“SWEET THING…DON’T YOU KNOW YOU’RE MY EVERYTHING!”
Oh, my goodness! That was me singing to God on my morning run with Him up and down our stairs, and I don’t want you missing out on the best relationship EVER! I’ve surrendered my entire life to Him, and this morning He reminded me to be about enjoying Him more. So that run was more like a praise and dance session with me giving God such thanks for EVERYTHING He is doing for me. God, I’m incredibly grateful!
Hubby insisted I have breakfast with him and the boys, and I couldn’t refuse the best husband in the world. We had a big fuss the other day, and it turns it we needed the little hash out to come through it with even more of a love and commitment to each other. God’s ways are not our ordinary human ways; they’re so much better. He knows the experiences we need to get to the other side of where He would have us.
The boys and I spent a beautiful day with friends yesterday, AGAIN reminded of how blessed we are. God has guided our lives on the most beautiful path, including the best people. Even though we all may go through our tough times, there is still so much to be thankful for that we should not take anything for granted. Let’s be about loving extravagantly, forgiving endlessly, and rendering evil with good knowing our reward is with God.
How is your relationship with Him going? I promise, as you take one step closer to Him, he will take a hundred closer to you. My God wink of the day was thinking I needed some Comet cleaner to get our tub back looking white again, and like two hours later, I walked past a room that my husband happened to leave open, and there were 9 extra-large containers of the very Comet I wanted. It was a room where my sister in law had lots of stuff in storage, and after packing all the other things, they left behind these Comet cleaners that God knew would be special to me. Like He was saying, ‘Was this what you wanted for your tub, Nik?’ just hours after having that thought. The attention I get from God is too much! He’s my sweet thing…my everything! Even down to bathroom cleaner, He says, ‘Nik, I got you!’ Make Him your life partner, seeking His guidance in the 1,000 decisions you make every day continually asking, God, what would You have me to do here?
Let me tell ya! Last night, hubby brought up an issue again where he feels I did something very awful (which I didn’t), and I’ve been just ignoring him, forgiving him, and doing my best to stay on the high road with God. This has been going on for months, but at that time he brought it up yesterday, I felt I should address it, once and for all. I asked him what would make him think I would do such a terrible thing in the last nineteen years of our relationship. I said this wife who has been with you, stuck with you, supported you, been by your side through all the difficulties and challenges that come our way, your ride or die chick, why would you keep saying and thinking such a thing about me.
At that point, Joshie, our ten-year-old son, comes in, and we started discussing it with him. I said to both of them that I was so happy that these things were said because it taught me not to look to other humans for my approval because you could be your best, and that best may never be good enough for other people. I looked up the Mother Teresa poem, ‘Do Good Anyway’ and had Joshie to read just first and last parts, explaining that this is the basis for my decision making:
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway…
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.”
I said, “Joshie, I will continue to be the best wife to your dad because everything is between God and me. My reward is with Him!”
Fast forward to this morning, I asked my son Emmie to have an appointment with God with me. Instead of our usual devotional for kids, I said let’s read my book. I asked him to pick a number, and astonishingly he picked post number 352 of 366 posts, where I wrote this:
“Be the best spouse you can be. In the final analysis, it’s between you and God. (Wink! Wink!) Marriage is our important work from and for Him! Let’s teach future generations to fight for their families, too!”
Of all the 366 days in my devotional, for Emmie to pick this specific one was all God saying, ‘Nik, I’m here with you! Let’s keep fighting TOGETHER.’ It was even good for me and hubs to hash out this issue. We woke up even more committed to each other, both reminded that we have the best spouse in the world (HUGE SMILE).
No coincidence Emmie picked this post of all the ones in my big book. It was all God letting us know that He is in the fires with us, He is in the storms with us! Let’s keep our eyes FIXED on Him being the people He would have us to be.
That’s our family’s motto, and our testimony to the world, that God has been faithful. No matter the storms we may go through, God directs us through to the other side BETTER, STRONGER AND WITH EVEN MORE CONFIDENCE IN HIM. Heehaw!!!
Like a situation that had us a little bit worried recently, I got a positive email yesterday about it. I was in the US and my husband was in Nigeria discussing it with me, extremely upset, by the way. I did the respectful wife thing and I listened. Then an idea came to mind to call someone. Hubby agreed. We hadn’t spoken to this gentleman in years, but that idea just came to mind to call him. He answered and said, “I can’t help you, but here is what you can do.” I did what he said and it worked.
That was again God coming to our rescue. It was again one of His solutions that came to mind to make that phone call. He has even been the one teaching me to be calm and respectful, even when hubs is upset. The person that I had called said that he would look into the matter and I know it was God’s favor at work in the background helping us to have things go our way. And even when they don’t go our way, we trust that God knows what He is doing with us.
So don’t miss out on a life close to God. We don’t have to handle problems on our own- God dey! I just want us honoring God with our lives by striving to be the best versions of ourselves, all for His glory. Let’s bring God into our work life, our family life and every aspect of life by listening to God’s moment by moment guidance through our gut/instincts/Holy Spirit. Get to know His voice!!! I promise you that when you do this, His love, kindness, mercy, and favor will chase you down!!! IN GOD WE TRUST, BABY!!!
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
We get to walk through life with God as our Life Partner and Companion! This is where I want us, looking to God as our personal INVISIBLE Guide, Advisor, Friend, Planner, Strategist, Protector, Counselor, and Father. No matter what we’re facing, we can keep our eyes FIXED on God, KNOWING His invisible Presence is always with us.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
It’s up to us to include Him in our lives by seeking His will and being obedient to Him, or we can pretend He doesn’t exist and that we can do life on our own. I highly recommend including God!!! Even though it is tough following His direction sometimes, but this is how He guides us on the best paths:
“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” – Psalm 23:3
That was my message to our manager yesterday, saying we should rethink a decision and ask if we’re honoring God. Not that we’re perfect, but we try to do our best and leave the rest with God. And we find that as we do this, God seems to join in with us, surprising us with His favor and help. Woohoo! In the final analysis, everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else, like Mother Teresa taught me.
I was up working late, and I got a chance to listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer, and he gave some great advice about forgiveness. Ram Dass had asked him about forgiving his father, “Who do you think you are to be forgiving anybody for anything? Is that up to you?” Dr. Dyer further explained that we should only have love in our hearts for other people. Our job is not to forgive anyone; our job is to love them.
That’s the hard part with walking with God I’m talking about. He requires us to even love our enemies and leave the judging to Him.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8
