That’s my daughter, Ember, having some fun with me looking at two bottles of Nyquil cold medicine next to my bed. I’ve been sick, y’all! I think all the stress I’ve been under lately and flying from Nigeria to the US to make it in time for Ember’s graduation finally caught up with me. But it’s all good! I’m much better and ready to take on the world again, superhuman style, baby! All for the glory of God! Wink! Wink!
But speaking of this drug addict thing, I’m pretty proud to be prescription drug and alcohol-free thanks to God, who has been my wonderful Counselor, Partner, and Guide, helping to support me as I take on life that gets to be pretty overwhelming and challenging. LIFE IS CERTAINLY NOT EASY! That’s why it’s my honor and privilege to share my relationship with Him so that you too can work on getting closer to Him. I promise you, there is nothing better than going through life knowing that you have God with you as your constant Companion. You can look to Him for help and guidance on a moment-by-moment basis making decisions from a crucial God perspective knowing He is always with and for you. As you do your best in the physical realm, you know He is fighting your battles in the spiritual realm on your behalf. That’s faith!
He has a pretty funny sense of humor, too, once you get to know His personality. Like the other day, after taking a shower and putting on deodorant, I looked in the mirror at all the armpit hair I had going on. I said to myself, ‘NIK, WHAT IS THIS??? This is terrible! How did you get to this point?!?’ Can you believe minutes later, I’m talking to my husband in Nigeria and he says something to someone else in the background like, “If you have a lot of armpit hair you should go and shave it before you get carried away.” Where did that come from?!? Believe it or not, that’s what I call a God wink where, out of the blue, everything lines up a little bit too perfect to be some ordinary coincidence. It was the fun and cool side of God I’ve gotten to know and love with Him finding a way of revealing His invisible Presence with me. I’ve been with my husband for twenty years now, and I’ve never heard him say anything like that before. It was all orchestrated by God to sweetly remind us all that He is with us in every moment. And He knows every thought we think! The horror, right?
But we don’t have to be all cleaned up for God!!! I’m so so so far from perfect, but I know I have God’s love and approval no matter how badly I make a mess of things. He doesn’t judge us and cut us off like other humans. Instead, he loves and accepts us exactly who and how we are (shaved or unshaven armpits! LOL!). He just makes us better.
Give God a try! I love waking up to my appointments with Him reading old posts from our family’s website, werollwithgod.com, where I’m reminded of all my God winks and that I’m not going through life alone and He is always with me. I’m also reminded of the person He is calling me to be in the world: tough, strong, brave, courageous, and faith-filled, yet soft, gentle, joyful, calm, humble, flexible, loving, forgiving, and patient. That I can enjoy my life at peace knowing He is my right hand/my go-to (My help comes from the Lord!). God, bring us all closer to You! Amen!
“FORGET WORST YEAR; THIS WILL BE MY BEST YEAR EVER!!!” (REPOST)
That was me to my fierce daughter, Ember, who called me a little while ago. She said to me a few months ago that 2020 was looking like my worst year, and that was just the reality check I needed to turn things around. I can’t let my daughters see their momma down! No way! I’ve switched the script, and I’m making this year my best ever as I get closer and closer to God!
I loved a Tumblr post:
“My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there.” – Spurgeon
That’s me all the way! I’m worshiping and thanking God no matter where I am or what comes my way. I’ve made Him my Life Partner, and I know there is never a single moment that His invisible Presence is not with me. Like my God wink the other night when our manager called me from the US and said, “in the house” exactly the same time as a cartoon show my kids were watching showed in very big writing across the screen, “IN DA HOUSE.” It was another one of my God winks where out of the blue, everything lined up too perfectly to be some ordinary coincident. It was God revealing His invisible Presence with me. Nik, I’m with you always!
And that’s the sweetness I’m finding from God. That no matter where I am, US or Nigeria, He finds a way to show me His deep love and intimacy with everything going on with me. For that manager to say that precisely as those words appeared up on the screen was all God!
