Jwale ke nako ya go rapela (Now its time to pray!)

As the vuvuzelas were going crazy in the nail biting final minutes of the historic game between Bafana Bafana and Cote d'Ivoire, for some reason this day I happened to listen also to what the commentators were saying (generally I never pay attention to them in the few games that I do watch). In this particular moment of the game, the commentator was singing a part of the vernacular gospel song “jwale ke nako, ya go rapela” and then carried on commentating. This was at the time when it was proving harder and harder for either team to find the net while our beloved goal keeper was practicing scenes out of a self made soapie. I even laughed at the commentator indicating that Itumeleng Kune could be casted in Generations because he is such a good actor when he was supposedly in pain LOL…

I am not much of a sports fan generally but it was the verse he sang that struck me though. I know that even though not everyone is a believer, but there is something about prayer that people recognize, respect and take seriously. It is the power of prayer I guess, the fact that it is our conversation with the All Knowing God. It is that something about prayer that assures us of the divine assistance at hand for our every need. It is the cornerstone of our relationship I believe, with God. It is one of the many ways we connect with Him and depending on which approach you take, it is also one of the many ways we get to hear from Him too. It is in times of great difficulty, stress and hardship that people take to prayer, believing it to be the conduit for a better outcome to their particular situation. Communities come together in prayer for their nations from time to time, placing trust in the Most High to protect them, turn things around, or meet whatever is the need at that particular point. Whatever the reason, prayer is certainly something universal and seemingly brings peace and comfort in the midst of hardship.

Prayer is powerful. It is divine and no matter what belief system one holds, it is the one thing that kind of connects us to each other(Acts 1:13 – 15) . Even in times of rejoicing, it is through prayer that the gratitude is expressed. Often times we hear people exclaim “thank God this or that happened”. Thank God I was there early. Thank God someone helped me out. Thank God I was in that particular spot at that time. It never has to be a long winded ‘art thou’ kind of prayer, just a heart’s cry to God even if its just one word (Matt 6:4-6). It is a conversation as you would have with family or friends. It gives hope that things that whatever we desire will come to pass. The bible makes many references to prayer and the power of prayer. Jesus instructed us to pray and fast. Paul instructed us to love and pray for one another. My prayer for you is that you would rediscover the significance of prayer in everything you do.

Take note of the song lyrics below and remember, we have a friend in Jesus and all we need is to take everything to Him in prayer.

What a friend we have in Jesus,

                all our sins and griefs to bear!

                What a privilege to carry

                everything to God in prayer!

                O what peace we often forfeit,

                O what needless pain we bear,

                all because we do not carry

                everything to God in prayer.

2.            Have we trials and temptations?

                Is there trouble anywhere?

                We should never be discouraged;

                take it to the Lord in prayer.

                Can we find a friend so faithful

                who will all our sorrows share?

                Jesus knows our every weakness;

                take it to the Lord in prayer.

3.            Are we weak and heavy laden,

                cumbered with a load of care?

                Precious Savior, still our refuge;

                take it to the Lord in prayer.

                Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

                Take it to the Lord in prayer!

                In his arms he'll take and shield thee;

                thou wilt find a solace there.

24 hrs

“This is a gift to you. From the God who cares more than you know, He gave you today. Enjoy it. It is yours. There will never be another moment like this one.” TD Jakes

So what’s in a day? I was thinking about all so called ‘special days’, most of which in South Africa are public holidays such as women’s day, youth day, heritage day, Mandela day, birthdays and well the list goes on. These days are usually linked to some kind of commemoration of something or other and I am sure events that are important enough to be commemorated. These would have been the days when history was made or something significant happened. There is of course value in celebrating how far we have come and perhaps where we are now. My take is that every day is an opportune time to make history (whether in our personal lives, the lives of those around us or much wider).

I wonder though – how many of us spend time considering just how far what we do today will take us to tomorrow. To what extent are my actions today being progressive and impactful? One preacher said: “consider to what extent you are depositing in to other people’s lives so that we can be people of value.” It’s all well and good to celebrate achievements. Yet as humans we are also constantly moving forward and need to be focused on making the most of our time today while keeping our eyes just as much on where we want to go next.

