#1: On Loving God

Loving God is so beautiful. It is my duty and I have to decide to do it, consciously.

One of the most helpful things that Jesus did for us was the clarity of His teachings. He was so clear about some issues that we tend to get confused about them. Agreed, some of Jesus’ teachings, like His parables can be quite difficult to understand sometimes but most of his words were just so clear cut. I guess our confusion has to do with our tendency to want to complicate things. God is so simple we find it hard to understand him.

                                     ************************************

“…Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The one that says, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’ “The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.” The teacher of religion replied, “Sir, you have spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is far more important to love him with all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the Temple.” Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:26-35 – TLB)

I can almost imagine the crowds circled round Jesus, with some of them shuffling their feet awkwardly, some nodding and others just giving him a blank look as they almost asked, “That’s it?”  They probably stared at Jesus for a long time as they mentally pictured scrolls upon scrolls filled with the laws Yahweh handed to Moses, comparing all those rules with the simplicity of Jesus’ words and wondering how he could say that was all. Love.

But that is the SIMPLE truth. This is all it takes. This is all he asks of us; that we love, that we be faithful in giving our all. And considering all he has done for us, this is not too much to ask. Really. We have not been called to do anything but love. We have been called to be faithful. We have been called to walk with God and to be portals who give as we have received.

What then does it mean to love God?

First, it is a choice, as it always is with God. As much as he desires that we love him, God would not force it on us. Doing so is hardly love. How would you feel if someone came to visit you simply because they had been compelled to do so? You would rather they had stayed back! 

God created us as with freewill because he wants to delight and find pleasure in us. He desires to see us choose him. Over our fears, over our ambitions, over our desires and our desperate need for acceptance. He wants to be above all that. He wants us to choose Him. And I guess this is all it boils down to. Choosing to love with all our understanding, heart and strength.

Who do we choose? In that moment when we are torn between loyalty to God and the seductions of the enemy, who wins the bet on our lives? Do we weigh God on a scale with those enticements and shrug, deciding that after all, those things weigh more than he does? I have been thinking about this. When I open my mouth to say God is worthy, do I really mean it? Am I not weighing him with those other things and deciding that maybe, just maybe God isn’t worth as much as them?

You see, it goes beyond singing a couple of beautiful songs. I mean, I like songs. Really I do. But can we just cut out the hypocrisy a little bit? Can we allow our hearts speak before our vocal chords enter a frenzy of melodies? Can we just stop for a second to understand the meaning of the words we let spew out our lips? Is it too much to ask that we find substance to back up our words? Because words on their own are very cheap; anyone can afford them. 

So, loving God is beyond what we profess. It is beyond the fancy stickers, hashtags, lyrics and pretty words.

“Loving God means doing what he tells us to do, and really, that isn’t hard at all;” (1John 5:3 – TLB).

That’s it. It’s just so really simple. But do I get this? Do you?

So, secondly, loving God is doing what he tells us. It is doing his bidding without hesitation or regret. It is seeking to please the Father who gave his all for us. It is trusting his instructions knowing that the one who gave his very life for us has a beautiful plan in everything. It is devotion that is more than routine. It is giving our all.  It is loving people. It is worship.

It is letting go.

It is making room.

It is beautiful.

And this is what I am learning to do. Picking up my cross. Choosing this cross with joy and a sense of privilege at the beauty that I finally get to love the one who sought me out when I didn’t even care anything for him. It may seem hard (even though it really is not, “for every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him.” - 1John 5:4). It will cause me to bleed and maybe even die.

But I will choose life.

I will choose love.

Even if it means my life.

Side Note: 

It would be nice if you could pray about this.

Seriously.

**This post is based on the "What I have been learning" series.

A YEAR OF QUIET REST

Hey guys! A gracious 2016 to you. May God’s light continue to shine brighter on your path.

God has been so faithful over the years and I am expectant for a greater future. And hopefully, this time around I will be able to do something more meaningful on this blog but who knows? (No, it has nothing to do with the fact that I am only just writing my first post for the year. Don’t judge me abeg).

Alright, if you insist. Brace up for the excuses.

