to him and worship him, and besides, put their trust in him.

Beloved, might you already be in a situation where you feel drowned, confused, neglected, lift up your eyes to Jesus, wait on him, ask him to give you patience and in His own time, and for his own glory, he will lift you up and steady you.  God bless you.

TOTAL QUALITY PEOPLE

I earlier today remembered TQP--TOTAL QUALITY PEOPLE as a result of a question posed by a friend on Facebook.  As I read through, I focused on responsibility and the aspect of our world views, mind shifts and thus resulted to quoting Shiv Khera thus 'Having been exposed to a number of training programs, such as customer service, selling skills, and strategic planning, I have come to the conclusion that all these are great programs with one major challenge: None of them works unless they have the right foundation, and the right foundation is TQP. What is TQP? TQP is Total Quality People-- people with character, integrity, good values, and a positive attitude. Don't get me wrong. You do need all the other programs, but they will only work when you have the right foundation, and the foundation is TQP. For example, some customer service programs teach participants to say "please," and "thank-you," give smiles and handshakes. But how long can a person keep on a fake smile if he does not have the desire to serve? Besides, people can see through him. And if the smile is not sincere, it is irritating. My point is, there has to be substance over form, not form over substance. Without a doubt, one does need to remember "please" and "thank-you," the smiles, etc.--they are very important. But keep in mind that they come a lot easier when accompanied by a desire to serve. Someone once approached Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher and said, "If I had your brains, I would be a better person." Pascal replied, "Be a better person and you will have my brains."

Let someone challenge me and tell me that TQP is not about what I had discussed yesterday - transformation.  And how does it come by?  What we do, our associates, what we say - what preoccupies our minds.  In a world that is so focused on all else but Christ the author and giver of life, the source of all transformation, how can we be able to impact any one else let alone us?  As Shiv talks about character, integrity and good values as well as attitude - where else do we find this other than from Christ?  Our value system outside Christ is meaningless and thus the bible warns us "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well:, Matt 6:33.  What is this kingdom that we ought to seek - his character - what is God's character - peace, love, kindness, unchanging (not a liar), He is true to His word.  These are virtues that ought to form our character and value system and as we seek them, he will then grant us contentment in all states.  Further the bible admonishes in Phill 4: 8 thus "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" and further that "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things", Col 1-2.

If by the grace and the power of the holy spirit, we can allow God himself to transform us, we can live in a better world and change it for better for those yet to come.  GBU.

LEGACY

About 2 eves ago, we were doing devotion with my boys and we were discussing about transformation of our minds thro the holy spirit.  As we digested on what the Lord wanted us to do in order to achieve total transformation (giving ourselves as a living sacrifice), my mind kept think of what kind of legacy (that is incorruptible) that I ought to leave behind for these dear ones.  I leave houses and money and whatever else this world can offer - all these will come to pass away.

It is at this point that God ministered to me through the words in Deut 4:6-9 thus:  "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates". 

What a great responsibility that the Lord has given to us - to cement our children and their children's future with the word of God, to lay a foundation for them "so that as they grow up they will not depart from it.  We have been commanded to impress the commandments of God into our children. To talk to them about them when we sit and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up!  Basically at all time.  Vs 8 above says that we tie them as symbols on our hands and bind them on our foreheads - write them on the door frames of our houses and gates!! How awesome!  

As I reflected on this and even as I write it now, I feel so very challenged, when I look at the very fast-paced life that we live today.  How often do we sit down with our children "to impress the word" of God on them.  Do we have the time, and yet God has mandated us to do that.  When we talk of our children and their children, we are looking at generations to come, meaning we have the power to determine how the next generation will look like.  What their values will be, what they will be based on?  Dear reader, you may not even be a parent now, but the mandate is in all our hands to determine the future of our children and their children, via the word of God.  However tight our schedules might be, lets create time and share this lovely word of God with them.  Lets build a foundation that can withstand the test of time.

God bless you as your reflect on this.

Rose

Be Ye Transformed

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" - Romans 12:2. Are there any areas that Christians are conforming to today? What do the bible say in each of the different aspects of our lives? Talk of issues of class thus causing division in the church - I belong to this class, I cannot associate with so and so, what wld we be talking about? We have nothing in common - and yet the bible commands us to live in unity (Psm 133 ... for there the Lord commands his blessing, even life forever more). So do we complain when blessings bypass us! Brethren, lets be transformed by the power of the holy spirit! Its sometimes not easy, but when we yield to him, things are never the same. Be transformed today and do not conform to that which is not in favour for Christ Jesus!

Speaking of transformation, another term coming to my mind is liberation!  I attended a Sunday service last Sunday in a congregation where according to me there was total liberation thus resulting to true worship.  I was more than blessed to see the whole church engage in worship and adoration of the most high God in a way that showed true liberation and transformation!  What holds us back when it comes to worship our God?  Do we actually know and believe it and perceive it - that he owns us - all we have is from him, that were it not from him, we would not be what we are or where we are!  Oh I long for total transformation in my life, I yearn for more of the spirit in me - thats its no longer about me, but about he who died on the cross for me.  He took my shame that I may be blessed, what shall therefore hinder me from giving him my all!  I surrender to you Jesus the Lord and master of my life!  Mold me to fit in your holy will!  May this be our earnest prayer day in day out, for besides the Lord, all else will pass away!! Amen.

Love of Money ... Greed ... A Dead Conscious!!!

Love of Money ... Greed ... A Dead Conscious!!! What do these have in common.  Abt a week ago someone texted me that he was on the way to the port (Mombasa) from Dar and that he wanted me to assist him with checking his cargo which was arriving from Dubai.  He wrote the cargo details. At first I ignored the text, but it came twice later.  So i texted back and said - you have a wrong number.  Thereafter the guy called and thanked me profusely for what he called "saving his cargo". I thot that was the end of the story until he called again and started texting me bible quotes etc.  Of course I responded by saying asante, thank you or send a text back.  Abt two days ago the guy says that he thro with his shugulis at the port and he's going back but would like to see me and thank me as well as give a gift.  I thot abt this and kept wondering who this was.  
Today, the same guy - speaking in coastal Kiswahili calls to say that he has had an accident ard Kibwezi and he needed me to help him with some cash which he would return.  Before this, he had given my no. to a supposedly inspector of police to tell me that the guy has had an accident.  In this process, I knew beyond doubts that this was a scheme.  These are people who sit down and look for all avenues of getting money irrespective of what they do or say.  This note is to caution us - its no longer about the nigerians with the Nira and being stuck in Uk or wherever, its happening amongst us!  Dear people be cautions.  let the Holy spirit lead you.  As it is we are living in the last days where people will be lovers of money - they no longer care of their conscience, its all about money - greed!!  Ref 1Tim 6:10; 2Tim 3:2.  Brethren, lets learn to put on the whole armor of God so as to be secured from such occurences.  Bless you.

BITTERNESS: YOUR OWN POISON

It was such a timely message that came thro as I was having my breakfast and landed on this blessed pastor as he spoke on Family TV this morning.  "Bitterness, he said, is poison brewed for someone but the brewer takes it himself/herself".  As he finished that statement, I really thought about it.  You take poison that you had brewed for someone else, how?  As he continued to speak and as I thought about it, it came out very clearly.  Your are bitter coz of someone who did a, b, c, d... or said a, b, c, d..., yet this person, does not even know that you are bitter.  You are so angry you cannot concentrate on other issues as you ought to.  When you talk or speak to others, and especially upon remembering this other person who said or did the a, b, c,d .... you almost (or actually) lose track of what you were saying/doing.  

You are trully taking the poison brewed by yourself.  It only hurts you, not the other person.  The CURE!  Forgiveness.  Its not easy to forgive just like that leave alone issues of big magnitude.  But remember what our Lord Jesus said 77 x 7.  Yes, lets learn first and foremost not to harbour anger in ourselves as this is the root cause of bitterness - instant forgiveness will yield to peace and joy.  Lets seek the Holy Spirit so that He can help us overcome this - coz its not as easy as you think, but when we surrender it to God, Oh, the weight, or burden it is, is all relieved.  DONT BREW THAT POISON, LEST YOU TAKE IT YOURSELF.  Bless you.

Children, Media and Peer Influence Ctd

As I sit down and watch my children interact with the TV - the movies and the music, I cannot stop wondering what happens to the children out there whose parents are absolutely unware of what's happening in their children's lives, and particularly the impact the media has on them.  In most of the cases when I am some time, I sit down and watch my children's favourite movies, cartoons or music.  This has taught me a lot as a parent - they young ones have all the lyrics which I may not even be able to get after listening to the song several times - after some time I ask, "so what do we learn from that song?", and forth the answer comes, sometimes very accurate, other times just leading. 

