Christian – Deeperlook

Blogster 2: A Different Kind of Friday

Preamble

Hello!

Welcome to the second edition of the Blogster series.

I trust God to help me with this special series and to share a new insight into Easter Friday.

Do not hesitate to share this series to others.

Let’s begin.

THE BETRAYAL

Betrayal occurs when a trusted person turns around to become an enemy who uses sensitive information to cause harm to the victim.

Betrayal does not occur with enemies.

An enemy cannot betray you

The people who can betray us are those who we once called allies and brought close to our heart. This is the reason why betrayal hurts.

Betrayal, depending on the extent can scar a person for life.

It is a form of trauma

Betrayal is the devaluation of trust. It is trampling down confidence built. Therefore, when a person has been betrayed it may be hard to trust again.

Jesus had twelve main disciples who were always with Him. Three of them were the closest who accompanied Him to places the other disciples did not get the opportunity to visit.

Peter, James and John (the beloved) were Jesus’s closest disciples.

Despite this apparent closeness, Jesus mentioned that they were all going to betray Him.

Jesus experienced different grades of betrayal from the least closest to the most closest.

Judas, the treasurer and thief knew the safe spots that Jesus and the others went to. He knew that Gethsemane was a beloved spot and possibly the best place to meet Jesus. He had slipped away after sharing bread and wine with others.

He finished eating with them and the next minute he was bringing their enemies to their safe spot

Jesus knew his disciples loved Him but He also knew their love was not strong enough because it had not been proven.

Peter who was the most active among the rest boldly declared his love without masking his feelings.

“I’ll die with you!”

Have you experienced that before? Someone professing their passionate love for you?

In response, Jesus calmly told him “You’ll deny me thrice before the cock crows once”

However, Jesus assured Peter “I have prayed for you and when you have gotten yourself, strengthen your brothers”

To the rest, Jesus knew that they would not have the strength to even remain when things got tough. They had gotten food, fame and respect by being with Him. They did not yet have the strength to suffer with Him.

(Luke 22:31-34)

 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat, 32 but I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail.So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers.” Simon said, “Lord, I am ready to go to jail with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Between now and tomorrow morning when the rooster crows, you will deny me three times, declaring that you don’t even know me.” (TLB)

GETHSEMANE

Lies at the foot of Mount of Olives.

Mount of Olives was one of Jesus’s frequent places to pray. It was a place of fresh air from the activities and excess interaction with people. It was the place He loved spending His early mornings praying. Gethsemane was an extension and if He was going to be in any place at the most crucial point of His ministry, it had to be where He spent most of His private fellowship in.

Judas and the others knew this.

After sharing bread and wine, and pouring out His heart to the ones He had spent three years with, Jesus went to the garden.

Once again, he brought Peter, James and John to the inner part and asked them to wait for Him while He went to a specifc place in the garden to pray.

As Christ poured His heart, tears and words out, His disciples whom He also called friends were sleeping out of sorrow. They did not yet understand the extent of the next events that were going to happen but they knew that it was going to be important to the relationships they had built in the last three years.

Gethsemane was a comfort zone yet in this place Jesus experienced agony. However, it was also in this place that an angel came and ministered strength.

What or Where is your comfort zone?

After praying, Jesus still met them sleeping. Their sense of sorrow was deeper that their strength.

(Luke 22: 39-46)

And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. Now when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you do not come into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” [[n]Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground]. When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you do not come into temptation.” (NASB)

THE ABANDONMENT

Jesus knew that the heavy footsteps approaching the garden were those of His enemies.

He, the close three and the other disciples had come together again when they came face to face with Judas and the mob.

Jesus was not taken by surprise.

He had prepared in prayer

Judas had given them a code word: “The man I kiss is he”

This meant that either the mob could not identify Jesus or Judas wanted to be extra by pointing Him out. It seemed as if there was a sinister pleasure he derived from seeing Jesus vulnerable.

It expressed “Ah, I got you when you did not expect” feeling

It is important to note that the devil had possessed Judas, therefore this pleasure of enjoying the fear and torment of others was well defined.

There are people called sadist and they express similar cruel expression. Even though I am a medical personnel, I will say that sadism is demonic

The kiss came, the commotion followed, an ear fell off then the arrest happened.

The next thing that happened was that the remaining disciples fled to the extent one of them ran away naked.

Jesus was left alone. There was no Peter, James or John.

Judas would have found his way out already

Prior to this incident, Jesus had told His disciples that they would all abandon Him because they had no strength to support Him.

They did not yet have the stamina.

Have you felt abandoned before?

(Mark 14:27)

Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away [and be ashamed and be afraid to be associated with Me as disciples], because it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered' (AMP)

Alone with the mob, Jesus was carried to the residence of the High priest.

