Dear Future Me

A LESSON ON OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: Climbing Grand Saleve

January 23, 2018

‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ – Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

There’s a path within. Photo credits: @joyoverone

Yesterday, listening to a sermon on overcoming challenges, I thought how well some parts of it reminded me of a hike up a mountain I did with my classmates during a school trip. I learnt quite a few things on this hike, follow along as I tell you about it.
So, literally eighty percent of the class had said yes to the exploratory trip that day. For several of us, it would be the first time we would be hiking anywhere and for yet a very little few of us, hiking UP a mountain. For what it was worth, it sounded like fun and so many of the experienced trekkers were in such high spirits about it, one couldn’t help but join in the excitement and expectation of it all.
As had been proposed, we got to point of convergence and realized only half the number of people who had signed up were actually present. The other group apparently had decided to sleep in a while longer and start some hours later. With this clarified, the bus ride to the foot of the mountain began. One could easily tell the difference between the regular hikers and the new, which in this particular group, was just me. I was basically a cocoon of clothes, as the weather was slightly chilly. I wore a tight pair of jean trousers which were not very easy to go uphill in, had a small but heavy side purse slung on and wore the wrong kind of shoes. Everyone else had on something easy to run or walk in and a light- weight jacket, backpacks and the most important part, good climbing shoes that had a good solid grip. For me, these didn’t bother me, I was tough and ready to conquer this mountain- it really didn’t look like much at the start, plus I was sure my running etiquette back in my home country made for a sure win in this case. Boy, was I wrong!
Of course, I was the photo enthusiast here, my phone was out in minutes, taking several ‘one for the gram’ shots, much to the amusement of the others who were ready to just take this mountain down but joined in the fun anyway.
We started along the idyllic mountain base, our sights being fed with beautiful scenery and very expensive looking country houses, we chirped on about a wide range of topics and laughed at the fact that nobody wanted to discuss anything that had to do with school. Not too long into our hike, we came to a fork in the road that made even the regular hikers among us scratch their heads. The signs were there, directing us towards not just one but two mountains. It would be fine climbing up either, right? After all, they were both mountains. But no! For one of them, even though much easier to hike up, didn’t hold as much promise at the apex as did the other. From the more exciting one, we would be able to have a very clear view of the beautiful and acclaimed Mont Blanc, access to a bunch of lovely cafes and also ride the cable car down the mountain. But which was which? And as we stood there struggling for internet/ GPS connection and inadequate information/research, we decided to go for the smaller mountain, the petit Saleve.
Still uncertain about the path we had taken, we were a good hour into our hike before a kind elderly gentleman who was travelling alone gave us all the information we needed to make a complete turnaround and head back down to the point of decision. Back at the foot of the mountain, we located a quaint old café and had a hearty French breakfast before continuing on our journey. This time when we got to the crossroads, we knew which direction to take.

How to spot an experienced climber. Photo Credits: @Adwoba

A French Spread. Photo credits: myself

As we made our way along the well-travelled path up the mountain, my initial excitement gradually fizzled, being replaced with tiredness, an ‘are we there yet’ spirit and me questioning my decision of hike, over the more fun and relaxed cable car ride which a couple of my colleagues had opted for. To turn back now would mean spoiling the trip for everyone and so forge on I did, and through the pellets of perspiration on my face, I gained a sage perspective at conquering a mountain that amused me greatly but holds a lot of truth.

GOOD PREPARATION IS ESSENTIAL
Apart from the wisdom about wearing good shoes which I’d seen earlier, I understood quickly that a few preparatory steps were necessary, like knowing how many mountains there were and which would give a good view of the alps. Finding out from a local, someone who had done the journey before or doing good research before setting off, would have served a better resource than our reliance on the GPS or internet which had limitations and had eventually failed us.

