Every new year comes with resolutions. Well, not everyone makes them because they just want to be better versions of themselves. But, here’s the truth. Not everyone would like to hear them.
Most people don’t care about your resolutions. They might be happy for you but they don’t care. Desist from telling people about your resolutions. Let it be between you and God. Others will wish that you won’t be able to execute them. They just want to hear what you have so that they use it against you.
Instead, let the results do the talking.
Let’s be vigilant especially with what we tell people.
Know what to say and how you say it when you’re excited. You might regret later in life.
I pray that in this new year, God will direct our paths to success and may He also reveal to us our true friends and those we are supposed to stay away from.
Why are you worried about 2020 being a bad year? Yes, coronavirus has taken so many lives but, people die everyday. The only thing is you wouldn’t know the day nor time you or someone will go.
Many people have already given up on 2020 because of how things are looking. GOD IS STILL ANSWERING PRAYERS! But, hold on. What if your breakthrough comes on 31st December? Would you wait for it or you have still given up? Will you still frame 2020 as a bad year? Hang in there! God is still in the miracle business. Just wait.
It’s understandable that we can’t come into terms with how bad some things are getting. Remember that, you become what you think and say. If you have already told yourself that, nothing good is going to happen again before the year ends, then nothing good will work out for you because that is what you have proclaimed over your life.
Yes, He is!
Speak positivity into your life and it will manifest! Great things have worked out and are still working out for people even in this difficult time. Some have been innovative in several ways and it’s turning into a lucrative business. Others have taken online courses and are applying the knowledge into something useful. The amount of data you use, should be able to put something in your pocket after you’ve exhausted it. If it doesn’t, then you’re actually spending too much money without getting a positive result.
There is no need to complain about how things are messed up. Being alive itself is a huge blessing.
You still think things won’t work out? Take them to the Lord in prayer no matter how little they may be, work towards it and don’t forget to thank Him when you receive what you prayed for.
It all began when she wanted to change her two year old smartphone. Nothing is wrong with the phone. It’s working perfectly. She just feels like changing it to get the latest one which came the following year. She wants to ‘fit into society’. She’s always on social media, admiring what people have. It gets to a point where she even cries because she wants to be like others. In this Covid-19 era, she wants all the dresses, human hair, latest gadgets etc.
Whom do you want to impress? Why can’t we be content with what we have and save a little for the future? Covid-19 is drawing a lot of people to God while others are moving away from Him into the world of vanity. Material possessions. We sometimes want to have everything. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE! We can’t have it all. The most disheartening thing is, people who have it all, keep giving to those who are wealthy and snob those who don’t have, even when they ask. If God is using this pandemic to test our level of having material things, then most people have failed. Be content with what you have and share the little you can. It’s cliché but someone out there needs to hear this again. Everything is temporary. We always want to be like someone. Do you know what that person is doing behind the scenes? Let’s stop envying what people have or what people look like because we don’t know what happens behind closed doors. Most people won’t tell you the truth about what they go through before getting to where they are now.
Also, don’t let anyone put your spirit down by talking about your looks. Whether you’re fat or slim, tall or short, beard or beard less. When the Lord gets ready, you have to move. Be grateful for how you look. We follow what we see on social media and when something different happens to us, we say God doesn’t like us. Exercise to keep fit. If you know you can’t reach a limit, don’t force yourself. People are killing themselves slowly because they want to look like others. If it’s not working for you, why are you forcing yourself? Appreciate your looks.
And to those who have been talking about how people look, think about their mental health before you criticize. You don’t know what they go through before you add your “dirty talks” to their problems. Let them be. Some of these things have been said so many times but you need to hear them again. Covid-19 is letting people do silly stuff. From stigmatizing, to criticising, to owning unnecessary things. Let’s be guided. Ask the Holy Spirit for directions before you say or do something. I know some people will say that you don’t have to involve the Holy Spirit in everything you do. It is very important to involve the Holy Spirit in your every day life so that you don’t go astray from where God wants you to be.