It takes 24 hours at a time, to get a step closer to that mark. It takes the labour, the hours, the effort, the pushing as we take each step. It’s all in a day’s work to fill in the blank pages of our lives, to write the memories and achieve the things we set out for ourselves. It takes 24hrs at a time, to cease the opportunities, to improve at something, to win, to make a difference, to learn, to give, to do something linked to our destinies. Everyone has a destiny to fulfill because whether we like it or not, destinies are bigger than us and our personal desires.

At a recent conference I went to, I listened to an awesome speaker talk about his God given dreams to be an adventurer. As he recounted stories of his encounters and experiences during his expeditions, I realized that all it took was to do the best you can each day as a step to reaching the goals you have planned ahead. Without that action, it takes you that much longer to get there, if at all. Also key is having the vision of where it is you are going. As the scripture says that without vision, the people perish. I was touched as the speaker recounted how gratifying it was reaching the destination and appreciating the value of the days it took to get to that point, as well as the actions he took in those days. And of course as you conquer/reach one goal, the next one is up in line and it will take yet another 24hrs at a time to get there.  

And so it goes. The point is this: we each have the same amount of hours a day (which equals to a new lease on life daily – Praise God). The outcome of that day is a result of what you put into it. What’s in a day for you?

The Silent Mentor

”If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams

There’s a lot of talk about the importance of having mentors and surrounding yourself with people that will help and challenge you to grow. A mentor is defined as a trusted advisor or guide. All of us at one stage or another need a trusted someone with whom we can bounce off ideas, get guidance, go to for counsel, help with the right connections, provide a different perspective, speak truth in love, and point us in the right direction. More often, these are people who have already achieved quite a bit for themselves, have been on the road you want to be on and are in a position to offer guidance based on their experience and wisdom. In addition, these are people with whom we feel comfortable and trustworthy enough to follow in their footsteps.

There is another element though. How would you feel if I were to tell you that every one of us is a mentor in one way or another? Having a mentorship relationship does not have to be a formal process with an agreement on some steps to take and occasional meetings to touch base on progress. If you think about it, there are people in your life that are your mentors without them being aware of that fact (they are also not always people who have achieved more than you either). They are your mentors/role models simply by being themselves and you looking up to them and learning from them. Their actions and words either encourage you, inspire you, give you courage, give you hope etc., yet they don’t know that you are taking certain pages out of the book of their lives. They don’t know that you are observing them, that their actions or by simply being themselves, translates as mentorship to those around them. Yet they are just living their life, pushing their dreams and working just as hard to achieve their goals, be better people and to get to the next level.

By the same token, who you are, your actions, your passions, your dreams, you hobbies, your standards, your principles, your behaviour, your life may be having the same effect on those around you. As you live out your life in every area - it can be professional, spiritual, physical, financial etc, there’s always someone observing you either intentionally or by default, and they can be impacted negatively or positively by it. You may not have a formal mentorship agreement with them, but your life is impacting them somehow. Being true to who you are, can be birthing something in them to be better, to do better, to be more. Yes, being who you are and working to achieve your desires takes discipline, hard work, effort and focus, yet, it is never always just about you. Successful leaders didn’t get to the top alone, but inspired and took others along with them.

Today, I want to remind you that you are a mentor to someone whether you know it or not. You are a mentor to someone whether there is an agreement or not. Everything that you do is under observation and can influence someone else to be better too. So, which pages should the people around you be taking out of the book of your life?

Prominence vs Significance

“Not everyone is prominent, but everyone is significant”

As much as life is unpredictable, it is equally an adventure – if u choose to look at it that way. This means every moment of every day is cherished, lived to the full. Yet it is not just about living for ourselves, but to also make a difference in other people’s lives.  With end of July being the conclusion of a significant month of celebrating Mandela day and encouraging society to do more for the less fortunate in his honour, it is humbling that only one man can have such a huge impact on a lot of people. When we look at this closely, what really does it take for someone to have such an influence? This is not just any influence, but a positive influence for people to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Is it something that each of us can achieve through our own lives? What really sets him apart from the rest of us, that we honour him so much and dedicate our philanthropic actions to him? He lives just like each of us. He has blood flowing through his veins, goes through human challenges like each of us, yet he has managed to rally such an enormous following of people who are ready to make a difference in society to honour of his name. The truth is that, even though we appreciate such inspiration and should treasure it, every minute of every day is an opportunity for us be the difference. On my trip back from Australia recently I was sitting next to a pastor who said this: “each individual is a full time minister”. I thought this is profound and I am challenged as I believe I have not done enough to contribute to changing lives. In every area of our lives, I believe we each have every opportunity to minister through our life, our actions wherever we are – whether it’s at work, at home, amongst friends, business associates, the till lady at the grocery store, car guard etc. In every moment we have a choice to be significant without necessarily being prominent.

