Setback To Comeback

We've had one of the toughest winter in a 100 years. The effect of the winter months is evident in our garden, our once plush and beautiful patch looks like a drought land. Plants dead, those still alive are weak and would require a lot of work to get them back to life. 
Our gardener who is my hubby (oops)!  has already started planning for the recovery. 

So how do you recover after a set back. Do you sit back in misery and wish the set back never happened, do you go on a Blame game?  

 
Instead of doing all these, plan your come back. Yes disaster has struck, ask yourself what you can do to aid your come back. 
Who, where, can you get help from, what help is available? 
What can you do physically or otherwise to remedy the set back. 

As I watch my hubby tend the garden, I also observe the changes taking place. He dug up dead plants and replaced them with new ones, some old plants are springing back to life, he laid some bark, feed and watered. more is still needed to get it back to what it was or better. But the important thing is that there is beauty again as the garden makes a come back. 

You took can make a come back if you are willing to get to work regardless of the set back you've had. 

So on this resurrection day, remember Jesus made a come back from a set back, draw from the strength his resurrection brings,
 dig out and throw away old habits, replant néw seeds of love, tenacity and rekindle old and good traits.

A set back can be a spring board for a comeback, a lunch pad to hope again, dream again and believe in possibilities. 

So unless you are willing to do what it takes, you will not attain your desired end. 

When toss about by the waves of adversity, look within you, rekindle hope for there is a new dawn waiting to birth after the tide has receded. 

Navigators

Navigators revolutionised lives in most western countries. Can you remember the days without them? How did you survive? I remember the good old days when we had to rely on AA or Multi map, hubby usually pre-print the instructions for me to help with the directions, but we often drive past our exit or turning before I gave my directors. My hubby would usually stop the car several times (fuming) to read the directions himself, needless to say I rubbish at map reading and he was very good.

My job requires going to new places daily so I had to learn to read street maps and did pretty well using them to find my way around. I am always ecstatic whenever I manage to find my way to my destination without too much hassle. I graduated from street maps to road maps and it was really a joy to arrive with the help of AA or Multi Map. So I was really reluctant to go the digital way. Hey! Wait a minute; I’ve only just started enjoying map reading, I don’t want to change!

I reluctantly made the change and bought a sat nav, it was said to operate within 95% accuracy and I must say, my journeys improved a great deal. I thought to myself, God bless the makers, “why did I wait so long to get one" rarely did my navigator took me the wrong turn or place. It may take me the long way but it always took me to my destination. That was five years ago, and the technology has improved since then and am still loving it.

So what's the point of all this you may ask? Am I a spokes person for the one of the Sat Nav Companies"? Well, no.

I was once a passenger on a journey with a friend, going to a place we hadn't been before and needed the help of the sat nav, she did alright at the start of the journey because she knew the way up to a certain point, and although the navigator was on we ignored it until we came to unfamiliar route. My friend became impatient, glittery and worried as soon as she started depending on the sat nav.

At one point I had to say, calm down and follow the its direction, immediately I said that she went on and on, on how these things cannot be trusted, on how many stories she's heard about them failing. I asked her “have yours failed you" "no" she replied, “so why are you afraid I asked:” “well what if it does she replied”? "I've heard stories of navigators taking people the wrong place". My reply was “if yours haven't failed you yet, I don't see why you should be stress and worry now”. “It may take us the long route, because it sometimes does”, she replied, “as longs we get there, I don't see the problem”, relax and enjoy the drive, I replied. Needless to say that she ignored me and continued to fret, but broke out in a big smile of relieve when we arrived at our destination.

This got me thinking: You see, we are like that with God, we trust him in the things we can see and it is easy to have faith then, but wait a minute, why have faith and hope for the things we see? We do not hope for the things we see, but we with patience, hope for the things we don't yet see. Quite often we become impatient, jittery and angry with God. Worry often kicks in when what we are waiting for seems to be taking a little longer, we begin to complain and remind ourselves of stories of others who are in similar situations as us whom God is yet to come through for.

Just as I was a passenger on that journey, the Holy Spirit is our passenger on the way to our destination, urging us to trust God, the journey may seem long but he'll take you there. Don’t make the journey difficult by resulting to old ways and wishing for the good old days.

