I feel like Lazarus!

This morning I got up feeling a little like Lazarus. Lazarus was one of Jesus' friends. Some day he was unwell and his sisters sent for Jesus to heal him. Jesus then waited until Lazarus died before He even began the journey to his home. Imagine that? By the time He arrived, Lazarus was not only dead but buried and rotting. I am not unwell however there are some things I am praying for and it looks like God’s taking His time.

There are moments in our lives when we go through similar experiences like Lazarus’. We ask God to show up in our lives and it appears He’s decided to do nothing or attend to other things first. You want to stop and ask “No pressure Father but, I’m still here waiting... remember what we spoke about...?”

A parallel event happened with the Son of God when He was arrested. Jesus did not pray to be delivered, although He said that God could send help to rescue Him from those who were about to kill Him. Rather He waited until He was beaten, bruised, crucified, pierced , dead and buried. Three days later, the Son of God rose from the dead! Amazing! You see there was a purpose for His suffering. If God had rescued Jesus, we would have no Saviour today. There are some things we must pass through if we are to grow in certain ways. You do not expect muscles without resistance training. If Jesus had healed Lazarus, he would have missed out on his resurrection and God and Christ would have missed out on the  glory, honour and thanksgiving that followed because men came to see what God had done - the man He raised from the dead. Therefore there is a purpose for this season. There is a my answer as well as glory, honour, praise and thanksgiving for Him.

I know He’s still teaching me to confidently trust, wait on and obey Him through this. We do not always receive immediate answers to prayers however it is not that He has not heard but that He’s working out something bigger than our request. Lazarus asked for healing, he received a resurrection! If I am patient, I will receive His answer to my request.

So what do you do if like me you are going through a ‘Lazarus experience’? Only believe. Continue to pray, trust and wait. He may not be working to your schedule but have peace in you because He loves you. God loves you. He’s working things out for your good according to His purpose. Hold on to His word- If you ask anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:14) and if you abide in me and my word abides in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you (John15:8). Keep the faith – Let him ask in faith without doubting (James 1:6).

Sometimes He takes His time (from our point of view) but He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Rest He’s on it xx

You will find Lazarus’s Story in John 11:1-44


©2010 Arielle Ajibade

Destination - Love x

Often times I wonder if I am obsessed with myself. I am  always watching my weight, my skin, hair etc. Whenever I notice a spot or increase in weight, I am immediately concerned and do all I can to deal with it. I have to say well done to me though because I am doing much better than years ago so. We have to learn to celebrate progress no matter how little it is. A few years ago, I was so obsessed with my weight that I would measure myself with a tape every morning when I woke up just to see if I had gained weight overnight! Then I'll spend the whole day telling my sister how I have gained a centimetre around my waistline. I have since moved on from that now I stand on the weighing machine a few times a week. I am unsure if this is normal but if it isn't, it is fine -we all have a form of OCD :-).

I think its important to examine ourselves once in a while. However it should go beyond our physical bodies. I had a heart examination yesterday. Someone said that God brings trespasses our way that we may learn to trust in His love for us and to forgive others. You know there's a difference between pretending that something never happened and knowing it happened but being unaffected by the event. Healing, strength  and restoration only comes when you can admit that it happened but you are looking to the future.

A Chinese proverb says you cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head but you can prevent them from building a nest in your hair.  In other words, as long as I am human, I will continue to come across those who will step on my toes however its up to me to keep my heart healthy. So I found myself asking  these questions: "how do I forgive" and "how do I know I have forgiven?" I found the answer in the Lord's prayer: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". In order words, Forgive others in the same manner that He forgave you. Or as you want Him to forgive you, forgive others!

So how did the Lord do it for me? He loved me. First He sent His Son to pay the price required for my mistakes through His death. Even whilst suffering at the hands of men, He made excuses for me by saying I did not know what I was doing. Then He sent me help (the Holy Spirit) so that I would not repeat my mistakes. And if by some chance I do fall, He's there cheering me on and encouraging me to get up and keep walking.

So I guess if I could do this for another, perhaps I can say I have forgiven. If I love them irrespective of; if I could give toward their need even when it requires sacrificing something important to me, maybe then I can say I have moved on and my hair is nest free. The best thing about God's forgiveness is that He forgives willingly. Not because He has no choice but because He wants to. Love gives the benefit of the doubt so lets make excuses for each other's failures and make the choice to move forward.

