25 years 25 life lessons: Birthday Month!!
Hello God's Artwork,
It's been more than a minute. 🙈life, I guess?! After my last post a lot of changes took place in how my day looks and that made it harder for me to post, despite using the 5-minute-a-day-on-what-you-love method. I am however daily learning how to balance harmonize my new normal, so, I should be able to post at least once a month. You are therefore welcome to subscribe so that you get notified of new posts.
As promised, I did the #25years25lessons challenge on Facebook and I'm now putting them here for whoever may have missed.
#Lesson1 LIFE IS A RACE
If life is a race, then I've come across 3 types of racists😜 racers. There is one who'll break their leg and keep running, another who will give themselves first aid, rise up and keep running, and another who will wait for a first aider to come help them and encourage them to run the first few steps before they can continue running on their own. Don't be ashamed to be the latter type of racer...
#Lesson2 WHEN YOU SAY YES TO ONE THING YOU'VE SAID NO TO SOMETHING ELSE.
Choose wisely what you are going to say no to. Growing up I've had instances of feeling bad for weeks because of missing something. But since I learnt this lesson I came to find comfort whenever I'd say no to something and find that simple decision was me saying yes to God...
#Lesson3 WHO IS GOD TO YOU?
The difference between how I yield
results and how you yield results as a Christian, is pegged on who God
is to us individually. Both of us might believe that God is our Father
but yet have different understandings of those words. I for a long time,
believed God was a father but I subconsciously thought him like the
absent father who bore me or something like what my Mum(acting father)
was. It was until I lived with my friend and her family for a number of
weeks that I discovered, her earthly Dad was way much better than 'my'
heavenly Dad. I revisited my relationship with God and since then my
prayer life has changed. I ask God for things knowing full well He will,
actually, He has, already given them to me.
There is such a thing as covenant friends and also such a thing as seasonal friends. There are also permanent things and temporary things that will come into your life. Know the difference. Learn to let go of the seasonal and temporary when their time is up. Discern the long-term things of life, treasure and invest in them. They slip away so easily and leave huge gaps when they do.
#Lesson5 THE VALUE OF THE NUMBERS 1440, 24,7 and 12
This is the number of minutes in a day, hours in a day, days in a week and months in a year. The value of time cannot be overemphasized. Being an architect naturally makes me a planner and now that I design and sell notebooks and planners I'm interested in the topic of time more than ever. I'll leave this here for you to ponder then meet me in my blog when I'll later share my ponderings on the same: Did you know creativity and time go hand in hand? See this: in the beginning (time!) God created (creativity)...
BTW these lessons are not in any particular order, I just wrote them as I remembered them...
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| Nope, I don't work in a studio, those are not even real headphones😆 |
On days I have woken up feeling meh and had to encourage myself to get to work. These next 4 lessons really came in handy:
#Lesson6 SIKU NJEMA HUANZA ASUBUHI NA MAPEMA (a good day starts in the morning, early morning).
I
used to think that this proverb implies that, you can tell a good day
by how it has started (if that makes any sense). I've come to learn
though, that I am the one to create a good morning which then leads to a
good day. This is through the little actions I do early in the morning.
I'm still learning to wake up early by going to bed early. However,
when I wake up feeling meh! I've realized a 5-10 minute dance or sing
along does magic.
#Lesson7 JUST DO IT
... and do it as if you
were the best at it... because you are! I'm a very good planner. But I
really struggle with taking action. Because I want it to be perfect.
This year I've been challenging myself to show up to tasks I have to do
as if I were the best at it. Because truth is, the one who is best at it
lives inside of me and in Him I live, move and have my being... (NB:
This is different from fake it till you make it.)
#Lesson8 IMPORTANCE OF AFFIRMATIONS
If
you weren't born in a Word of Faith Christian environment or
'universe-believers', saying affirmations may sound a bit woo woo. But I
honestly wished I had been introduced to it earlier in life. I heard
someone say, "Whatever words you put after your 'I AM', are your
reality"... 😅
#Lesson9 BE PRESENT/ THE POWER OF NOW.
This is
closely tied to yesterday's lesson 5 on time. If you look at it
LOGICally, the past and the future don't exist. The only time you have
is now! And by now I mean this particular second and minute. If the
world were to end in the next 1 minute, we forget about the future and
suddenly enter a realm called eternity... How is this lesson important?
