Have you ever caught yourself wondering who you are or find yourself questioning your identity?
The world tells us that we often have an identity crisis, everyone would have had one before & everyone have journeyed to find who they truly are!
Let me tell you a revelation I had dropped into my heart that caught me by surprise – God said to tell the world, in particular, tell the girls that they do not have an identity crisis! Their identity is found in Him because Genesis 1:27 said that we are made in His image!
We don’t realise this but we question our identity when someone or something questions us & who we are, our beliefs, our morals, our choices.
Each & every single one of us are uniquely created to reflect our Father, our King, our God! He reveals to us who He has called us to be. He holds us in the palm of His Hand & has good plans and future for us.
So if you ever find yourself questioning once again as to who you are, seek Him, remember that you are a child of God.
We were at a party yesterday afternoon & one of the teenage girls who I have known from her birth came up to me & gave me half of a leaf, the same leaf as the one in the photo. She said to me that I have to keep it as it is a gift from her & I without hesitation slotted it in my phone case which is clear.
Today, I sat here looking at it & something dropped into my heart.
This little leaf was the only thing she had on her at that very point in time to share with me.. this is like a gift that may be the only thing we have available at a specific moment to give God or to give to a person we love or cherish or respect or honour. It may not look like something of value & definitely does not have monetary value. It is drying out in parts & brown & there is little to almost no life in it, but no matter the look of the gift, it is the heart behind it that truly matters.
Then I thought of the heart of the young girl giving it to me.. she did so just because at that moment, she wanted to give me something, it’s that simple. She may not have thought any further about it or had any other intentions behind it, I am not sure. Maybe she was trying to determine if I would keep it to toss it away amongst the other leaves on the ground.
Then I stopped & thought back about my heart when I received it. I joyfully & gladly took it, said thanks, promised her to keep it & proceeded to do so. I did that not because there was a physical or monetary value to it, but I valued that gift & any gift for that matter because SHE was valuable to me, because our relationship had value, because she was someone who I had watched grow up, invested into, encouraged, supported, cheered on & loved.
I felt like I captured a glimpse of what God’s heart is like when we give Him what we have at a moment we feel like giving, whether it is praise, a moment, a word, money, time, prayer, or anything at all.. It has today reminded me not to overthink when giving God what I have in my hand & my heart because to me, it may look silly but give it with a child-like spirit, with joy knowing that it is not about the item or the gift but the heart.
It has been raining pretty much non stop for the last 48 hours or so & there is a leak in my office where my window connection is. As there is more rain to come & it can’t be fixed until the rain stops, all we can do it to place a towel & bucket. But in the last day & half, it has taught me how a drip can affect my life!
A drip is not much. It is after all only just a single drip. But the noise that single drop makes, it can be heard. It grabs your attention & focus. It causes you to notice it.
A drop of water will still cause something to be wet – bucket, towel, carpet, even you. It has the power to change something.
Consistency of drips will actually cause a bigger impact, a bucket to fill up, a towel or carpet to drench.
This actually got me thinking… sometimes, there are things in life, decisions made, words said that may not be huge or for its impact to be immediate but like a constant drip, it is significant. It still changes, it has it’s value & purpose & its effect. Consistently going, its significance grows.
So if what you are doing may seem like a drop at the moment, don’t give up, don’t give in.. it already made a change.. to make a bigger change, make the drop into a consistent drip! A drip that eventually cannot be ignored!
It is a new year & a new decade but are we stuck in our old ways of doing things? Old habits, old expectations, old manners, old approaches.. don’t get me wrong, there are some things of old which are of value, in fact, great value – those are the things that have stood the test of time, that worked & that are the foundation of things! There is value & worth in the priceless traditions, the basic morals of life which are timeless like politeness, kindness, generosity, love, care, respect. Those are the things of old that are set in stone that should not be departed from & should be passed & taught from one generation to another.
But then, there are still the other things, with a new generation of technology, kids & ideas, as the world change around us, should we not change too to adapt where there is a need to do so? When something isn’t working anymore because it has gone past it’s time or relevance, those are the things that need refreshing. Sometimes, it is not just the physical things but also the mindsets, being teachable, being open, looking outside the box so that things, businesses, ministries, relationships can be brought to a whole new level!
Just saying that it is a new year does not make things new 😅 we all wished it was that simple. I saw this post by Christine Caine & it helps put into words what had been on my mind for this new year & new decade.