DON’T CARRY WHAT YOU DON’T NEED
I noticed how out of shape I was as with each next step I took, my breathing got heavier and the sweat came down in torrents. My heavy jacket and layered clothing which had been a source of warmth at the start were now the very source of great discomfort and my side purse weighed a ton. My experienced colleagues were nice, one tucked my purse away in her backpack and the other took my jacket tucked it away around her backpack. As they shared their water and trail mix of nuts and dried fruits with me, I realized I would have been completely fine without the heavy side purse and perhaps with a lighter jacket but water and something to keep my sugar level right were indispensable.

FOLLOW THE (TRUSTED) SIGNS
As we went higher, the value of the well placed signs could not be overemphasized. In some places that was the only salvation from taking a path that looked good or natural instead of the one that would lead us to our desired destination, and our phones, GPS and internet were as good as dead to us.

Guide Posts. Photo Credits: Myself

Signs of the Paths. Photo credits: Myself

NOT FOR THE SWIFT
I learnt also that you shouldn’t run on these hiking trails, well not unless you’re super- experienced at it or you’re attempting suicide,(giggle). The path is well-littered with sharp rocks, pointy tree parts and some slippery steps and one can easily end up hurt if care is not taken. Also the faster you move up, the earlier you run out of energy.

It is important to pace oneself and move steadily instead of quickly with the sole aim of finishing.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE
Well, especially if you are a newbie like me and even when you are experienced. It is so much more fun having someone to chat with, a hand to pull you up when a step is tricky and like I had already discovered, someone to carry some of your load for you when you run out of energy or the incline gets too steep.
At a couple of clearings we arrived at, I was so happy that the climb was finally over, only to find out after blurting my relief that it was far from over. At these points, my excitement would turn into ‘oh no! there’s more?’ and may have very well called it a day if I was going alone. However, the determined people I was doing the climb with held the end goal in view and their motivation kept us all moving forward.

REFRESH (PAUSE TO BREATH AND WELL, TAKE SELFIES)
At these clearings, we caught our breath, drank some water, munched on the trail mix and of course, took some pictures. This was fun and refreshing and we would return to our trail with renewed strength.
It is fine to take a pause sometimes, regroup, research, catch your breath, take a deep one and then get back on the track.

The Calm Before Photo Credits: myself

NEW LEVELS, NEW DEVILS

As we went higher, the climb did get more challenging. We were more tired than when we began and our anticipation of the end wasn’t making it come any faster. I found however that, our experience at the earlier levels made us a tad more confident that we could clear this level as well. Also the reminder that several hikers had done this before and some were doing it even as we did ours was a great push.

ENJOY, DON’T ENDURE
We were almost at our destination when I realized it had actually been an intense but fun and interesting activity. I had been so tired and weighed down by how difficult the climb was that I had not relaxed and enjoyed it till it was almost over, I had been counting the kilometer marks on the guide posts. Given, it is tough to keep a positive outlook when the situation looks otherwise, however, it is the best attitude. To see the attractions we so desire, we had to climb the mountain, going around it would not get us there. We could have gone up by cable car, but would have missed a number of interesting sightings along the trail path and the joy and pride in my heart for having ‘conquered’ this mountain would not have been the same as if I’d done it by cable car.
We got to the apex to discover that, our colleagues who had slept in, had already arrived. They obviously had planned better, one of them had climbed up this same mountain in the past and knew the course well and had been a good guide for them. We all caught up and went on to enjoy the view and the great food the cafes had.

I realized it wasn’t so much about starting first, we had started first and still finished last. Neither was it about finishing first, we got to the same end point and got to spend a grand afternoon together. It was more about how well you do the climb, taking time to notice and enjoy the trail and making the most of the people and opportunities to learn available to you on the journey. The climb is to be enjoyed and not just endured.

And the view of the mountain after we had descended was so much better than the view when we began.

Awe. Photo Credits: Myself

Almost There: The Light at The End. Photo credits: Myself
The Croc, the tire and the little foxes: that habit is killing you

January 13, 2018

The crocodile and the ugly necklace Photo credits: BBCNews, Instagram

‘Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate: “How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools hate knowledge? Come and listen to my counsel.I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.’