This gives me the CONFIDENCE TO TACKLE PROBLEMS BRAVELY. Late last night before sleeping, he said through my meditation book, Jesus Calling, “WATCH TO SEE WHAT I WILL DO.” So all the problems that I’m up against right now, this was His way to remind me that I don’t have to figure out the next ten steps alone. I could trust that as I show up as my best, excellent, most loving, forgiving, courageous self, doing what He would have me to do, He will handle the rest. I felt Him giving me a nudge through my spirit of how to tackle something, and once again, I know I’m not that smart. It’s all God! MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD.
Every day I run to the end of those 47 trees God had lined up for me in celebration of my 47th birthday, and I give that last tree a high five and say, ‘GOD, WE’RE TOGETHER. WE’RE TOGETHER. WE’RE TOGETHER.’
Like yesterday, that meant parking somewhere before getting to work and having an appointment with Him. Again, no shame in my game!!! I was feeling hurt, disappointed, and frustrated, and God loves me so much because I felt Him saying to me in my spirit to read the very last day in my own book, and it was the perfect message:
“Can you imagine getting to a place where you do not feel anger, insulted, offended, or annoyed by anyone for what you believe is unfair treatment by them and having such feelings only against yourself? Wow, what a wonderful life that would be, but is that even possible humanly speaking?!?”
Well, God is truly trying to get me there, and I want to challenge you to get there with me. We’re to love others, stop judging them. Everyone is on their own path with God.
We must be professional ignorers, otherwise, we will go through our lives always offended, insulted, and frustrated. When others disappoint us, we have to shake off the hurts and disappointments immediately and keep walking humbly with God, extending grace (pardoning without punishment), forgiving endlessly, becoming better instead of bitter and loving extravagantly.” – Keep Calm, You’re Rolling With God
Not easy, but the way I’m looking at my life is that I’m on this beautiful life adventure with God. Down to a quarter of a second, He is with me. I can spend those quarter seconds enjoying Him or frustrated by other people. I pick door number one: Enjoying God. I can, therefore, hand over all the disappointments to Him, with my eyes fixed on all the roses in my life. Like getting an email from my daughter, Julie’s teacher this morning saying what a pleasure it is having her in her class. I replied, “It’s a pleasure having her as a daughter!” God has exceeded my expectations in every aspect of my life. It’s just for me to focus on the roses and not the thorns and sticking with this other message from God:
“Remind yourself that alone you are nothing. Can you acquire this beautiful habit of always being with Me? TOGETHER ALWAYS (Wink! Wink!)… Invite Me often to be present in your life, as though you gave Me a ticket for a concert. And keep Me a place of honor in the front row, as if you were concerned that I miss nothing of the spectacle, this spectacle of your daily acts, all lived for Me.” – He and I
God, it’s my honor having You in my life. May all my actions be pleasing to You. Amen.
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“WHAT KIND OF WONDERFUL GOD IS THIS WHO REACHES DOWN INTO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE, PICKS THEM UP, GRANTS THEM FAITH, AND CHANGES THEM.” (REPOST)
That’s undoubtedly what He has done for me, over and over again! I’ll forever be talking about my wilderness experience in the U.S. for three months last year, away from my family and friends in Nigeria. That was God picking me up out of the terrible rut I was in. I was utterly miserable, and God wanted me happy-very, very happy!
I was carrying a lot of pain and bitterness around with me back then. My mind was stuck on the same sad song day in and day out. I was starving for love. So, God took me away to Himself. He showed me so much love that I finally realized that HIS LOVE IS ENOUGH. It really was the closest I’ve felt His Presence. He sang songs to me, and He showed me such love and attention that I returned to Nigeria as God’s girl, first and foremost. A big part of that journey was about me freeing my husband to live his life. I wanted to track his every move, and God reminded me, ‘Nik, I didn’t send you to earth to do that. I have much more crucial goals for you to accomplish.’
God freed me from all the pain and bitterness. I was expecting perfection and only God’s perfect. I love a quote I read recently:
“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you. – L.R. Knost
God has given me such fresh, new perspective on my life. My husband is now my precious gift from God. Then through him, I have four other gifts: our children. In fact, I just have much more appreciation for everyone. I sent some friends an email today asking, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” MY ENTIRE LIFE IS A GIFT!