And the programmes, for example, "Machachari" in Citizen - I bet some of us might not even be aware of this.  The last episode was all abt facebook, twitter etc, and my goodness, the children involved here are as young as 6-7 years old.  Tell me dear friends, are we taking a passive role as parents or are we proactive?  Are we getting involved in our childrens lives or not?  Are we guiding them - for example by setting principles, rules and guidelines when for example they access the internet or as they watch their programmes on TV.  Parents, Guardians, friends, lets reconsider our God given place in the bringing up of the dear ones that the Lord has blessed us with.  We are responsible for their upbringing.  What we sow now will determine the fruits thereafter.  Bless and c u baadaye.

Children, Media and Peer Influence

For a long time now since I became a mother about 10 years ago, I have been concerned about media and peer influence in children, especially those at the very formative ages of 4 -10.  Most of our media houses and particularly the TV stations have children programmes airing early evenings between 3.30 pm and about 6.00 pm, something commendable.  I however have issues with the programmes that follow thereafter.  These are all ex-rated for the children of these ages.  The greatest worry that I painfully habour in my heart is that during this time, most of the parents have not been able to return from their places of work or business and therefore are not able to monitor how the children spend this time just before meals and retiring for the next day.  As a result child are left to watch and listen to "pornography".

Irrespective of how we may view it, our children are slowly by slowly being mentored by the media.  This would have been excellent if it was positive mentoring.  As parents or guardians, we might have different lifestyles and this may therefore not make sense to some out there, but my big question is this:  What foundations and values are we laying in our children for the next generation as we watch them day in day out being fed with virtue-less material and information into them?  Given their ages and thus curiosity, they absorb these kind of information very fast and unfortunately, identify with it.  In this regard, what ought we to do?  As a parent, guardian, you are not there most of the times - (may be you spend just one hour or less with your child every day), you are unable to influence your child's relations and friendships at all times, behaviours and habits have been formed and as time goes by these form that young boy or girl you have into a teenager and before you know it, a young adult?  How can you ensure that your child grows up not only in your desired ways, but in the way of the Lord?  To be continued ....

Identity

As I finished reading the message below, I could not stop to wonder how many people around us, people that we know – leave alone the people in Kenya or in the world at large that have lost meaning in life simply because one or two things happened to them.  May be a broken relationship, a broken marriage, failure in exams, the death of a relative or a spouse, or just something else that they could not come into terms with.  The message below brings it out clearly that the underlying factor, the core of our lives lies in “whom we belong to”, whom we identify with.  So as you read this, I hope you can be able to clearly say that you know your identity in Christ – coz any other identity in this world is short-lived.  Be it material, knowledge/intellect – all will pass away.  Find your identity in Christ if you have not already.  Read on….. 

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.  In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"  Hands started going up.  He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."  He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.  He then asked, "Who still wants it?"  Still the hands were up in the air.  "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?"  And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.  He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.   "Now who still wants it?"  Still the hands went into the air.  "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.  "Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes.  "To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless."

Psalm 17:8 states that God will keep us, "as the apple of His eye."  The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we are but by WHOSE we are!

Time Management

Last evening I had quite some interesting time with my children. We were discussing about time management and I found myself telling them that one's life is made up of the time they have here on earth and how they spend that time then translates to the value they add to their lives. We were discussing this in regard to their homework, play time as well as devotion or bible reading. As they listened and tried to understand, I realized that I was actually speaking to myself more than to them. How we basically spend our time really matters. For example if you spend 6hrs of sleep, you attain some rest (if it was really necessary), if you spend the same amount of time just having a meal, all you achieve is satisfaction (you are no longer hungry), but if you spend the 6 hrs in a professional skill may be at work or consulting somewhere, you end up achieving some financial as well as knowledge gains. Many are the ways we spend our time, sometimes in invaluable ways whereas other times we almost regret why we had to do this or the other.  Its worthwhile evaluating what it is that we are spending out time on.  What value does it add to us - remember, time and chance happens to all. 

Lets be good time managers and look out for ways of spending time that will add more value to our lives.

Rose

Welcome!

Hi Everyone,

I am more than excited to have finally opened a blog for myself.  I hope that we can share and interact herein with the aim of gaining more insights on various and diverse issues.  More specifically, I have professional interests in Organizational Development.  I would also like to have your views on a more subtle aspect - parenting.  I am so passionate about this topic.  This is because, as a parent, my children have not only brought so much joy into my life have have actually caused a paradigm shift in me in the way i view things.  In this regard, I am doing a book on parenting which I trust will be out soon.  Will keep you posted.

Welcome to share your views. 

Rose