Stick with the donut (Ignore the hole)

There’s a popular saying that “the pessimist sees the hole, while the optimist sees the donut”. Life in itself is mixed with the good and the bad, right and wrong, success and failure, ups and downs; but the one who truly sticks with the right in the midst of wrongs; stays above when down; thinks only success after several failures; smiles in the midst of the storm; etc, definitely comes out as gold.

Through the year, there were shocking news of the loss of loved ones, painful! I know, (think about the new ones that were born, maybe not into your family); there were alerts of failed deals that almost sent you to an early grave, disappointing! I know, too; (maybe so much money was involved, but think about your life that was spared – there’s hope to make even more gains from many more deals); I also know that there were situations that went out of control and properties were lost, marriages failed, children left their homes to “God knows where”, jobs were lost, you weren’t favored at that appointment you thought would change your life for good; failed relationship, quite weakening (tell me about it); hard as you try nothing seems to be going through for you, etc. All these and many more makes it even more difficult for you to see light anywhere (if at all there's light).

Most of the greatest lessons I learnt in life weren’t learnt on my bed, nor in the midst of plenty, nor on a platter of gold, nor within my comfort zone; they were learnt through my pain, I matured through my failures, through my tests, through my disobedience, through my imperfections, through the difficulties, through the loss of loved ones, through my disappointments, through my pursuit of vanity, through well packaged lies and deceit that comes with friendships that never really existed from the beginning, but guess what? I’m glad they all happened to me, I’m glad I went through them in tears and pain;  birthing joy and maturity.

The message I’ve come with is that of hope, fruitfulness and contentment. I hear you ask, but how can I keep hope alive when I’ve been through these mess? How can I be fruitful when I do not even have a seed (plan) to birth fruits as all other plans have failed? How can I be contented when there’s nothing to show, nor even hold on to? Just so you know, because the donut is made with a hole doesn’t make it less of a donut; it’s all part of the bakers plan to make it stand out from other snacks; So also, whatever you’re going through or have gone through was part of the plan to make you into that man or woman God intended you to be. 

The problem is never God, the reason you are not seeing the results that you should be producing isn't because God is slow, nor unable to provide for you, nor unable to prevent these calamities from befalling you; this is where the problem lies; you have followed and pursued the desires of your heart, so God gave you what you requested at the detriment of his will for your life which will automatically come to play when you finally realize yourself. Remember that the people of Israel asked God for a king forgetting that God was already king over their lives (1 Samuel 12:12-13), He granted their requests, but at the time His will was to come to play, their chosen King was replaced with God's chosen King, the man after His own heart who will do His will (1 Samuel 13:14), (Acts 15:20-22). How many are willing to return to their maker and have Him remold and redirect them on a better course? (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

Isaiah 30:18 
So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord os a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.

I know a Father that stays faithful and takes our faults; a father who is ever ready to redirect us should we miss our paths in life; a father filled with unconditional love and mercy, waiting for us to run into His open arms when we realize that we've made mistakes that seem impossible to be corrected - like the prodigal son. God is waiting for you to quit looking at all the holes and emptiness you've been struggling with, He's waiting for you to finish with all the lies and deceit you've been feeding on through the worldly wisdom from the devil; God awaits your return that He may launch you into His great riches and the abundant life that was predestined for you before time began. This life is a life filled with His presence - the Holy Spirit directed life. Stop asking God for the things you need and start asking Him for the things He has for you because your needs and wants are wrapped in His will for you. 

As you step into the New Year, take some time apart and ask God to come into your life, take away your will and give you His will; When you will aligns with God's will, you'll find perfect peace, the kind of peace that money cannot buy, the kind of peace that places you above any situation.

Unwrapping my peace (Hidden in His time)

My alarm went off at 5.30 am that Wednesday and I’d tiredly hit the snooze button (perhaps, turned the alarm off); for all I could remember, I was awake at 7.43 am. Unbelievable! I’d whispered few words to God, dashed into the bathroom, gotten dressed for work and hit the road. To my greatest surprise, all the traffic lights that would usually take about 15 minutes to get through before getting on the highway took less than five minutes that morning. “I had to make it to work by 8.30am so I could settle in before 9am”, I’d thought to myself. Getting on the highway, I was a nervous wreck on sighting from a distance what looked like traffic, as I approached the scene it was only a vehicle that had a flat tyre and the driver waved other cars to drive with caution so he could move to the end of the road. Getting to the parking garage, it was 8.29am and I’d walked into the office at 8.30am. I made it to work at the right time! Usually, I would get up at 5.30 am and get out of the house at 7am to avoid traffic but sometimes I would be in traffic for more than 40 minutes while I struggled to keep awake and make it to work at 8.30 am. What mystery!

