The Sobering Truth About Parenting and How God Sees You

I am a firm believer that as parents (and guardians), we are responsible for guiding and supporting our children towards fulfilling their life’s purpose, rather than manipulating their future life course.

Contrary to what some parents may feel, children are not prized possessions; they are on loan to us for a season. They were not created to be replicas of ourselves. Children, from conception, have their own unique identity and personhood. Therefore, it’s an honor and weighty responsibility to nurture children into becoming emotionally intelligent, compassionate, empathetic, and productive human beings. And this privilege comes from God.

You didn’t come from your parents, you came through your parents

While mulling over this truth, I came across an inspiring and challenging message by Lance Wallnau that speaks volumes about our godly heritage and how parents and guardians shape our life story. Please read on to uncover some deep truths.

Sometimes somebody might come into the world through parents that are divorced or a mother that put them up for adoption, or they could even be the victim of incest or rape or something terrible like that. You know, not everyone comes through the earth in a fairytale story.

BUT…

You didn’t come from your parents, you came through your parents, God is the one who brought you into the world. I love that.

You didn’t come from your parents. You may have had loving parents, you may have had good parents, but you didn’t come from your parents, you came through your parents. God is the one who brought you into history at this time.

• Whatever age you are, you are exactly the age God wanted you to be in 2015.
• Whatever gender you are, you are exactly the gender God wanted you to be in 2015.
• Whatever race or nationality or color of skin you are, you are who God brought you into the earth to be in this hour in history.

You are at the right place in the right body with the right gender in the right nationality with the right skin tone. And if you are a Christian, then your parents may have been the delivery vehicle through which God brought you into the world.

You came from God. God wanted you to exist. God wanted you to be here. God has gifts and talents that he has given you. And he has given them to you because He wants you to be an extension and expression of the goodness of God to other people’s lives.

God is putting the fragments of your story together so that your story will have a better next chapter than you possibly could ever imagine.

God is positioning you in your prayers. Please pray. Pray for God to put you at the right place with the right people at the right time.

Be faithful in everything that God gives you. Be faithful to honor everything. Put your faith into fruitless situations simply because by serving as unto the Lord, serving as unto God, and not unto people, serving as unto the Lord and not unto a ministry or person, but making the Lord your client. Every time you work with a client, treat them as though it was Jesus and do it by faith because God will be working through those people to connect you to His divine appointments.

Tell me, were you as blessed by these powerful truths as I was?

6 Life Lessons I Discovered While Plucking Weeds

Weeds are simply plants in the wrong place.

Weeds freak me out. They’re gnarly, thorny, and beast looking. They make my skin crawl. They start out looking small and harmless, and before you know it they’re taking over your backyard. They’ll unashamedly colonize any unoccupied territory.

Still, as much as I despise weeds, there are some great lessons to be learned from these wily plants. To quote poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” 

So here are 6 lessons that weeds can teach us about cultivating a successful productive life. Like weeds, we should:

1. Flourish and grow rapidly: We all know the cliché “growing like a weed.” Growth and development is an essential part of successful living (spiritual, emotional, and physical). Are you growing your self-awareness muscle? Are you expanding your emotional vocabulary? Have you identified societal problems that need solving? You can’t give away what you don’t have.
2. Be unafraid to colonize new territory: Weeds are unconscious pioneers. Leave a patch of land unoccupied, and before you know it, weeds have invaded the space. Likewise, we should seize every opportunity to occupy our sphere of influence and expand it. When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone? Or tried something new?
3. Be resilient: Ever tried to rid your garden of weeds? You pull them out and before you know it, they’ve resurfaced. Weeds can thrive in harsh climates, including those devoid of water and nutrition. To weather the storms of life, we too must be able to stand in the midst of strife. Suffering is part of cultivating the depth of our being. Experiencing hardship is needed to understand the joy of being alive. Do you embrace change or hardship? Do you welcome new challenges or shy away from them?
4. Establish a strong root system: Weeds grow deep. If you want to prevent them from growing back, you must pluck the roots out. Ask anyone about their secret to success and they’ll emphasize the importance of family, community, and a strong support system. What keeps you grounded?
5. Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder: The definition of a weed is subjective, so I’ve learned. One person’s weed might be another person’s food, flower, or medicine. Take the dandelion for example. It’s considered a weed by some and a child’s flower by others – I love picking dandelions and blowing wishes with my Princess. And so in life, perception is everything. Oh the places you’ll go if you’d just open your mind to different experiences. How do you see yourself? Are people’s perceptions of you limiting your potential?
6. Be adaptable: Weeds can thrive anywhere, and with diverse species. Adaptability – the ability to handle change (or be changed) and to thrive in varied settings – is a crucial leadership skill, and an important competency in emotional intelligence. Why? Because adaptability requires tremendous empathy and social awareness, attributes that are needed to work and play well with others. How high is your emotional intelligence?

At the beginning of this blog post I had a strong disdain for weeds, now, I appreciate their relevance to society. What lessons have you learned from weeds? Let me know in the comments.

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In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “In a Crisis.”

Wake Up Sleepy Head

You whom the nations await in eager anticipation
Quit laying under the sun
Daydreaming of days gone by

Listen: Dive into the deep wide ocean
There is no reward for failure, only regret and fear of tomorrow

You who sits comfortably
in your perfectly designed box
Reluctant to step out
Afraid to fail

Listen: There is no reward for chronic hesitation, only delayed purpose and missed opportunities

Wake up O sleeper
Wondering where time
rests her head
Walk with purpose
Maximize each moment
Press for the prize
Love light and be wise

What is it That You Plan to do With Your One Wild & Precious Life?