There within earshot, Peter denied Jesus according to the prophecy Jesus had said before.

In fear of losing his life, Peter openly denied Jesus to His hearing.

(Mark 14:43-52)

And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him and lead Him away under guard.” And after coming, Judas immediately went to Him and *said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. And they laid hands on Him and arrested Him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear.And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a man inciting a revolt? Every day I was with you within the temple grounds teaching, and you did not arrest Me; but this has taken place so that the Scriptures will be fulfilled.” And His disciples all left Him and fled.
 A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they *seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.(NASB)

THE ASSAULT

The verbal assault came become the physical assault. This was the moment some angered persons had waited for. They took turns in slapping and spitting at Him after asking unnecessary questions.

Then the assault increased as the day went by, the intensity got worse and from hands and spit, it progressed to sticks, whips, and thorns.

And mockery and torture

At this point, not a single person openly defended or allied with Jesus, not even the people He had fed and healed.

Have you been assaulted before? If yes, how have you healed?

Verbal assault can cause damage just as physical assault can cause damage. They both have a huge impact on the emotional and mental state of a person which can lead to years of scabs, scars and hurts.

Verbal assault though taken lighter than physical assault can lead to grave consequences if the victim is not taken away from such environment.

It is the character of a wicked and foolish person to always have a verbal insult to hurl.

I hope you do not fall into this category

(Luke 22:63-65)

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking and ridiculing Him [and treating Him with contempt] and beating Him. They blindfolded Him and asked, “Prophesy, who is it that struck You?” And they were saying many other [evil and slanderous] things against Him, blaspheming [speaking sacrilegiously and abusively about] Him. (AMP)

(Mark 15:16-20)

Now the soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they *called together the whole Roman cohort. And they *dressed Him in purple, and after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him; and they began saluting Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they repeatedly beat His head with a reed and spit on Him, and kneeling, they bowed down before Him. And after they had mocked Him, they took the purple cloak off Him and put His own garments on Him. And they *led Him out to crucify Him. (NASB)

THE SACRIFICE

Jesus had been handed over to the die in response to intense vengeful desires of His enemies. The people who had screamed and shouted for bread now shouted for His death.

Like a lamb taken to the slaughter house, Jesus was made to carry the weapon that was going to be used to kill Him.

However, what the crowd did not understand was that prophecy was being fulfilled of which Jesus was fully aware of, was part of and was willing to be part of.

Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and His death on the cross was the beginning of something new.

(Isaiah 53:5-7)

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, We have turned, each one, to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] To fall on Him [instead of us]. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself]; Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before her shearers, So He did not open His mouth.(AMP)

The sacrifice was one that was for ever.

It was one to deal with sin for ever because the blood of animals were not potent enough:

Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

This everlasting sacrifice was to open the way that man could access God without a barrier (or excuse).

(Luke 23:44-46)

By now it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land for three hours, until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone—and suddenly the thick veil hanging in the Temple split apart. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I commit my spirit to you,” and with those words he died. (TLB)

ENCOURAGEMENT

With all that has been written, starting from betrayal to abandonment and to assault, it is well agreed that none of these themes are pleasant and with that being said we can surrender these situations to Christ (when they happen).

We can also take actions against certain behaviours that will endanger us and put up boundaries when necessary. Jesus knew that what was going to befall Him was painful but because there was a greater purpose, He did not avoid it. However, it is important for us to pause and ask ourselves if the unpleasant situations we are going through is part of God’s plan.

Is it God’s plan for anyone of us to be betrayed, abandoned or assaulted?

A wrong perception of these situations can make us willful victims.

Some unfortunate events can be avoided, and assault, betrayal or abandonment should not be embraced. They should be dealt with accordingly and when necessary by the law of the land.

This is also to add that we ourselves should not be perpetrators of such and as much we do not desire such, should not inflict ay of these on any one.

ADDITIONS

LISTEN

WATCH

CONCLUSION

I began to meditate on this series at the end of March.

At the beginning of April, after noting down the days that would lead until Easter I knew that I had to start preparing myself for this series.

After much meditation, the Holy Spirit inspired me with titles for each day and I was expectant on what the content would hold.

I repeatedly went back to the first Blogster series and tried to draw inspiration from it. The more I read them, the heavier I felt. I wondered what extra words I would pen down.

However, in the course of preparing this post I realised that it was indeed still a heavy post to write and what I thought would take an hour or two took more hours from me. I could feel the weight in the words and I wonder if I was able to pen them as well as I should have.

I do not know the extent to which you resonate with this post but regardless of the degree, I pray it has stirred in you a desire to cherish God’s immense love for you. I also pray that if your love has grown cold because of pain, you will recognise that God’s love is able to warm your heart again.

