Action and Reaction

Hi,how’s your holidays coming along?Merry Christmas and happy boxing day I hope it isn’t too late.Five more days and we’re done with this year.May God keep you safe for 2018.

Today we’ll talk about action and reaction.I was a poor physics student but the Newton’s third law of motion has stuck through the years.If my memory is right,the action-reaction forces had couple of guidelines and these two caught my attention most:

1.They have the same exact strength

2.Both are real forces and can cause changes in motion.

Image source:Google

Now let’s talk real life.For everything that happens to us we always have a response–Good or bad.I have always believed the response (read reaction) is the game changer rather determines the aftermath.

“Just like Newton’s law you can’t prevent reaction but thankfully you can control.”

For example,Someone does what you told them not to do,you can’t help feeling angry but you can control the anger so that you don’t harm yourself or them.

Let’s examine some biblical passages that reinforce that point(Mostly reaction with our speech)

Proverbs 15:1 “A kind answer soothes angry feelings but harsh words stir them” Verse 18 “Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble but staying calm settles arguments”(CEV)

You’ll always have bad things and words done and said to you but you’ll always choose your response.I am not telling you to hide your emotions,they are there for a good reason.I am saying that the will power to decide to shut up when angry or sad or heartbroken is in your hands.Shall I tell you a story?

My friend and I had a fight one day and we decided that our egos were huge.We had a bad exchange of words by the time we realised it our relationship was damaged.A lot of bad things had been said and some could not be easily forgotten.Later on I started evaluating the scenario and realised we had lost the battle when we failed to control what we felt.Long story short,restoring the relationship was difficult.

This new year 2018 deal with your reactions.Make a resolve to be mindful of how you respond to situations and people because that will build you up or tear you down.You know what,both forces are always there whenever any force occurs.Be wise.

More scriptures:Proverbs 16:32,17:14,Ephesians 4:29,31,Galatians 5:22-23.

Blessings,

Wambui M.

You Fit Somewhere

This past weekend we had couple of fun activities in our church.In addition to food we had lots of music going round with the teens.Now I have two left feet which means I can’t dance to save my life but these teens were gliding through with the finesse of a swan in water which left me a little envious in a good way.If only I can dance…

Source:www.alamy.com

Sometimes we find people with multiple skills and their lives are so rich we wonder where is our place in the planet.Others are so good at what they do or they do better in your area of expertise.We tend to perceive our weaknesses loudest at that moment and the devil uses that chance to dance lingala with your emotions. You feel sad,unworthy,unwanted and of no use.That’s a lie.You perfectly fit somewhere.Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:17-25 teaches about the body with many parts.You are a part of a larger body and you’re very valuable.You matter.

1 Corin 12:24 “…God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem least important are valuable”(CEV)

You will never be someone else no matter how hard to try but you are UNIQUE.There’s something in you that makes you stand out and stand tall.If we all danced,who would sing?The world would be a boring place if we did the same things until Christ comes but in His infinite wisdom He dispensed different arts in us to colour the world.You have your place in one of those arts.

How do I know where I fit?

1.God is the source

God is a God of dreams and visions even ideas.That’s why He’s called the Creator of heaven and earth.Look deeper in yourself having committed yourself to prayer and study of His word.Ask Him for your place.

Matthew 7:7-8,11 ” Ask and you’ll receive.Search,and you will find.Knock,and the door will be opened for you.Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find.And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” 11 “As bad as you are,you still know how to give good gifts to your children.But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask”

Sometimes He’ll answer in the night.That’s how I got a sewing idea!

2.Passion

Find your passion and do it.That thing you love to do so much so that you’d do it without pay.Channel all your energy and trust God.

3.Skills

You have studied a skill or you are a graduate in a particular field.Your course is before your eyes;that big field is where you belong.Thrive therein bringing the best out of others and yourself.

You’re a complete being lacking in nothing and in the every image of God(See Genesis 1:26) therefore you have a purpose for your life.There’s one thing that only you can do best.Remember…

Blessings to you,

Wambui M.

{Happy Jamhuri Day fellow Kenyans}

Hold That Ladder

Have you ever told someone to hold a ladder for you while you fixed something up there?

Photo Credits:Lee Anne Bartlett

What do you think would happen if you told them to pass you a tool and they are just looking at you like you’re speaking a foreign language?Or they suddenly released the ladder,you’d stay up there right,Wrong!You’d fall and get hurt not to mention mission unaccomplished.

“You can only go as high as who’s holding your ladder” ~Dr Sam Chand

Did you know that if you’re an employee or a team member anywhere you’re a ladder holder?Let me explain.