Now Mandela may be prominent in that he is known all over the world, but what strikes me the most about his life is that he has also been significant. Significance doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to be famous/prominent, but it is about making a positive contribution to changing the lives of the people around us for the better. It is linked to our talents and strengths that can be used to benefit other people and up lift other people. It is linked to our purpose. If prominence comes with it, then it should be by default rather than be the goal for helping people. I am challenged to step up my game in being a useful member of my community, making a significant contribution. As Mark Conner once said, “not everyone is prominent, but everyone is significant.”  Which will you choose today?

Tithe yourself

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right” Nelson Mandela

With Mandela’s birthday on the horizon, I would like to believe it is the most celebrated birthday in South Africa’s history; probably even the world over. In the past few years, the Mandela Foundation has beckoned a call to all South Africans to give of their time to help the less fortunate in honour of Mandela. This programme has grown over the years and is now known as Mandela Day. So every year, many individuals and companies look out for charities and other opportunities where they can give of their time in honour of uTata and what he stands for. If you think about the principle of tithing, this is really what it is, in a different format. This time around, everyone is asked to tithe themselves and their time.  What does it really mean to tithe people? It has been said that we should live our lives as worship to God. Translated, this means that everything about our lives should be glorifying to God. It means that as we reach out and shine His light in the world, other people’s lives are changed for the better.

In some instances it may seem like what we are doing is not even equal to a drop in the ocean given so much need, but we must never underestimate the power of anything good that we do. We must never underestimate how God can take that little we have in our hands and multiply it to meet the need of the people we are reaching out to – just as He did with the five loaves and two fish. Mandela once said “for to be free isn’t merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” He also said, “As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same.” Think back to a time when someone came through for you in your time of need. How can that not encourage you to also be there for someone else when they are in need? Our lives should be a light that shines for others to see God in it. Our lives should be not just about what we want for ourselves, but about bringing meaning and purpose in both our lives and those of others. There is a lot of need out there, are you ready to tithe yourself with whatever you can today?  

Note: I first heard of the principle of tithing oneself from a dear friend, Tseliso. Thanks my friend for the encouragement, keep it real!

Tit for Tat

In my job I do internal communications and it’s a give and take process of sharing information. In fact, the ultimate goal of it all is really about facilitating engagement between different parties in the business, making sure that all parties are on the same page in terms of what the business needs to achieve. Often to get people’s interest, one has to go through great lengths to have their attention. Compounded by the fact that we live in an information overload age…one is always competing against many other messages. Sometimes one resorts to ‘bribes’, offering rewards for participation e.g. free food, prizes etc. in return for their participation in surveys, or to show they are listening and possibly understand. It’s sad to have to do this since people should take initiative to get information they require to do their jobs and understand their role in the big picture, but it helps get the people to pay attention to the message.

So is it selfishness or just that people prioritise what they want to hear? In which case, to what extent do we prioritise tuning in and hearing from God? I was challenged. Does God have to offer me rewards and incentives for me to tune in and hear from Him? Does there really have to be something in it for me before I can take time to engage with him?

Out of love, He wants me to spend time with Him so I may know things that He wants to show me. It is about relationship with Him and His will after all – my life and everything about me is His will for me. He said in Jeremiah 33:2-3, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you don’t know.”  And regardless of what the outcome is going to be, whether ultimately there are rewards or not, His banner for us is love. He is gentle and won’t force Himself on anyone – instead we are the ones to open the door when He knocks (Rev 3:20). I don’t know about you but I want to bask in His loving arms and prioritise tuning into Him above all so that He can show me great and mighty things for His glory.

Do I qualify?