Kindly do share your comments, they will receive a reply.

Like. Share and Subscribe.

Stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

MAKING JESUS PERSONAL

Preamble

Hello!

Welcome to another preamble. I hope you are well.

How has life been?

How have you been coping?

Today’s post is not extremely new but it is unique and special. It popped into my heart about two weeks ago and just recently, I had an experience that made this topic more real to me.

Lets ride in 🚴🚵

Who is Jesus to you?

To me Jesus is my personal saviour. What that means is, Jesus is the one in whom I put the assurity of my salvation on. Jesus is the reason I will go to heaven.

Jesus is the way to heaven.

He proclaimed that Himself and I believe because all Jesus has ever said are true and therefore His testament about Himself is also true. I also believe Him because He fulfilled every single prophecy written about Him. He was very specific to the point of asking for something to drink on the cross so that He could fulfill the words written by David.

So if Jesus was that precise to prove every words written beforehand then His claim about Himself is also true.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.(KJV)

Being like Jesus

What does it mean to make Jesus personal?

It means going beyond only declaring by mouth how much we love Jesus to living like Jesus.

This is the struggle….

There is a picture most of us have created of Jesus which is not consistent with the scriptures.

We assume that to be like Jesus, it means being liked or loved so in order to achieve that status, we try as much as possible to please everyone.

Jesus never tried to please everyone, He only made sure that He put The Heavenly Father first, every other person came second.

Jesus was strong in character, had compassion yet never condoned or encouraged sin.

His concern was not the crowd loving Him. His concerning was fulfilling His mission and so whatever He did was in line with prophecy.

Making Jesus personal means living daily like Jesus.

It means following the same principles Jesus followed.

It means making Jesus matter in your life.
O. R. A

When Jesus matters in your daily life, certain activities would be abandoned. Certain relationships would be limited and if possibly terminated.

But….

Jesus loved sinners but He never encouraged them to remain in sin. That too should be our attitude.

As much as we are to love those God has put in our paths, we should understand limit and boundaries and how our relationships are affecting our personal walk with God.

How much has Jesus affected you

How has knowing Jesus affected your life?

Any difference before and now?

How has His words transformed your thoughts?

Do you listen to the Holy Spirit?

How has Jesus influenced you?
O. R. A

What has changed since you accepted Jesus into your life?

That is if you have

What would your answers be?

God bless you

Not long ago, I got into a situation with a tricylist.

I had gone to a nearby shop to get a large bottle of water.

I was already late for the church evening service for that day so using a quick transport was going to help.

I highlighted the tricycle and it stopped. I explained my location and the driver asked me to hop in.

Within a minute we were in front of my residence.

“How much?”

The mistake I made….

“Give me whatever you have”

“How much please?”

“Give me whatever you have”

I proceeded to give him a reasonable amount because of the distance and that was when he insisted I gave him double the amount.

First, I was irritated. This attitude was one I really disliked and was a huge reason I avoided tricyclists. Most of them often looked for reasons to quarrel.

“Take it. The distance is not far. It is just here”

“No. You have to give me double because of the water”

The passenger I had met in the tricycle took the money from me and gave it to the driver but the driver rejected it.

“I do not have time. I have a place to go. Take your money”

“If you won’t pay me double, you can go with your money”

“Take your money. The distance is not far. I do not have time”

After a back and forth. He collected the money and added

“Animal”

I heard him and because I could not reply him in his language, I said

“God bless you”

It was left for him to check what that meant.

N.B The above conversation was in broken Arabic😂. Do not ask if I am a pro🙂 because I am not.

Before I met this man, I was not feeling great and I wish I had asked him of the price before getting into his tricycle. Also, I was irritated by his efforts to extort an unneccessary amount of money from me for an extremely short distance. I dislike haggling and avoid it as much as I can but in this case, he had tied me so I could not avoid excusing myself.

Should I have given him the amount he later demanded for?

To avoid the back and forth?

I have done that in the past but I did not want to do it that day.

Was it right for me to go back and forth with him?

I wish I did not. I should have left the money in his tricycle without encouraging the conversation.

When I replied his insulting word with ‘God bless you’, I felt different.

I felt like an achiever😂😂

My only prayer is that the words stuck in his head.

It is in situations, confrontations, events that our relationship with Jesus will be tested.

We are not tested in isolation but in relational states.

I had to pray for my heart to forgive the mean word and laugh lightly to myself. The words of the man were not to hold meaning to me.

Plus, I needed to learn my lesson and ask for price regardless of the distance.

Conclusion

It is not enough to say you love Jesus yet He has not caused a meaningful change in your life.

The process varies for everyone based on the willingness of the heart to be transformed.

It is a daily walk with lessons to practice but it is possible.

