Moments of Peace

https://www.tes.com/lessons/g13q0ilBNTFIJg/hannah-prays-for-a-son

I would say that I understood the sorrow of Hannah especially at the moment when she laid before the Lord at Shiloh and wept in anguish, praying for a child. I do not. Even though I’ve wept before the Lord severally for my children. What I do know is that she went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad after Eli the priest blessed her [ISamuel 1: 10-18].
I wonder about that moment when she received the peace that took away her distress, and I understand this.

There is a moment when we receive peace right in the center of the storms of life. There is that moment where we have no clue about the way out, but we just find our spirits relaxing in the assurance that “God’s got this!”
That is the moment of freedom. It is that moment I seek, when the waves of despair buffet me and I don’t know what to do. This is the moment that keeps me in Him, praying to Him, relying on Him as He uses the problems I face to bring people into my life to help me, or even to be helped by me.

These moments of peace when the chaos around seems unending are the reason we stay in Faith. It is because we know deep down that no matter how terrible the troubles we face or the crisis we find ourselves, He will take care of us and bring us through it in victory.

You see, God's got this!

CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD: When Your Kinsman Does not Help

Have you ever felt bad that a family member didn't help you when you thought they could? 

See what the Lord told me about that:

He referred me to the book of Ruth and reminded me that there was a kinsman closer than Boaz to help Naomi but that kinsman refused to help her. Because that person said "No", Boaz became Noami's kinsman-redeemer. Boaz not only redeemed Naomi's husband's land, he also married her daughter-in-law and gave her a grand child to carry on the lineage of her husband and son. 

When she came back from the land of Moab, she told them to call her "Mara", because her life was bitter. She was helpless and unhelped by her closest relative, but God sent another, not the expected person, but somebody who would do more, to give her more support than she could have imagined.

Do you feel like your closest relatives have abandoned you? Know that there is a kinsman-redeemer, someone not even as close as your expected but close enough to be used by the Master to meet your need. 

Take your focus off your expected ones and trust God because, he is sending you someone and something better than you expected. #TrustHim [The Book of Ruth, Ephesians 3:20]. 

Rest assured that your Kinsman-Redeemer is coming!

OASES OF HOPE

In the last five years, I have experienced the unbelievable, endured unimaginable disappointments and suffered mind-boggling betrayals. My life almost seemed like a desert of unending turmoil. Sometimes, flashes of suicidal thoughts passed through my mind but my Faith kept me.

Many times, I felt like not going on. I wanted to just give up, coil up on my bed and sleep without waking up until the situation passed. The road was rough and the journey seemed endless but somewhere along my way, I run into a smooth patch that gives me a breather.

https://taqplayer.info/beautiful-desert-oasis

These past years have brought many people and positions my way. In some parts of my journey, I have met those that have held my hands over rocky terrain, I have met those that carried me when it appeared I couldn’t go on and I have met those who cheered me on. With these, I sometimes wondered why they cared so much for so long. 

I have also met those that invested so quickly, so deeply and then divested themselves of me almost magically. With these ones, I have wondered what I did to deserve their abandonment and rejection. Then I’ve met those who wanted to remind me, just in case I forgot, that I was not good enough, that I had not done enough or that I was doing too much of a “good” thing. With these ones, I sometimes got very sad but then I remember that they didn’t bring me here. I also remind myself that they had no part in my past so they cannot determine my future.

The turmoil I have undergone these past five years has made me sensitive and very grateful for those moments of respite when I encounter people and events that refresh my soul. These are the oases of hope in my life. These are the instants that encourage me to keep my eyes on the bright future ahead no matter how dim it may seem now. These are the moments that come my way when my neck is bent in pain and they lift my head up and cause a smile to flit across my face, even if fleeting.

I thought that good people don’t go through such pain, so I lived my life trying to be good. Now I know that good is a relative term that can be argued. People can assume the worst about you and believe rumours without bothering to know the truth. I am good, so I say, but many have told me how bad I am and how deserving I am of the difficulties I have faced. Some have said this to my face and some to others behind my back.

But you know what? These are the ones that make the desert seem longer and I do not mind them because they make me appreciate my oases of hope even more.

These oases show up when I least expect it and they tide me over the tough terrains. They are the ones who have kept me sane these past five years.

My oases of hope

braced me when I was broken

refreshed me when I was parched

filled me when I was empty

carried me when I couldn’t go on

comforted me when sorrow took me over

reminded me that trials and tribulation won’t last forever

encouraged me to believe in a better tomorrow

My oases of hope keep me in Faith

DON'T BLAME YOU FOR THEIR REJECTION

There is nothing more devastating than rejection because rejection shatters dreams and hopes.
It causes you to stagger on your path. It makes you doubt yourself.
If suddenly your life seems like a catalogue of rejections, you begin to flounder.
Your once strong disposition and belief in your vision crumbles under the weight of despair.
To be rejected by those whom you love is a pain incomparable to none other.
Your safe space suddenly turns to your pain place.
You become scared. Scared to live, scared to love and even scared to laugh.
Could it be me? You ask. What did I do? What did I say? What did they hear about me?
Innumerable questions and a gamut of scenarios spin around in your head.
The truth is, there are no answers to the questions. Even if you asked them directly, their answer would probably be a lie.
Many times those who reject you do not need any prompts. You didn’t cause it. It’s not your fault. You are good enough to be loved. You are worth standing by.
If you feel that your mistakes have given them a good excuse, know that your value is not diminished by your mistakes.
Look at it this way. I went to the bank and for the first time since I got to Canada, I received a $100 bill in the cash I withdrew. “$100 bill!” I exclaimed in my mind.
I kept it inside my wallet and brought it out from time to time to admire. I spent every other lesser bill I had but didn’t want to spend my $100 bill.
Last night I looked inside my wallet and I couldn’t find my $100 bill. I frantically searched everywhere but didn’t find it.
This morning I decided to go through all the garbage cans in the house. I didn’t find it.
I then went to the big garbage can outside and there in a mix of rotten fruit peels, tomatoes and other waste, I saw my precious $100 bill. It was all messed up but I rinsed it off and let it dry.
Let me ask you this question? Did my $100 bill become less valuable because it had been in the garbage with rotten food?
No!
In the same way, you are not less valuable because of your mistakes. Your challenges have not diminished your value in any way. You are still enough for the world. You are enough in every way.
There is no excuse that makes you bad enough to be rejected.