I happen to participate in the ongoing Pentecost Novena in my church online. For those who don’t know, the Pentecost Novena happens every once in a year in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. The Novena is for nine days only. I’ll leave the link below so that you can watch the playback of every session. On the 5th day of the Novena, the speaker, Rev. Fr. Silas Sapaty encouraged us to ask the Holy Spirit for directions in everything. Be it the dresses we want to wear or getting missing in town. Ask the Holy Spirit for directions. I also watched a live session on Lady Pastor Kukua Asihene’s Instagram page where her husband used a bird analogy with reference to loving or keeping the Holy Spirit close to you. Here’s the bird analogy;
Imagine a bird was put on your shoulder and you’re to keep it for 3 days without letting it move, in order to get a million pounds, what will you do?
Some interesting answers were given. So in this case, imagine the bird is the Holy Spirit. In order to make it stay, you’d make it love you more so it doesn’t fly away. You might as well give it food. So in order to let the Holy Spirit remain in you, feed it with the Word. Ask Him for guidance. Involve Him in every single area of your life.
Let’s stop being eager to have things that won’t last forever. Let’s stop worrying ourselves over things that’ll pass within a second.
Let me leave you with this thought provoking question. Imagine being so aggressive to buy something that is trending. Everyone has it so you also hurry to get it and the world ends in the next minute. Will you take it along with you?
We are currently living in dangerous and abnormal times. A season where things are not normal. A season that has made life uneasy in one way or the other. A season where we can not go about our normal duties.
This season has its good and bad side. The good side, you have time to expand or achieve the goals you want. You have time to innovate something new which will benefit yourself and others. You have time to spend with your family because you are indoors. For the latter, you do not have time to increase your social connections physically, you cannot go to school to interact with your lecturers and colleagues physically, you cannot travel to that country at the specific month you wanted, you cannot buy some things because you do not know how it will be handled. Social events have been cancelled, you cannot even visit a friend or family member who is in the hospital. Even if you can, there will be some restrictions which will make you uncomfortable. The list is endless.
Some unscrupulous people are even using this period as an opportunity to defraud people just because it is safer transacting business online. Others are distributing face masks with chloroform in them just so they can carry on with their evil deeds.
Is this a way of God saying that His people have neglected Him for a long time so He wants us to be destructed by this deadly disease so that we run back to Him? Is it a way of showing Himself to people who think He does not exist?
So many people have died, some are on the verge of dying and others who have been infected are thinking whether they will make it alive or not. If they had known earlier that a time will come where the little things we take for granted; hugging our loved ones, shaking hands with people, will be banned for some time, do you not think they would have done better and also spend more time with their families?
Some people on their sick beds are giving their lives to Christ. What happened when they were healthy? What were they doing? Do you only remember God when you find yourself in a difficult situation?
Image from Google
God is so merciful that He would not remind you of your past sins before He forgives you. He only takes you back if and only if you repent wholeheartedly.
If you have the privilege of reading this, do not take your family for granted. Chat, laugh, share and most importantly, pray together for yourselves and the world as a whole. This is the time to make up for the time lost and apologize to each other if you wronged them.
If you know anyone who lives alone, give the person a call or send a message. Tell them how much you love and care for them.
Take God seriously as you are taking these precautions against the virus serious and continue to take them serious if the virus becomes a thing of the past. No one is supposed to tell you to take care of yourself before you do.
If you have given your life to Christ and given up your bad ways because you are scared to get infected, continue to follow Christ even after the virus vanishes from the system and do not go back to your old ways. What may come next might be severe than what we are seeing.
It was a rainy day but Arya had to get ready for her first job interview. She had no choice than to go in the rain because her life depended on it. It was a take-it-or-leave-it job interview with no regard for the weather. She dressed up in a nude blazer, black inner, pants and boots and with her long hair tied up in a bun.