How personal is Jesus to you?

I asked many questions in this post, your comments are welcomed.

Stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

WHY LIFE NO BALANCE?

Preamble

Hello and welcome after a long time.

I have about 4 topics to share before the month ends.

2 are quite old.

1 is less older.

1 is about 2 to 3 weeks old.

Today’s topic is some days old.

TIP: One of the topic is a special post. I hope you will be around for it plus I would love you to invite others to be available as well.

Interpretation

The meaning of ‘Life no Balance’ = Life is not equal or Life is not moving according to expectations or Life is not fair.

This has become a common slang especially in Nigeria as the hard times in economy is hitting very hard.

Most people do not feel favoured by current happenings and often times the complain that rocks social media is enormous.

All fingers are not equal

There are few people who have equal index and middle fingers. It is actually rare to find someone who has such digits in their hands.

Life events do not present everyone with equal opportunities.

Some people are born into affluence and extravagance and others are born into abject poverty. While some try to make it out of the slums, some do not.

Sometimes, it simply feels like the survival of the fittest.

It actually presents that way

The environment and events surrounding the upbringing of any individual has one of the strongest effect on their perception on life to the extent that even if they do occupy relevant positions, they may not necesarily upgrade in their mentality.

All fingers are not equal so are the spoons as well

Everybody has a challenge

Everyone has a challenge that bothers them.

You must have heard this multiple times

And just as our fingers and toes are not equal, so are our problems.

However, most people find it easier to compare their problems to another person’s problem.

Is that the only problem you have?

Sometimes, it is better to keep certain concerns to yourself and God than share it with certain people because if you are not discreet, you would feel much worse afterwards.

You are complaining, do you know what I am facing?

No matter how comfortable or affluent a person is, they have personal challenges that bothers them. It is either they have learnt how to deal with it or have only learnt to camouflage it well.

You don’t knoW

So take it easy

You see that beautiful photo on social media and immediately you have concluded that the person in question is living their best life.

You see a person driving an exotic car, and you immediately think that all their troubles have been driven away.

We were walking to the bus stop after window shopping for an item.

She was holding a very recent device that was quite expensive. It was easy for me to assume that she was well placed to get such a device. However as we conversed, I learnt that it was a gift from a close family member and not necessarily that she got it herself. Personally, she did not even care for the item in the manner I would have quietly assumed. She related her personal concerns and they were worth being concerned about.

I had just come out of the mall with my bag of items. The little girl trailed me with her poetic words of begging. She must have completely concluded that I had all the money since I had just come out of the mall. However, she did not realize that I was short of a meaningful change and wanted to save money by using the public transport. At the end of the day, I had to find some change to give her (she refused to give up)

It is easy for people to conclude you have the best of life because you have certain things they wish to have.

If I can just have what you have, I would be so happy

Or maybe, you may think I make money from my books or items I put up for sale on this blog or that I make any reasonable amount to put up content but the answer is no.

It is easy to assume all is well for another person more than you because you think you have it the hardest.

What are you complaining of?

The truth remains: Not all problems are the same.

I would not even argue that.

Hunger and not having a car are not in the same category. One has to do with survival, the other is an accessory that can assist your movement.

But it does not replace the fact that your concerns may eat you up even though it may not be a bother to another person.

Another irony is that some people may have the wealth and affluence yet lack good health either physically or mentally while another may be well and sound yet is struggling to make ends meet.

Different troubles and sizes.

Yet in all of these, whatever you are facing as a challenge is not irrelevant regardless of what another peson may try to say or make you feel about it.

What the Bible says

First, I will start with this verse

2 Corinthians 10:12  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.(KJV)

Comparing your challenge with another person’s own is not wise. Your challenge is perculiar to you and you may not have the capacity to face the challenge of another person.

1 Peter 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (KJV)

In the life of every believer, challenges develop faith and other strong qualities in us. It is hard to accept or even experience them but it does not change the fact that strength in character is built through overcoming challenges.

1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.(KJV)

Trusting God is a daily affair. It is not a one time event. It is a habit.

Consistently returning back to the place of surrender will give us strength and hope. It is important to note that as a child of God, your life is very intentional and packed with purpose in the sight of God.

Nothing happens as a coincidence when you walk with God

Returning to the place of surrendering our burdens to God should be a first point of contact, then from that position, God will grant us the ability to overcome.

A heart posture of gratitude is a strong weapon and I am learning to use it more often.

Without battles, there are no testimonies.

Overcomers overcome.

Winners win.

…..

Conclusion

To answer the question of this post, I will say that life no balance because of many things already mentioned in the Bible.

And for life to balance, one has to know God.

Balance can be interpreted as different things to different individuals but for the sake of this post, balance is focused on purpose.