Proverbs 1:20-23

Scrolling through my Instagram feed, the post catches my eye. The caption ‘this crocodile has been stuck in a tire for more than a year’ seems too interesting to not read what follows. So, the less-than-55-second video goes on to explain how about a year ago, passersby had noticed the black motorbike tire around the neck of one of the crocodiles in an Indonesian river. The reptile had been much smaller then. For a while nothing had been done as many had believed it could easily fall off, but over the months that followed, authorities had started becoming more concerned. As the reptile had increased in size, the tire which once hung loosely had come to fit snugly and was gradually becoming tighter to the point where they feared it would be choking the giant reptile soon if nothing was done about it. All attempts to capture it had proved futile. The nets, tranquilizers, etc, had all failed as it continuously evaded them or resisted their efforts and with those giant jaws and dangerously sharp teeth, a lot of care has to be taken for anyone to get close enough to help it.

My mind was quickly drawn to how real this is for us humans as well. I couldn’t help thinking about how at some stage in our lives, usually in our younger years, we pick up certain things; attitudes, habits, thoughts and beliefs which at the time probably don’t seem like much but over time, their real danger starts to be evident. Often it is the people around us, who care, who notice the habit or attitude and the danger it poses. We tend to catch on much later, at the point where we are being choked to death or when it is too late especially when like this reptile, we resist advice, encouragement to change and outright help to move in a better direction. The tire which was once snug and we seemed to wield control over and even like the feel of, starts to exhibit its unyielding nature and something that at one time seemed innocuous, starts to choke the very life out of us. Our work falls behind, our relationships fail to grow better, we lose contracts or find ourselves in debt. You’ve probably heard it said that a bad attitude (habit, thought process or belief system) is like a flat tire, it wont take you far(anywhere). Here, I add that it is like the tire around a growing crocodile’s neck, if you don’t get it off, it will soon ‘kill’ you.

In Songs of Solomon 2:15, we are admonished to ‘catch all the foxes, those little foxes, that spoil ruin the vineyards, for the grapevines are blossoming’. It’s interesting observing the stress placed on the ‘little foxes’, they are the sleek, cute, non- threatening ones that we may give passes to, but as they get comfortable, the damage they do becomes obvious and later, as adult foxes or big foxes, it is outright hard to get rid of them. A good walk through the book of Proverbs can already highlight so many of these ‘little foxes’. Telling lies, being rude, intolerance, impatience, anger, laziness, the list does go on. Sometimes it is things like how we view ourselves and others around us based on opinions and ideologies that we allowed in or fed on without even realizing the damage they were causing. These things eventually guide our choices of friends, our attitude towards work, our relationship with friends and strangers and our very approach to life. We look down on ourselves because some years back a little fox called inadequacy crept in and settled safely in the vineyard and now even when we accomplish something, we don’t feel it is good enough, it never is. It doesn’t have anything to do with complacency but you just feel until you have reached that point determined by that person, you will never be enough, And so you push on, unhappy with the steps you take, although you are taking the steps but unhappy anyway because you don’t measure up to that other person. The foxes vary. The tires vary. For her it may be the anger issues but for him it may be an unwillingness to do any work well or an unwillingness to even try at anything.