Of the 148 lives brutally massacred by Al-Shabaab militants on April 2nd at Garissa University College in Kenya, none will be able to answer this  simple question taken from a poem by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Mary Oliver.

Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? – Mary Oliver

The Garissa attack killed young people—mostly aged 19 to 23 years—robbing many families of their best and brightest minds on whose shoulders rested high hopes and aspirations. These were students and dreamers pursuing their ambition for a better life.

Courtesy of NationFM. Official death toll is 148.

Education under attack

What’s devastating is that Kenyans are fiercely proud of education. Families often make great financial sacrifices to put their children through school and university with the hopes of giving them a better life, as illustrated by these accounts from grieving loved ones.

“In my home there are no cows. I sold them to pay his school fees,” said Stanley Maina Waiharo, who lost his firstborn son, John Mwangi Maina, 22. “I took a loan of 200,000 shillings (£1,450) to educate my son so that he could have a better life than me.”

“My son Abel Mukhwana was the only person who had managed to join a university in our village. We were hopeful one day he would help change the fortunes of our society.”

Mary Oloo, the aunt of Peter Odhiambo, a 19-year-old economics student, was also grieving. “This boy who we will bury soon, this boy was going to help us board a plane one day,” she said.

Leah N Wanfula at 21 was the first of 9 siblings to go to university.

22-year-old Gideon Kirui’s whole village raised money for him to go to university.

Gone too soon, let’s honor the lives of these young people who died trying to get an education and to make a better life for themselves and their communities.

Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Holding onto ME

I will not
Can not
Lose myself

There is only
1 ME
On this beautiful Earth

Holding on tight
To my dignity and
Self worth

A 1-of-a-kind jewel
MASTERPIECE created
For purpose

If you know your value, you won’t let others put a price on you.

Living Without Limits

This message was inspired by a message called, “Fear is holding you back,” by Bishop TD Jakes.

What’s in a Connection?

What is it about humans that makes us crave connection?
Personally, one of the best things about blogging is the interaction and sense of community it fosters.

I value connecting with people and reading about their thoughts and experiences, as well as travelling to different locations through their photography. I enjoy sending comments back and forth and welcoming folks into my world. I appreciate the sense of belonging that comes with blogging consistently; it fuels my confidence and reinforces my sense of mattering.

Granted, when I first started Uwana I wanted to remain somewhat anonymous. I figured that blogging would be a great opportunity for me to create this whole new persona and be whomever I wanted to be. Truthfully though, anonymity was intended to protect me from the “real” world. Yes, I was insecure about the content on my blog:

• Does what I have to say matter?
• Will folks even read my content?
• Will they care to connect?

The clincher: you can only run away from yourself for so long.

Although I’m still apprehensive about how much to share, I find I’m being challenged to be more vulnerable, because being vulnerable is not weakness.

So what if my words don’t always resonate with folks? If I continue being me, without harming or offending anyone, it’s all good!

But, I will say that the WordPress community is awesome. I’ve connected with fantastic people and visited so many inspiring, thought-provoking, encouraging, beautiful, honest, and funny blogs. The talent and creativity out there is astounding; it’s a testament to the unique DNA that each of us carries: we all have amazing stories to tell.

How much of yourself do you share on your blog?
What vibe does your blog radiate?
Do you use an alias (I guess this would defeat the purpose of an alias though, wouldn’t it)?

Of relevance:

• 10 Traits I look for in a Blog or Blog Post
  
• The Real You
• this is me
• Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

How to Save Time

“Where did the time go?”

“Time flies so fast!”

“I can’t believe my baby is all grow up!”

We often worry about not having enough time. And when it’s gone, it’s gone!

So how can we save time? How can we prevent ourselves from wasting precious minutes and hours?

By understanding the Why behind what we’re doing.

When we know the Why—the intent, objective, or purpose of a task—we’re better geared for success and less likely to waste time pursuing the wrong agenda.

Think on it …

I’m Fearless – I Just Don’t Know It … Yet

One fine spring evening, I was inspired to jog along the riverside.

Endorphins pumping, feet pounding to the rhythm of Macklemore’s Can’t Hold Us, I was high on life. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a lone duck swimming furiously in the middle of the river, a duck I nicknamed Flora.

Flora the fearless

As Flora paddled, a blazing trail of water followed her. I’m not sure where she was headed, but boy, she was determined. Though small in stature, Flora wasn’t intimidated by the sheer body of water surrounding her. Neither depth, nor height, nor width, nor the frigidity of the water could deter her from her mission.

Flora was confident and charming. She would playfully turn back, strike a pose, and then keep it moving.

Flora trailblazing

Captivated by her adventurous spirit, I thought:

It sure must be wonderful to have Flora’s fierce attitude. If this beautiful creature can fearlessly navigate into the vast unknown, why do I easily get distracted by Dr Fear and Mrs Doubt? There’s this immensely exciting world waiting to be explored, yet I settle for “OK” rather than striving for “extraordinary.”

Flora’s confidence and boldness has inspired me to dig deep within myself. I need to unearth the buried treasure that my Creator so eagerly wants to release.

Flora knows she can swim. She demonstrates it brilliantly. She spreads her joy to all who will stop and see. This creature uses her innate skills and talents to bless the world around her.

Through Flora’s example, God’s spirit assures me that neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will separate me from His love (Romans 8:39). And because perfect love casts out all fear, I can forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead, pressing on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling me (Philippians 3:13).

How has creation inspired you lately?

Related articles:

• The little rose bush that could!!!!
  

Seeing the Invisible

everything created, once formless and void
dreams and visions, birthed out of nothingness
destined for new heights, take flight and soar
what is seen, was once invisible