Borrowing Trouble

Hello friends,

How has your week been? I've had quite a interesting week, mostly musing about how human beings sometimes like to borrow trouble that they don't need to. By that I mean worrying and getting overly agitated over things that one shouldn't simply because of a lack of complete trust in a promise that's been made.

I am part of a group that is part of a program here in Nigeria. A promise was made that was to have been fulfilled earlier this week. The timing was critical because there existed the possibility that a change in another area could nullify our collective expectations.

The administering authority expressly told us that the promise had been executed but the organization that was to fulfill and implement the promise delayed in doing so. For about 3 days, most people in the group all got agitated and almost had heart attacks because they doubted the claim that the promise had been executed. Eventually, on the day that was considered the final day for the fulfillment of the promise, it came through.

So I asked - did we need to have added 5 or more years to our age by all the worrying and agitation of the previous 2 days? The answer is no! Human nature however doesn't always accept that.

It all boils down to to Trust doesn't it? When we don't trust each other, or any party we have any form of partnership or relationship with life is made unnecessarily difficult. The root of distrust is usually past experience.  I am all for learning from the past but we need to take the lessons, move forward and be willing to trust again. It's a leap of faith but one we have to dare to take.

When we engage with anyone with less than complete trust, we withhold part of ourselves and it will be difficult to get maximum benefit from that relationship. Of course, I recognize that in some situations, one has to tread cautiously at the onset and test the other party in small ways to verify that they can be trusted. That is all well and good. Those tests should be strategically done, in reasonable time to enable you make the decision as to whether or not to continue the relationship or partnership.

When we decide to engage, we need to give the other party the benefit of the doubt and work with them freely. Knowing that you trust them can also sometimes make the other party work hard to ensure they don't betray the trust. Am I saying that we would never be betrayed again? Not at all. It's a risk that is very real but we mustn't live our lives with one eye looking back simply because of that possibility. Life is too short for that.

Courage demands that once we have evaluated the situation and feel the scales tilt more on the positive side, we need to give ourselves completely without reservation. My prayer is that God will grant us uncommon wisdom and insight, discernment to see beyond the surface. That way, we can make wiser, more informed judgement calls on who or what to trust.

It's a new day in Nigeria. Change has started and I ask that we all determine to exhibit the collective will to do our part in making it happen. Start by changing yourself, your attitude, your thinking, your work ethic. Take a hard look inside and assess where change needs to happen with you and begin to take steps towards that change. One of my mantras is "if it's going to happen, it's got to start with ME".

Have a lovely weekend and a wonderful new month. We're almost at the end of the first half of the year. Make June count!

Blessings on you and yours,

Your friend,

Olubunmi

E. R. I. C.

Hi dear friends, 

I hope your week wasn't as hectic as mine. I had a really hectic week with assignments and full classes all week. I took my time getting up this morning, my body simply needed the time out. 

So, all this past week I've been learning about Strategy in Challenging Contexts. It was quite interesting. One of my takeaways form the week was a tool simply known as E. R. I. C. Oh dear, did you get the impression Eric was an eligible bachelor? Sorry, lol! 

 I like ERIC because it's applicable in any context really. Typically when we think about strategy we may think it's all about business but consciously or unconsciously we also (or should) apply strategy in our personal life. Add to that the fact that both our professional, student and personal life's are intertwined, it makes even more sense to be strategic about all of life, I think. 

So ERIC is an acronym for Eliminate, Reduce, Increase and Create and its adapted from Kim and Mauborgne, authors of the famous Blue Oceans book. 

E is for Eliminate.
In life as a whole, from time to time, we do need to eliminate certain things or certain individuals from our inner circle. Every so often, we need to examine the things we do and the people we relate with. Is there something that's not adding value to us or anyone around us? Something that takes more time and energy than we can afford and provides no commensurate return on time invested? Those are candidates for elimination.  