Relax and enjoy the ride, focus your on God's goodness and personality, (He’s good, he’s loving, he’s kind, he’s faithful and he’ll bring it to pass), he will always bring you safely to your journey's end.

The journey may seem long and painful, but don't fail to grasp the beauty and lessons of life along the way, because you may not travel that road again, so you have an opportunity to grasp whatever it is you have to learn on your journey to whatever you are waiting for.

Just like my friend, you too will break out with a big smile when at last your destination you reach. Till then, Press on in faith, knowing that you too will arrive safely on the other side.

Pictures by "Photobucket"

Basking ...................

In these trying times, a lot of folks have allowed their vision to become blur by what they see and their hearing have become dull by the constant stream of ill tidings!
I must say it is hard to be positive given all that is going on in our world today. Be that as it may, we must keep our eyes fixed on the vision.

Sometimes when the vision tarries the wait becomes too long in our eyes. Have we wondered why we become despondent and impatient when what we’ve been waiting for seems to take forever to come through? Here’s why I think we get dismay, discouraged, or disheartened, we spend too much time on the situation, our every waking moment is consumed with the issues we face, we are so engross with it that we live in the reality of its absence. There’s no smile on our faces, no hope in the future, robbing us of joy in the present.

I decided a long time ago to look around me, within me and find something to be thankful for each day regardless of how dire the situation may be. It has helped me a great deal as my focus is removed from the issue that is not working out to what is.

I have decided to enjoy each moment given to me and not to waste it pondering the absence my desires.

I have come to realise that no matter how bad I think my situation is someone somewhere have it worse than me.

I have come to know that my posture during the trying times of my life will either inspire someone to trust God or to give up in their wait for their break through.

I have decided to see each challenge as another added experience to the tree of testimony that is growing by the day.

I have decided to

Enjoy the beauty of my dreams
Live in its reality
And bask in the possibilities of its fulfilment
To let the assurance of its realisation
Fill me with peace in the present
And hope for the future.

What are you basking in?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eyes for sight to see both the seen and unseen
Though often times
Gaze trail to the unseen
Sadness magnified by its absence

I press on still,
My focus on the goal
Yielding to the vision that is a reality in the realm of the unseen
I steadfastly set my gaze on the dream
As I fully grasp it in the inner recesses of me
I come into it
As it becomes real in me.

© Deboo July 2009

Pictures by "photobucket"

Conversations.

On the prowl he seeks his prey
Subtly he speaks, disguise as a friend
Then he engages, lures and entices seeking to lay claim on any who listens,

But friend, just one word spoken in faith will slay him.

We constantly engage in conversations with our friends, spouses, children and our heavenly father, it is therefore safe to say that our actions are sometimes influenced by these conversations. They could be simple things like where to go on holiday, career prospects and other such things.

in conversations with our heavenly father carried on in prayer, we speak to him of our hopes, fears, share our pains and victories. He also speaks to us via his word.

Just as we converse with these people and our father in heaven , there is also one who tries to engage us in conversations that belittles us, demeans us, and degrades us, albeith he doesn't make his intentions known, the devil is he.

When you open your heart to conversation with the devil you open up yourself to his ideas, to question what you know about God and what God said in his word. Gen 3:1-8.

Eve carried on in conversation with the devil in the garden of eden and he suggested to her that the consequences of eating the apple isn't really death but an opening, an enlightenment to knowing good and evil. She considered it and that landed us in what we know today as the fall of man.

The only suitable response to the devil and his suggestions is the response Jesus gave the devil when the devil suggested that Jesus should bow down to him. Jesus replied "get thee behind me Satan".

He will come at us with his suggestions to get our attention and question our beliefs and the authenticity of God's word but do not entertain any thought from him nor consider his suggestions. "Get thee behind me Satan" is the only appropriate response for him.

What is the enemy suggesting to you today? That you are less than able, questioning your status as a child of God, that you are not worthy, that maybe, just maybe what you believe in isn't true, that God's word won't come to pass in your life. Regardless of his suggestions your response should always be "Get thee behin me Satan". It worked for Jesus, it will work for you today.