How do we get rid of the little foxes? We get rid of them by not letting them in in the first place. It is so much easier to prevent something from starting than to stop it once it has already taken root and started growing. Stop them! Protect the border, set up the right barricade, use the right material, get security, protect what you cherish, stop the little foxes from getting anywhere near those blossoming vineyards. The book of proverbs is just life-giving, on this it also says, ‘Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life’ – Proverbs 4:23. If for some reason as in most cases, the foxes have already snuck in and are already baring their sharp teeth at you, there is STILL grace to take charge and use the right tools to get rid of these nasty foxes. If everyone is pointing and shouting and trying to get your attention Mr Crocodile, there must be something bad choking you without you even knowing. Pay attention. The book of proverbs again talks about lady wisdom standing at the roadside shouting, ‘LISTEN!‘. Listen to her and live. Step away from the bad company, the bad music and television shows that encourage you to speak however you want or get back at people who hurt you, the comparison of your life and where you are to others via social media, the views about yourself that do not encourage growth, etc. GET CLOSE to people of faith, not gossips, not people glorifying bad habits and bad choices, not people who drag you down. GET IN the word!! Wisdom is shouting there, read, listen and put into practice. Yes, PUT INTO practice. If the foxes have already chewed at the roots of some of those lovely vines, it will not take a day to get the vineyard looking great again. Single deliberate acts of obedience to the word of God, to wisdom, everyday, will show you where ALL the foxes are one at a time, and will lead you to get rid of every single one of them, smoke them out, expose them to the light and run them off the vineyard. John 8:32 says ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’. When the foxes are exposed to the light, they can be gotten rid off, the tire choking you around your neck can be cut off and you will breathe better. Cut off? Yes. Sometimes the process of parting with habits that have already been chewed at the base or have taken root can be downright painful, again the book of proverbs says to that, ‘My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.’ – Proverbs 3:11. It can be painful, annoying and as uncomfortable as the blade that is coming too close to cut you lose of that tire, but it is absolutely necessary and WILL set you free.

So today, if your vineyard is yet intact, keep it so with the word. If you have already picked up a habit that won’t help and you have godly loved ones pointing it out to you and trying to get you to notice, pay attention, listen and again, get in the word and allow the good news to change you and thereafter, stay in the word! However, if that tire has already started to choke you, allow it to be cut off. Stop striving, stop biting at those trying to help, settle down and listen to lady wisdom cut you free.

Kill it before it kills you!

God loves you and longs for you to live the life that He has called you to. Free in Him.

Thank you for reading.

love,

Adwoba

52.520007 13.404954
TRUST FALL: Living Faith

January 9, 2018

When letting go seems like an utterly unthinkable thing to do. When surrender only sounds good on paper but impossible in application.
Truth is while struggling to maintain control of that wheel sounds like what will keep life afloat and moving, your willingness to hand over it’s control to the One who made the vessel might be exactly what you need to do instead. More via TRUST FALL
Water Baptism: The bath that changed my life

January 9, 2018

‘He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.’ – Psalm 103:12(NLT)

I pressed the bell and waited to hear the buzzer signifying that door had been unlocked. I had no idea what to expect.
A couple of weeks earlier I’d sat in the back row in Church and turned the white card that read ‘water baptism’ over and over again in my hand. It was not the first time I was seeing or turning this card over in my hand, several times when it had been part of the place cards on the seats, I had given it a good look and placed it right back down after the service. This time however, it held my attention much longer. The regular questions stormed my mind again. Was this necessary? I mean, I had been ‘baptized’ as a baby. Was this any different? Would it really change anything? Was it even real? At the bottom of the card it also said one could get further information about baptism in general. I mean, why not? I would just find out some more information and ditch it if it didn’t sound ok.
At this point, the seemingly cool, calm and collected me was literally nowhere to be found. The girl who sat with sunken shoulders and eyes filled with worry and fear had replaced her quite easily. And now this girl, her hands flailing wildly, legs kicking madly, everything in her life spinning out of control, her whole inner being falling fast in a whirlwind of emptiness, sought hope. Something or someone to restore some order to the chaos that she seemed to have either created or welcomed into her life. The baptism which had been explained as a public declaration of faith in Christ seemed like a good place to take a chance. If it worked, maybe Christ would forgive her for all her failure and give her a chance to make amends perhaps, but if it didn’t work, well perhaps then all hope truly was lost for her.
Within the week, I had a chat over coffee on about as many ins and outs of the topic as could come to my mind, and I had a lot of questions. To these I got answers with biblical backing and questions that made me think about it. Uh Oh, I WAS doing this. The thought both scared and attempted to lighten the weight on my heart. Did hoping it worked matter here? ‘Oh, I hope it works’, I thought again and yet again over the days that followed. Another teaching session where more of my endless questions were answered and a deeper delving into the word for what this represented followed. I WAS doing this.
It wasn’t the cool, calm and collected me that turned the door handle and entered after the buzzing sound came. This was the uncertain and very scared girl who had had thoughts of probably rescheduling or abandoning the whole idea altogether just days and hours before. The wonderful faces that met her when she opened the apartment door seemed however to allay some of the worry and reassure her. It WAS going to be okay.
Calvary covers it all
My sin and shame
Don’t count anymore
All praise to the one who has ransomed my soul
Calvary covers it all

