My Blog.

I have never blogged before; this is my very first one. I will therefore just write whatever comes to my mind. I know that life is too wonderful not to be documented. My life has been a recipe of joys, pains, victories, defeats, frustrations, denials, rejections, accomplishments, to mention just but a few. Through all these things, there have been many realizations, lots of challenges, and some times even doubts about the role of God in my life! Yes I said doubts. However, what matters most is that I am still here. Through thick and thin, I know that my redeemer lives, and that my tomorrow will be better than my today. In other words what lies ahead of me is far better than what is in my past.

As I sit here on my desk, a thought just came to me to count how many days have passed since 2008 ended. It is exactly 3 mothns 9 days. Well I must say 2008, was quite eventful so to speak. So many things happened in my life. I had the privilege to travel to the United Kingdom early that year where the Lord connected me to great friends, then I was blessed with a gorgeous baby boy, Shalom is his name. I met more new friends than enemies this past year; I’ve learned that no matter what happens in our lives, the way we respond to situations determines how far we’ll go in life. I was also able to take on a new carrier in writing, and I am happy to say that my first book; ‘days of small beginnings’ was launched last month! The Lord has also blessed us with a car, though it’s not fancy, it mooooovesssss!!! And also it makes money for us!

In a blink, one would think that all has been well for me, but the truth is every new level you attain, there are new devils trying to detain you! There has been a lot of trouble at my work place this year than I have ever known in my entire working life! Then my health also chose to rebel against me, there is not a single day I remember in this past year where I was pain free! (People wouldn’t know this coz I didn’t show it) I visited the hospital this past year more times than all the other years put together. I have chosen to ignore my pains and live one day at a time for the glory of God! Then there are those times when people would just be indifferent! I have had ‘people’ send me terrible messages that I wondered what on earth I had done to deserve the kinds of insults I received through sms, email etc. The people who left without saying a word, then we lost our brother and we could not be allowed to give him a decent burial because the village people ‘suspected’ him to have died of the deadly Ebola virus. Then three months later we had to unbury him take him to our ancestral burial place after they cleared us to burry him rightfully. That was very traumatic for us. Then my mom’s ‘house’ which was literary a grass thatched one, fell down, I had to find ways of putting up something for her temporarily as we plan what next for her. Then the people I intended to help by lending money only for them to become more hateful because they couldn’t pay. I won’t talk about the seductions I encountered this year, but I am grateful to God for the grace to stand.

What I have learnt this past year through what has happened is far worth more than what I went through. You see life is the best teacher, and when life teaches, there is no way you will miss the class! Because life is the classroom, I have learnt what no other professor in this world would ever teach me, and it’s all been worth the pain. The following are the observations I can draw form what I have learnt;

•Gratitude should never be limited only to the good times, the God of the good times, is still God even in bad times. So I must thank God for all that I have had to go through.

•That for me to succeed, I must go from wishing I did to working so that I do.

•Whenever things go wrong, I must never go with them.

•Sometimes God will not give me faith to move the mountain, but faith to climb the mountain.

•You cannot force people to like you; therefore other people’s opinions will not be my yardstick to do my life.

•I have also learnt that even when I don’t get what I wanted this past year, God is still working on my behalf, if I really needed it, He would have provided it.

•I must never allow anything, anybody or any situation to take away my JOY. Because the joy of the Lord is truly my STRENGHT!

•We plan, but it is the Lord who brings to fruition. Many may have been my plans at the start of the year, but TIMING is God’s way of letting us know that He is our father and He know what I can and cannot handle at every stage of my life.

•I have come to appreciate the more what Romans 8:28 says that ALL things work together for the GOOD of those who LOVE the lord and are called…

•Finally, I have learnt that my weaknesses have kept me humble and in need of the Lord, never will I follow my feelings, coz feelings are fickle, I should live by Faith!

As this past year goes, I am grateful for the people who came into my life, whatever brought me joy, the skills I acquired, the challenges and obstacles I overcame, the people I blessed somehow, those who blessed me. The past years taught me to be careful with the decisions I make, so I am thankful for every wise decision I made, for the terrible ones, Lord just have mercy! The lord spoke to us about this past year being a year of new beginnings, indeed we have seen lots of new beginnings, As I get busy in 2009, I will remember the laughter, the buckets of tears, the love, the hate and above all, the presence of the Lord through it all. I am looking forward to more laughter, more courage to stand in times of adversity, more exploits for Jesus and more life in its abundance like brother John said in his gospel (John 10;10)

Another year is here for you and me. Don’t think more in terms of what God will do for this year, He can take care of His part. Rather think in terms of what you do for yourself, for others and above all for God in this year.

God blesssssssss, Ps Robert