If you’re being led by a person in any organization–Workplace,church,home etc you’re following their vision which means you’re on board to support that vision.That’s what we call ladder holding!The leader is atop the ladder and the rest of us are holding it with our different skills,talents and abilities.This concept was developed by Dr Sam Chand and when I watched him speak I got challenged and am going to pass on the challenge so that we can grow together.He’s been a college president as well as a pastor so he speaks mostly to the body of Christ and let me add my opinion here and say that principles don’t change with context.

Here are some five qualities he challenged every person to adopt to be fruitful and effective as a ladder holder.

Strong -To accept instruction,criticism and correction.In other words we don’t need to walk on egg shells with you.

Teachable-Accept you know nothing and that willingness to learn.

Attentive-Hear and pay attention.

Firm-Not easily blown about.

Faithful-Have faith in the leaders/seniors.

Do you see an acronym here???

I can’t effectively expound on this concept so to be fair I’ll leave you the link to his book on this chapter of Ladder Holders.Read it carefully and prayerfully.

-> http:/www.samchand.com/consulting/assets/ebook/HoldingLadder_ch3.pdf

Blessings to you,

Wambui M.

Children and Discipline

Hi y’all,let’s talk matters discipline and kids.I must say I have no children of my own but God willing I’ll have four or more but I’ll tell you my story as a child.I was born to a mother who believed in discipline more than anything else.Manners in this case good manners were life to her.My dad on the other hand cared about good grades,good health because he knew his wife was going to give him disciplined girls.And they kinda had an implied agreement that my mama was the chief disciplinarian.

Somehow I was very naughty,very inquisitive and so curious to learn.I asked my mum endless questions and did things just to find out the WHY?? of that particular thing.And it always landed me in trouble. You’d not sleep without a good beating and in the village a beating was serious!!Your mother would beat you,you run away to the coffee plantation just when you get to the road you meet with her friend who asks you why you’re crying.You innocently explain why you’ve been beaten and then she beats you up and takes you to your mama.Both of them then give you a beating that you’ll narrate only when you’re grey-haired! I never understood why my mama loved the rod so much so one day when I grew women features I mastered the courage to question why we were beaten a lot.My very Godly mama took her big black Oral Roberts study bible and opened these two scriptures

Proverbs 22:15 CEV All children are foolish but firm correction will make them change

Proverbs 23:13-15 Don’t fail to correct your children.You won’t kill them by being firm and it may even save their lives

She then opened her eyes wide and asked me,”Question answered?” I wanted to collapse so God had endorsed it!!!

Fast forward to this present age.I am a very shocked village girl because the rod had been hidden and in its place dialogue and I wonder when did this happen??I mean what would mother and child deliberate about when the kid is in the wrong?What is more perplexing is the ‘expert’ advice of how spanking will produce rebellious children in the future.Chesos!Take God’s word for it they won’t die at least am a living testimony.

Let me tell you that there are things I was beaten over and to this day I have never repeated.The good manners instilled in me still remain.I can’t pick someone’s item without permission or take extra change from the cashier.God’s word is true.

Proverbs 22:6 ESV Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I have closely observed how children coming after us(after ’99) are I’ll mannered.That a child has enough guts to speak when visitors are speaking,cry because the remote control was taken from them,misbehave in school and their mothers do nothing.Every time I hear a mom go like,”I find it very hard to discipline my child coz they are so talented.Spanking them will affect their self esteem…blah blah blah” I die a little because am so sure they are sitting on a bomb that will explode so bad killing them slowly and the society at large.You think am lying,check Proverbs 29:15,17 and 19:18.

What am trying to say here is that conventional discipline has to come back.We can’t have children get away with what we are normalizing as small wrongs because we love them oh so much. Here’s the irony;We who were corrected much overlook that correction that made us who we are instead we want to discipline them so little to avoid problems.We who worked do hard to be where are,are giving our children too much free things instead of instilling the value of hardwork.We who braved the morning fog and chilling cold to school are the same people fearing our children(or do I say eggs) will catch pneumonia.If you didn’t catch it they got the same genes they won’t catch it!We who ate body building foods such as yam and sweet potatoes are the people feeding our kids on junk.We who ate chewed food from our mothers mouth(if you’re lucky your weaned food was ground on a sieve) are weaning our kids on things I can’t write here.

Let’s wake up to the reality that kids are just like fabric.You cut it according to your design,sew it until you get a desired result.Where it goes wrong the seam ripper is handy to blast the stitches then you go back to sewing.I say let’s beat folly our of them.I am confident of this one thing; that while my mama can’t say I was an easy child she says this,”This one I shaped together with God.”She said that during my graduation and it was really moving.War wasn’t bad after all!!

Baraka,

Wambui M.

{I’ll try be more consistent,thank you for your continued patience and checking on me in my private inbox as well as email.}