The song played softly in the background and not a single word of the powerful message was missed as she made her way to what would signify the grave of her old self. It WAS really happening. The fearful thoughts came back, ‘what if the water goes up the wrong way and you don’t breathe again? You could choke and die, you know?’. But she was here, surrounded by friends and people cheering her every step on, there was no way she was backing out now. In she climbed. This was once and for all, her old self, hurt, confused, full of guilt, shame, self-doubt and regret for poor choices made earlier, that self, was being buried, here, today and she would emerge reborn, a new person. Death. Life. Old. New. Her thoughts dwelled on these as she was plunged under. She couldn’t wait. And up she came, still a little uncertain if something more dramatic should have happened. This WAS it! She HAD done it. It was done. ~~Death~~. Life. ~~Old~~. New.
My friend, who I’d invited and to whom all this was new, asked a question that brought me out of the cycle of thoughts, ‘so, how do you feel?’. The first answer that came to mind was, ‘wet’, but I looked at her and said, ‘great!’. And though the more prominent feeling was nervousness about how this ‘new life’ was going to play out, I did feel great. Before I had gone under, I had cried out deep within me to the one who this was all about, ‘save me, make me new’. There definitely had not been any ‘BLITZBLANK’ dazzling moment. And even as I changed into dry clothes, I realized the fear, pain, self- doubt and guilt lingered, the enemy’s voice steadily going on about how insignificant that was and how I knew I was still me right. I had heard it way to often, I knew what it always said, but today I refused to agree. Whether it looked like it or not, today I had chosen, chosen to die to the old and be resurrected to the new. I would hold on to that declaration over the accusation.
Over the months that followed, I would quickly come to realize that, although the death to the old self had happened immediately I had gone under the water and I had indeed come up right away as a new being, the fruits of this new life, would take time to show. Like a seed that falls to the ground has to die first IN the ground, sprout a new seedling and after days or weeks emerge from the ground, and then after, be nourished, grow bigger and stronger and THEN bear fruits, I would only look back weeks, months and years down the line and realize where the new seedling had sprouted, where the stem had increased in height and girth, where leaves and flowers had bloomed, and where some of the fruits had appeared and matured enough to be enjoyed by others and yet still where I had been pruned and trimmed when fruits where not showing or dead bark prevented growth.

‘I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels–a plentiful harvest of new lives.’ – John 12:24 (NLT)
Did anything dramatic happen at the time the discouraged and scared girl was plunged under the water? Perhaps, but, not to her naked eye or that of any of the people standing around. Was the water she went under the reason for any change that had happened or would happen afterwards? Not exactly. What she knows without a doubt however is that, something definitely died. In choosing to accept the forgiveness that God offered her and in publicly declaring that stand, something had taken root in her that made her look at things and choose differently. Not all at once and sometimes without even realizing it, somethings that appealed to her earlier, didn’t anymore. Some lingered longer than others, other adamantly refused to be parted with no matter how hard she tried and here, she came to experience the power of the holy spirit in setting us free from the things we can never on our own free ourselves of. Soon the life in the shadows wasn’t appealing anymore, she had received power to life openly and in freedom, where the light and warmth reach her and she reflects it beautifully for all to see.

