Tag: Faith

A bird in Hand: By Design.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Meaning:

It is better to have a lesser yet certain advantage at something, than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing.

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Originally, the English proverb above came from the medieval falconry which loosely means that a falcon was worth more than the prey . Etymologically, the expression was first used in the 15th century and then the 13th century Latin expression : Plus valet manibus avis unica quam dupla silvis ( using wood instead of bush). There is also evidence of a similar expression in the 6th century B.C.E of Near Eastern Origin, proverbs of Ahiquar: a sparrow in thy hand is better than a thousand sparrows flying. But is this necessarily true?

It is a proverb I have heard all my life but I am now thinking about it seriously. If we were to think of it, is it always best to hold on to what you have instead of trying for something better? We have to be grateful for what we have, but do we have to always be satisfied with it? What we need to ask is how valuable is the bird in hand versus what we may be chasing.

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Those things that you do not have that you desire how real are they? Many persons now are kind of pretenders – there are some serious catfishing taking place. We see what they want us to see and bam! We are convinced that we have to be them, have what they have and do what they do. So we end up looking at ourselves and our lives and we are bitterly disappointed and just like that we hate what we have achieved – not enough, what we are – lacking in every area!

We don’t realize that we have much more than those we envy, until we lose it.

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While it’s good to strive for more, make sure it’s because you are following a path that is true to who you are and what you believe. This is when you will get what belongs to you, and you will know this because as my granny use to say:

Wat is fi yuh cyaa be un fi yuh”. Meaning – What is yours will always be yours.

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Get Closer!

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11: 29

I have noticed that often times many persons who for whatever reason are placed together will claim that they are united. However, when you take a closer look you realise that this “closeness” is just pretend.

I have seen too many cases where persons will smile and support you publicly and then tear down privately. I think many of us need to look more at the idea of being yoked to each other, to make our burdens light.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

Matthew 11:25-30

In the verses above, Jesus makes this call to all those who are weary and burdened, but do we try, in our own way, to lighten each others’ burden?

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In agriculture a yoke is a device used to link two or more animals together for greater strength when ploughing the land. There, we need to see ourselves as being yoked to each other, knowing that we succeed together because we support each other.

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At one point when I was younger I wanted to live on an island – it seems no one could be trusted and everyone was a great source of unhappiness. On my little island I would not have anyone to compare myself to and I could truly be free and most importantly I would have my own space -apparently having plenty space has always been an obsession of mine. however, as I could older I realized that my island would be lonely and that despite all the trouble they gave me, I would miss my family. I also realized that there some great people I would miss on my island. People who came and some left who helped me to make me better and just genuinely happy. I could frolic and play by myself, but eventually I would get bored just my own company.

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Now, this yoke business may seem extreme for someone who loves space and freedom but the yoke reminds us that in this world we cannot live only for ourselves. While a yoke can be attached to one animal the level of work that can be done depends on how many carry the work. It can also teach us how to be disciplined, that when things seem impossible instead of giving up we dig deeper for the reserve we have to get us through any situation. Further, a yoke may have two animals at different levels of maturity, enabling one to learn from the other. however the support provided by both is equally beneficial to the overall success of the enterprise. It is a concept we need to practice in order to fully support each other with the knowledge and expertise gained.

Though we have the support of God, we still need to be genuinely supportive of each other; to encourage each other to be strong and hopeful. It only takes a word or a small act to do so.

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Your Turn!

Do you ever feels its your turn?

What happened? Did things change? Did you work hard for it or did you just hope and pray?

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We may have felt from time to time that it’s our turn to do what we were destined to do!

But somehow things just never worked out.

Maybe it’s because we need to click on the link that gets us to the place we need to be (there’s a thought).

Is it your turn?

Only you can decide that.

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No one can make your dreams come true, only you can, by putting the work needed. And even though we know this, we always could use a reminder. We are bombarded by all the things we have to do to get by. However, this state of affairs cannot be our end game. We need to do what we have to do, in order to do what you want to do. And sometimes when it’s our turn we may think we are not ready, but that’s because we do not know how strong we have become. All we need is the right timing to prove this to ourselves. Sometimes your turn is when you feel like you’re not ready!

What do you do when it’s your turn? Will you be ready to take advantage of all the opportunities waiting for you? We are good at dreaming about the things we want to do but we can defeat ourselves if we do not believe that we deserve our turn when it comes.

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So what ever it may be, believe that it is your turn and everything will always work out the way it is suppose to. All you need to do is remember that when your turn comes, it’s not just about you, it’s not just about what you can get and how much you can get; it’s about being true to you. Also, make sure that when your turn comes, you make the most of it!

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The Jabez Prayer

I recently came across this prayer and realized that it was a very popular prayer – yes I am currently living under a rock – that is prayed by people across the globe. Also, I have learned that this is a very powerful prayer and that those who testify concerning it, recount how their lives have been transformed by it.

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Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!

People spoke of receiving mighty things from God when they pray this prayer. Now if we are honest when we think of receiving mighty things and God in the same sentence, material things may feature in the mix. However, for me enlarging my territory also involves the idea of making one more aware of themselves and the world around them. It means being more insightful of situations and people we come in contact with. It’s not just about getting what you want but getting what you need to be a more informed and aware individual. To be wise enough, humble enough, patient enough and having enough love to have a positive influence. God wants you to reach and stretch beyond anything that you could imagine for yourself. God can provide more than you can ever imagine – no matter how active that imagination!

Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

For me this part of the prayer offers much comfort when faced with very trying circumstances. If we rely on a power greater than, ourselves then we are already winners against all the obstacles we may face. But also, God granted Jabez what he requested because he was an honourable man. It was not because he prayed ceaselessly and then did whatever he felt like doing. No, he was honourable, he had the right attitude – many of us have allowed our lives to be filled with too much negativity that comes from our thoughts and action and do not realize that that is what is stopping us from succeeding. It’s nobody’s fault when we stand in the way of our own blessings, because of a stinky attitude! It also important to be aware that you can be your own enemy and with spiritual discernment you can remove negative people from your space.

And God granted his request.

Here I am reminded to be careful what I ask for. Be very specific in prayer and be willing to accept that what you want will be granted. Granted we may not always be asking for the right things and we know when we are not, but refuse to admit it to ourselves, but God knows! Make sure what you pray for aligns with who you are praying to.

So, next time you pray the Jabez prayer, make sure to remember it goes much deeper and wider than the small mention it gets in the bible. And I will do the same!

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Just Because…

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4:10

The irony of words is that they are easier to say than do. Its easy to say you will change the world, sitting in the backyard of your parents’ house. It’s easy because no one is there to challenge you. If you say it at a whisper, then no one will know if you failed and you can go back to being your normal self.

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We tell ourselves it’s enough to do what we have been told and just getting by. We do not ask for much and in turn we get little. We then complain because we got exactly what we asked for and then complain how unfair the world is. But we never take responsibility for the dreams we gave up too quickly, to following the assembly line of a “cookie- cutter- live”.

We may be at this stage of living this way because it seemed impossible to grab that dream and make it real. We thought and listened to all the reasons why it could not be. And so it was never to be. Instead of listening to the noise from outside, sometimes it’s more vital to look within and depend on the Spirit instead of the flesh. Only then will we be able to accept, if we still have doubts, that anything is truly possible if we believe. We need to remember Jabez’s prayer when we feel we are too small to dream big and too powerless to expect more:

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