“THE RESTAURANT COMES TO ME!!!”
That’s my testimony about the sweet life with God! Today, running around with my husband, we passed a Burger King under construction in Nigeria, and I couldn’t get those delicious burgers off my mind! Can you believe hubby made me the best burger ever with this delicious and fresh Nigerian bun with my fav coleslaw on the side? Spoilt wifey here between God and hubby! (HUGE SMILE)
But there is another significant side to this life with God that is not so sweet: HE DOES ASK US TO SUFFER AND ENDURE SOME DIFFICULT STUFF ON HIS BEHALF. After telling you guys in my last post about talking to Kevin about how no one talks about ENDURING anymore, that everyone is chasing happiness and they want it right now, God had hubby and I to drive past this HUGE TRUCK with one word in big, bold letters across the entire back: “ENDURANCE (Wink! Wink!).” Of course, I took that as God’s special wink at me to keep doing my thing and NOT GIVING UP despite how things may seem now. As if God was saying what I tell my daughters, “SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP, WE’RE DOING HARD THINGS FOR GOD!!!” And for this God who is continuously revealing His intimate Presence and love for me and my family, I say, ‘God, anything for You!’
God also gives me the wisdom to help me endure. Like I had two videos uploaded to TikTok. One of them got 22 views. Out of only those 22 views, one of the viewers showed up at my office to check on the status of a vehicle we are repairing for him, and before leaving, he said, “I saw you on TikTok talking about mercy.” This was the day after I turned into a crazy lady! There was no doubt in my mind that this was a total and complete set up by God to let me know where He wanted me to be with this situation that got me so upset because “Mercy” is another one of those words that Kevin and I talked about that no one uses anymore. I took it as God personally asking me to be merciful! Of my only two videos on TikTok, for that customer to be one of only 22 viewers to watch that one and to show up to my office and mention it to me was all orchestrated by God! Again, His deep love for me and my family! Nik, have mercy, please! The same mercy God shows us every day; He asks us to share it with others.
Honestly, I’m so happy for that message from God for me to have mercy (forgiveness without punishment) on that stuff that I’ve been hurt and angry about because it made ME feel so much better! No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes, but God challenges me to resist all the evil in the world with an even greater commitment to spreading love and goodness, especially in my home. “Never render evil for evil, but render evil with good.” May we all learn to genuinely love and be affectionate towards each other, accepting everyone for their strengths and weaknesses, so help us, God. He is our joy and strength to take on all the difficulties and challenges that come our way. We do the best of our abilities, and we leave the rest with Him! (Wink! Wink!)
One more thing before I go, though. I tell you guys all the time about pretending we don’t see what we see or hear what we hear, and that’s wisdom, but wisdom is also importantly knowing when to NOT pretend and when to speak. That’s where our relationship with God will come in, as He gives us that discernment to know when to speak and when to be quiet.
On a moment-by-moment basis, we have access to God, but you must take time to develop a relationship with Him by spending alone times with Him reading or listening to anything spiritual that brings you closer to Him. GOD IS OUR GREATEST FRIEND!!!