You may ask. If the past does not exist, then why would I want to spend
my present regretting about it. And if the future doesn't also exist,
why then would I worry about it? The only time that we are sure exists
is now. So I'm learning to use lessons from my past to enjoy a better
now and using the hope for a good future to enjoy my present moment.
Thank you for following these lessons this far, its gonna be a long post, it's 25years, remember🙃...
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| I treasure this photo |
Did I just hear you say these lessons are too serious
? So, the next five will be less serious ones...
#Lesson10 BLACK DON'T CRACK COULD BE A MYTH.
I thank God I had okay
skin growing up. But I have few to no photos of myself from high school
all the way to 2nd year of campus. I used to avoid the camera because of
acne and black spots. In 2nd year I did research on Natural Skin Care
methods and managed to clear that acne in 6months and the spots in
18months, never to see them on my face again till last year. I tried to
use the previous method (diet watching and product application) but was
not seeing results until a friend good with skin care told me, "Girl,
you've been overexposing your skin to the sun. Black skin does crack so
get a sunscreen." I am yet to buy the one I identified but wearing
sunglasses or a cap has really helped. I also use oils that have a
little bit of SPF. She also encouraged I establish my skin care routine
early because the next fight might not be acne but actually wrinkles🙈
which are also accelerated by overexposure to the sun...
#Lesson11 BRUSHING TEETH BEFORE BED
I
learnt this from a dorm-mate in high school, though developed the
discipline in campus. She used to tell us, "If you're to pick between
brushing teeth at night or morning, pick night. Because, with your mouth
closed for 8+ hours, that's when bacteria do their thing. But during
the day you're always interrupting them by talking or eating." I wished I
had started earlier...
#Lesson12 LEARN TO TOUCH THINGS ONCE.
This
one I'm yet to learn how it applies in my career because, for a
creative field, sometimes there are mind blocks or delays as you await
approvals from a team member, boss or client. It has however helped me
in my house chores. For example: when I decide it's meal time, I cook,
wash my plate and even most times clean a section of the kitchen in the
process of waiting for something to steam or cook so when I leave the
kitchen, that's it till the next meal.
#Lesson13 DRINKING WATER.
I
really struggled with this one as a child. It's funny though that I
have never had any complications because of not taking water. Though I
knew I would have had a better experience had I incorporated it. I've
listened to all kinds of talks and encouragements to drink water but
nothing kept me at it, until the Holy Spirit took me to Genesis 1: 2b-3
"...the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then God said..."
And
soon after that creativity/creation began... You now know how the word
creativity lights me up😀... 3yrs later I make it to glass no. 6... I hope
to get to 8 by Dec of this year... And best of all, I have many
And-God-said moments.
#Lesson14 ARE THEY CHOLERIC, MELANCHOLIC, SANGUINE OR PHLEGMATIC?
Learning
personality types is important. For yourself, to be less harsh on
yourself and for those you interact with. It's not so you put people in
boxes but so you understand how different people think and work so you
know which of their strengths to maximize on...
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| The most choleric face I could pull😅 |
What I'm I thinking about? How do I feel? What I'm I doing? This is closely tied to #lesson7 On being present... Being more aware... Answering these 3 questions has helped me break many bad habits and begin to tap into the righteousness and holiness I was bought into by Jesus. This is such a wide topic but if you're interested, I recommend the book Switch on Your Brain by Dr Caroline Leaf.
#Lesson16 LOVING OTHERS FIRST.
I know, I know, this is our Church's vision statement. But it has been a great lesson too. I've heard people advice that we love ourselves first so we learn how to love others, and I agree. However recently, I began to see another angle. For example: Though I do self care for me and the Holy Spirit, I also do it for the benefit of those around me. I stay clean so my neighbour continues to breath fresh air😅, I go to work early so my boss's company expands, I grow my design skills so I can serve others better...
#Lesson17 GENEROSITY IS A SIGN OF MATURITY.
I got this one from our pastor, Pastor Carla. A child's favorite word is "mine," a grown up's favorite word should be, "DIET"... Not diet coke or diet of food, ... the acronym: Did I Enrich Today?
#Lesson18 EVERYTHING RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP.
#Lesson19 LEARN TO DANCE EVEN IN THE RAIN.
