INSPIRATION

Spiritual Growth

For the longest time, I’ve yearned to draw closer to God, prioritizing prayer and fasting at the forefront of my mind. My high school days were marked by a deep spirituality, where I commenced each morning with prayer, dedicating the day to the Almighty. In the evening, I would reflect on the day, expressing gratitude and appreciation to Him, ensuring a peaceful night’s rest

Attending church and participating in worship every Sunday might have led you to label me as the “Miss Goody Two Shoes,” eager to be first in line to have my name read by Peter from the books of the deceased at the gates of heaven. Unlike my peers, whom I believed were destined for hell.

I attempted meditation in the renowned unfinished building conveniently situated behind 4S, the classroom where I spent 90% of my time in the institution—a period that would become one of the most significant in my lifetime. However, meditation always revealed that my past was too recent to seek divine assistance from God. My mind wandered to moments in my life where I vowed to make different choices, pondering questions like how I ended up in this situation, what was expected of me, and how I would pull myself out of it.
For me, prayer was reserved for moments when I needed God’s assistance. I found myself on my knees only when seeking provisions for my daily needs, the health and safety of my family, and divine protection and guidance. As time passed and I grew older, this practice became ingrained in me.

Adult me has come to understand that there are various motivations for prayer, including

Protection
To change a situation
To keep you in the will of God
To enhance your hope
Healing
Peace
Prayer is therapeutic
A way to communicate with God.

Once I discovered that I could simply kneel to say “thank you, Lord,” a transformation began. I found myself praying everywhere—while walking, eating, gazing out my window, and even showering—and gradually, revelations began to unfold
What kept me from prayers after high school?

I refrained from praying because I simply didn’t engage in it. This absence of prayer led to guilt, which in turn resulted in avoidance. As time passed without prayer, I felt unworthy to approach God because I had failed to uphold my promise of daily prayer and worship. It’s akin to a situation where your father forgives your mistake once, but when you repeat the same mistake and he remains silent.

*Never cease asking the father for what you want*

This often leads to a desire to pray, but I often find myself unsure of where to begin. I’m uncertain whether I should start by asking for forgiveness, expressing gratitude, making a prayer request, or confessing, among other possibilities. The options seem endless. I sometimes feel too sinful for God to want me in His presence, let alone listen to my requests or respond to them.

God doesn’t always respond immediately; His timing is His own. When prayers aren’t swiftly answered to my benefit as I desire, my patience wanes, leading to inconsistency. The absence of spiritual discipline allows laziness to overcome me, causing me to prioritize sleep over prayer until I have no time left for a morning with God.

What will I do differently to see my spiritual journey grow?

Examine my beliefs by being honest and intentional about my prayers and let the realization that I have been sleeping all along be felt and awakening is the result.
Explore new and different beliefs that differ from my own.
Set a time to speak to God.
Fast, pray, and worship
Walk in faith
Cut off anything and everything that is hindering me from this growth
Be disciplined.

Begs the questions…

What are you doing to be closer to your maker?
As much as you make requests, what are you willing to sacrifice?
How intentional, disciplined, and honest are u willing to be in this journey?

The ultimate secret to a fulfilled life

By now, we’ve all heard the adages: “Life is hard,” “Take the road less traveled,” and “There is a light at the end of every tunnel.” Yet, nobody provides us with bandages before thrusting us out into the tumultuous sea

There’s no warning about the spiteful monsters that lurked under our beds, ready not only to trip us but to take their time amputating both legs, regardless of our willpower and ambition. No one enlightens us about the absence of even one shoulder to lean on, let alone two, where warmth can be found during this lonely journey to an uncertain future that’s never guaranteed. Clinging to the sliver of hope that keeps us going, even when all seems lost, is all we can rely on to survive.

Nobody emphasizes the importance of occasionally taking a step back, laying low, and embracing a direction that may seem unorthodox to those who don’t share your perspective. Sometimes, it’s necessary to retreat into your own cocoon, reflect, and rejuvenate, emerging with renewed vigor, wider eyes, and thicker, stronger skin.

No one brings up the fact that this journey is solely a race against yourself, not against the world or in competition with it. Everyone has their own battles, far removed from yours. Each person possesses a secret weapon that propels them forward. Nothing, regardless of its zero-shilling price tag, comes without a cost. Wrongdoings, though scarce, are etched in people’s hearts indefinitely, unlike the countless selfless acts of kindness. Paths intersect, even across lifetimes, when least expected.

Secrets to a fulfilled life

Nurture gratitude and embrace positivity as your lifestyle.
Celebrate the small victories in life as you anticipate reaching the major milestones ahead.
Embrace imperfection and live in the present moment.
Remember your happiness before jumping on the bandwagon.
Forge meaningful connections with your family, friends, and acquaintances
Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be in terms of personal growth, career growth, financial growth, or any type of growth you searching to achieve.
Be of service to God and others through donations, feeding the less fortunate, mentoring,

Giving back to your community or lending a helping hand to the less fortunate has been proven to be the most fulfilling act in life. Once the realization comes to you that humanity is the key to empathy, fulfillment shall be birthed.