Number one: ………

Okay, okay. I accept your apology :/

Seriously though, I actually planned to post something earlier but you know, life. But, it was prolly more because I didn’t know what to write about. You will notice that hasn’t changed. I’ve been having this ah…block lately. But that’s what happens when a girl doesn’t write in a long time. Hmph! Serves her right.

Alright, I was thinking I’ll start something with the “What I have been learning”  series. I’ll just pick each of those items on my list and discuss. By my calculation, there are about 35 of them. This means at least 35 posts for 2016 (0__0).

Breathe.

It’s not that much of a tall order now, considering I posted 15 articles in 2015. It’s just 35 posts, how hard can that be?

I am reaallyy tempted to draw a time-table or something right now but maybe I shouldn’t. Or should I? And if you are wondering how I am going to go about this, this is how:

“The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!” (Isaiah 9:7 – NLT).

Away from blogging, I’m hoping for a lot of things this year. I did try at setting some goals and I’m trusting God’s grace will see them through. Don’t worry, I’ll share the testimony when the time comes. My watch scripture for the year? (at least for now):

“Lord, I am not proud and haughty. I don’t think myself better than others. I don’t pretend to “know it all.” I am quiet now before the Lord, just as a child who is weaned from the breast. Yes, my begging has been stilled. O Israel, you too should quietly trust in the Lord—now, and always.” (Psalm 131 – TLB).

That’s it. Quiet trust and a thorough satisfaction in God alone, no matter what.

Then and only then is He glorified.

Side Note:
What are those huge goals you’ve set for yourself this year? Why not commit them to God? For His ‘passionate commitment’ is able to see them fulfilled. And above all else, whatever happens, trust in God and be satisfied in Him.

Then is He glorified.

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS: NOTES OF A STORYTELLER

#LatePost
 
Time: Before the cock crowed twice.
Location: Somewhere in Nigeria.

I finally rise, with an alarming wealth of feeling.
I had been falling in and out of sleep as different thoughts ran through my mind.
My phone had started ringing some minutes before.
Breathe. Yes, I’m actually breathing.
Okay.
Let’s go…

Today is my birthday.

And today, however, it is with a sense of gratitude I mark this year. Songs rise in my heart in gratefulness to God. Not that you care or anything, but He has been super good and faithful to me, as is His character. I have not been an exception.

A songwriter once said, “Count your blessings, name them one by one”. And I began to wonder how realistic this was. His blessings are innumerable…how could I name them all? Well, thank God for another songwriter who also said, “What the Lord has done for me, I cannot tell it all.”

One of the songs that rocked my vocal playlist this morning was “Storyteller” by Morgan Harper Nichols feat. Jamie Grace. And for the record, that song is PHENOMENAL. She sang my heart EXACTLY. You can figure what the melons she was singing here.

Your constant love reaches above the heavens; your faithfulness touches the skies. (Psalm 108:4 - GNB).

Then there was the poem I wrote (a while back) in a feeble attempt to express God’s love in verses. I thought it was only fitting:

LOVE SONG
The cadence builds in soft rhythms
Undulating melodies gently stirring
Curl round my weary stone
Crimson is she who had been battered
Torn and scraped till she bled crimson
This stone, my bleeding heart
So, the tunes continue to rise
Building into a sweet song

The first verse is a soft whisper
It’s sonority gushing over polished pews
Flowing to dark, lonely hours
Resonating in the corners of my heart
Calling in an rousingly sweet sing-song
“Come, my love!”
I sway in almost hypnotic dances
Until I find myself at your feet
Kneeling and weeping, “Here I am.”
How I love this verse!
The one where you found me [or I, You?]
Beating drums on a resonant cross
Cooing to this infantile lass
Drawing me with your piper’s tune
To that place where only you can heal
And wrap me in your arms.

The second verse is a soft voice
Breezing gently like mild wind on a summer day
Lifting my heart to planes of passion
Awakening a hunger for more of you
“Arise, my love!”
I rise, staggering as though in a stupor
Struggling to steady feeble knees
But you remind me of your love still
How I love this verse!
The one where you find me [or I, you?]
Side by side you on a resonant cross
Pleasured by your presence on a solitary hill
Romance and intimacy that intoxicates
A place where music lacks not a voice
And you call me beautiful.