Sometimes life to me is like this long dance... Well I like dancing, even when there is no music😅... It's easy to be happy(dance) and be there for people when everything is okay in life. But how about those days when you're feeling meh (rainy days)? I've learnt, and I'm still learning, to go past my mood swings or laziness, and show up for my daily devotions, routines, work, relationships, chores etc...
12th April 2021:
I'm so excited and grateful to God today. When the year began, I had mixed feelings about turning 26... One of my friends who celebrated hers earlier put it this way, 'young yet feels so old'... But knowing God is turning 26 with me gave me so much peace.
If you've been following my #25years25lessons, another 'woo woo' thing I began to do a while back, is look up the meaning of numbers and make it the theme of my birth-year. Last year I saw God minister to me 5 x 5 i.e Grace upon grace = His Blessing. I don't think a book would be enough space to testify just half of it...
This year I began praying for my birthday in the last week of Feb. And that's when I saw that 26 is the number of love! But most researchers say the power of salvation, which is really Love.
This leads me to #Lesson24 (Yeah, I know I've skipped lesson 20-23. I'll keep posting them this week...)
I have come to learn that it's possible to deceive yourself that you understand this word just because you know its definition or have crammed 1st Cor 13. However, I have had to be intentional about daily putting it in action. This year I decided to focus on the part: "Love doesn't insist on its on way..." Example application: I've been noting down the things that irritate my Mum and my new small siz, then do my best to ensure I am not the one to put those irritants their way. I had tried the other method of focusing only on what they like but, have you ever noticed this thing with human beings? You do everything good except this one thing and they somehow don't notice all the good? So, I'm learning how to balance both: more of what they like and less of what they don't.
Year of Love and the Power of Salvation, here I come!
If you've never argued with your Mum or sibling concerning house chores: We honor you Woman/Man of God🙇🏾. Pray for the rest of us...
I can be a serious book worm🙈 and previously, I would find house chores a bother. Especially because I didn't understand why I have to clean or weed the same place everyday/every week. Can't it just stay clean? Until the Holy Spirit began to show me the similarity of house chores to what He is constantly doing in the renewing of my mind. I have now moved from the do-to-finish mentality to a do-to-clean mentality... The good side? Most of these crazy things I share come from those moments of doing house chores and I usually remember them long after I'm done so that I can document them...
I have come to learn how to balance the place of keeping secrets to yourself as you wait to hear God and sharing them with someone when your ears are too waxed to hear Him. The devil enjoys when you are in isolation and wallowing in your problem(s). That's why he hates the Church: because it is one, yet many, forming one😅. If I find myself not hearing concerning a situation, and it's eating me up, I have learnt to look for someone I can talk to. If say, I don't have airtime to call the one I would prefer, I believe God to provide someone else more accessible. He always does... And concerning the issues of trust, I have had to believe God to help the person to keep my secret and if they don't, that God will protect me from the consequences that follow such situations. Don't let the devil waste your time or trick you into believing there was no one to go to... Keeping a secret is not more valuable than the peace of mind...
#Lesson22 UNDERSTAND MARRIAGE.
Whether you plan to stay single all your life or get into marriage one day, I believe marriage is an important entity to understand. It was the first institution God created before families, communities, Church or government... He even chooses to call our relationship with him marriage. Lessons I have learnt while seeking to understand this institution, have helped me in many other aspects of my life. For example, by understanding that it is in intimacy where secrets are shared and thus problems solved, I stopped skipping my morning devotion so I start my day having intimately met my Solution Giver...
#Lesson23 WHAT IS MY PURPOSE IN LIFE?
Purpose is a question that bothers many people for a large portion of their life. Most people try to figure out purpose by looking at their 10year or even 5year plan, but that's too much for most of us. After reading many books and listening to many teachings on this subject, and not feeling answered, I asked the Holy Spirit what really is my purpose. He told me, "Whatever you are doing/are able to do NOW, with conviction that God is in it, is your contribution to this thing people call purpose." For example I purposed to do this #25years25lessons challenge. That's purpose. After this I purpose to finish a pending assignment. That's purpose.... Whatever you do, even eating or drinking do it to the glory of God. That's purpose...
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| My first time in a Range Rover... I had to😂😂 |
Until the next post remember: You are God's artwork and God is at work in you, through you and for you.💕
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