In order to remain purposeful regardless, the anchor has to be Christ.

Salvation is for all and is not attached to race, affluence, poverty or experience. It is simply a gift to everyone who believes in Jesus.

Therefore even in storms, having Jesus is an assurance of hope and peace.

Jesus is my assurance of hope and peace. Amen

If you have not read this post titled Finding God, click HERE to.

Thank you for reading until here.

The theme of this post is not new, however it is still different.

This topic popped up recently in my heart and it kept recurring in my personal life and environment. I thought to post it after two posts I was planning to create but it really insisted on coming out first.

If this post blessed you, kindly share to others.

Your comments are welcomed.

All posters were created specifically for this post.

N.B The cover art for this post was made by me.

The menu button will lead you to other interesting parts of this blog, your interaction is well appreciated.

Until next post, stay safe and God bless.

#daughterofabba

Blogmas 2: Day 22

Preamble

Hello, welcome the 22nd of December 2020.

If you are here for the first time, that means you missed 21 older posts in this series.

21 is alot to read up

So you can check them when you have free time but as for now, thank you for being here.

N.B I make many mistakes even though I try to avoid them but I always come back to correct them after multiple read throughs. I hope they do not distract you (if you notice any)

Do not look Back

When you start, make sure you try to finish.

Start and finish.

When your plans get ruined, try and finish. You had a legitimate reason for starting.

Don’t look back.

That place. That temptation. That distraction. That place. That person. That circumstance.

Let them be.

Don’t look back.

Make sure you try to finish.

Just as I am trying to put up with the daily posts until 25th…😁

These words rang even loudly in my heart today, and I pray to use my whole life well.

God is Alpha and Omega.

The Beginning and End.

The First and Last.

When God starts, He finishes.

Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (KJV)

Don’t look back at the things you have left behind. They are behind for a reason.

1 Corinthians 9:26-27  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (KJV)

Remain…..

Hebrews 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.(KJV)

Now to You

…

What are you slacking on?

What have you returned back to that was not healthy for you?

Where is your direction headed towards?

Your comments are welcomed

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

CAVEWOMAN 3

Evolution of a solitary being

Regrets

And because she refuses to grow, she experiences regrets she should not experience.

The things she should have done.

The places she have gone.

The people she should have shown her affection to.

The people she should have allowed to go.

The people she should have given a chance.

All these boil down to Memories that are bitter sweet with what ifs……

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Regrets are bred from longings that were not fullfiled either because of an internal or an external factor.

I hate regrets but because of the factors I have already mentioned, I have had to face regrets as a consequence of actions.

It is one thing to wish, it is another for the wish to be fulfilled.

A wish becomes a regret if left unfulfilled.

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God fulfills His promises.

He will come true. It is not just a wish with God, it is a promise.

Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.(KJV)

With God there is certainty .

This is something God has been teaching me. With Him, I am certain of my future.

Psalms 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.(KJV)

And I will add this song…

You don't have to worry
And don't you be afraid
Joy comes in the morning 
Trouble may not last always 
For there's a friend in Jesus
Who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken 
Just lift your voice and say
I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands

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A post shared by O. R. A (@oraproduct)

As life progresses, avoiding regrets may be hard but it is possible to reduce its incidence.

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can a live a life that is led by God.

And a life led by God is not governed by regrets.

How are you coping with regrets?

I hope to see you in the next part.

Digital art can be gotten here

Until then

Still

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

Nice Christian 🙂

Preamble

I will not lie, this post was triggered 😂😂

However, it is one I have battled with for a very long time. I will mention why in the remaining part of this post.

CAVEWOMAN series has started. Started yesterday and will be updated tommorrow.

Don’t forget 🙃

Nice Nice

I have mentioned continously that my personality has played a big role in my decisions. I mentioned elaborately in Cavewoman the first part.

My tendency of being extremely cautious has also made me too careful to avoid being the bad guy.

Did my cautioness work?

No 😂😂

My deeper interest in doing the right thing, being principled and insisting that it must be done as long I am involved in the matter has not made me a good guy.

It does not matter how nicely I try to put it or how my mannerisms were, the involved person will still take offence.

Sari

Sometimes, I get the table turned on me. It doesn’t matter how the situation erupted it somehow becomes my fault because of the tone of my voice or because of my eyelashes blinked or because of….

With these repeated occurrences, I felt pressured to remain nice

I did not want to cause offence

I wanted to remain loveable

Did it work?

No 😂😂

As a Christian

I am continuously taught by the scriptures to love, to treat others right, to be careful of my words and actions, to be consistent in God’s love to others.

But does it mean I would always be nice?

🤔🤔

As I keep evolving, I realize that I may have taken what I was learning out of context and because it consistently poked me to act in a way that appeared perfect, I often experienced conflicts within.