The third verse is a loud call
Yet one I oft miss for it is quiet
Stirring my feet to move in rhythm to you
A bitter-sweet melody to my heart
“Go, my love!”
I hesitantly move my heavy feet
Will I leave this hill to the crowded square?
I fear for myself yet go still
How I love this verse
The one where you find me [or I, you?]
Cut with whips of pain and love
Beaten to pulp on your resonant cross
Like fluttering birds in a hedged nest
My heart struggles to break free
As your song stirs and draws me
To that place where you are sufficient
And I am enough to be used.

The chorus is a simple, unending melody
Weaving itself through every verse
Lacing intricately in soft and loud tunes
“Your banner over me is love!”
How I love this chorus
The one where you find me [or I, you?]
It spills resonantly for all to hear
This very perfect love song.

*************************************

Side Note:
I kid you not when I tell you I literally breathed a sigh of relief this morning when I thought: I AM 20 YEARS OLD. FINALLY! 

Y’all, be not deceived, 19 is such an AWKWARD age. You are legally an adult but not really an adult when people don’t hesitate to remind you that you are after all, still a teenager. That look!

I am just reaallyy grateful I finally pulled it through the teen phase and with a story too. A colourful one, if you will. This past year was actually one of my best, and chief among the numerous things God blessed me with this year was CLARITY; at least to a considerable degree. 

I have laughed. Cried. Stood. Fallen. Won. Failed. Grown. There were times of silence. There were times of sorrow and unbelievable joy. There were times of aloneness (and maybe loneliness). And there was always Love. He was ALWAYS there. This may sound trite but I literally did NOTHING to deserve Him. I did nothing but suck and generally be an idiot. He is be-awesome (beyond awesome).

Then there were the people. Those super beautiful souls, my personal angels who God deliberately surrounded me with. Y’all are awesome. Don’t give me that look; you know yourself!

And I am sooo looking forward to this new year. I am looking forward to another year to prepare for my glorious eternity. Another year to add more stars to my crown. Another year to pant to behold His face. Another year to dream.

Hope.

Cry.

Laugh.
 
Die.
 
Live.
 
Fail.
 
Win.
 
Love.
 
See.
 
Believe.
 
Grow.
 
Be.

P.S: My birthday was yesterday.

P.P.S: A big shout-out to all who made it memorable. God bless y'all.

I HAD A DREAM

I had a dream two days ago. It was very vivid and chillingly real. I can still remember if I try.

The smell.

The sounds.

The palpable fear eating into my heart.

It sucked the very air out of my lungs and left me thoroughly deflated.

It was about the Rapture.

It had started with some flash occurrences I cannot quite place now. But after some of those events, I remember someone telling me the rapture had taken place. And all of a sudden its implication dawned on me.

I had been left behind.

I remember feeling so deflated. So incredibly sad. It was as though no ocean could carry the depth of my fear mixed with sadness and a great level of disappointment. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing else made sense. After all, I had missed the one event my life revolved around.

The pain was so awful. I thrashed in hysterics but could not find tears. Surprisingly, I saw some other people I did not expect still left behind. This did little to comfort me as I rolled on the floor asking God just one simple, agonized question.

Why?

Not why He come so soon but why I had not gone with him. 

Why?

I woke with a jolt and a tangible fear that made me second guess my current reality washed over me. Was it actually a dream? It was as though I had crossed the bridge between reality and illusion and was struggling to find a safe landing port back.

After that morning, I became really sober. This type of dream wasn’t the first this year and I realized that maybe I was on to something. Maybe I should not keep it in anymore.

I’m not usually one to go around spouting dramatic prophesies, but I just had to let this one out. After considering also what is going on around right now, I felt it was expedient. And in my waking moments, one thing became obvious to me;

Jesus is coming SOON.

Of course, most of us know this, we even sing it in melodic and offhanded tunes but I wonder how much of this we REALLY believe. I wonder how many of us really give this a serious thought as we go about our daily activities. 

