Restpiration

It’s too late

Whenever we hear someone say it’s too late, we mostly think of the fact that some misfortune is bound to happen sooner or later and that nothing can be done about it. True as this may be, I believe that when applied rightly, the sentence “it’s too late” can free us from so much stress and worries.

Let us consider this scenario;
You got the opportunity to attend an interview for consideration for an international assignment. That has been your dream for so many years and someway somehow, the opportunity has presented itself. You got thrilled at the turn of events and you immediately started preparing for the big day. You learned some new words and expressions in an attempt to impress your examiners and also conducted some research to provide accurate answers to questions you’ve anticipated. Finally, the day for the interview came. Being your big day, you woke up very early, spending adequate time to look your best. You know what they say, first impression if it doesn’t really impress might be the last.

Your name was mentioned and you took some sort of hurried steps into the room where your examiners were. At the sight of them, you felt a little uneasy and you began fumbling with even the simplest introductory questions. Then the big one came; you began doubting your preparedness for the interview and if you have what it takes to win them over. You even began wondering if there’s something wrong with your appearance. Let’s say on your way to the interview room, everyone you saw was in suit and tie but you’re not in either. At this moment I bet you’ll want the earth beneath you to break open and swallow you up to avoid further embarrassment.

It is normal for anyone to feel uneasy in front of their interviewers, but when you go ahead to begin questioning and doubting your readiness or your appearance, then you’ve gone too far. We need to realize that once the big day comes, it is too late to entertain worries and doubts. Just give it your best shot and walk away honourably. If you make any mistake or blunder, learn from it and come back the next time. It’s as simple as that!

The story of Esther in the Bible speaks volumes about this (Esther 4). When Esther was about going to the king, she knew the gravity of the situation, the stakes were high- it would cost her very life. However, when she came before the King Xerxes, she realized it was too late for her to consider “what if he doesn’t want me to appear before him?” Instead, she focused on the reason why she wanted to see the King and with great calm, pursued it.

Many times, the reason for our poor performance is not the lack of preparation but rather worries, fears and anxieties in spite of our preparations. To these, we must learn to say it is too late.

The Big Picture

Due to the unreliability of our emotions, we are mostly prone to making a mountain out of a molehill. However, life, as it is, is not just a moment but a journey. Thus, having the big picture in mind always helps guide our steps.

This reminds me of the story of a young businessman who bought his first car. He became the talk of town as well as the clown among his fellow businessmen. They made fun of him all day long because his car was neither the latest nor the nicest. Some just blurted out ‘it’s out of fashion, not even my granny will fall for a car like that’. Nonetheless, this young man was indifferent. So, a colleague queried him on his indifference despite the mockery. In response, he smiled and said ‘well, I have a car now. It carries me anywhere I want to go without the hustle of public transport, that’s the latest in my life. Moreover, I’m not retiring tomorrow, I’ve got many years ahead of me, I may just get a new car’.

This young businessman saw the big picture hence was unperturbed by the mockery of his peers. It is often said that it is the propensity of man to major on the minors of life. Instead of struggling with the pieces, why don’t we relax, take a step back and consider the big picture? This is what Jesus wants us to get when He said “…is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes” (Matthew 6:25).

He wasn’t trying to demonize food or clothes- they are basic necessities. But what Jesus simply did was to square off life with food and the body with clothes and the results were obvious. There is more to life than food and there’s more to the body than raiment. Imagine if we made our life’s purpose about putting food on the table. I think it’s safe to say that we would definitely run at loss. Why? Because it is bad business. Life is priceless and food is priced. We shouldn’t exchange the priceless for the priced.

Today, we see this around us, when people work themselves to their sick beds in the name of putting food on the table or buying this or that. The question remains, is that all that there is to life? Yes, we need food and all other basic necessities, but never at the expense of our lives.

Also, we need not allow our lives to take on a definition of one single event or moment. The fact that something didn’t work out for you doesn’t mean everything will not work out for you. Your life is more than one event or a moment. Learn to get over such experiences and keep your identity intact.

I love the way God works as said in 1 Cor 1:27,” But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong”. God uses the foolish and the weak to prove a point. They may be foolish and weak at one point but when God decides to choose them, they become divine. They no longer are what they used to be. And the best part of it all is that you are chosen so rest in your identity and safeguard it from the not-so-good past experiences.

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The fault in our Stars

It’s always captivating to watch the skies lit up with the stars at night. Sometimes they form what appears as patterns to which we try to give meaning in the light of our culture and traditions. Children aren’t left out of this awe-inspiring sight; they love to recite the poem ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star…’ Generally, we see stars as divine and an epitome of beauty. Although Astronomers think of stars in terms of heated gases, fusion and energy, I’ll like to stick to the perception of a little child, that’s if you’ll pardon me.

Looking at the stars, I can’t help but be fascinated about the beauty that resides in the mind of the Creator. I sometimes think to myself; if the Creator made the stars to give light and beautify the sky, then what did He make to give this same light and beauty to the earth? That is my little understanding and application of “As it is in the heavens so shall it be on the earth.” However, time taught me to rephrase this question to “who did the Creator make to give light and beauty to the earth?”

You are the light of the world… Matthew 5: 14

We are the ones the Creator put down here to beautify the earth. Like the ornamental plant in Old John’s garden, one thing stands out about us- the beauty we bring to the stage of life. I’m a realist so I’m well aware that you may not immediately buy into my idea. Maybe like the masses, your flaws seem to be your most outstanding features. These flaws are what I call faults. The use of the words ‘flaws’ and ‘faults’ in themselves communicate to us that things are not the way they ought to be. How then can we anchor our identity on what ought not to be? Dear reader, the foundation of our identity should be reserved for the things which ought to be and not what is amiss. What ought to be is that the Creator made you as the star of the earth.