To love others may sometimes appear offensive to them.

Loving others may mean confronting them. It may mean being insistent on doing the right thing. It may mean………

Love is not always rosy

I am learning that craving for other people’s opinions about my character. Hoping to hear them say how nice I am is equal to stifling myself from being sincere with myself and God’s work in my life.

I am learning that I should not try to be nice, I should be nice.

I did not define nice. check it yourself

When I think about being nice, this verse comes to mind

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

I want to live at peace with people but some people may not want to live at peace with me and they may do this passively or aggressively and in some of these times, being nice may not be the solution.

Being able to balance living right and being nice is important to remaining sincere with ourselves, others and with God.

Yes, God

I am also learning that I do not need to make people to love me. I should focus on growing in areas I am weak.

God’s love is enough

Before it seems I am being unrealistic, I still appreciate sincere love but the truth is that sometimes craving for love from others can become an obession.

People pleaser sickness

More lessons

Understanding that all my good actions may not equal immediate rewards is helping me do good without too much expectations.

If my reason for being a good person is to please God, then I should be satisfied with this resolution.

If I am sincere in my actions and my heart is pure before God, then He would vindicate me at the right them. Especially when I have been misunderstood and labelled wrongly.

It takes time but it would be revealed

Therefore I do not need to force any emotion but trust God to help me to live as a true Christian as I am consistent in obeying His words and guidance.

Amen.

The lessons never end.

Note: To understand the tone of this post, read the previous post. thank you.

Are you nice?

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

How are you feeling? 🕊

Preamble

This topic popped in my heart two days ago and on that day, I was not feeling sunshine. I did not want to write a post immediately because I did not want to write from that point, I wanted to write after I was better.

I had planned to make it a series but……

How do you feel?

Happy?

Angry?

Sad?

Tired?

Frustrated?

Apathic?

Hopeful?

Peaceful?

Another word?

How do you do?

When someone asks you that question, how do you respond?

I personally answer with the same response unless I need to share further details which I rarely do.

We all have the answers we truly want to share. We know how we do.

How do you do?

When it rains

I love the rainy seasons.

I love the smell of rain water on mud or sand.

I love the gentle breeze and the droplets of water from leaves on a tree.

I love the cloudy atmosphere after rain has fallen.

I love the tenderness of the moments after rain.

I love the rainy season, maybe I was born in that time. When the rain begins, I put in heart that a new year is around for me.

As I stepped out that morning to get some groceries, the warmth of the rainy morning comforted me. It felt so beautiful and I felt relieved.

You see, God is in the Sunshine. God is in the Rain. God is the warm times. God is in the cold. God is in the tempest. God is in the stillness. God is the fire and God is in the mist. God is everywhere. (O. R. A)

As I walked on the moist ground, my heart reflected on the recent turbulence in the world and how it was overshadowing the pandemic and how everything was mashing up into a no-hope situation, my heart was comforted with God’s words. God kept comforting me to keep looking up to Him.

The reason why this seemed difficult was because I was beginning to focus on what was happening and it troubled my heart. It can be hard to keep my spirit up but that is not my job to do. It is the Holy Spirit who keeps my spirit up and unless I focus on Him, my spirit will be plagued by worries, fears and doubts.

My spirit was comforted as I walked back to my residence, God had used the morning to comfort my spirit.

It is more than a feeling

Living by feelings is so stresful. I can tell you because I know how it feels.

As a HSP, I know all the stress that comes with having your senses and intuition very sharp. It can become such a huge internal conflict, sometimes it is too heavy to bear.

A lot of things did not make sense to me and others but as I continued to understand myself, I could associate all of what a HSP entails.

Good for me I discovered after I was more matured to handle the meaning 😂😂.

However, regardless of that label, true satisfaction comes from remaining in God’s word and trusting in His promises. That is comforting to anyone who will believe.

After every Blue

Comes a Bloom (do not ask me where I got it from. It rhymed😁😁)

With comfort in my spirit, I was better again.

Another blue day may come but I am learning that I can overcome every time because I have the Holy Spirit in me.

This was done a month ago and shared on my other social media platforms. I did it when I was really feeling troubled. I did not like the outcome intially but I later came to appreciate it.

It reminds me of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:39.

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mark 4:39 GNT TRANSLATION

I wanted to share…..

The thought came late and I could not fix anything quick 😐😐

I wanted to share something today but I may still share later if I am able to come up with something.

It would be another gift like WOIFY or even better 😇😇

On an even day, on an even month, on an even year, I get to call a day my birthday 🎈🎈 (now you know why even numbers are special 😁😁)

Okay… Pause…. I talked about Comfort Food on my Food blog.

Do check it out for more.