Is 6:7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Sometimes when we are at a low, or God gives us a Word to do something – we ask ourselves and Him whether we qualify. This has been a human response since the Bible days; it seems to have been the first question we would ask. For some reason, we feel like God made the wrong choice in assigning us to that particular task or in blessing us with something. Often the assignments require us to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zone and sometimes it doesn’t make sense but we know it’s from the Lord.

I know I’ve had those moments where I felt God should be using someone else and not me. But the question is “why not me?” After all, I am made in the image of God and for as long as I still have breath, He has a purpose and assignments for me. The most important thing to remember though is that it’s not about me but about His glory. Like Isaiah raised his hand and said “Lord send me”, we should be yielded vessels ready to be used by Him because He wants us to make ourselves available for Him. Jesus, talking about His purpose gave an example to His disciples that He can’t ask God to save him from his purpose for which he was brought to this earth. “… But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father glorify Your name,” Jn 12:23 – 27.

So you ask, do I Qualify? He said “…I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgements and do them;” Ezekiel 36: 24-27. You ask do I qualify? Think of the simple prayer we pray to Him and say “…May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”Matt 6:10. What are we really saying? You ask Do I qualify? And Paul says “May the God of peace…..make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever” – Heb 13:21. You ask do I qualify? And like Jesus said to His disciples “For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me...” Jn 6:38. You ask “do I qualify?”  And David said “What is man that you are mindful of him, or the Son on man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet…Heb 2:6-8. You ask, do I qualify? Need I answer that?

Managing waste

On every Johannesburg street you see the dustbins overflowing with bags full of rubbish. And when you open your car window or go closer, the stench can knock you off completely. It’s not a pretty sight and if the recent strike by Pikitup staff carries on for longer, we are in big trouble.  We are used to living with in a system where all the waste is collected on a regular basis – keeping the balance. To have to live with that stench will be serious torture on us, not to mention health hazards that come with it.

This got me thinking about our spiritual lives. If it’s so hard to live with even a little bit of uncleared household waste, what makes us think we can live with spiritual waste in our lives? In Ps 51: 8 - 12, David asks the Lord to create in him a clean heart – “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Just like we bath daily, cleanliness and sustenance are key for us to keep on a spiritual high. Spiritual waste can take many forms – unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, dishonesty etc…all the things that are not of God. Yes He understands that we are human and therefore not perfect. But when we renew our minds daily in the word (Rom 12:2), and let Him who is perfect, perfect us with His love then we can keep the collection of spiritual waste at bay. Instead, the aroma we exude will be that which is pleasing to God and has a good impact on those we come across daily.

Seasons

Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again. Sarah Ban Breathnach
Being someone that generally prefers to start the day at gym, I wake up quite early, around 4:30 am (ok I admit that’s ambitious because I only ever manage to get out of bed around 5am after my snooze button’s had enough of me). In the summer months it is quite easy since it’s pretty uncomfortable to sleep in the heat, sharing space with mosquitos and other bugs. By the time the alarm goes I am all ready for it anyway, and the skyline on the outside is pretty light.

Then suddenly, it’s a lot harder to get out of bed because its much darker in the morning, and the temperature is nippy too.  Suddenly is the key word here. I started wondering at what point does this change actually happen? Is there any specific thing I can pinpoint that indicated this sudden change? Yesterday it was much lighter at 5 am, now suddenly its quite dark. I am sure there’s an explanation in meteorological terms of how the seasonal changes takes place, but to the lay person, the seasons come and go silently without us knowing the hour/time/day. All we know is that certain months of the year represent specific seasons, as we are now in autumn. We also behave in specific ways during certain seasons like eating a lot more in winter to keep ourselves warm etc. But there are usually signs that a certain season is upon you, e.g with winter approaching, it’s quite dark at 6am/pm, it’s chilly in the morning and early evening etc. But as to when the turning point took place is elusive - we only see when we are in the throws of that season that its arrived. Sometimes it takes certain events like late summer rains to usher in the new season, but either way the change seems sudden.

This got me thinking of the seasons in our lives. We have so many things to deal with, so much to contend with. You may be going through different seasons in different aspects of your life. Your personal life might be going exceptionally well but your work/career life may be going through turmoil. Or, everything could just be either going exceptionally well or extremely badly. And when these circumstances do change, it’s a ‘suddenly’ moment, without us knowing  the hour or time.