But, God, in all His wisdom, knew I needed to go through the hurtful and painful parts to get here. He’s too much! He broke open my heart to put it back together, better.
“WHAT KIND OF WONDERFUL GOD IS THIS WHO REACHES DOWN INTO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE, PICKS THEM UP, GRANTS THEM FAITH, AND CHANGES THEM.” – Alistair Begg
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
“WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL LIFE?”
That was the conversation question that my recent high school graduate, Ember, asked at our celebration lunch at our fav Cheesecake Factory. I told them that I’m living it! And I wouldn’t change anything. I love my life! She and her sister, Julie, said they didn’t believe me, that there must be something I would change. I again replied, “Nothing! I love my life exactly the way it is! It isn’t perfect, but God has been very good to us.” Fast forward a few hours later, we’re talking to their dad in Nigeria, and we asked him the same question, “What is your ideal life?” I was so happy when he responded precisely what I had said, “I’m living it!”
That’s why it is my honor to share our testimony of a family rolling with God. We go through our share of challenges, celebrations, defeats, victories, good times, hard times, ups, and downs, but through them all we see the hands of a God who is extremely faithful. We know without any doubt that He is at work in the spiritual realm on our behalf. This verse has seen us through many battles:
“So don’t worry, because I am with you.
Don’t be afraid, because I am your God.
I will make you strong and will help you;
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.” – Isaiah 41:10
Let me tell ya, God sticks with His promises to help us! He surprises me with how He sends help that we can be strong, confident, joyful, and peaceful, knowing He is with us in every moment of every day. Today, I was back running under my 47 trees in Florida, where I spend time with God, seeking His wisdom, clarity, and perspective on whatever is on my mind. With so much on my plate to tackle, I’m going with the mindset that with God I can tackle any set of intimidating situations! He stands with us and He is on our side. I love this word “Synergy” that shows up at many gas stations here. I’m reminded of a God wink where God said to me that His strength and my weakness are a perfect synergy (alliance, union, team). When I am weak, God is my strength! Heehaw!
I want us to make our entire lives a worship offering to God, seeking to be our best selves, all for His glory. He told me on the flight here that I should even offer every gesture for Him. I didn’t get it until I was so exhausted the following day, and I asked my daughter, Julie, to please help me ask my sons what they wanted for dinner. She came back to say that they went to my sister-in-law, Aima’s house, to pick up dinner. She prepared so much food to send over to us that we even had enough for the following day and still some. I told Aima it was like God Himself sent that food to us. I was so grateful. That gesture from Aima was taken as a gesture from God because He knew how tired I was. Let’s all be God’s angels out there!
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
NOBODY LIKES A WHINER (COMPLAINER)
That’s me having some fun with my son, Siah, for the last 24 hours. First, it was about his finger hurting. Then he went to tell his dad about it. Then his tummy had a slight pain. Then his sandwich was not heated enough. With me just having some fun with him and repeating, “Nobody likes a whiner!” Then he would playfully say back, “It takes one to know one!” With us both just enjoying each other’s company.
Fast forward to when we’re onboard a flight, and of 205 movies, I decided to watch Superintelligence. One of the characters seems to get in on me and Siah’s joke and says, “Stop acting like a baby…A peepee WHINEY (Wink! Wink!) baby face baby!”
Call me crazy, but that was one of my God winks where He goes before me and plants these tiny glimmers of His Presence that is always with me.
And if that’s not good enough for you to qualify as an official God wink, I have another one. Right before leaving for the airport, Siah brings me a shirt that was recently given to him and said, “Look at this shirt, it says Florida!” where we were headed. I said, “It’s Cape Canaveral, Florida where the spaceships take off.” Then at the end of the same movie, the same character says,
“This is the part where you guys should all cheer and high five as if you are at CAPE CANAVERAL (Wink! Wink!) when they landed on the moon.”
This lined up too perfectly to be some ordinary coincidence. It was God sweetly planting these moments in this movie to remind me of His deep, deep love for me. That He lovingly goes ahead of me to surprise me with these glimmers of His invisible Presence. And that He is familiar with all my ways. So, God even went as far as having a friend give Siah THIS SHIRT of all shirts to help orchestrate this wink! And for him to show it to me right before we were leaving. So that I would know, without any doubt that His invisible Presence is always with me and my family.
