This was a needed reminder in regards to spending the summer with my kids from Carlos, another one of our God hook-ups. Ever since he wrote that in an email, I’ve changed my perspective from that I have to take care of them myself this summer, to I get to take care of them.
We had the best day together, pretty much in our kitchen waiting for an appliance technician to show up. We cooked, made smoothies, cleaned, played, and laughed. After the tech left, I then took them swimming and by the time I gave them dinner and cleaned up I was super tired. Emmie came and lied next to me in bed, and it was the sweetest thing because I always tell him he only comes to see me when he wants something.
And speaking of enjoying them, I especially enjoy my little, then three-year-old, Joshie! “Why can’t everyone be like you?” is what I asked him one day taking out the trash together. He’s my little sweetie pie! If everyone in my life were like Joshie, life would be super great! He always wants to help, always asking, “How may I serve?” in his little three-year-old way. If he ever does anything that I have to correct him about, no arguments, he says, “Sorry, mommy!” He’s always happy and he’s forever kissing me and hugging me. And he’s also so grateful. While driving one day, out of the blue, like a little man, he said, “Thank you, mom!”
How do people experience being around you? Are you a happy person to be around, humble (quick to admit when you’re wrong), grateful, asking “How may I serve?” instead of, “What’s in it for me?” Just asking! The world needs more Joshies, don’t you think?
Let’s learn to enjoy everyone in our lives. I spoke to my mother in-law for the longest over the phone, and I couldn’t believe when she told me that I’ve been the perfect mother! Is this from the same person I’ve had so many arguments with in regards to how I was raising my kids? In all my years of life, I can say I’ve learned that nobody’s perfect.
Dear God, may we lighten up, be quick to forgive and enjoy everyone in our lives. Amen.
“JUST CALLING TO CHECK IN WITH MY QUARANTINE BUDDY”
That was me to my sister-in-law, Verona, yesterday. My brother, Kevin, had surprisingly called my husband very early that morning, and I thought to check in with Verona a few hours later. I was so thrilled that I did!
I don’t know if you guys remember that V and I were both quarantined away from our husbands, and we were NOT finding it funny. We didn’t have our husbands with us, but we had each other. We. Talked. Every. Single. Day. During. The. Lockdown. We were like two blind people walking together. When one fell, the other one would lift the other one and vice versa. We encouraged each other to stay on the high road with God and be God’s glue that kept our families together. We practiced patience and prayer, held back lots of words, and kept our focus on God. We asked Him to direct us on a moment by moment basis as to what He would have us to do. It wasn’t easy!! But we kept asking God, ‘What would you have me to do here?’
Fast forward to yesterday, that patience and prayer have paid off. When I called, Verona was having breakfast with her husband and sons in the US, a couple of hours after I had just had breakfast with my husband and sons in Nigeria. To God be the glory!!!
MORAL: God’s ways are not our ordinary ways, they are so much better. But He does require us to do some hard things for Him. Like forgiving endlessly, keeping silent, being professional ignorers, and remaining loyal and faithful even when situations look off track. But, this is the way He guides us on the path to the best life with Him! Wink! Wink!
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:3-6
Yesterday, I even got on my knees to apologize to my hubby for the way I’ve been acting. He has truly been my gift from God. A gift that I take for granted. He has earned my deep love, loyalty, and respect. Nobody’s perfect! Can we all make Papa God happy by loving each other deeply? This deep love covers (overlooks) the faults and failings of others and ourselves.
“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” – 1 John 4:16
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“COUNT ON ME.”
That’s God confirming His constant message to your girl here! This time through my meditation book, He and I. It was a disappointment that had me asking God why people were so evil, and driving back from an early morning errand, this Sanchez song played. I knew immediately, it was a direct message from God to me, responding to that very question that had me so upset:
“You’re not alone
No, no, no, no
I know this is gonna hurt your heart again
And this I know
Yes, yes, yes
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME I’LL BE THERE AS YOUR FRIEND
So give it all you got
Don’t cry cause its over now
Don’t be sorry, things are better now
I will be there to give you everything you need
You can always count on Me
And give it chance
I’LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU”
And God more than makes up for all the disappointments that come my way!!! Yesterday evening, having such a fantastic day celebrating ten years of friendship with a beautiful soul who God sent my way, I opened to this message in her kitchen, waiting for our celebratory cake to finish baking:
“… isn’t it perfectly clear to you now that My love arranged all this for you?”
Every detail of my life, I see clearly God’s hand at work connecting me with people like this friend, who really puts up with me, guiding me with such great wisdom to help me become my best self. To this big ball, I have in the air, at this moment, where I feel His constant guidance and nudging through my spirit as to specific steps to take. It’s been incredible! To this verse showing up again frequently, like it always does when I have overwhelming challenges to tackle:
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU AND HELP YOU;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
So don’t miss this opportunity; get close to God TODAY! Say this prayer with me, “God, I want a closer walk with You.” Then start taking your relationship with Him seriously. Our breakfast appointment with God was about striving to please Him in everything we do. I had the boys go the extra mile in cleaning up the kitchen and dining rooms afterwards, encouraging them to always give their best. Our reward is with God!