There have been numerous things which we have accepted & allowed for the last year & decade which we know that change needs to occur but no action has been taken, this is the year to press stop & deal with it so that change can actually occur.
There are some things that are progressing like a bullet train towards a destination but have we paused to see what else is there around us that needs to be done or is everything going to just fly by like a blur & become missed opportunities?
Are there some things that need to be reset, rethought, refreshed, repaired, reanalysed, reassessed, reconsidered so that it functions better, that the foundations can be made stronger.. sometimes the base is set & is fine but the building that took place on top of it may have some weak points or some require some adjustment to ensure that it can support the further building on top of it, likewise, to pruning of a tree, to ensure that the growth happens in the right direction & the branch is strong enough to support it otherwise, the fruit eventually falls from the tree not due to ripeness but due to the weakness of the branch.
Lastly, the scariest one of all, is it time to press start… press start on those dreams that have been kept in the smallest & secret places, the ideas that we have pushed aside, the visions that God ha given us but we discounted not because of Him but of what we think our abilities are.. if not now, then when?
The ticking of the clock into a new hour/day/hour/week/month/year/decade does not mean that things will magically change. It is the intentions followed by the courage together with the actions & hard work that change occurs.
Received a new handbag & wallet for Christmas so tonight, before I start back at work for the new year, I emptied my old handbag & sorted through all the crap I had in there. My new handbag was a little smaller than my old one & initially, I wondered if I was going to fit everything in…. but as I emptied it, I realised as to how much crap I was carrying around in my bag everywhere & everyday for the last year! So many things that were not necessary, not useful, things that had expired, that I no longer had use for, broken, missing items that did not belong to me! As I sorted through them & tossed out what was unnecessary, my new bag was rather light & full of space for new things. It also made me realise that life can be a bit like that too.. we we travel through the year, we take things on board, where with ease, we place stuff that was given to us, picked up, held, shared, used into our “bag”, our mind, our heart, our spirit & we knowingly or unknowingly carry those stuff around with us. So as we begin the new year, let’s sort through our physical, emotional, mental & spiritual bag. Toss out the unnecessary, the things that are not important or of use or beneficial. Start the year light, with space for new things.
Today is International Women Day & I have this message within me that I had thought of not sharing but it is fighting to come out as words that needs to be heard.
As I scrolled through social media & the news & so many other things today, there are women fighting for equality, women fighting for a status, articles & awards celebrating the achievements of women, people celebrating their wives, mothers, daughters & girlfriends lifting each other up in support & messages that it is ok to be imperfect.
The niggling question that keeps bugging me as I read through this today is “who or what are we comparing ourselves with?”; as women, do we realised that we are created to be different from men?
Yes, some of society has deemed us to be the weaker gender but within our “weakness” is our strength. Yes, we should be recognised but there is so much that a woman endures & sacrifices that is not known nor can be comprehended. When we live by our design, we have the confidence to go forward & function as we are meant to.
As a woman, I find myself discovering new abilities of who I am & what I can do each day & in that discovery, my identity & my confidence grows.
Maybe instead of fighting for women” rights or competing with each other of who is better, let us be recognised for who we were designed to be…
The wife who will out of our love for our husband be committed to partner & journey through ever aspect of life with him
The daughter who will always look up to her parents & wish to please them with everything that she does
The mother who will always carry & expand & stretch & endure however much required, physically, emotionally & mentally for her children
The sister who will always stand up for those who she fights alongside
A boss and/or leader who will always nuture & champion those following them
A friend who will always cheer on, lift, support & encourage
Let us strive to discover our identity of who God has created us to be & be the best woman we can for ourselves & for those around us.
A woman’s worth is a core of her identity & is one aspect that is challenged at various times or at some point of time in her lifetime.
I am thankful that when my worth is challenged, I am surrounded by people including amazing women who remind me that I am precious, that I am valued, I am loved, I am capable!
I hope that I too have become a woman who brings & shares this message to other women & girls around me!
Today is International Women’s Day…. lift up, encourage, inspire & speak words of life, worth & value to the girls in your life & those who come across your path!
A bit of inspiration on International Women Day. Women have unique strength & ability in who they are to encounter so much & journey so far! So, girls, enjoy womanhood, discover your identity & strength, find your tribe who will create that special girly bond with you & with the confidence & believe that you can, you will achieve great things!
moderndaychick 