En route, she bumped into Lexie; a smallish cute lady with short hair, who was dressed like a High School student going for lectures. Arya exclaimed;
“Hey! Watch where you’re going, kid! Don’t you know I’ve got something important to do?!”
Lexie smiled and apologized;
“I’m sorry, ma’am”
Image from Canva
Arya got to the office and went to the receptionist. She submitted her C.V and was shown a seat to wait for the interview to commence. As the receptionist sent her C.V to the Manager’s office.
Lexie walked in and her eyes met with Arya’s. Giving her usual smile, she begun a chat with Arya but before she knew it, Arya whispered to her quietly but rudely;
“Looking at your stature, I know you’re here to see someone. I’m here for an interview. You’ve ruined my day already. Get your little self up and mind your business.”
Lexie stood up quietly and said to Arya:
“All the best.”
Arya was the third person to be interviewed. Before she entered the Manager’s office, she said a quick prayer.
Lo and behold, she saw Lexie seated. She sighed and asked:
“You again! Anyway, I’m looking for the Manager.”
Lexie replied with a smile:
“I am she.”
Arya shook her head and left the office to ask the receptionist the whereabouts of the Manager. The receptionist replied:
“The Manager is in her office. Her name is Madam Lexie.”
Arya was stunned. She returned to Lexie’s office and with calmness in her voice, she apologized:
“I am truly sorry for what happened earlier. I promise to do my best if I am accepted into this company.”
With Lexie’s mind already made up, she told Arya:
“I’m sorry but you do not fit for this company. We take priority in people who have respect for everyone no matter how they look. Here’s your C.V. All the best in life.”
Image from Google
Arya left the office in shame.
MORAL LESSON: Physique is deceptive. Stop judging people according to their appearance or accent. You may lose an important opportunity that your life will depend on. Know how to talk to people irrespective of how they look.
NB: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Tidbit The word “quarantine” is pronounced /ˈkwɒr.ən.tiːn/ as in [KWORR] + [UHN] + [TEEN] and not [KWORR] +[UHN] +[TAIN]
He comes from a very small family. His parents are divorced. No aunties, no uncles, no siblings. His parents have left him to his fate. He didn’t know who to stay with since he loved both parents. He tried solving their issues but they had already made up their minds to separate; the divorce papers had been signed. He lived on the streets with no food, no water, no money, no shelter.
Being asthmatic, he had no choice than to rob a pharmacy for medication. He got caught by the owner of the Pharmacy. Trying to run, Baxter pulled his dress. He didn’t struggle, but stood still. With tears in his eyes and shivers all over him, he explained his ordeal.
“I am Steven. I come from a very small family. My parents are divorced. I don’t know who to stay with because I love both parents. I am asthmatic. Living on the streets with no money, no food, no water, no shelter, I decided to steal some medications to feel okay. I know what I’ve done is bad. Please forgive me.”
Baxter was speechless. The only thing he thought of was to help Steven instead of reporting him to the Police. He gave him a job as a cleaner. He didn’t stop there. He enrolled him in college to take any online course of his choice for two years.
After two years, Steven graduated on the college’s campus with distinction. In his speech as a valedictorian, he expressed his profound gratitude to Baxter for giving him the help he never thought he’d receive.
Months later, Steven built his own IT company which is now the biggest IT company that ever existed. To his surprise, he met his mum in front of his company. He took her inside and offered her food and water. They spoke for a long time. He asked about his dad but unfortunately, he passed away a year ago. Her house was also gutted by fire. She had lost everything. She apologised to him for leaving him to live life on his own. They reconciled and had dinner that evening.
Steven bought a house for his mum and built a salon for her. Life became beautiful again.
MORAL LESSON: No matter the situation you find yourself in, DO NOT LOSE HOPE. It may take years for things to become right. Don’t force things to come to you. When someone helps you, make sure to help another person even in the little way you can. Good things come in unexpected ways to those who give a helping hand. Everything will be fine at the right time. Don’t forget to give someone a helping hand today.
NB: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SHORTBUTPOWERFUL 