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8, KJV
I STILL CAN’T GET OVER MY GOD WINK FROM YESTERDAY!
Two of my fav messengers from Him, Joel Osteen and Devon Franklin, both had the same message for me within hours of each other:
Joel: But God didn’t BRING YOU THIS FAR TO LEAVE YOU.
Devon: …let that be confirmation to you that God’s not going to BRING YOU THIS FAR TO LEAVE YOU.
Right at that precise moment of reading the confirmation from Joel Osteen, I went running to God in an anxious moment, saying, ‘God, I need to hear from You!’ He lovingly showed up as if asking, ‘Nik, what’s the problem here? I will never leave you or forsake you!’
I know we’re so used to human love that disappoints, but God doesn’t! Even the bad that happens, He uses for our good! I loved a comment from a Facebook friend telling me how my running is working for me. I told her it was all the drama in my life that got me running every day with God, reminded that I’m not going through life alone – MY GOD IS WITH ME! So, in the big picture, the drama turned out to be so good, it got me wrapped up in God’s arms where I now know that I’m His girl and crucially that I need Him in every moment.
Don’t miss out! Know that we have God with us on a moment by moment basis for His wsdom, guidance, approval, love, acceptance. That no matter the situation we find ourselves in, we can look to God for His help.
That’s what I’m teaching my daughters lately! They are the ones taking care of my 88-year-old mom in the US while I’m with hubs and our sons in Nigeria. I’m using the experience as relationship training because good relationships are what make life beautiful. I’m teaching them how to go to God and use His tact, personality, and charm to win over their grandma. When my mom complained recently that the girls had done something wrong, Julie took my advice and calmly responded, “We’re so sorry. Ember (her sister), how could we have done such a thing? Grandma, it will never happen again!’ Instead of getting upset at my mom’s harsh criticism, my daughters handled the situation from a God perspective – kindly, wisely, and lovingly! Way to go, my girls! I’m so thrilled they get to be around my mom to learn all the values she has instilled in me, like KINDNESS and going the extra mile.
I loved Ember calling me recently and saying, “Mom, I got you!” And I want these posts to be all of our reminders that God has all of us. Every moment, let’s look to Him and respond to every situation the way Julie did with lots of God’s wisdom, tact, love, and charm! Even the tough challenges that had me running to Him! No shame in my game – God, I need You in every moment!
Yesterday was a Nigerian holiday, and I asked our assistant, Fatimah, to help us with a message to our customers. When I read it, though, I immediately said, “I don’t like!” (Maybe this is why Julie said I could be a little bit softer!) Just so happen that her daughter came to work with us while she is waiting for college classes here to begin again, and I asked her to come up with something better. She met me like less than 15 minutes with the most beautiful messages. I got goosebumps all over! I was so impressed that I told her she should go home and enjoy the holiday! Fatimah sent me a text asking if everything was OK, like why I sent her daughter home. I then asked her to come and talk to me in person.
I told her how proud I was of her to have raised such a fantastic daughter who was capable of handling that assignment so impressively. I then took the time to tell her that I know things are not the way we would like right now at our business, given that I was away for so long and some people have disappointed us, which we didn’t expect, but that God will turn things around and restore what we’ve lost and pay us back even more.
Fast forward 20 minutes later, I go to read Joel Osteen’s email, and he astonishingly confirmed what I said:
“Your situation may not look good. You may be facing something at your business, in a relationship, or have a health issue that you don’t think could ever work out. But God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He can turn things around, bring a breakthrough, restore your health and happiness, and cause your business to take off. Rise up in faith and say, “God, I’m not going to give up. I’m believing to see glorious things, miracles again, the dream come to pass, the problem resolved. I know that You always finish what You start.”
I immediately sent the message to Fati, feeling instantly reminded that God is really with us!
Then, this morning waking up at around 4:30, I went to our family’s website to have an appointment with God before beginning some complicated work. I saw I had 17 Facebook notifications, so I went to page 17 of our webpage, and I read this beautiful prayer from Devon Franklin from July:
“So, I pray, Dear Lord, that you will send the help, you will send the clarity (EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED BEFORE TACKLING THAT WORK!). You will meet the need as only you can do it. If you can feel God’s Presence through what I am saying, let that be confirmation to you that God’s not going to bring you this far to leave you. He will not take you to this moment and drop you.”
Fast forward to after I finished that work and sending out a crucial email, with my heart pounding, hoping I did it correctly, I ran to God for an appointment with Him. Of all places, I go to look up Fatimah’s WhatsApp to reread the message from Joel Osteen, and incredibly realize that both Devon and Joel said the same thing:
Joel: But God didn’t BRING YOU THIS FAR TO LEAVE YOU.
Devon: …let that be confirmation to you that God’s not going to BRING YOU THIS FAR TO LEAVE YOU.
That lined up too perfectly to be some ordinary coincident! Exact words!!! That was God revealing His invisible Presence with your girl over here in one of her anxious moments. Phew! Like He was saying, ‘Relax, Nik, I got you!’ The sweet life with God continues, despite the challenges that come our way! He has your back too!!! His favor is in the spiritual realm on our behalf, baby! Wink! Wink!