Q. M 4

Months ago, I shared this poetry collection. One of the poems I really love ❤.

Q. M 4 is the last of the collection. The rest can be found in the Books Section.

And if you do not mind, check ROSECAST or the Podcast page on this blog to listen to the most recent.

I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14 (AMP TRANSLATION)

How do you feel now?

…………………..

I pray you recieve the comfort you need for today.

I pray that if you are feeling blue, you will bloom.

I pray that you experience the warmth of God’s love.

For me, today will be solemn and reflective while I bask in God’s continuous kindness.

I should have probably said more but this is all that comes to heart as I type.

To my new subscribers, thank you 💝. If you are new, kindly subscribe too.

Your comments are welcomed🕊

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

MOTIVES 🍂

Preamble

Happy New Month 💐.

The month may have not started happily for many people but because this is a standard greeting for the start of every month. I am using it.

This month is special to me. It is special to everyone. It is the 6th month out of 12 months. It is the start of cool weather. In some areas, start of rain.

Welcome to Deeperlook in June.

The Heart

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood. It is the size of a clenched fist and works all day.

This small but powerful organ is the center of life of a human and any damge to it causes threat to the existence of a human.

This threat could be physical or psychological.

The heart when filled with love can be so powerful and when filled with hate can so destructive. (reason it is represented with ❤ emoji)

The heart is an organ that pumps blood but it is also an organ that holds the strongest emotions (abstractly)

What God sees

But the Lord said to him, “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 Good News Translation

God looks at the heart because it is the center of intentions and emotions. It is the center of true or false motives.

Why you do what you do?

That is what God wants to know.

We may be doing many things that appear great but underneath, our motives do not allign. We have ulterior motives which we use the outward agenda to push.

This brings me to this…..

Why You Do It?

Are you doing it because you care? Or because you want to push your business forward.

Are you doing it because you truly care? Or because you want to become popular.

Are you doing it because you are truly concerned or because everybody is talking and you do not want to be the odd one out.

Why you do it?

When tragic things happen, many people take to social media to express their dissatisfaction, however under their expressions is the sublime message to patronise their services.

This is often done using the hashtag.

Sometimes, the people they express concern about are people they do not really care about. It is for a personal agenda they seek to push.

When I observe these sublime messages, I feel more concerned about the continous depravity of the society, as people seek to make gain from other people’s tragedy.

We need to ask ourselves why we do certain things. We need to.

Why do you care?

Do you care because you are emotional?

Do you care because you are sensitive to societal issues?

Do you care because you really want these issues to be tackled?

Do you care because you are putting a show?

The interesting thing is that when these incidences wane out, most people do not continue in the track of pushing for better handling of societal issues. The ones who are most concerned continue because they truly cared in the first place.

Should you keep quiet?

My answer is no.

Speak when it is time to speak. Engage when it is time to engage. Make changes when it is time to make changes. Do not fold your arms because you are not affected.

But please check your motives. Check your intentions. It will guide your remaining course of actions.

That will guide the way you seek to propagate certain concerns.

Being consistent is more important than engaging. To engage properly, be consistent.

Good enough?

I made a Podcast recently on RoseCast and in that podcast, I expressed my concerns on this topic.

I was brought to a point where I had to ask myself if my heart was truly concerned and appropriate towards others.

Sometimes, we think we are incapable of certain acts until we are triggered into doing them.

None of us is safe from doing the wrong thing.

“Who can understand the human heart?
There is nothing else so deceitful;
it is too sick to be healed.
I, the Lord, search the minds
and test the hearts of people.
I treat each of them according to the way they live,
according to what they do.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10 Good News Translation

But as a Christian, I know that this heart of mine which I cannot trust can be yielded to God.

In my yielding to God, my heart is transformed and set on the right thing.

Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God
Romans 6: 13 New Living Translation

In the process of consistentenly allowing God’s word develop in my heart, my motives will be checked. My intentions will be checked.

And this brings me to say that whatever drives our actions is a product of what we spend time on.

If we spend time on mind destructive contents, in a matter of time we will display those destructive tendencies.

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.
Philippians 4:8 Good News Translation

This verse is a big one for me. I always reflect on it. It is a purely intentional act to fill our hearts with healthy contents. It is from what we deposit in our hearts are we able to pour out.

Before you press that hashtag and join the conversation, ask yourself:

Why I do it?

You will be able to answer it.

Your comments are welcomed.

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

Scarcity…..

Preamble

I said I would not post until Wednesday.

Here I am, posting before Wednesday.

Why?

Because this topic is a product of spontaneity.

If you follow this blog, you will not be suprised 😌😌

Not having enough

The state of scarcity is a state of deficiency. It is a word that represents shortage.

It is a scary word.

