“MOMMY, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO PUTS THE RANGE IN THE ROVER!”
That was my son Joshie on Friday when I picked them up from school in a Range Rover. “This is the car we should have been driving since!” he excitedly said. A few days before this, we called my husband in Nigeria from the US to say how the neighbors, two houses away from us, the son goes to the same school as the boys, have a Range Rover, and we’re driving a Honda (a super faithful vehicle, by the way!). I jokingly said to hubby, “The Junior CEOs and I have decided that we need a Range Rover to drive!” He surprisingly said, “There is one at the shippers. I’ll let you know this afternoon if you guys can use that one.” Of course, hubby agreed (Perks of being in the car business!)! But my fav part of this story was getting home after dropping the boys off, and I’m listening to DJ Khaled’s song, where I took these lyrics as God saying this to me:
“It ain’t nothing for me to spoil you.” Wink! Wink!
And spoil me is what God and hubby do best! This picture is of my daughters and me today driving the Range to church, baby! We attended the church where we went every Sunday years ago, and we would pass this Audi dealership, and my husband would announce that it was ours. Not knowing this extraordinary man would replicate it in Nigeria. “That church brought us good favor! Let’s go back there!” I told the girls.
Honestly, I’m so grateful to Nigeria for changing our lives. It was there where I started writing these blogs ad learning some crucial values. God took my family and me on an adventure with Him, where we met some remarkable people who embodied Love and Loyalty so that I can be here today to teach you God’s kind of love and faithfulness: THAT NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE ELSE IS DOING, He calls us to be devoted, loyal, faithful, reliable, steady, patient, enduring and dedicated, always going the extra mile in love and forgiveness.
A conversation with my brother, Kevin, helped me figure out God’s ways yesterday in another one of our sacred conversations. I like talking to him to get a male perspective on things! Previously, we had discussed that I would stop the cartoon show of Tom and Jerry and end the never-ending cat and mouse chase of seeking my husband’s love and approval. Since then, God has been reminding me that His love and acceptance of me are enough, and my job is to share the love with others that I abundantly receive from Him. Kk, Boss!
We also discussed that I would free my husband in Nigeria from my “tracking” phone calls as if that’s my job to keep track of his constant whereabouts. God, has been saying, “No, Nik! I want you contacting your husband from a space of love (not crazy lady!).’ ‘God, that’s hard!’ I argued back, ‘It’s best I don’t call him at all. Just leave him to live his life wife free for now.’ I then felt God saying that I should continue calling hubby, but I can tap into His strength, wisdom, tact, personality, and charisma on a moment-by-moment basis. GOD IS OUR GREATEST FRIEND! I told Kevin that it’s my job to show you guys and my kids how to take on life with God joyfully and courageously. Heehaw!
So, on the way to church, we tried calling hubby, but he didn’t answer. But leaving, we reached him on speakerphone in the Range, and I did what God said; I tapped into His strength and personality, laughing and joking with hubs, while demonstrating to my daughters about God’s kind of love and faithfulness. Where we do everything for His glory, knowing everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else.
Like a conversation with my daughter, Julie, last night before sleeping. She casually told me that she pretty much has already qualified for a full scholarship to a top college in the US, where they would pay for her total tuition and living expenses. That’s the faithfulness of God in action. He gives us exceedingly abundantly above that we ask when we stay on the high road with Him. Wink! Wink! Don’t miss out on the sweet life with God!! DO EVERYTHING FOR HIS GLORY!!!
That’s my brother, y’all! I had called him yesterday morning to get a male perspective on a situation, and this God thought came clearly to mind with me saying to him, “Enough playing Tom and Jerry!!!” It’s a cat and mouse cartoon about this cat on this never-ending chase of a clever mouse. Unfortunately, this is what my life has been feeling like (sadly chasing my husband for his love and attention!), and your girl here has decided to stop the cartoon show and step up to bigger and better goals, like completing my next book that will hopefully bring the entire world closer to God. Heehaw!