She had not found just something to hold on to, even better, when she had taken the step forward in faith, doubts and all, something better than she could have ever imagined had taken a hold of her. God Himself had walked in, right in the middle of her mess and spoken life. And live, she did.
The joy that fills my heart whenever I see someone taking this same step is next to none. It is a bold statement. A declaration. Out with the old, in with the new. It is death! Yes! But what’s even better, it is Resurrection. Dead, but raised to a new life in Jesus Christ. It is the bold declaration to the whole universe, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVES, BUT CHRIST WHO LIVES IN ME. I get truly moved to tears watching as they are plunged under and rise to NEW LIFE, thanking God, always reminded of that one special bath that changed my life.

‘And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.’ – Hebrews 8: 12 (NLT)

‘So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’- John 8:36

Songs: I try to add a song that reminds me of the events and seasons written about in the posts, there are too many for this particular one, but these easily come to mind.

Calvary – Hillsong Worship

Selah – I Got Saved

Elevation Worship – O Come To The Alter
Of Christmas and Firsts

December 26, 2017

“You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?” – John 11: 25- 26 (The Message)
Dear Katie,
I miss you. It’s Christmas day today, a day that was always very important to you, actually like many other days at home. I know that buzz that would have been at home today, most likely having started already from the previous week. You would have finished all the pre Christmas shopping, ensured that an extra round of general cleaning other than the regular ones was done, the curtains currently in the hall, brought down and washed and new ones hung up, and then you’d get Aba, Kwesi and anyone within reach to help you put up the Christmas decor. You never missed that. I giggled writing this, because of your make- shift Christmas trees, your potted plants that turned into Christmas trees and received such a ‘specking’ that actual Christmas trees couldn’t hold a candle to them. Even the potted plant on your balcony got a touch of glam for Christmas too. Then of course there would have been the actual Christmas day preparation, you always made it special. Always. And as always, you ensured that others around were not left out of the joyous celebrations.
It’s been six months already and the memory is still as fresh today as on that day when Daddy called to put words to what I’d been feeling from the time I woke up. Everything is still fresh in my mind. My inability to have been next to you, or to hold your hand, sit with you or tell you how much I love you just once more, and of not getting to see you as planned. It has been six months and in these months, so much has happened. The pain hasn’t lessened like they said mummy, it’s just as it was. However, in and through all this, I have come to know, feel and trust the caring presence of our Heavenly Father. He was present with me that morning when I rode to class with that pain in my chest, He was right next to me when I picked up the call from Kwesi only to hear Daddy tell me you had left to be with God, He carried me through the days and weeks ahead, and never for a second left my side just like He never left yours.
Yesterday was Christmas eve but seemed like the actual Christmas day because it was a Sunday. There were Church services, lunches and dinners held here and although I was surrounded by people and wasn’t particularly lonely, I couldn’t help thinking about you mummy and about how different things are now. As I watch people’s posts of how great a year this was for them and how grateful they are, I am not jealous or hurt but rather thankful. I am thankful for you. For who you were and who you brought us up to be. I am thankful for the uncompromising and unflinching love you had for God and for bringing us up to know Him. I am thankful for the example in love and submission and yet strength and grace in marriage you demonstrated to us. For your tenacity and attention to detail. I am thankful for your joy, your jokes and your stories. I am thankful for your heart for the work of God, for your heart for building His church, empowering women, youth and building children up and I am thankful for the example you gave us in commitment and dedication. I am thankful for your demonstration of love to others. I am thankful for your patience with me, your forgiveness and forbearance. I am thankful mummy for the prayers you covered me in. I am beyond thankful to God that He gave me you to begin with and that when He deemed it right, called you back to Himself.
When the sadness that our Christmas this year seems quite empty because you are not here hits, I remember what Pastor Joyce said, that you are actually with the birthday boy and are constantly experiencing true joy, I remember that there is still a field of souls that needs laborers up and working and not sitting around mourning their loss or moaning about their lot. I remember you listening for Alabaster’s voice singing ‘Gloria in Exelcis’ every year and I KNOW that you are singing with Him and a host of angels this time. I remember that God is indeed faithful and as He has promised, is with us and always will be, even to the ends of the earth.
I miss you mummy. I know you are happy with God and that gives me so much joy. Merry Christmas my dear Cutie Katie❤️.

