Thou hast not loved

O, thou didst then ne'er love so heartily!

If thou remember'st not the slightest folly
That ever love did make thee run into,
Thou hast not loved:

Or if thou hast not sat as I do now,
Wearying thy hearer in thy mistress' praise,
Thou hast not loved:

Or if thou hast not broke from company
Abruptly, as my passion now makes me,
Thou hast not loved.

~Silvius, From William Shakespeares play, As You Like It.

Guest blog at Jen's

Check out my guest blog post at my friend Njenva's and be sure to leave your comments. Bless you.

Why I Love Him

If I ask myself why I love him, I find I do not know, and do not really much care

to know; so I suppose that this kind of love is not a product of

reasoning and statistics, like one's love for other reptiles and

animals. I think that this must be so. I love certain birds because of

their song; but I do not love Adam on account of his singing--no, it is

not that; the more he sings the more I do not get reconciled to it. Yet

I ask him to sing, because I wish to learn to like everything he is

interested in. I am sure I can learn, because at first I could not stand

it, but now I can. It sours the milk, but it doesn't matter; I can get

used to that kind of milk.

It is not on account of his brightness that I love him--no, it is not

that. He is not to blame for his brightness, such as it is, for he did

not make it himself; he is as God made him, and that is sufficient.

There was a wise purpose in it, THAT I know. In time it will develop,

though I think it will not be sudden; and besides, there is no hurry; he

is well enough just as he is.

It is not on account of his gracious and considerate ways and his

delicacy that I love him. No, he has lacks in this regard, but he is

well enough just so, and is improving.

It is not on account of his industry that I love him--no, it is not

that. I think he has it in him, and I do not know why he conceals it

from me. It is my only pain. Otherwise he is frank and open with me,

now. I am sure he keeps nothing from me but this. It grieves me that he

should have a secret from me, and sometimes it spoils my sleep, thinking

of it, but I will put it out of my mind; it shall not trouble my

happiness, which is otherwise full to overflowing.

It is not on account of his education that I love him--no, it is not

that. He is self-educated, and does really know a multitude of things,

but they are not so.

It is not on account of his chivalry that I love him--no, it is not

that. He told on me, but I do not blame him; it is a peculiarity of sex,

I think, and he did not make his sex. Of course I would not have told

on him, I would have perished first; but that is a peculiarity of sex,

too, and I do not take credit for it, for I did not make my sex.

Then why is it that I love him? MERELY BECAUSE HE IS MASCULINE, I

think.

At bottom he is good, and I love him for that, but I could love him

without it. If he should beat me and abuse me, I should go on loving

him. I know it. It is a matter of sex, I think.

He is strong and handsome, and I love him for that, and I admire him and

am proud of him, but I could love him without those qualities. If he

were plain, I should love him; if he were a wreck, I should love him;

and I would work for him, and slave over him, and pray for him, and

watch by his bedside until I died.

Yes, I think I love him merely because he is MINE and is MASCULINE.

There is no other reason, I suppose. And so I think it is as I first

said: that this kind of love is not a product of reasonings and

statistics. It just COMES--none knows whence--and cannot explain

itself. And doesn't need to.

An Excerpt From Mark Twain's Book: Eve's Diary

Hey...Wait!

Wait!

Till when?

Can you give me a time frame...please?

That is the kind of conversation that will likely go on if you tell me to wait. You have to give a time frame so that I can relax my nerves and...wait.

Waiting is not one of those things that come naturally for me...I lack patience you say? Maybe...but I have been feeding on the Fruit of patience ever since I was diagnosed with the waiting problem, but there is hope.

About 5 years ago, I was believing God for something that I considered serious and heaven had to give it top priority because...yeah, it was important. So I embarked onto a 'Praying Without Ceasing Mission', casting out demons along the way that might have delayed the prayer being answered.

I was desperate.

In the middle of such prayers, the last thing I wanted was to wait...but God knows best. He told me to wait...no time frame...how frustrating! I was already hurting, wounded and I wanted things to work out just like I had planned in my head...

Five years later...I'm glad I went through the process and in that waiting season I learn a few things;

Waiting brings with it Wisdom

What really stands out for me is that God did not come back to tell me that the waiting season was over and the answer was therefore a 'Yes' or 'No'. He opened my eyes to see things that I couldn't see before. He gave me wisdom to judge for myself, through His word...though the answer is a 'NO' at the end of the season, I don't have to ask 'why' because I know...He showed me while I was waiting. I'm wiser now.

God is Faithful!

God is absolutely reliable. He is not fickle(as many of us who are His creation are) but He is steadfast and consistent in His dealings with us. He is unchanging and loyal.