Whatever the case may be, all I know is that we serve an amazing Father who gave us a word in Eccl 3: 1 - 13 that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”. I am particularly excited to know that as verse 11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  So no matter what season we are in we ought to continue to serve and praise God.

Vanilla Soul in action at the Times Live iLIVE poetry showcase in March 2011

A challenge on perspective

This video truly challeged me : http://multimedia.timeslive.co.za/videos/2011/03/running-a-tour-de-france-on-one-leg/

It is about a man with one leg who runs 30 kilometers for four months (which equals approx 3600 km over months) to raise funds for the fight against cancer. What a task - this for something he believes in, mainly because he lost his leg to the disease. Now that's a man with a purpose. I think a lot of us spend some part of our time on earth in search of what our purpose is, as we go about our everyday lives. In the mean while, our lives seem incomplete or one would have a feeling like even though you might have it together but there is still something missing.

Because this man knows that his cause is to spend his life raising funds for the fight against cancer, his reason for waking up on a daily basis is filled with motivation and determination. I am sure that at the end of each day when he re-assesses his achievements he has a sense of satisfaction. I would like to get into his mind and see how it works to keep these high levels of motivation. I know I am still on a search for what my true purpose is. In the mean time, I am using what I have to do something as best I can by God's grace. As the Word says in Proverbs 3:16 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plans.

My challenge to you is this: this man has one leg and manages to achieve as much as he has. How much more those of us without any physical or mental deformity? Shouldn't we be taking a leaf out of the lives of the many people with disabilities who have achieved so much more that people without disabilities?

Lord help us to change our perspective from what we think we can't do to what we can offer for you to multiply through us.

Traffic lights and points men

Travelling to work for me is somewhat bliss, unlike for most people who have to contend with traffic daily. I am fortunate enough to travel against traffic while most people have to endure this daily or plan their travel times around when they would miss being stuck in traffic. But on some occasions, like times when the traffic lights are not working etc, then I get to experience what some have come to be familiar with.

Being stuck in traffic is rather unsavoury and to say the least, frustrating. It makes it hard for one to really focus on the driving and the journey and rather on the destination. I would find myself thinking thoughts that I am sure you will identify with like “When am I going to get where I am going?” “Some drivers really need to reconsider going back to driving school.” I don’t want to be here right now” I should be where I am going already” “Grrrrrr!” at everything. I would notice everything wrong in that whole picture, which really does nothing more than add fuel to my discomfort.

 The experience and frustrations of traffic got me thinking about our journey as Christians. I thought about how sometimes, one can be frustrated to the point of screaming at some of the challenges we come across throughout our journey. They get so frustrating that we lose focus of where we are going – thereby making our driving experience more of a pain and less enjoyable.

Yet just as there would be traffic jams in our lives, there are also pointsmen who help ease the traffic and restore some form of normality. In Johannesburg we are fortunate to have the 702 Outsurance pointsmen (God bless the person who came up with that idea), who sometimes assist with traffic when things are bad. Our first pointsman is God Himself through the Holy Spirit, Jn 16:13. In order for us to follow the instructions of the pointsmen, we need to see and “hear” what He is saying. This means our eyes have to be on Him. So our spirit eyes need to be focused on Him, Ps 121:1-4.

Pointsmen use signals to direct us on when to stop, when to go, when to slow down etc. We also therefore, need to know and understand what the signs mean. In terms of our relationship with God, it is exactly the same way. Then we need to know what His signs mean so that we can follow in the signs as He is directing us. These in our spiritual lives can come in different forms therefore when we are tuned in, we are able to follow in those directions. Sometimes He used people, things, circumstances and events to direct us in certain paths, Luke 1:79, Ps 109:105-107.

Overall, they are there to make our journey smoother and help ease the traffic when it gets really heavy. One thing to remember is that the traffic jams are unavoidable sometimes, but the frustrations due to the traffic can be minimised when we are focused on the right pointsman. They restore order and normality to seemingly uncomfortable traffic situations.