Irrespective of the magnitude of hurt that has come our way, we have all done much more to another - God that is. I know I have hurt Him in more ways than anyone has ever me. So if He can forgive my many trespasses, I should be able to let go of the few from others.

Someone may say they have been hurt very bad and its very difficult to let go. Take heart because sometimes, change may not happen overnight but if we take it one step at a time  and continue to walk we may arrive at our destination...as long as we want to and do not give up. I want to.

This one's dedicated to the One who loved me and gave all for me and to my very dear ones who continually make excuses for my many failures...

I love you xx

(c) 2010 Arielle Ajibade

Get your laugh on :D

Happy Monday! I had a very lovely weekend but thank God it's Monday! The beginning of the work week for many - here's another opportunity to be blessed and be a blessing. "She's a little excited isn't she?" I know! Happiness is exceedingly good food for the spirit :-).

I read a book a few years ago by Sabina Wurmbrand (co-founder of the Voice of the Martyrs). There's a portion of it that I remembered this weekend:

..How queer the human mind is. Just before dropping off, there came into my head a joke Richard had told once. A man determined that to complain was futile: he decided that he would in the future make the best of things. Just at that moment a wheel came off his cart. “Never mind” he said. “Cabs have only two wheels. I have three. I’m rich.” Then a second wheel came off. “Why worry,” he said. “A wheel barrow has only one wheel. I have two.” A third wheel came off. “Well, sleighs have no wheels at all, and they still get along,” he said. Then he lost the last wheel. “I’ve always wanted to be a sleigh driver,” he exclaimed joyfully. - Excerpt from The Pastor's Wife - a courageous testimony of persecution and imprisonment in Communist Romania.

You know sometimes, we just need to be happy irrespective of what's happening around us. There are things we go through in life that attempt to kill our joy and rob us of happiness. The past year or two has been challenging for many. Careers, homes, families and more have been lost. I recently had to make some decisions that meant starting all over again in many ways. It was a tough decision and sometimes it's still difficult but I am learning that where I am does not dictate how I feel about myself. I am blessed and a blessing!

I encourage you to face life with a smile. And when things become very difficult, get your laugh on. Why? Because there is light at the end of every tunnel and if you do not lose hope and quit moving, you will see the light. And even if things do not turn out the way you want, why add more to your loss by losing your happiness?

If you have lost your job, money, friends, remember Job. He lost everything he had but God gave him double for all his troubles. Zacharias & Elizabeth waited a very long time for a child but in their old age, they gave birth to John the Baptist who was Christ's Forerunner and according to Jesus - the greatest man that every lived before He brought us the Kingdom of God. For those hurting from relationship that has gone sour, Ruth lost her husband but God replaced him with Boaz a stronger man. This couple became the grandparents of King David. If you've made serious mistakes, there's a second chance for you; David & Bathsheba lost their first son because of a mistake they made but God replaced him with Solomon who became the next king of Israel and builder of Israel’s first and grandest temple. For the persecuted, remember John who was banished to the Island of Patmos but out of that came The Book of Revelations. And if you've lost things because of another man's mistakes, there's still hope. Think about Lotfi Raissi - he was wrongly accused over the 9/11 attacks but he recently won his battle for compensation - 9 years later. He said to BBC: "My life was destroyed. My career was destroyed... It was hell for my life the last nine years". You can read his story here.

We all have disappointments, betrayals and situations to deal with, and you may have been told not to lose your faith during tough times. I also want to encourage you - don't lose your smile. Your story ends with a laugh so why not start now. The following joke I received this recently from a friend may help you:

After getting Pope Benedict’s entire luggage loaded into the limo the driver notices the Pope is still standing on the curb. “Excuse me, Your Holiness,” says the driver, “Would you please take your seat so we can leave?” ''Well, to tell you the truth,” says the Pope, “they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today”. ''I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! What if something happens?” protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning. “Who’s going to tell?” says the Pope with a smile. Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 205kph (Remember, the Pope is German). “Please slow down, Your Holiness!” pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens. “Oh, dear God, I’m going to lose my license and my job!” moans the driver. The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio. “I need to talk to the Chief” he says to the dispatcher. The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he’s stopped a limo going 205kph. “So bust him,” says the Chief. “I don’t think we want to do that, he’s really important,” said the cop. The Chief exclaimed, “All the more reason!” “No, I mean really important,” said the cop with a bit of persistence. The Chief then asked, “Who do you have there, the mayor?” Cop: “Bigger”. Chief: “A senator?” Cop: “Bigger”. Chief: “The Prime Minister?” Cop: “Bigger”. “Well,” said the Chief, “who is it?” Cop: “I think it’s God!” The Chief is even more puzzled and curious, “What makes you think it’s God?” Cop: “His chauffeur is the Pope!”