When we are obsessed with our faults, they tend to be magnified in our lives. We wake up one day only to ask ourselves, ‘where did all my beauty go?’ The truth is that the beauty hasn’t moved an inch, it is still with you even now. What we should be concerned about is why we are not giving that much attention to the beauty inside of us. Our attention is that supernatural manure that nourishes and magnifies experiences in our lives. Star of the earth, although you may have some faults, choose this day what to magnify; the star or the fault?

Fighting from Victory to Victory

Amanda was Granny’s delight. She loved how her little princess was so hardworking and diligent; but she sometimes felt that Ammy, as she affectionately called Amanda, was trying too hard to impress her but she was never quite sure why. Ever since her parents separated, Ammy hadn’t been her usual self. Although she did her best to act normally, those who knew her needed no sophisticated telepathic prowess to tell that something was amiss. It took a while for Granny to finally get through to Ammy to open up on all she had been experiencing.

What! I can’t believe you actually see me that way. I thought you knew how much I love you. Although I scolded you sometimes, I’ve always done my best to assure you of my unconditional love and acceptance. How then can you have all these hard thoughts about me?

Granny found out that Ammy thought of her as a mafia hired by her Mum to get back at her. Ammy carried the guilt that she was the cause of the separation of her parents. Although she had no basis for this, she simply felt that way. As a way of surviving from the clutch of the presumed mafia, her Granny, she made it a priority to impress her and consequently she overworked herself often.

We can pardon Amanda, our little princess, for her hard thoughts about Granny because she is young and naïve but aren’t we little princesses ourselves. To many, life is a perpetual struggle for survival. Thus they often end up overworking themselves as they work in the fields of all their fears and insecurities. We don’t need much expertise to conclude that they have the wrong approach to life. Embracing a better perspective will be by believing that just as we are, we already have all the affection and unconditional love that we will ever require. There’s a strong basis for this belief so please do not see this as mere wishful thinking.

When Jesus hang on Calvary’s tree, it was a substitutionary work. He took upon himself all our ugliness, shame and insecurities. The good news is that he totally nailed it! The proof that Jesus did a perfect work with all our struggles was that he rose again in victory. He forever defeated the enemy and invalidated all his accusations against us. Although defeated, the enemy often tries to bring the fight to us that we aren’t deserving of affection, unconditional love, joy and peace. This is where we need to know where we stand; we stand in Christ’s victory. There’s no need accepting the enemy’s invitation to the battlefield because you are already a victor and have obtained the prize in Christ. What you should do instead is to rub your victory in the enemy’s face. Tell him how wonderful and majestic you are in Christ. Also, do well to tell him his place (that he’s defeated) because the poor guy has a short-memory.
Dear reader, Christ Jesus has made us victors. Let’s embrace this victory and continue to live our lives with loads of joy, hope and love. You are the victor. Shine on Champ!

The Gift of Memory

Have you ever thought of your past? If you are like the rest of us, then I’m sure you’ve already done that a couple of times today. What happened to you as you reckoned those memories? Let me help you with this checklist so you can gain some clarity in answering this question:

Were you happy or sad?
Were you invigorated with fresh hope or you felt as though ounces of hope was sapped from you?

The reason for creating this checklist isn’t to assess you. You’ve probably been doing that all day; you might even be fatigued from all that introspection. I just want to prove a point; a point you will find out as you continue reading this article.

Memory is one of the best gifts the creator has given us. It’s so intriguing how we can hold on to a captivating event and relive it over and over again through the gift of memory. You can consider memory as a haven which you can freely rely on to get away from the mud and rut of present day living. That is not to say that we spend all our lives sitting around remembering the good old days; we can equally draw some good inspiration from the good old days to create better days.

During times when his soul was cast down, King David of Israel used the gift of memory to rise above the gloom that lingered. Let’s read this wonderful psalm he wrote

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (Psalm 103:2)

King David was more radical in his utilization of the gift of memory than most of us usually are. He went as far as making a demand on his soul not to forget all the goodness that the LORD showed him in times past. As far as we know, his soul obeyed his master’s desire by giving him the luxury of reliving all those good days that he lived in the goodness of the LORD.

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103: 3-5).

The right use of memory had a remarkable impact on King David. If you know him that well, you’ll realize that just like you, King David had his own share of terror, heartaches, and dark times. Bible scholars believe that he wrote this psalm in his old age. But even at that age, through the right use of memory, he could think about the renewal of youth.

It’s only reasonable that the enemy attacks this inestimable gift of memory. He’s so cunning about perverting this gift to the extent that his victims are terrorized and traumatized by what is meant for their good. For such people, it’s as though the sweetness of the honey straight from the beehive has suddenly turned as sour as the vinegar in Old John’s cupboard. Before we fall for the tactics of the enemy, let us remember that our memory of past events with all their accompanying emotions cannot change the past. Being mindful of this fact will bring us to a place where we are able to reconcile to life in a positive way.

Memories will always present you with two choices: bitterness or joy; regret or gratitude; ashes or beauty… the choice my dear reader lies with you. But my little advice is that you make the most out of those happy memories. Don’t throw those memories into the thrash can of forgetfulness. Cherish them, enjoy them and relive them.