LOVE

With February being a time known as the month of love, I got thinking about this subject. I don’t know about you but while I love the feeling (or whatever it is), it is also one of the most difficult things to do I think. I ask myself, to what extent do I really love in the way God wants us to? Because in its true form, it really means one must truly be selfless. We know that the ultimate act of selflessness and sacrifice was made for humanity by Jesus Christ, to truly demonstrate His love for us. God gave His only son for us as a symbol of the extent to which He would go because of His love for us. Yet, I don’t think I truly fathom the extent to which this love goes. I am a student of His love for me everyday. There are some days when it feels a lot more intense than others. There are days when I can feel a tangible sense of God and sometimes not. Yet I know that in those times when I don’t necessarily feel His love, that He does truly love me.

In John 13:35, Jesus commanded us to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It has been said that love is a decision. Love is verb, so it is a doing word. That of course does not make it an easy thing to do but it is a decision, which means it can be done. It can’t have been easy for Jesus to love us, but He does anyway. When I think of my imperfections, I am truly humbled at the depth of His love for me. I am mesmerised at all forms of blessings He has showered me with throughout my life though I haven’t necessarily deserved them. When I look at the life of Jesus, how he interacted with the lowly and cast down as much as He did setting the example for the upright, I am challenged.

That is one of the reasons I serve in my local church. Firstly out of love for my Daddy, secondly to glorify Him and also to have a hand in changing the lives of the many people that walk through our church doors. It is out of obedience to the commandment that “by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” It is my desire to be as the bride Paul talks about, who will have her arms wide open for the lost and hungry by partaking in what the church is doing. If you go to church and are not involved in anyway I encourage you to not only be a spectator but to also get involved in the life of the church. The harvest is plenty yet the hands are few; Matt 9:35 - 38. Help the church to reach the many lives in the way your leaders have been mandated.

It is a daily walk as one strive to get closer to Him and grow in communion with Him. Our hearts then break for the things that breaks His and when we honor Him by serving in whatever area He has called us, He is glorified and he truly does step in to do what He does best.

So love, the most enigmatic yet powerful sense in humanity. Whether or not one has been exposed to it, it remains one of the most inherent super needs of every human being. And what better way to learn how to love than from the Master Himself. So when we experience His love for us, we are able to then also give it in a way that truly honors Him. 1 Corinthians 13 is a popular scripture in the bible on the picture of love and while i think we attempt to love in the way this piece of scripture describes, i believe it is truly a work in progress everyday. By the grace of God we will get it right cause as Paul says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Miracles do happen

“Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles.” George Bernard Shaw

It began as an ordinary day with a few meetings she had to attend to in the morning before she set out to address a gathering about her political party’s campaign. All went smoothly, everyone in the office is doing exactly what they need to do. All that she needs is prepared for her to get ready for the campaign. Before she leaves the office, she looks herself in the mirror, excitement mirrors the tinge of nervousness about her upcoming speech. She quickly fixes her make-up and rehearses her speech one last time then heads out to the centre.

Then off she goes to her meeting, one of her many public addresses. She is not nervous because of the crowd, but because she takes her work seriously and she wants people to support her party’s vision. “It’s serious business to win people over and truly live what we say,” she thinks to herself while on her way. And so the gathering begins with the spot light on her. She engages with the crowd as she normally would, her charm in full swing until a gunshot puts a stop to it. She is on the floor, she had been shot to the head, and other people are caught in the crossfire too. Before anyone could make sense of what just happened, there is panic with everyone running for cover, desperate to save themselves. Sadly some of them didn’t make it. Medics on the scene, she is rushed to hospital – no hope for her as she had been shot on the head. Doctors reluctantly treat her – they conduct an emergency operation while they themselves were not hoping for a recovery. Based on the severity of her gun wound, she is not going to be breathing for much longer, or so everyone thought.

Until a few weeks go by and there are signs of progress with Gabrielle Giffords, the American congress woman recently shot during a public gathering in Tucson, Arizona. Many of you would have seen this story in the news in the past weeks. The first sign of her miracle was that she survived the gunshot to her head. Then following the surgery, she started trying to communicate by squeezing the hands of her loved ones to show response. After sometime, she made more progress, now able to sit and breathe on her own. Though still in hospital as we speak and making daily progress, her story testifies of the magnificence of God who can be glorified for such miracles that are beyond human understanding. What struck me was a statement made by one of the doctors during a television interview. He said “We (the doctors) would be wise to accept that miracles happen. A lot of times there are conditions where medicine alone doesn’t heal”. Profound statement which I believe is testimony that God is in control in all situations (Matt 15:29 -31; Rev 3: 7-8).