So whatever life throws at you this week, count it all joy. Keep the light on. Retain your smile. Remain steadfast in your faith. Don’t lose your hope.

Get your laugh on xx



© 2010 Arielle Ajibade

Who is DAGRIN?

I didn’t know who he was until “RIP DAGRIN” appeared all over facebook today and this inspired this post. Dagrin is a young Nigerian rapper who recently made it to limelight. There had been speculations about whether he was still alive or dead. According to allafrica.com, rapper Da Grin survived a terrible accident involving a truck on Wednesday, which left him unconscious. He was hospitalised and operated upon at a Lagos hospital however today, he was confirmed dead following surgery by Gidi Noize. His official facebook page is full of messages from fans who are clearly sad and shocked over his death. “Life’s so short” one said. A comment by a fan also read “he just started making money”. My sincere condolences goes to his family, friends and fans.

This life indeed is short (compared to the one to come) and sometimes, we need events like this to remind us that time respects no man. My brother made a statement today that touched me: “Time is what we have now, when time ends, eternity will begin”. For those that do not believe in life after death, well you need not worry about the rest of what I’m about to say but if you believe “the meek shall inherit the earth”, you are really blessed because like me we have hope that goes beyond this short life.

If you hate the fruit, cut the tree down

Lord of mercy! This was how I felt after a conversation i held with two people today. One of those conversations that start and then a few minutes later you wish you had walked out of the room before it began. Man must now even be discerning enough to know when something is about to happen...lol. Anyway, somewhere along the conversation, I had to keep quiet as I realised we were not going to agree. Although I cannot write the details of the conversation it made me wonder on some things. Sometimes we encounter some attitudes, habits and opinions that make you want to scream. Sometimes, we even observe some in ourselves that make us cringe. Those things that make you ask "why are you saying, behaving or acting like this?!"  I think even Jesus encountered some of our funny thought pattern. You may have heard Him ask his disciples questions like "where is your faith?" or "do you still not understand?" and "how could you not know I was not talking about bread!" lol and to Peter "get behind me Satan!"

I have often found myself trying to correct some of my bad habits or to try to help others see that a behaviour is not appropriate however today, a phrase that rocked my thinking a few years ago popped right back in my head "if you hate the fruit, cut the tree down." You cannot get rid of a bad habit by dealing with that habit. You need to go to the root of it. Every wrong thinking is attached to a wrong belief. Renew your mind says Romans 12:2.

Many of the things we deal with in our daily lives are the result of a wrong belief  system. Our thoughts are like trees growing in our minds, and given the right conditions, they would bear fruit – in our decisions and attitudes to people and to life. If a tree is bad, the fruit will be bad. The problem is not the fruit but the tree. Many times, we want to deal with the fruits by plucking them off the tree but we forget that someday, given the right conditions and in the right season the tree will blossom again and those fruits will come out.  Have you ever wondered why we are asked to crucify the flesh? There is no cure for the flesh, it has to be killed. Unless you pull a tree down, it will bear fruit every year. Now imagine how annoying that would be lol.

My conclusion after my discussion? The word of God is my plumb line. 

Make a tree bad and the fruit will be bad, make a tree good and you will enjoy the lovely fruit or the drink from it. So if you hate the fruit, pull the tree down.

...Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God - Romans 12:2

O What A Friend I have In You

Today I woke up with this song by Israel and New Breed "You've been a friend". I have woken up with this song a few times in the last couple of weeks or so.  Each time, I've found myself wondering on my friendship with Jesus. How He's kept me and been faithful. I have been part of those that danced to the song "what a friend we have in Jesus".  I thought about how often I praise Him for being The Constant in my life. Always there, always faithful, a Rock I can lean on at all times, forever catching me when I fall. You know the One who remains when everyone else runs away. The friend that we all long to be and to have. Today was different this song meant different to me and I think I finally got the message! Is it not funny how we often misinterpret the message. We are who Christ is to us to someone else. And today He was talking to me!