The problem is not with Him, it is not with waiting but it is with me. He knows what He is doing, could I trust Him? Could I trust that His No now means a Yes to something better in future? In my waiting, I learnt that His 'wait' means, 'Wait for what I have planned for you, it is better than what you're fighting for now'! His will for us is good, pleasing and perfect(Romans 12:2). It is worth waiting for.

God does not disappoint those who patiently wait on Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever...He does not change...He does not change His principles,GOD will not disappoint. He always comes through...so wait.

While you wait...

Waiting can be frustrating especially when you don't know how long you will be in that season. It's easy to throw a pity party and leave a miserable and unproductive life. It's easy to just sit on our hands, grow impatient as we religiously use the phrase, 'I'm waiting on God' as an excuse. That shouldn't be the case.

You can live an abundant life as you wait-so I learnt. With faith, there are practical things that can be done that bring glory to God. I took practical action, started visiting a children's home and for those of you who know me, you can testify how positively that impacted my life. I, in the process, forgot about my frustrations and focused on God's goodness that He was showing me through those kids lives. The 'I wav yous' and the little hugs I got while I was there were enough to carry me through the difficult days. Those expressions of love from the children translated into God's love in my life and I can testify that my time was not wasted.

You too...while you wait, can live an abundant life. You cannot find an abundant life standing still and doing nothing. Being patient in such a situation will be hard if not impossible! Be proactive, find something meaningful and do it. There is a lot to be done. Go to the slams, teach the children to play football, teach them how to dance, join a ministry team in church and serve. Do something. You can only experience a full life when you use the time God has given you to bring Him glory.

Live a life of action...as you wait!

So, have you ever waited on something you considered important? How was the process and did you learn anything? Please share in the comments below.

Today is a Gift

Jesus is the love of my life...at the cross, He bought me full salvation.
He suffered  death and now I share in His life.
This life I will love...for I live only for a day, tomorrow I shall see by faith
The 'tomorrow' I envisioned yesterday is here
It is today and I choose to celebrate the gift of life
I will live for today...tomorrow will care about itself
Today offers it's challenges but I'm determined to keep a positive spirit
I choose to rejoice in the gift of today, the challenges He is well able to take care of 'em all
And give me the strength and wisdom to tackle 'em
Today, I'ma laugh my heart out...even so loudly and unashamedly
I'ma cry...when the joy is too much to be expressed only by a smile
I will not be ashamed to wipe 'em tears off my face
Today, I choose to have fun
Not to live a sorrowful life today...then regret it later
After all Today it the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
I also choose to share my gift with others
I'ma smile at someone today
I'ma say something positive to a stranger today
I'ma hug a friend and tell 'em how much they mean to me
I'ma give a child a peck on the cheeks. hold 'em, love on 'em
I'ma make today special for someone else
For today is not only mine to celebrate...alone..but to share

How Majestic Is Your Name In All The Earth!!

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When i consider your heavens,
The work of your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him,
The son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
And crowned him with glory and honor.

You made  him ruler over the works of your hands;
You put everything under his feet:
All flocks and herds,
And the beast of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea,
All that swim the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

Psalm 8 (NIV)

Gratitude

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Our lives are not all sunshine. There are those days when we are experiencing the lowest of all lows, when we feel we have nothing to be thankful for, the days when we feel there is nothing to thank God for, when we think He has forgotten us, when we doubt His existence. How many of us in this moments of lows have remembered to lift our hands up and simply say, " Thank You God"?

The Bible instructs us to rejoice always, to pray continually and to give thanks in ALL circumstances. To give thanks is to remember the spiritual and material blessings we have received and to be content with what our loving Lord provides, even when it does not correspond to what we had in mind. Gratitude is a choice, not merely a feeling, and it requires effort especially in difficult times. But the more we choose to live in the discipline of conscious thanksgiving, the more natural it becomes, and the more our eyes are opened to the little things throughout the course of the day that we previously overlooked.

Allow me to share with us some few things i came across some time back that will allow us to grow to give thanks "in" all things.

• Grow in your understanding of the basic biblical doctrines about God the Father. 
• Learn the Bible teachings about  who God really is, what He is really like.
• Learn about His perfect nature as the God who is all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere-present.
• Learn to appreciate what the Bible says about His attributes of perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect holiness, perfect goodness, perfect mercy and perfect  truthfulness.
• Study the names given Him in the Bible, like "The Most High God," or "The Everlasting God", or "The God Who Sees".
• Study the names by which some of the saints who had personal experience with Him called Him; such names as "The LORD will provide", or The LORD is my Shepherd", or "The LORD of Hosts (i.e., armies).
• Grow in your understanding and sense of wonder with respect to God the Father. 

These are truths about Him that will never, ever change.  They provide the basis of a hardy thanks to God "in" every circumstance in life, no matter how joyful or how painful.  And so, let's make it our practice to say, "Thank you, Father, even in this."

Sovereign Lord, help us to praise You when things are going well and when they are not. 

Amen.