There have been many other miracles taking place all around the world in our time, such as the old lady who was saved from the rubble in the Haitian earthquake last year. With praises to God, she came out singing and thanking the Lord for saving her. I am sure there are many other miraculous testimonies that came out of Haiti’s earthquake. I also think about the 33 Chilean miners rescued after being trapped underground for over nine weeks. They proclaimed that there was a 34^th person in their midst, God, who kept them safe and comforted the entire time.

However small or large, miracles still happen in our time. We just need to take time to see them and see God in them. No matter how big or small the miracles might be, God displays His glory in our everyday moments (Ps 19:1-3). All we need is to acknowledge Him in everything, remain in God’s presence, fellowship with him and see His name glorified. He is always talking (Rev 3: 20 – 21). Is your spiritual ear inclined to Him?

January Article: STAND OUT

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven” Matt 5:16

I was watching Carte Blanche one Sunday evening and they were profiling SA’s first female to qualify as a fighter pilot and the first woman in the world to fly the Gripen Jas 39C solo. Her code name Siren, Major Catherine Labuschagne is now the only female to form part of the SA Air Force’s elite 2 Squadron which flies the single- and dual-seat Gripens. “The Gripen is widely regarded as the world's top medium-weight fighter aircraft with a maximum speed of Mach 2 – twice the speed of sound, or about 2 400km/h – and a highly advanced sensor system,” according to Southafrica.info.

Judging by the information about the Gripen, one can understand what an achievement this is for Siren and particularly because she is a woman. On the surface it would appear as such a great achievement to be celebrated and rightly so. However this came after years of hard work and commitment to her goals. She boasts 1900 flying hours, 1000 of which have been in military jets. For her to get to this point, she had to also pass a series of courses and clock certain required hours flying the Impala Jet and the Hawk 120.

Celebrating her achievements, she described in the interview her experience of being alone in the cockpit, surrounded by just pure metal and raw power. The prize is not only being able to fly one of the most powerful fighter jets in the world, but also of being in the centre of space, overlooking the earth in all its beauty and glory - which is an exhilarating experience every time she gets on one of those machines. “In that space there is nothing one can do but purely adore the peace of it all,” she says. Most importantly for me though, was the fact that as the first and only female to qualify into the elite squadron, it makes her stand out. No doubt it took time and it didn’t come easily handed on a platter for her, the point is she made it through hard work and is now enjoying the fruits of her labour.

I was encouraged by her story – which I find relevant for us as we start out the new year. It is a time when we have completed ticking off what we had set out to achieve in 2010 and are now ready with our new lists to forge ahead in 2011. For some, there may be new goals, recurring goals, re-engineered goals etc, but for all of these items we have a picture of what the desired end looks like. However in between, there are steps, courses and different types of fighter jets that we have to fly and master before we get to the level of flying our Gripens – whatever the Gripen Jas 39c represents in your life. And when Siren talks about raw power, I remembered that we have on our side, a Father whose power for miracles is undeniable. He restores, re-energises, redeems, re-activates, re-aligns, releases, refines and any other thing that is needed for us to get to where we need to be. He puts those dreams in our hearts and He takes us from glory to glory.

We are reminded in Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 to 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. When we trust in Him and never attempt to rely on our own strength, he takes us by the hand until we reach our goals.  He doesn’t promise it will be easy, but we know He will never forsake us. As Job said, “to God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his (Job 12:13).” And when we lean on Him, we will also stand out as all children of God are destined to be.  

So as you go about navigating your goals in 2011, remember that you are destined to reign as you abide in the centre of His will for you. Let us be the ones to stand out, glorifying in everything the One who loved us first and makes all things possible.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the privilege to know you and serve you. Everything I am destined to be is all for your glory. Help me God to keep my eyes on you and to trust you with the plans and dreams you have laid on my heart. Have your mighty hand on me and my family as we forge ahead into 2011. Help me to see every new day as a fresh chance to start again. I commit every aspect of my life to you, trusting in your power to make me stand out - In Jesus Name, Amen.