I kept wondering why I had been left behind. Of course it was a dream but I knew i my heart it was no ordinary dream. That morning, in my QT, I kept asking. Kept praying and I got this:

"Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."(Colossians 3:1-4. AMP).

Somehow, we seem to have gotten so carried away with what is going on around us.We hardly ever talk about Christ's coming again. Even if we do, it would be in stilted words, and with hands fumbling over invisible threads as we try to surmount this awkward topic. And all of a sudden the initiator of such conversations get more stigma than an HIV patient. You seem like a 'kill-joy' for spouting such things.

But should this be so?

Should the thought of having our Saviour and Lord coming back for us not cause an outrageous delight in our hearts? Should we not view the things of this world with contempt in light of his inexplicable glory? Are we scared to believe? Are we scared to hope?

But hope shields.

Hope purifies.

"My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure." (1 John 3:2-3. GNB)

I realized in that dream that although I did not get an answer to my "why", I knew I had failed the 'hope test'. The truth is that you cannot expect to just disappear into the sky when you are being carried away by something else. You cannot be raptured by Christ when you are enraptured by the world. It doesn't work that way. You have to believe. You have to live with a consciousness of His coming. You have to hope.

 

Hope shields.

Hope purifies. 

Side Note:
As part of getting ready for His coming, we need to tell every ear that cares to hear and even those who don't that Jesus is coming soon. 

Call the sinner, wake the saint, Jesus is coming soon. 

Photo credit: Lightstock

WHAT I HAVE BEEN LEARNING II

…continued...

So, in the last post, I made a 15 point list of what I have been learning lately as a challenge to myself and you to begin to take conscious and serious note of what God and life have been teaching us. They are numerous but one-step-at-a-time is my motto. Here is another list of some of my lessons.

Let’s go…

1.    God WILL do His work. Stop worrying. It is not my job to tell God how to do His. Just let go and let God be God.

2.    Oyindamola, there is a thin line between HATE and INDIFFERENCE. There is a HUGE difference between love and lust. Love is selfless, but lust is SELFISH. Love is about ‘them’ but lust is about ‘me’. Love IS God. Lust is well…SIN. 

3.    My acceptance before God is not based on what I do. It is based on His love and mercy. Thinking otherwise is an awful case of pride.
 
4.    Most of the things I call ‘personal stuff’ are actually rotten stuff about me that I don’t want people to see, so I go “…It’s personal.” (*yinmu -__-).

5.    Learn to place your priorities right. Whatever adds no value to you is just unnecessary baggage. Get rid of it.

6.    Learn to know God for yourself. To seek Him for Him and for me. Not for ANYBODY.  Hypocrisy never got anyone a medal. At least nothing eternal.

7.    Most times, I demand of people what I do not demand of myself. I place a GINORMOUS fence for them to climb while I neatly stack a couple of stones for myself to jump. This is just terrible.

8.    You don’t always have to talk. There is a thing called SILENCE. Learn it. 

9.    Marriage is not as easy as it sounds. There are starry-eyed moments alright, but boy is it serious business.

10.    Write because you have to breathe. Write because it is an obligation of the divine on you. Write because you need it more than they do. Write NOT for the accolades. Write NOT just for the self-expression. Write for the God-expression. Write when you feel like it. Write when you don’t. Write in all sorts of weird places. Write until God’s truth dawns on you like the first lights of day. Write till your limbs grow tired. Read. Read. Write. Write. LIVE and write. BE.

11.    You’re a weirdo. Maybe you should just accept it already. Own it.

12.    Stop obsessing over that girl in the mirror, she is not the real you. There is only one true mirror and that is God’s Word and what He thinks of you. Okay?

13.    Contrary to popular opinion (mine), time is not something to be trifled with. It is impatient and thoroughly stealthy. You must do what you must do like NOW.

14.    Take off your mirrored lenses. Look at people and when you do look, SEE them. Not yourself. In fact, as much as possible, eliminate the words, “I”, “me”, “my”, “myself” from your vocabulary, Oyindamola. Seriously!