Love,

Adwoba
The Life In Your Days: Living a life of purpose

December 26, 2017

‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ – Psalm 90: 12
Dear Ruji,
I am so glad that we can continue our conversations via these letters. I trust that these letters will give you more insight into the questions which you ask. In your last letter you asked about why some people lived much longer and why other people died so early.
Ever so often I’ve listened to a person pray out and say, ‘I went to bed last night just like so many other people, but I woke up and they didn’t, so I just want to thank you Lord, that I am not dead, that I am alive…’. I probably used this line in my prayer myself a few times in the past. Recently however, I got to thinking about this and asked a few questions; is one truly better off because they are alive? If so, why are they better off? Hopefully by the end of the letter, we would all be able to answer these questions and any others we may have well enough for ourselves.
My friend works in a multinational company. Very often, some of the employees are sent to a branch of the company in a different country. Before they leave, they sign documents that remind them that they are representatives of the company, they would be in the new country for an undetermined period of time and would be moved on to the next country when the need arose. When they go into the new land, they are free to live as if it were their country, they are paid in the country’s currency, they use the country’s health and other resources and quite easily can settle in and live as though they were a national. They could be sent to a holiday island one day and a not- so- appealing place the next, and yet in-spite of where they are, one thing is not to be forgotten; they are there to represent the parent company and can very easily be moved to the next post in a different country anytime.
Imagine that my friend went to one of these paradise islands, realized that the physical beauty was even better than what he had seen in pictures and became so enthralled by the beauty of it all, the care and attention he was getting from the locals, the food and the parties and made all that his focus instead of the main reason he was on this island. I can only imagine how shocked he’d be if the packing orders came for him to move to the next station. And then quite unimaginably, imagine him refusing to budge. I think he would be receiving a different set of packing orders after that refusal, wouldn’t you agree?
Like my friend, we are all here for a period of time which though is pre- determined by our maker, we have no inkling as to how long it actually is meant to be. A song writer once said, ‘if we’d known when You were coming, we’d have time to clean up our act and prepare ourselves’. Sometimes however, we get so enthralled by all the joys, frills and business of this life and either neglect or forget why we are here in the first place. For many, the problem with the lack of focus may be simply a matter of not knowing what their ‘mother company’s’ mandate was to begin with and being uninterested in knowing. We become so enamored with this existence and cling on so tightly to this life, forgetting that it is only temporal and there is an eternal life of happiness or weeping (depending on how we live out our lives) ahead.
‘And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony, for they did not love and cling to life even when faced with death [holding their lives cheap till they had to die for their witnessing].’ – Revelations 12:11 (AMPC)
The Word of God tells me where I came from and tells me quite clearly that I will return there, and when I do, it will be to give account of what I did while I lived on this earth. If I did my work well, I will be rewarded but if I lost track of why I was here and refused to listen to the clear prompts, I would receive what was due me in that regard as well; punishment.
Some time ago, after a terrible gas explosion that caused damage and claimed many lives, an older lady had fearfully proclaimed how it could easily have been her and how it was only by grace she was alive. As true as that is, one underlying truth in there is that she, like many of us Christians are still afraid of death. We have somehow come to so love the blessings we have in this life or become so engrossed in the troubles and trials we encounter that we have failed to remember that this is all only temporal and there is more ahead. And that as much as this part is important, what is actually ahead is much more important than whatever is in this life.
Is the goal to live the longest here on this earth? Definitely not. Of what good is a 90- year life lived for self as compared to a 5- year earthly existence that compels others to do something right or better? If at the end of a person’s 90- year existence, they have thoroughly neglected what they were on this earth for, was that really the fulfilled life? I beg to differ. Again, the Word has this to say, ‘For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ – Mark 8: 36 (KJV).
Hebrews 9:27 goes on to remind us that it is appointed unto man to die once and after that be judged. The length of a life is thus not the issue but rather the life in those years. In those years, did you get about your purpose or did you become so consumed with the concerns of the earth that what the Lord wanted you to do was completely neglected.
The gratitude for being alive is of course important, but are you alive for the sake of just being alive or you are alive for a reason? And if you are, are you getting about that reason/ purpose, or are you just content with the state of being alive just for the sake of being alive’.
I pray that, you will ask the Lord and He will show you this purpose even as you learn to let go of everything and give him total control, and I pray that you get about this purpose, and that when you next say thanks for the fact that you are alive (absolutely necessary), you will be alive not just to occupy space but for the reason you were made and what’s even better, you will not be fearful of death. I will write to you again soon dear friend.
Love,
Adwoba
The Joy Over One: Why I write