Same thing applies to people. Is there someone that's so high maintenance we are simply exhausted at the end of an interaction with that person? If a person isn't adding value to you, and doesn't allow you to add value to them, you may need to reconsider that relationship. Good relationships should be win-win. You win either by learning from the other person or by the satisfaction of having been able to bless the other person.  

Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. If someone is a heavy burden and they don't appreciate all you do to try to be a blessing to them, re examine that relationship to decide if it should continue or be cut off. Enough said. 

R is for Reduce 

Too much of anything is bad, right? I agree. Moderation in all things is key. What is taking too much time? Good as it may be, enjoyable as it may be, if it takes too much of your time and attention, to the detriment of other things, it may be a candidate for reduction. The definition of "too much" will be up to you. I suspect though, that we know those things. We just need to have that honest conversation with ourselves and face up to the facts. 

I is for Increase 

What's good about life right now? What are you doing well? These are candidates for increase. You should be on the look out for ways to do things better or be more productive/effective at other things. if it's working, get it working better. Think about how you can improve - yourself, your thinking, your attitudes, your work ethics, your relationships. So many things can be improved, we just need to take out time to think about how. 

C is for Create 

What's missing in your life? What have you always longed to do or wished you could be? Is it something that is possible? Create something new in your life. A new habit, a new way of thinking, a new friendship. If it's going to make you better, make you a bigger blessing to your world, think about creating it. Some things may need to be created but you allow yourself to think its impossible. Has it been done before? Will it benefit you? If the answer is yes, then, it's not impossible. Impossible, someone once said, simply means I'm possible. I don't remember who said it but thanks to that person! 

Obviously doing all this will require some effort. Forming new habits don't come easy. It will require you going out of your comfort zone. So, you must define what the benefits of doing any of these are. Write down those benefits, keep them top of mind. That's the motivation you will require to do what seems hardest. Keep at it, don't give up even when it hurts, sunrise is on the horizon. 

Deliberately taking out time to think is important. In order of do any of the above, you have to spend time thinking. These are not things you do spontaneously. They must be deliberate, well thought out actions. Don't take too long though! Analysis Paralysis is a real disease but it's completely preventable, lol. 

Well, these are thoughts that have run through my mind this past week. There are certainly things I need to do in each area. God helping me, I will. I pray you have the conviction and strength of purpose to propel you to do the same. 

Change is happening this week in Nigeria. May God give everyone, leaders and followers alike, the conviction and tenacity to do what needs to be done, rather than what is convenient. 

 Till next week, Blessings on you and yours.

Second Chances

Day after day, after day
You have been faithful to me
Day after day after day
I've known your grace
Day after day, week after week, year after year
I will declare your glory
I will declare your greatness
I will praise your name

Day after day after day
You are my savior my friend
Day after day after day
I'm not alone
Day after day, week after week, year after year
You will be right beside me
You'll be here to guide me
I will praise your name

Day after day, day after day (3ce)

Day After Day - Maranatha Praise 15. 

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krMKESJU_Vw

Hi Everyone,

My heart indeed overflows with a good theme as I recite my praises to my King. He's faithful and the above song has been on my lips the last few days as I recall his goodness and mercies.

Lol, I haven't won the lottery and neither have my millions yet manifested this side of the universe, but I've seen Him give me a second chance which made me remember many other second chances and I am assured that 'It's going to be alright'! 

Opportunity knocks but once is a popular saying. I beg to differ. With a God of second chances, opportunity can knock again. He is able to make all things work together for our good and turn around what could have been disastrous because of His great love.

Friends, have you given up on something because you felt the opportunity had passed? It's good to be prepared and to grab every opportunity when it presents. However, to err is human. If you missed the boat somehow, ask God for a second chance. He will make a way, if only we would humble ourselves and ask.‎

When you ask, prepare yourself this time. A mistake is only a mistake the first time. The second time you make the same mistake it becomes something else. Figure out whatever you need to do to be able to seize the opportunity the next time God brings it around and grab it with both hands when it comes again!‎

‎Tenacity is required to succeed in this life. Even the Word says the violent take things by force. So indeed we must never give up on our goals and our vision. Sometimes we may need to change direction or tactics but it should all still be towards ensuring we achieve that goal we have set.

