That’s basically what was going on for me in the dark and cozy atmosphere of the bus, when I started feeling something like fingers furtively searching in one of my pockets. The girl next to me (she looked older than me), a total stranger, obviously thought that I was deeply sleeping, so she was low-key doing her thing…
"Love your neighbor as yourself". What if you don't love yourself? Well my friend, then your neighbors happen to have terrible luck! and I know someone who wouldn't want to be in their shoes 👀! This command sounds to me like Jesus already expects us to be treating ourselves well, and that's why He can ask us to love the next person the same way. Well, Lord you were wondering if there would still be faith upon your return... basic self-love has taken a strike too. Indeed faith and love are so closely knit: if we don't trust, we won't be able to receive anything from God, not even His fully given love. When the cisterns are broken (families, communities, societies), we need to go back to the Source: our Father God. It's time to fill our love tank...
To me, it’s quite obvious that the time you give away you can never take back. When we understand that time is actually our life running, it becomes hard to part life in sections. For example, you can’t say, there’s my work, there’s my family, then there’s my life. Your life will be spent in everything you do, whether at home, at work or enjoying yourself somewhere else… -unless you could name one thing we can do that doesn’t involve our time...- because as long as it will involve our time, it automatically will involve our life…
I am and will be "God-daughtering" in Christ 24/7. The only fight I'll partake in is the battle of the faith. Fighting not only to protect and keep my faith in God through all life's vicissitudes, but also to encourage and strengthen, to the extent that I can, that same faith all around me. That's the real fight that sticks us with Him here and gets us on the other side with Him. And that's the fight, that I believe we should all do together, both inside the structures and outside them, so that no one among us is missing. That focus is sharp, so no matter what the narratives are, the real fight and where the enemy tackles us is: keeping our faith in Him (for real, for real, and for all matters) and keeping His love in us for one another.
I was not good. Smh… At all. It was also clear to me that these evil things were bright open doors flashing the demons to access me. I was afraid and very sorry when I realized how I had put my soul in such a vulnerable position. I was suddenly conscious of all that. So I was confessing them as they kept coming one after the other. I needed God’s forgiveness and rescue; otherwise, it would be just a matter of time, I kind of knew that. So there I was, confessing and calling on Jesus, in my heart, to save me, when suddenly, OUT OF NOWHERE…
Growing up, I heard that story about God & humanity over and over. But I was in no rush to decide whether to believe it or not. The story and I simply coexisted alongside each other. The idea of an existing God was not particularly bothering me. That could always be as possible as the fact that I actually had no particular reason to mind it. As for me, I was just being told stuff. I did not know for sure. However, I could always see that this God was very real to my parents. I respected that. Somehow, I even felt protected by their faith and prayers. But it never seemed to require for me to have a faith on my own. Until that evening...
"It" doesn't seem to suit my little guy, sorry! I tried, but I guess all the acrobatic moves to catch him and the intense moment that bird and I went through remained significant to me enough. Not that I'm taking part in the pronoun war going on though. Just saying...! But it is a true story. The pictures were taken by a friend who doesn't feel comfortable around animals; but since she witnessed it all, she wanted to keep some memories. And I'm glad she did. So, if you ever see a flying bird missing a tail, that could be our little guy! And in case it's not, at least you'll be reminded of him...
Have you ever taken the time to sit with yourself, assess the current aspects of your life and define new visions for each of them to improve them? By aspects, I mean physical, emotional, social, spiritual, educational, financial, etc. I've been adding some more specific ones lately like: preferred mindset, wishes (desires/ dreams), skill sets, weaknesses (where to improve), hurting areas, strengths, things I'd like to do, to have, to learn, places I'd like to go, etc. and here is why:
