A KIND WORD

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad”- Proverbs 12:25 (RSV)

At some point in time, we get worried about one thing or the other. It could be a deadline or target we have to meet, it could be pressures from others or it could even be as a result of expectations we have for ourselves that we’ve not been able to live up to. Sometimes, unexpected things such as the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, rape or any form of failure happen, and before we know it, it really gets to us.

Maybe you’re not experiencing any of these right now, but the truth is there are people around you that carry heaviness in their hearts. We are often quick to give the excuse that we don’t have money to give anyone; we forget something as little as a word of encouragement might just be what someone around us needs at that point. Of course, your money or material gifts could be beneficial but you’ll be surprised that sometimes, all that the person needs is a listener who genuinely cares. Let’s see what the Bible says in Isaiah 60:1-3…

“¹The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

²to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

This is to tell us that God has called us to proclaim his word and lift up the spirits of those around us with our words. There are people drowning in the ocean of life who need someone to be there just to listen to them, pray with them and reassure them of God’s love for them. You may say you have your own issues to deal with but remember we are the salt of the earth. We should walk in the realization of this fact; spreading love to everyone we come across no matter what we are going through. Also, remember, someone somewhere has it worse than you.

As we journey through the week and beyond, endeavour to be sensitive to the needs of others and do not hold back genuine words of encouragement, affirmation and appreciation. As we brighten the days of others in our own little way, may God cause our lights to shine brighter.

HaPpY

Happiness is a state of mind that’s a function of how you see yourself per time and the attitude you give. It’s not totally a function of some circumstances around you or things we can see (financial capability, social status or circle of friends, physique/looks, academic achievement, family background, relationship status or marital bliss). Sometimes these things can really eat us up and lead to depression. These things one way or the other have something to do with our happiness but they don’t control it…except we actually allow them to. 

If we give material things or people the key to our happiness, they will surely accept it and drive us to a disastrous destination when things don’t go the way we planned. If you still doubt whether these things control our happiness or not, think about those who seem to have it all and are still sad. Think about great achievers who ended up committing suicide. Think about those that have ‘nothing’ and are still so happy as if they just hit a jackpot or something like that. Seeing some orphans, abandoned kids and physically challenged people sometime back, some of us pitied them, thinking they’ve been suffering. But seeing the bright look on the faces of some of these people, I realised that some of them were probably happier than we thought.

I’m sure if we look inwards we’ll find something to be thankful and happy for. If you don’t find, you can still be happy because you are alive and something beautiful is on the way. Some things might have hurt us in the past, but we can still be happy for the lessons we learnt from them. Things might not have gone as planned but we can still be happy because we know God’s plan is the ultimate and He wants us to rejoice and be glad in him always. This is enough to get us excited. When I remember this when I’m down, I know there is hope. Of course, if there are things we can work on to make us better people, we really should. But we shouldn’t kill our minds and even bodies over those we can’t actually control. There is nothing and nobody big or important enough to make you sad. Be happy people…that’s what makes you beautiful :)

A letter to God

My heart is heavy

So heavy, it’s now hard for me to carry

I’ve cried so much for years

And I don’t know if my eyes can produce any more tears

I’ve hoped for so long

And I wonder if I’ll ever sing a new song

I thank and love you for the times you’ve put a smile on my face in the past

So, why does the smile have to disappear so fast?

I work hard and wish for the best

And I just hope good results continue to come

I think I’ve been too strong for too long

And I don’t know if I can keep holding on

Though it’s hard to confess, I’m weary

And you’ll know if only you can see through me

I need a hug from heaven

That will be the best gift for this season

A large part of me knows I should keep holding on

I think I'll do just that till all these is gone

I know there's light at the end of the tunnel

I just hope I get there soon so I can leave this jungle

This is to all those who have gone weary or depressed...DON'T GIVE UP till you've reached the peak

There's a light at the end of the tunnel...God has good plans...just keep working hard and holding on...I''m doing that too