15.    She who would have friends must prove herself friendly.

16.    No matter how hard you try, no matter what you eat, you will forever look lean in your mother’s eyes. So, whatever you do, DON’T LISTEN TO HER (in this case) because you’ll get extra fat and she’ll still go, "You are soo lean.”
 
17.    Ask questions till everyone concludes you are dumb.

18.    Doubt does not always mean you are faithless (?). Sometimes, it means you are still thinking and maybe that is not so bad.

19.    It is not enough to write a fancy list of stuff you have been learning. Be very deliberate. Be practical. Everyone knows these things but what makes us different is what we do with what we know.

20.    Keep learning. Keep walking. You’ll be fine.

Sigh. I hope by now you realize this transcends the lately time frame. I probably dug up some forgotten lessons from over the years. It’s cool though. It made me think and ponder what the melons I have been doing with my life.

"Anything you say to the wise will make them wiser. Whatever you tell the righteous will add to their knowledge." (Proverbs 9:9 - GNB).


SIDE NOTE:
Which of the lessons above can you relate to? What have you been learning lately? Are you taking note? What do you plan to with them? What are they?

I’d love to hear them…


GLOSSARY
*yinmu - the upward tilting of ones nose, meant to be a smirk but infinitely more loaded with an, "it's a lie" or "be deceiving yourself" intent. Something like this.


Photo credit: Pixel Creative via Lightstock

WHAT I HAVE BEEN LEARNING

I have realized something about myself. It is annoying and very unflattering. I have found that I am what I call ‘an unconscious learner’. I know a lot of things but have learned few of them. I do not apply my heart to the lessons I am taught.

Life is filled with teachers and God has graciously blessed me with them. They are people, situations that teach me, sometimes gently and quietly and other times loudly and obnoxiously. 

Mostly however, they are the storytellers who tell a tale and forget to deliberately enunciate the lessons, leaving them for me to figure out. It is my duty as a good student of life to take each of those lessons, read between the lines and ensure I apply them.

But the truth is, I AM NOT. I am a terrible student and have probably had more grace than most to have made it this far in the school. I am in fact not a willing learner. I am stiff and bent on my ways, my folly. 

A wise man once said, “Only a fool does the same things over again and expects different results.” I guess I am a classic example of that fool. A fool never learns until they’ve been burned. They never grow until they’ve been beaten. They never laugh until they have cried. 

I don’t want to be that fool anymore. I want to be wise. I want to take note of the road signs so I don’t fall into a ditch ahead. I want to consciously learn the lessons God and life have been teaching me.

So, I’m starting now, diligently copying my lessons and giving them deliberate consideration and determination to follow them through. I thought I should share them with you:

Here goes…

1. God loves me unconditionally. He loves me because He is Love and not because I am lovely.

2. Loving God is so beautiful. It is my duty and I have to decide to do it, consciously.

3. A multitude of activities doth not a success make.

4. Sin is not angering an easily enraged or indifferent God. It is spitting on the face of a loving Father and bruised Saviour.

5. I still suck even at the things I used to think I was pretty good at.

6. It is okay to say ‘no’ sometimes. In fact it is recommended I learn to do so.

7. “No, I’m not alright” is not on the list of unpardonable sins.

8. Over half the things I am taught in school have no relevance to real life. I should build my life outside the school walls now.

9. Successes in life are not unconscious learners, they deliberately take note and take notes.

10. My life will be summed up in just a few lines when I die. It is my duty to ensure I make those summarized words into heavy punch lines.

11. I cannot do everything. I cannot be all.

12. I am not the centre of the universe. God is.

13. I will not always get it right and that is okay as long as long as I am determined to get it right.

14. Learn to love beans early in life (in case I have a next life).

15. I can survive without Dodo*.

This is not all though, there is more. I will add them as they come up.

“Are you immature? Learn to be mature. Are you foolish? Learn to have sense.” (Proverbs 8:5 – GNB)


Side Note:
Are you an unconscious learner too? Do stop to take note of the lessons God and life have been trying to teach you. Which one of the lessons on my list resounded with you? What would you like to add? What have you been learning?

Glossary:
*Dodo – Fried plantain.

Photocredit: Via: Lightstock

To be continued...