Think about it, being an African by birth, parents give their all to ensure that their children are educated. They put everything on the line to see their daughter or their son graduate and progress to a well-paying job. Inversely, the joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction that comes from the child giving back to his family is undeniably the most exuberating feeling one can have. The same satisfaction comes when a man or a woman is able and capable of providing for their families.

Once you realize that you are playing a finite game in an infinite universe, you realize you are granted permission to play the game of your liking. Search within yourself to find your passion, whether it’s as traditional as your great-grandmother’s or as contemporary as they come to enjoy each move you make.

Friendship Ties

Google defines friendship as people who like each other and enjoy each other’s company.
Well, we all know friendship is much more than that.

Friendship is a mutual feeling between two individuals who happen to cross paths on this short, unpredictable, God-given journey to share disappointments with, laughs at the dissatisfaction that they wish could be satisfied at the snap of their fingers, to make memories and look back at their stupidity, ten, twenty years to come, to be each other’s soft pillow to land once hit by the world’s cruelty, to be each other’s confidant, listen to each other without judgment on failures and wrong decisions made intentionally or unintentionally.

But the harsh reality is… It takes a Hella long time to get that true friend who has your best interest at heart. Who won’t secretly knock you down as you work your way through the struggles, Who will act stupid with you and have to retrieve the reputation when kingdom home together.

They say that a stranger can be a more loyal friend than the friend you’ve always thought you had since birth. The advice I once received from a girl I once knew, “live your life as though you have No one in this world.” which translates to self-reliance above all.

Celebrating a friend’s next rite of passage. cc Jackie

Consulting friends before making decisions can lead to the results which benefit them through you. We always have answers of the problem at hand at the first thought of it and consulting friends is only a way to justify the decision that our very able instincts have already chosen. This will guarantee complete satisfaction in the decisions that were not influenced by peers and complete disappointments on oneself on the wrong decisions made solely. With time given, frazzled out friendships leave us with dilapidated situations that were enabled by our “consultants.”

Good days bring joyous moments while rocky days leave us out in the rainstorms. Bench-marking is measured by the thickness of our wallets once that promotion has fattened it, once you become everyone’s free ride, when you are polished enough to be an accessory or when you pick tab at the bar.

Loneliness sets in without a knock on the door expecting accommodation in your space once you lose that job, Once HE leaves, when the car is repossessed, During your grieving period when illness strikes.

Today’s society is contaminated by this ideology that one must have a #BFF, so one can upload photographs on the gram #friendshipgoals or better yet #squad. These being the groups of ladies who you run around with, in and out of bars, road trips, who you take to upcountry to show off with as your “accomplishments” to onlooking villagers that will forget you immediately you loud music Subarus vacate your dilapidated mud houses you let your parent live in as you shout from uptown bars that u only do fine whiskeys.

Once I can’t afford that tab, when I can’t afford to hop in men’s cars with you for a ‘road trip’ or ‘adventure’, once am no longer able to dress like a slut to gain mens’ attention in clubs, will I still be a member of your #squad?

The argument is that when one skips this stage, they are bound to come back for it at an older age. But resonate with what is realistic and bringing you closer to your goals and purpose in life.

Life is a journey.. we all need a shoulder to lean on, and keep us sane in our moments of insanity, someone to show a genuine interest in what’s going on in your life, what you have to say, and how you think and feel. Accept you for who you are, listen to you attentively without judging you, telling you how to think or feel, or trying to change the subject. Feel comfortable sharing things about themselves with you

Friendship evaluation 101

We are not throwing friendships off the cliff just yet, we have to recognize which friendships are worth salvaging or halting. Genuine friendships are True friendships respect values, struggles, goals, and interests.

Do they Swing the conversations to concentrate only on themselves
Dot they only see you vent about their frustrations?
Do they constantly put you down by harshly criticizing you
Do they only look to compete with you instead of uplifting themselves so we can win together?
Do you trust them not to betray your trust
Do they show genuine concerns about, Do they ask questions about you
Do they give full attention toward you
Do they only call you only during their bad times or do u also celebrate with you?

How to find new friends physically

Attending and becoming a loyal member of the church
Make an effort with your colleagues
Volunteering gives you opportunities to meet people who have as great of heart as you help others in the community.
Enroll in seminars, conferences, searching for events close to you such as cultural events
Join a class where you can connect with people with the same interests.
Re- explore your community, learn about new things that you have always taken for granted in your immediate surroundings.
Find a way to incorporate your daily activities by getting to know new people and be productive simultaneously