November 13, 2017

Luke 15:7 “In the same way, I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety- nine righteous ones who do not need to repent”

And with that key verse, I introduce this blog. One that has truly been long in the making, one I dare say I may have avoided or unintentionally dragged my feet on for quite a while but will not run from any longer, it is indeed better to obey than to sacrifice after all.

I write these words in obedience, not only for myself but for that ONE. The young lady struggling to find herself in a world which has so many contrasting views. The one young adult who may have knowingly or unknowingly veered off the right path, for the shunned, the scorned, the confused, the ‘unloved’, the desperately lost, the one who has been living off peoples’ opinions and wants to do better, and for someone not listed here but who will eventually find this useful.

Isaiah 43:6 – “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all”.

In a world full of distractions and easy opinions, it is easy to find ourselves chasing after whichever seems ‘cool’ at the time, without realizing how wrong it may be and to what end it is leading us. As one who has been at one long point in my life given to other people’s opinions on how to live life, I can identify with most people who may be stuck in such a situation as well. The good news is, there is more! There is better! There is a better way to live life and believe it or not, it has little to nothing to do with the opinions of others and EVERYTHING to do with the maker of your very life.

The raw truth is that we were made by a creator, a Father who longs to relate to us, and He doesn’t leave us fumbling around on earth, He has given us His word to guide our every step so we don’t end up walking into ditches and hurting ourselves over and over again.

For so long, I tried to do things MY way. I listened to the Word, but it wasn’t deeply rooted in me, it wasn’t as much a part of my life as it should have been. I went through completely avoidable situations, painful and destructive places I wouldn’t have had to go through, had the Word been deeply rooted in me. You don’t have to go through these either. Walk through my stories, some are inspired, some are real situations that happened, but all of them have real experiences in there you can draw on for every phase and strengthen yourself in the knowledge of our everlasting loving Father. Don’t walk alone, God longs to walk with you, to lead you, to direct you, to listen to you and to speak to you.

So, lean in, read the stories, share where they resonate with you, invite your sisters to read and let the Lord guide you in applying to your own circumstances. I pray that that ONE will find this, and will grow through this, will find out who the Father made her to be and will start living her best life out.

It is for you, The ONE. The one He leaves the 99 for, the one heaven rejoices over, the one He died for, the one He longs to live in, the one He’s waiting to welcome Home at the end of this journey.

1 Peter 2:25 – “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” It’s never too late and in fact, even better, it is better now than later. Heaven waits to rejoice over you. Welcome to the ‘Joy Over One’ blog, whether you are visiting or are a regular in the making, I pray you find something that inspires you and teaches you to live the life you have been called to. Walk with me through my life and stories, you don’t have to take the same wrong steps. It’s good to have you here.

Adwoba

post-song: Reckless Love by Cory Asbury

Orchid Garden at Keukenhoff, Netherlands. May 2017 photo credits – @amedicsmusings

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