What first got my attention about the movie, though, was when the main character said something like, “You’re making it sound like I’m going to be your average baseline guinea pig,” when I just wrote two days ago how I’m feeling like God’s guinea pig to learn these lessons and teach you guys. Another wink to let me know His Presence is always with me!
And He’s with you, too! I’m only the God nerd here who has been given this awesome assignment to report back to you what I experience with Him! That we have a God who is madly in love with us. That He is always talking to us. Always available to us. He is just like a shy person waiting for us to invite Him in to be a part of our lives. Will you invite Him by saying this prayer with me, “God, I want to roll with you on the daily!!!” And then start learning His character and the person He would have you to be in the world.
Like an important lesson He wants to teach me lately is about being silent. “Seize every opportunity of keeping silent…” this is a tough one for your girl here who is forever wanting to turn into the crazy lady! But for God, “No problem.” Another lesson I feel He could also be teaching us is to think of others’ happiness, not just our own when we make decisions. Maybe my daughters are right about me in that I can be a narcissist who thinks about herself a little bit too much. Maybe I can think more on the lines of how can I make others happier? The world does not just revolve around us and our happiness! We can be more gentler and supportive of one another.
I really needed these winks from Him today in that movie, though. I’m headed back to Florida with some tough stuff on my plate to handle. But these winks were just God reminding me that I handle nothing alone and that He will be there with me! I don’t see how I’m going to handle things, but I’m trusting God. My help comes from the Lord, baby! That I will just show up as my best self in every moment and ask His Spirit to guide and lead the way! One step at a time, I know He will open the way before me! Heehaw!!!! I love my life with God! Don’t miss out!!!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“GET GOOD AT COVERING THE OFFENSES OF OTHERS!”
This is such great advice I received through Victoria Osteen! In fact, I’m getting GREAT at overlooking, forgiving, ignoring, and staying on the high road with God. It’s like I’m living life with one foot on earth, where the offenses constantly show up, but one foot sweetly in heaven where I rest and enjoy God. I don’t let the irritations, frustrations, and disappointments get the best of me anymore. I wisely use them to push myself even closer to God. And the closer you get to God, the infinitely better your life gets. (HUGE SMILE)
In my alone times with Him, God whispers His secrets to me. Like today, He had these reminders to pop up:
“Happiness never came from the dependency upon people; happiness comes from dependency upon Allah/God alone.” – Tumblr.com via believeroftheunseen
“Don’t love people so much; don’t rely on people so much. It is deception, don’t love it, don’t love anything here. Allah (God) has made connections in this world like mother, father, husband, wife, or friend to test you. Don’t put too much heart in this matter.” – Shaykh Mohammad Akram Nadwi
God, I’m seriously getting the lesson! I just had one of my sacred conversations with my daughter, Julie. She shared with me how God is teaching her not to love praise so much from other people. And that you should accept compliments the same as criticism because people are so fickle. One minute they can love and adore you, and the next, you are their biggest enemy. So, the trick I’ve learned is not to lean on other people for recognition, love, and approval; I look to God and respond to everything and everyone with His love holding and backing me up in this treacherous world.
So, the wiser Nik has learned to go to God every moment. I seek to be the best person He is calling me to be in every circumstance, every relationship, every decision. Doing this has led my life on a gorgeous path like my brother, Kevin, so wonderfully put it. It’s all because I’ve made God the Guide and First Love of my life. A LIFE GUIDED BY GOD CANNOT FAIL!
All these relationships are tests. Learn the crucial lessons each interaction is there to teach you and keep walking humbly, calmly, and faithfully with God. We need others. Life is too hard on our own. We just have to learn to keep everyone in their proper perspective. God has to be our God, who we’re ultimately depending on, nobody else. So let’s show up as our MOST loving, genuine, supportive, and forgiving selves, giving our best, all for God’s glory. Everything is between Him and us!!! When we shine, He shines, too! Wink! Wink!