As everyone has a special purpose and a well designed destination to reach, one thing is paramount, God’s perfect timing. Just as it was possible for me to make it to work at just the same time I would usually get to work if I left the house early, so it is with God’s perfect timing. Whenever you seek to attain a particular thing before God’s ordained time, you find it very difficult to achieve it; whenever you embark on a journey before God’s time, you cannot escape difficulties along the journey. That is why there are too many people locked up in the mess of their quick decisions. I know that we are in a free world where anyone can choose to do what they want to do and when they’ll do it, but for anyone that wants to escape the pain and destruction that comes with self purposed lifestyle, it is expedient that you wait for God’s timing.

Ecclesiastes 3:11A - He has made everything beautiful in his time……

Waiting for God’s time may not be the sweetest thing anyone can do, but the results will certainly prove to you that the wait was worth it. Several times, you might have found yourself asking why you are not getting what others are getting even if you know that you’re perfect to have the same thing or even more qualified to have it, but it isn’t coming through for you when you really want it; that’s simply because your time to have it isn’t fully ripe. You may want to ask; can I meander my way around and still get it? Sure. Why not? But I promise you that you’ll struggle to keep that which was never meant to get to you at the time you received it because God was not in the plan, you were!

Some of the horrible results you get when you’re not following God’s leading or guidance are disappointments, failures, shame, betrayals, deceits, road blocks, depression, missed targets and the ilk. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is patience (Galatians 5:22), but most Christians lack this virtue and that’s why you find them living frustrated lives. Having taken time to look into this perfect timing with God, I realized one thing; SECURITY.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Walking in God’s time will give you more success than anyone around you ever achieved because God will equip you to attain that level of success that you may sustain it with His wisdom. For example, some people couldn’t go to school when their mates were attending college or some sort of school, not because they didn’t have the money nor weren't smart but because they were waiting for God’s time to have things work out for them and at the time they gained admission to attend college, they came out with the best grades and landed good jobs faster than those that graduated before them. That’s what God’s time can do for you. One could have been married just because she felt at 25 any lady who isn’t married may never find a good husband, but guess what? So many people end up pushing it through with their husbands after they pick a life partner according to their biological clock, or husbands pushing it through with their wives because they did not allow God mature them before taking that huge step, instead, they created it themselves and now they wished they waited a little longer to either be with the right person or mature intellectually, morally, materially, etc to manage their homes. What about those that had the privilege to make some money to start up a business that would have opened other businesses had they allowed God to direct them according to His plan? Some ended up with fraudsters; some squandered the money while some invested their money in wrong places.

It takes a spirit led man or woman to walk in God’s perfect time and the results are quite distinct. The Psalmist said; my times are in your hand: deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from them that persecute me. (Psalm 31:15). Because the one who created you has the master plan of your life, it is important that you yield yourself to His leading, however painful and lowly it may appear that you may not be trapped in the pit of frustration, rejection and defeat. Friends and family may mock and look down on you, colleagues will call you insane, neighbor may call you abnormal, it’s part of God’s plan to reveal His glory through you, just wait on God.

Some of the ways to wait without panicking is to have God tell you what to do while you wait; stay focused doing His will and allow Him work out His good pleasure in you while you wait on Him to fulfill His promises in your life. Trust me, there will be distracting events that may appear to push you out of God’s will, just be still before God, just call Him Abba father for he hears you. I’ve never seen anyone that missed parts waiting on God for their time, instead they bore fruits (bountiful harvests) at the right time, they stayed green in winter and prospered in ALL they did, (Psalm 1:3). Men’s calendar says you’re late but God’s calendar says you’re right on time because you have things work out for you while others are struggling with it. Lamentation 3:25-26 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Struggling becomes history in your life when you locate God's will for your life, start walking in it and remain in it with all your heart. Just because you started it wrongly doesn't mean God cannot intervene when you go to Him, He always has a plan "B". I love God so much that whenever I miss my steps with Him, He waits for me to return to Him that he may redirect me and give me an expected end. (Isaiah 30:18) And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. Everything the Lord does, He does for His name sake, not because of anything you have done. So return to Him for direction.

Dear Lord, I accept that I've missed my steps and fallen out of your will for my life, I ask that you forgive me and bring me back into your perfect will for my life. I've brought upon myself struggles that i could have avoided, but i believe in your unfailing love, I run into your open arms that you may give me peace through divine guidance, In Jesus Name.