Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Recognize The Season In Your Life

It's important to identify the seasons in our lives. As the Wise said,

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
 2 a time to be born and a time to die,

   a time to plant and a time to uproot,

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

   a time to tear down and a time to build,

 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

   a time to mourn and a time to dance,

 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

   a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

 6 a time to search and a time to give up,

   a time to keep and a time to throw away,

 7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

   a time to be silent and a time to speak,

 8 a time to love and a time to hate,

   a time for war and a time for peace.

     Have you noticed the last verse?  "a time to love and a time to hate", It is assumed that a Christian must love everybody friends, frenemies and enemies included. But what about the hate part of it? Does that mean that a Christian can be hateful? And look at this one "a time to kill and a time to heal", wow!! Can a Christian kill or be killed by another one? Literally or metaphorically? I think so but this debate will be for another time.

     Today I'd like to use this opportunity to address my fellow Christ Lovers on celebrating the good things in our lives. It is said that one recognizes his/her friends during hard times but I must add, one recognizes his/her frenemies during good times. A friend will be beside you at all times, good and bad. A frenemy will pretend but can only pretend for so long.
This season, I'm celebrating:
- my family: The one I came from, the one I got into and the one I formed
- my territory: plainly earthly possessions that I know I'll leave behind once the Lord decides to come back or take me to him.
- my job: This simple statement from a fellow worker really got me "you know, it took me 20 years to get where you are now." For the record, I just hit year 5 in my career.
- investments: According to the scripture, banks are the last place money should stay especially if one expects any return. I'm just grateful that God has opened a door for a better and greater harvest.
- my upcoming big O entrance into my 3rd decade. This shall be a decade like any other I've ever lived. Lots of growth to anticipate, family growth, ministry growth and investments growth.
- Last but not least: Victory over unforgiveness and shadenfreude. God knows how I've struggled with these. Can someone sing with me "I am delivered, Thank You Lord... My God has saved me, Thank you Lord..."

     For my fellow African brothers and sisters, to declare out loud the blessings of the Lord is a concept hard to assimilate given that most of us were brought up in suspicion of one another. This culture of mistrust is so ingrained in our core that even when you greet someone with a "How are you?" you'll undoubtedly get back one of the following " ha I'm there" [with a shrug] aka nothing much or "we push and we put the wedge" (and this even if the person has just won the lottery).

     How would one know that the Lord has done great things in our lives if we can't even acknowledge it? How will we develop a thankful heart when we can't give a shout to the author of all Goodness?

This is a season of celebration for me, I shall not pass it up and I'm inviting you to do the same.

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