Not having enough is an anxiety trigger. It is not the same as discontentment, it is a real scenario where necessities to survive are lacking.

The basic and most common necessities that are often scarce include food and water. This usually occurs as a result of drough, pest infestation, flooding, erosion, unavailability of tools.

Scarcity is more prevelant in some countries than others.

Sometimes scarcity afftects manpower. Sometimes it is humans that are scarce leading to less production of necessities and increase of scarcity.

Scarcity can be a result of negligence and failure to plan ahead. It can also result from misappropriation of funds and corruption.

Scarcity occurs when there is only a taking and no replenishing.

To avoid scarcity or reduce it’s incidence, it is important to replenish source and plan ahead for possible negative circumstances. Proper attention to these necessities including well detailed plan to achieve availability of necessities will be instrumental to avoid large scale shortage.

Scarcity cannot be handled propely when it happens, it is handled before it happens. That is preventive diasater management (hehe… I have been reading a lot of community medicine 😁)

SDGs

The first time I heard this abbreviation was when I was in secondary school. I loved the concept and tried to participate in activities that encouraged it.

In medical school, I was exposed to it in Community medicine. The concepts are vital and if every country could be mindful of it, development would occur at a faster rate.

That is why organizations such as United Nations set up goals that can help countries achieve a universal growth and improve in areas that are prone to scarcity (especially necessities).

The first 6 goals are focused on basic necessities, and the remaining are a spill of them.

The pictures below summarizes the 17 goals:

Some of these goals have been achieved in most developed countries while under developed countries are still struggling to achieve some.

Quarantine struggle

With the ongoing pandemic and lockdowns in several cities around the world, panic buying is a threat to the availability of basic necessities.

I exprienced this and the anxiety that came with what to shop was super overwhleming. I love to buy when I meed a product and not buy everything in bulk, so having to get necessary items in bulk was nerve wrecking for me.

I was concerned if what I was getting would be enough for me.

I was having a mental preparation of how I would carefully use the items I got so that I would not experience shortage quickly.

If I was feeling this way, I wonder how others who were in charge of taking care of families and large number of people were coping.

Panic buying in my defintion and from experience is buying items in exaggerated quantity in order to avoid shortage but at the same time creating shortage because it is not carefully planned buying. It is buying out of fear of shortage 😶.

General Attitude

As I picked muliple package of the local chilli, I asked myself if I was being selfish picking them in that quantity. What was left after I had picked mine was very small; there was only one vegetable shop open in my community.

There should be more

I said as I put them among the things I was buying.

I was buying another round of supplies, there were rumors that another lockdown would be ordered, and this tine around, it would be a total lockdown. That was enough to make me get more food 😑.

The whole event feels like a movie and with the threat of shortage, and spiking of prices, anxiety is also rising, and people are mostly going to be harsh and unfriendly.

Surprisingly, I met a different attitude that warmed my heart when I went out to get supplies for the second time.

Maybe, I was opportuned to meet kind hearts or God was trying to cheer me up and encourage me.

Do not let kindess become scarce
O. R. A

Encouragement

In these trying times, encouragement is ever needed. I am grateful for people in my life that have made it a routine to always encourage me.

Today, I will encourage you with one of the most popular chapter in the Bible. It is a chapter that almost every Christian can read off-hand.

That chapter is Psalm 23 😊. This chapter is great encouragement for this time and any other time we may find ourselves in. A reminder that God is always with us.

It contains six verses, and each of the verse addresses specific concerns which are always prevalent in our lives, at different stages. In each of these verse, there is a resounding theme of God’s presence and supply.

Psalm 23

Note: You can use the pictures but please do not alter it.

Translation is from King James Version.

I hope these verses encouraged you.

I made a breakdown of ecah of the verses and may share later in the future.

I thought to share, and even though I did not plan to create extra media for this post, I am glad I did.

Kindly share to others.

Your thoughts and encouragements are welcomed in the comment section.

See you on Wednesday. Have a blessed day ❤

#fromamedicalstudentfaraway

NOTE🌷: Book review and release

I share reviews on books I have written on a different page. You can find that in BOOK in the menu button.

From there, you can find links to either purchase them or download free editions.

I am still learning a lot, and many experiences have been borne out of this learning process.

I share many of them on this blog, with the hope that as I address them, you who reads will be edified and encouraged.

Quiet Memoirs

This collection of poems was borne in 2018. I knew I was going to make more but it was in 2019 that the full form of what this collection would look like became real to me.

Volume 1 was an introduction

Volume 2 addressed sad emotions borne out of loneliness and processing the world from an outsider view.

Volume 3 addressed heartbreaks, imaginary or real.

Volume 4 …………..

To get more information on where they can be gotten, kindly check the BOOKS option in the menu button on blog.