I’ve got a really hectic week ahead but I trust God for strength. I pray you receive strength for your week as well. Dust up those dreams you have given up and ask God to make them come alive again.

Till next week, Blessings on you and yours.

One Minute

Hi again,

Another week has gone by, quite quickly in fact. Time is an important commodity we all agree, I'm sure. The value of even a small fraction of time, 1 minute was bouncing in my head all through Wednesday.

I had gone out for a quick stop at a nearby supermarket for some printer ink and almost immediately as I passed a certain point, right behind me a bus ignited and caused a traffic jam. If I had been at that point one minute later my entire day would have been scattered because obviously that bus created a traffic disruption which lasted about 2 hours. On my return journey I saw the burnt out shell of the bus on the other side and it still caused a bit of traffic on my side as people drove past slowly to enable them take a look.

In our daily life incidents like that happen don't they? Sometimes we are blessed to escape by a minute and other times we are unfortunate to be caught in something we wouldn't want to be caught in because of a minute's delay.

That got me thinking about how unneeded delays can be avoided. How can we manage to escape the little things that scatter our plans? Some call it luck. I prefer to think of it as the leading of the Spirit of God. Notice i said unneeded. Some delays are divinely orchestrated for our own good. We see in part and know in part. Similarly, how can we get divine acceleration?

We all get these inner promptings from time to time, that kind of urge us on to do or not do something. I've learnt in my few years to take those promptings seriously as more often than not they tend to play out in my favour. I believe it's the Holy Spirit in our life as believers that gives those promptings as part of His ministry of helping us and leading and guiding us.

On a very regular basis I confess to myself that I am led of the Spirit, that I know His voice and a stranger's voice I will and do not follow. I do this to subconsciously train my spirit to be sensitive to those promptings and to ensure that I don't miss out on them.

I want to encourage us to do the same and to act on those promptings when we get them. The more we act, the more sensitive we become and the more the Spirit is encouraged to continue to help us.

I was sharing with a lady last Sunday that I've found that it pays me better to leave the house 5 minutes later than I planned and spend those minutes committing my day to God and asking for His help than to rush out without doing so. Those extra minutes taken could mean the difference between having my day whacked up due to missteps along the way and having a day that feels almost orchestrated.

I alluded to this in my "He wants your attention" post (http://incredible-courage.blogspot.com/2015/03/he-wants-your-attention.html). When we make time for Him and put Him first, we receive divine assistance that makes a world of difference. One of the greatest benefits for me, of being a believer is that I have help for everyday life.

One of the reasons I love Joyce Meyer so much is she focuses on everyday living. Life is impacted more to my mind by the day to day decisions than by the big ticket ones. The big tickets are significant no doubt but the successful execution of big ticket is a function of many small actions and decisions that add up and roll into big ticket.

At every point, the decision to wait, move now, turn left or right or even go back is important but of probably more significance is acting on those decisions in a timely manner. Timing is everything. Right place, right time is the secret of many a successful person. Right place, wrong time is wasted effort and leads to frustration. Some things just don't open up until it's their time, no matter how much effort we exert.

Too early isn't as bad, but it could lead to being in a position where you're sitting there waiting and you see the person who makes it in on time cart away the blessing right in front of your waiting eyes.

Too late is to hear the story of how the miracle just happened and so sorry you missed it. Neither is palatable. I pray we train our spirits to the point where the Holy Spirit is able to help us to be in the right pace at the right time.

How to train our spirits? Familiarity and practice. Get familiar with Him through fellowship. Spending time praying and studying His word helps in that regard. Practice obeying those prompts as they come. Sometimes they may turn out wrong and other times they turn out right. With time you'll get familiar enough to have a sort of sixth sense about what's right. We will never get it 100% right but we can get better and better.

Till next week, remain filled. Blessings on you and yours!