“God will intentionally create the appropriate conditions to force you to let go of what you have no business holding on to.” – Tumblr.com via dizzydaisysblog
Can you believe God figured out a way to confirm that this was really His thought, as if saying, ‘Nik, please, enough with the Tom and Jerry, already!!!? So fast forward to that afternoon, I had so much that I needed to do, but I decided just to take some time to fold laundry with Joshie watching his TV show in the background. Then, Joshie left the room, and an episode of the Simpsons immediately followed (another cartoon). Honestly, I was completely blown away by God’s love and attention to my life when I saw a character on the Simpson’s watching another cartoon show of a cat chasing a mouse, which was an imitation of the very Tom and Jerry show I spoke to my brother about that morning!!! God is too much!
This lined up too perfectly to be considered some ordinary coincidence! A cartoon within another cartoon depicting precisely what I discussed with my brother – I’m that crazy cat chasing the mouse! God wanted me to have a visual of where I’ve been going so wrong with my life! See how He lovingly corrects those He loves! Time and energies are limited, and half the battle is choosing the right battles, guys!
See how God is so intimately involved in our lives. I felt that “Enough playing Tom and Jerry!!!” was Him speaking to me. And as I debated on what to do that afternoon, the feeling was that I should stay there and fold clothes. For Joshie to leave the TV to THAT channel, for THAT episode of the Simpson’s to play, and to include THAT other cartoon of the cat and mouse, was entirely orchestrated by God to let me know that He is familiar with all my ways. That He knows everything about me, including everything I have going on. Down to every thought that I think!
I’m only the God maniac over here who pays attention to these God winks to report back to you to let you know He is with you, too. It’s just for us to have eyes to see Him and ears that hear Him. Don’t miss out on the sweet life with Him. His love is enough for al of us! Wink! Wink! Say this prayer, God, I want a closer walk with You!!! Amen!
I left work early yesterday to just take some time to see what was going on with them. Let me tell ya; I loved every minute of it just, blown away by God’s love for my family and me. Such great sons I have, y’all! It opened my eyes to how blessed I am. “Look around. Look at your life,” I felt God saying to me on Sunday in my spirit, and after that time with my sons, I felt even more grateful.
“Instead, You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life. As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending, and I know true joy and contentment” (Psalm 16:11, VOICE).
I feel God so closely directing me that it’s crazy the attention I’m receiving from Him. Like on Sunday, there was a group on Facebook I felt Him nudging me to read the posts there. The first was about the battlefield of the mind, and I felt God was talking directly to me. I spoke of us being our own worst enemies – that’s definitely me with all my crazy, sad, and depressing thoughts that bring me down way too often.
I kept reading, and a post got my attention that challenged members to begin intermittent fasting for November. I thought this would be great therapy for me to tackle all these ugly thoughts I always have going on, and I started thinking about the time frame to begin and end every day, like from noon to five. Fast forward to minutes later, I go to have an appointment with God before going to bed, and look what incredibly showed up on our family’s website:
“Need to go back to my intermittent fasting from noon to five (Wink! Wink!) and to cut back on the amount of food I enjoy every evening for dinner. Let’s keep being our best selves, all for the glory of God.”
I took this as another direct message from God as if He was saying, ‘YES, NIK! PLEASE GO BACK TO YOUR FASTING!!!’ So, who am I to argue with God! I decided to begin the fasting from 11 am to 7pm to help get back the happy Nikki who is focused and strong, baby!
And if not for that fasting, I probably wouldn’t have been the mother I was yesterday to my sons. I was able to sit down with them with a clear mind (thanks to the fasting!), focused, calm and happy. Not only was I proud of my sons when they showed me all their great work, but I was also proud of the momma who showed up for them. Glory be to God!
