So I had one week to rest before starting a new posting.
I wanted to stay at the place but on a request to travel instead, I decided to and that was a good decision I made.
For context I am not a fan of travelling
Travelling and being with people that were like family was therapeutic. It served as an opportunity to meet up with a close friend.
During this break I had the opportunity not to think about work and just rest, relax and have a warm time.
But…
Before long, it was over and I had to return to the new posting.
Now, the purpose of the break was to prepare for the next posting and I was only able to use three days out of it. The remaining days were used to travel and then prepare my ward coat. The day I returned, rain fell and beat me to it.
I will confess that for this part I thought I had something profound to share but realized that whatever it was I have forgotten but I will share something on Medium.
As we took a walk to the bus station, we came across dogs barking ahead of us.
She stopped in her tracks and mumbled that she was scared.
With confidence, I told her that the dogs were not harmful. They were probably barking at something else and would not mind us.
“No, I don’t like them. I am afraid”
“Don’t worry, they do not do anything. See their owners”
“Okay, let’s past here fast”
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you” I said laughing
She shared her reason for her phobia and it coincided with mine that I was getting over with.
Years ago, as a child I got pursued by a stray dog and that incidence made me terrified of them.
Whenever I saw a dog, I would expect the worst which meant they would bite me!
After that incidence, I had experienced other annoying dogs who would bark fierciously without attacking and it increased my fear of them.
The few times I experienced milder dogs were few and so I always avoided dogs whenever I had the chance.
Over the years, the phobia has weighed down and I am not as anxious as I used to be. Hence my confidence at comforting my friend.
We all have something we are afraid of or that we do not like.
I love cats so much but there are a lot of persons around me who don’t and their main reason is because they fear them or find them uncomfortable.
When they share with me, they’ve had previous experiences that were not nice around cats.
By the way, I love videos of animals so muchand I don’t mind having a cute dog in the future too
Phobia can also present itself in other ways but whatever makes us anxious to the point we cannot participate in or enjoy can be a phobia.
Let’s define a phobia..
A phobia is an irrational fear of a thing, animal place or situation that is recognised by the individual.
The key word is irrational
Several factors contribute to the development of phobia but the main factor is association with negative experiences.
We fear what we have associated with a negative and terrifying experience.
And once this happens, the brain will function in a defensive mode to prevent us from being harmed by making us to avoid such situations.
Nobody is born with a phobia, it develops because of a reason.
And in that sense if the original reason for the phobia is handled the mentally, the individual can overcome the phobia.
Encouraging verses I will share today are:
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (KJV)
I love this chapter in the book of Psalms. Whenever I read it, I experience the strength in the encouragement and confidence that it expresses. It states that with God by our side, we do not need to fear.
God is greater than our fear
David understood fear because he had faced many stressful conditions from a young age. From his encounters with wild animals while tending his father’s sheep to facing the giant Goliath, to facing armies then to facing King Saul who was bent on killing him, David lived 13 years of his life under huge pressure.
But David had confidence in God to save Him because He had confidence in God’s word and in who God was to him.
His relationship with God was a strong factor in upholding him when fear was setting in and this can be found in most of the Psalms he wrote during those moments.
A relationship with God matters all the time
Isaiah 41:10-13 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. (KJV)
In the above passages, God reassures us that He is with us.
With God fear is dismantled
The theme of fear is so super frequently mentioned in the scriptures that it is hard to read a book without coming across it.
God is intentional about dealing with our fears because fear breeds ground for doubt and doubt is a contender of faith and faith is our currency with which we recieve from God.
Without faith, we cannot believe
To trust God is to have faith in God.
To trust God’s word is to have faith in His word.
Now to you
What are you afraid of?
How have you dealt with it?
N. B Some certain phobias will need therapy. However, most phobias can be dealt with by confronting them most times in a gradual way.
I did not create a post on Saturday because the topics I had were not fitting and I did not have a spontaneous topic to write.
Good for me, I have one for today.
I told you that next time, I will try to share a cheerful post and that is what today’s post will be about…..
Welcome to April 1st🎊🎉
Flowing in the rythym
I have been using this sentence frequently:
Go with the flow
Maybe it is a way to soothe myself and avoid clouding my thoughts..
I got into watercolouring during this period of quarantine and shared it on my social media platforms…
I’ll show you a bit🙈
They each have their unique names. Check onyirose12 on instagram to know them.
I have also tried to do some warm creative things that I love to do.
Personally, I love staying indoors. It helps me relax and refresh from the interactions with other humans, and even in this season I do not suffer boredom perse, I only miss being in school.
Another way to flow with rythym is to zumba!
The stagnant position due to less movement is not good for the heart and limbs.
I joined my girls to zumba the other day and it was fun🎈
Not normal
Very true.
What is going on is not normal.
It is tough on some too.
It is a very fast moving movie that we are acting in.
It is a faith draining and hope sapping season where you have to wash your hands every 30 minutes and check your lungs to see if you are breathing properly.
It is a time when food shopping is crazy and you are spending all your money making sure you do not miss any item.
This moment is not normal as we spend most of the time on the internet checking for latest news or trying to beat boredom.
It is not normal but the truth is that
Yes….
God is still faithful
Yes, God is.
In this moment of hopelessness and fear, I have decided to hold onto God more; like a child who holds tightly to mama.
I have decided to raise my voice in worship and praise for breakthrough concerning the current situation.
I have decided to allow God be my comfort and strength
Because He is
I follow on instagram
In this period, my daily choice is to
Yes❤
I am grateful for the positive and spiritual people I follow on social media. The words they have been sharing so far has been quite uplifting.
I have listened to many worship and praise to uplift the mood in my atmosphere because we who alive must keep hope alive.
Amen😊
Warm photos that made me smile
As I scrolled Instagram, I came across very heart warming photos. I could not screenshot all but these few are quite beautiful to the eyes.
Deeperlook 