Ok, so what brought on this epiphany? Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with my 'bible buddy' :-).We've been studying Mark and BB shared a message that really touched my heart.  BB spoke about the paralytic - healed by Jesus because of four men who were determined at all cost to get him his healing. These men defied the crowd and someone else's roof (lol) just to let the paralytic through.

Where am I going with this?  I have always thought of myself as a faithful person. One who sticks by a friend at all times. However, today, I was reminded of a friendship that had recently gone sour. I felt I had done all I could to keep things flowing and I was no longer willing to make excuses for my friend or go that extra mile to fix things. I felt let down again and I was not going to budge one more time...but today, that changed. When will Jesus give up on me? Never. When will He say to me "Arielle, I have had enough of your mess" -erm, never. When will He turn around and say "You hurt me so much Arielle and I cannot bring myself to love you again like I used to. You know, we can't be friends like that again". Erm that's a tough one I think...no it isnt. Never. So I ask myself, why give up on my friend?Is it ok to change my mind about a friendship and say I can go no further?

Jesus says as I have loved you, love yourselves. If He shows grace, I ought to extend the same to my friend. This brings me to the story of Peter's denial of Jesus. Peter denied that Jesus was his friend when he was arrested. I want to believe the Peter was afraid. We all do things for varying reasons, even those things we do not mean.  I have been a peter at one point or the other to a friend or someone I dearly love.  Sometimes, those that love us let us down and sometimes we let our loved ones down. I believe what is key is to look forward. I have made mistakes but what matters more is the desire to correct those things. I have felt let down by some friends but I believe they did not mean to hurt me. I believe my focus should be on where we are going and not on what has not been. And although some walls are more difficult to mend than others, what matters is that we try. If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again :-)

I want to be like these men who did everything possible to get the paralytic to Jesus. I want to give my all to relationships so that in the end perhaps a friend will turn to me and say "O what a friend I have in you". Jesus did the same for me and its my delight to extend this to my friends too. 

I am committed to you xx

Testing email blogging

It works! Can blog all day from anywhere
Woohoo xoxoxo

:-)

This is my first ever blog :)

This is my first ever blog. I don't have much to do or say today. I had a thot today that motivated me to start a blog. Its the easiest way to share treasured thots :-)

Names...For some people, a name means a lot. It carries meaning and reinforces a message. Often times I think and try to understand and appreciate God by thinking of His names. Today I thought that sometimes, I need to remind myself my own name(s).

What brought about this? I sat in the kitchen observing Olivia - a potted plant that I had neglected for a while. She was dying. Whilst looking, my uncle walks in and asks me if I was ok. I said yes. He then says "You are doing all you can, leave the rest for God". I wondered why he said this because I was thinking of recent events in my life. Anyway, I decided to re-pot Olivia. The sun was out and I thot she needed a new home and lots of sunshine. As I took care of Olivia, it reminded me of God - the Vine-dresser. How He looks after us just like I'm caring for Olivia (but He does a much better job lol). Sometimes, when a place becomes too small for us, He takes us to a bigger place (higher grounds and enlarged territory I call it). Olivia has a bigger home now - more room for growth and a lot of sunshine :-). As I went about my mini-gardening lol, the thot came to me. Sometimes you need to remember your own name Arielle. Arielle (Lion of God). I am Victorious through God. God fights our battles and when He's on it, Victory is certain. Uncle's comment then made more sense to me. I tend to worry about almost everything...right now I'm wondering if this would make sense to another reader. I guess my focus should be on finished result. God's at work in our lives and though we may not know or understand what He is doing, one  thing is certain - victory is sure. Where ever I am in life, there is a name for it in Christ.

I am not limited to the name most people call me (Arielle that is). God has a few more: Righteous! Saint! Priest! King! Redeemed! Washed! Sanctified! Lifted! On Top! The Head! Ahead! Blessed! Highly favoured! Loved! Healed! Changed into His likeness! I think reminding myself of these names help me keep the faith. It also keeps me in the light.... Ransomed! Granted Access! Lifted! Beloved :-)

I am Arielle xx