So keep pressing on in faith, for despite the fact that your adverary the devil is on the prowl, be rest assured, that one word spoken in faith will slay him.

Yesterday

My yesterday,
A shadow of my past

looms steadily over my future

yesterday a present and constant reminder of

all that might have been

of failures and under achievements.

Of regrets,
And wishes bore on the wings of despair.

Though failures abound in my yesterday

so too does success and pleasures.

But blinded by helplessness

I fail to see through the mist of despair

to the beauty that abounds in yesterday.

Then hope was reborn

in the warmth of my lover's arms
He secures me from the mistakes of yesterday
From the hurt, pain and regrets of a blighted past

He becomes my rear guard

a guide through shrubs of difficulties

As he leads me into the future

not with haste

but with delightsome springs of assurance

though my yesterday may hold broken dreams

and irreversible blunders

one thing is sure

with his gentle guidance

I am assured of a certain future
Not tarnished by the dread of yesterday.

© Deboo January 2009.

Pictures by "photobucket"

You Can!

On the 5th of November 2008, Americans woke up to a new dawn, a new day, a renewed belief in the hope that anything is possible.
Collectively with their votes they spoke as one, because they dare to believe that they can.
They left the past that had held them bound for so long
They woke up and sang a new song.
Men, women, boys and girls, young and old, danced and cheered not for a person, but to a new assurance that Yes, they Can achieve anything if they can believe.

So straight from my heart is this piece to encourage anyone who feel they can’t go on, that their time is past, that it’s too late in the day to dream again. This is to encourage you to hope again, arise with vigour and believe that you too can.


Though skies turn grey and clouds gather over your dream
When you measure the drapes of your life and nothing seems to add up
When you peep through the curtains of despair and see the pain that carpets the pathway that leads to success.
Though the scourging heat of the sun’s ray melt away your dreams and you see the obstacles stacked against you.
When the obvious seems remotely possible and dreams appears to be just that, dreams!
When failures become the norm rather than the exception and dread a familiar foe.
Ignite your dreams again and believe you can achieve.
Let the vision of the future propel you into the promise of a better day
Believe that the past is in the dungeon of history
Let loose the ropes of dread around your loins
Step into the future with your sight set on paths littered with the colours of hope
That in deed you can.
Step into the future with renewed faith
Step into the future with renewed strength
Turn your wishes into actions
Dare to believe that anything is possible
That impossible is nothing
Dare to believe that you can.

© Deboo November 2008

Pictures by "photobucket"

Wait!

Sometimes we are faced with circumstances that seem insurmountable. We pray and perspire and wish for solutions and the answers seem so far away. We wonder and question why God, Why? It’s then we realise that we can’t always have what we want when we want it and that we will have to wait.

Waiting is not pleasant especially when you are in a hurry or you want to get something done so that you can progress to other things.
Waiting period especially for those who are impatient can be even harder than what we are waiting for.

So whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you are waiting on God for:
This piece is straight from my heart to encourage you: that though the wait may seem endless and the vision may grow deem:
There is a wait that produces its perfect fruit of peace, which brings an assurance of hope, that doesn’t lead to despair or resignation, but to acceptance of the master’s perfect plan for our lives. So as you wait on God for your heart desires, remember he knows and is working his best for you and will bring it to pass! Wait for it even though it tarry, it will surely, come.

A glance that speaks volume
Seen, but its meaning ignored
A whisper uttered quietly, sternly,

it is heard and acknowledged with a nod.

A glace that became a stare
A whisper, that became a gossip.

These are the little vices
That pieces the heart of the one who waits

The one who waits in the shadow,
With curious glance from all who celebrate,

Wealth, love, and the fulfilment of desires
They wait with a silent prayer uttered,
In the solitude of their heart

They wait while all around move on,
To achieve feats long dreamt of,

They waits...

For that one dream that seems to fade and lingers in the distance

As the heart bleed and cry for its arrival,
But the wait continues

Not out of despair
Or fear
Not out of anger
Or sorrow
Not out of impatience
Or resignation
They wait in joy,
Abounds in hope
Of a dawn that will herald the
Arrival of their heart desires.

© Deboo October 2008.

Pictures by"photobucket"