Glimmers of His invisible Presence are showing up everywhere! Like today, under my God tree, after reading our family’s website and another meditation book, I didn’t feel like I received my usual high five from Him to say, ‘Nik, I’m with you!’ So, I decided to go to my book, Keep Calm You’re Rolling with God, and just using the scroll key at the bottom, I randomly selected a day to read. It turned directly to DAY 311, and only seeing that number “311” was enough for me to say, ‘God, high five! We’re together!’ (HUGE SMILE)
I’ve written like a crazy person how God uses this “311” to show me such love and attention. Even to the point of traveling out of town into an airport gate lined with “311” just to remind me that wherever I go, that His Presence is always with me. It has also been my code to be still and leave some crucial battles with Him. To stay on the high road, being my most loving, forgiving, patient, and gentle self – TO BE EVEN KINDER TO PEOPLE WHO HURT ME. God even went as far as having this vast 311 show up on a billboard on the highway to see as I drove home extremely upset and angry one evening. Seeing it was God’s sweet way of saying, ‘Nik, chill (relax), I got you!’ Let me tell ya, God took care of the entire situation I was mad about – Nothing is impossible for Him!
The wink didn’t stop there, though! Yesterday, I was so happy to see this Instagram post:
“This year Halloween fell on a weekend, me and Geto boys went tricker treating”
The lyrics are from the song, “MY MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON ME’ by the Geto Boys. I got so excited reading this post, and I quickly went to my phone to play the song, and I had the best time dancing and singing to it. Fast forward to less than 24 hours later, look at the title of that post number 311: MY MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON ME. (Wink! Wink!) Again, God’s way of sweetly saying, ‘Nik, I saw you dancing happily to this song yesterday. My invisible Presence is always with you!’
I’m hanging with my fierce babe, Ember, today, and our appointment with God on the way to work put it like this:
“Every moment is alive with My glorious Presence, to those whose hearts are intimately connected with Mine. As you give yourself more and more to a life of constant communion with Me, you will find that you simply have no time for worry. Thus, you are freed to let My Spirit direct your steps, enabling you to walk along the path of Peace.” – Jesus Calling
Honestly, that’s exactly what that “311” and “MY MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON ME” showing up did for me under that tree, it filled me with such peace knowing that I’m not going through life alone, God is walking with me ad helping me as my Constant Guide and Partner – that’s faith! He reminded me today that He doesn’t want me enduring my circumstances, He wants me to enjoy my life with Him.
Such love and attention He shows me! But I want us all here together, enjoying God knowing that His invisible Presence is with you too!!! Are you taking time to have appointments with Him to hear what He has to say to you? I promise THE GOD PERSPECTIVE CHANGES EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE. (Wink! Wink!) We need Him!
This morning, I went out for my run with tears in my eyes but came back feeling like the most BLESSED person in the world. Here’s what happened under my God tree, when at 27 minutes past the hour, I picked page 27 to read on our family’s website, werollwithgod.com:
I first read about my daughter, Ember. I called her to ask one question, “Do you have any doubt that God arranged all of this for you?” My girl is about to leave to what I call a country club university in New York, where she can learn horseback riding, join the tennis club, and most crucially, have internship opportunities with the top companies in the world. I can’t get over how the university already received a part of the loan money from Discover Card. Her dad did not initially agree for her to go, so I said I would guarantee them for her like my mom did for me.
One day I said to her, “Don’t come to work until you find out about applying for student loans?” She Googled and discovered that Discover Card offered them. Within less than a few hours, they approved her for up to $140,000 for her 4-year degree. This is after the school had already given her $120,000 of scholarship monies. When I write that God exceeds our expectations, He truly does! “Please, God and university, take her, and finish raising her for me!!!” I have no doubt God will continue to guide and be with her every little step of the way. God, our confidence is in You!
“LORD your love reaches to the heavens, your loyalty to the skies” – Psalm 36:5
Then, I continued reading about what had me in tears before leaving – my hurts – that have become my cross to carry for God:
“What then will the cross be for us? Look: what do you find most difficult in your everyday life? Well, that’s the Redeemer’s cross for you. Those tough temptations you meet, your ill health, your heavy demanding work, the defects of the people among whom you live, WHO HURT YOU…. Have supernatural outlook! All this, for you, is the cross of Christ…Carry it joyfully, lovingly. Carry it generously and you will learn to hide it from those around you, as you would hide a treasure. Hide it behind a generous smile and you will discover in the depths of your soul, what our Lord’s words mean when he says, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden is light’ (Mt 11:30); for he, the good Cyrenean of souls will help you carry it.” – Jesus As Friend by Salvatore Canals
And on Good Friday, when, historically, Jesus carried his cross thousands of years ago, God was personally asking me to carry this one. No problem, God, anything for You. I will happily and joyously carry it. Especially after talking to my brother, Kevin, who said my cross is nothing compared to the crosses others have to carry. I’ll take my spec of a cross any day, any time! (SMILE) What’s your cross?”
Reading that “spec of a cross” was just the perspective change I needed. I decided not to run back home but to take a slow walk to look around and smell the roses. I passed Calvary Church, promising God that just like Jesus who carried his cross to Calvary, I too will joyfully carry my cross for Him and stop being a big, babyface whiner.
“Look around. Look at your life,” I felt God saying to me in my spirit as I walked home happily singing and dancing. God has been my loving Guard Rails who has guided my life on a gorgeous path. Thank You, God, and my brother, Kevin, pictured here with me. I will joyfully carry my spec of a cross, being my most loving and joyful self, all for the glory of God! Everything is between Him and us, not between us and anyone else. Ember, enjoy the country club! You deserve it, my fierce babe! Keep blazing the trail for your siblings to follow!
Those were the lyrics from Juice WRLD & benny that got me all excited on my God run today! That’s my time to hash out with Him what He would have me write about, and I was just thinking of the words “LIVE GREATNESS” printed on the shirts of the servers at the Hard Rock Hotel where we spent Sunday. When I heard those lyrics, SO I’M LIVIN’ GREAT, I knew it was God (my DJ!) reminding me that His Presence is always with me and He knows everything I think about. (HUGE SMILE) Are you getting the message that we can live these fantastic and great lives KNOWING He is with us in every moment, giving us His love, encouragement, wisdom, strength, approval, support, favor, direction, clarity, and grace. I’m talking DIVINE ASSISTANCE, baby, from God Himself, who is PERSONALLY and INTIMATELY involved in our lives.
But don’t take my word for it. Say, God, I want a closer walk with You!’ Then, start involving Him in every decision you make. Every relationship. Every circumstance. He is there to offer His guidance. Even yesterday, after getting a quote from a mechanic that was almost $800, I said to my nephew, Duro, to call around to some other people we work with. Immediately he told me what another mechanic had said, I said, “Let’s take this vehicle to him.” I felt that assurance in my spirit from God (His green light of approval!) that this was the direction to take. He took care of the issue within a couple of hours and only charged us $140. The wiser Nikki knows that God is my Partner in everything, including our business. He was the one nudging me to switch mechanics! And as I’m typing this, I’m waiting for a customer who wants to purchase it, and I know it’s God’s favor sending people our way to support us. No doubt!
Then, I have to mention my YouTuber, Stargirl, who has DIRECT messages from God, confirming so many things I feel God has been saying to me. The love I receive from God through listening to this lady has been unbelievable. Like on Sunday, I was telling the kids that I’m a rebel. Like who opens up their life the way I do talking about God’s invisible Presence is winking at her? Only me! They said, ‘Mom, you are no rebel, you don’t even speed.” Can you believe Stargirl brings this up in her latest video? She said something like, “You’re a rebel. You don’t conform. You’re a trendsetter. People follow you!” And my prayer is that the world follows me by making God a priority! Seeking Him all day. Every day. As we LIVE GREATNESS WITH GOD!
