Some Days

Some days I feel small
Too weak to walk
Then I stop and wait
And you lift my cares and fears.

Some days I feel alone
Without a friend to hold
Then you pull me in from the cold
And remind me I belong in your fold.

Some days I feel tired
Without a thing to keep me inspired
Then you embrace my dreams and desire
And you keep me constantly on fire.

Some days I feel afraid
Without someone to come to my aid
Then you sift through my anger, confusion and strife
And pick up the broken pieces of my life.

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Psalms 61:2
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

It Takes More Than That

It takes more than a dream,
To fulfil a destiny
It takes more than a desire,
To bring results
It takes more than a promise,
To open doors of opportunity
It takes more than a look,
To express the secrets within
It takes more than passion,
To build a lifetime of achievement
It takes more than hope,
To make a dream a reality
It takes more than words,
To express true love
It takes more than wealth,
To bring a lifetime of content

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Vision without God

It takes more than a mentor,
More than a guide,
More than a helper.

It takes the loving hand of a creator,
The helpful insight of a savior,
And the caring wisdom if the Holy Spirit,
To find the true meaning of life.

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Vision with God

 

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a mans heart,
But it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Saying goodbye

I hate goodbyes.

It’s always extremely difficult to let go of people, places and things that we know and love. Life unfortunately does not always give us the luxury of holding on to what is near and dear to us. This is when goodbyes become inevitable.

Growing up, I had a childhood best friend who moved to a different city. I never got to say goodbye. I never got to share that final moment. I still feel like that is unfinished business. Good friendships are rare and hard to come by.

Sometimes life goes by so fast, our life plans and careers sometimes take us very far from the ones we love. Yet I am unable to say goodbye. I will not say goodbye. I choose instead to take stock of the time I have had with my loved ones, so that we can both carry these memories wherever life takes us.

This is my way of taking stock – starting today I will appreciate all the people who have built me up over the years. I will take the time to let them know that the nuggets of wisdom they have imparted in me have made me a better person. I will remind them how their tears comforted me when I was down, and how their laughter healed my soul. I will tell them that even when physical distance separates us, I will make every effort to keep our relationship alive. I will let them know that if they leave this world before me, I will honor their legacy by enriching another life as much as they have enriched mine.

From this day forth, as I leave my loved ones, I will share a hug and a smile, letting them know that they make my life brighter and fuller.

Life is full of many small miracles, having friends and loved ones is one of these.

My beloved

When the sun sets on one dream
It rises on a brand new one
Endless possibilities lie ahead
So don’t be discouraged, my beloved.

I know right now you may not see that far
Emotions are blinding, you feel all alone
Rest assured you are a bright shining star
So don’t be discouraged, my beloved.

The clouds look heavy, the fog is thick
In a vast open field no shelter in sight
Yet deep inside there’s a hope you will find
So don’t be discouraged, my beloved

Beyond the clouds, there’s a bright new future
Waiting out there o downcast one
It will sprout again I know
So don’t be discouraged, my beloved.

God has a plan, he has a vision
You are meant for so much more than this
You will scale great heights and achieve success
So don’t be discouraged, my beloved.

What makes you beautiful?

A lot of things have been said about what makes one beautiful
Some say beauty is physical
Others say it is what is in your heart
Many agree that intellect is the most beautiful thing
While others say it’s all about charm and wit

My thoughts?
Beauty is all that, and none of that

We are beautiful because we are
Our flaws and our weaknesses make us beautiful
Our strengths and our virtues make us beautiful

You are beautiful because you are unique
You are beautiful because
no one else on earth can laugh like you do
or dream like you do
or play like you do
or hope like you do
or love like you do
You are beautiful because you are you
Simply beautiful

Inside a poets heart

Inside a poet’s heart,
Lies a hidden well,
Bubbling with truths,
Bubbling with dreams,
Bubbling with questions needing answers.

Inside a poet’s heart,
Lies a dark maze,
That is slowly lit,
By a steady trail of words,
Streaming from her heart to her pen.

Inside a poet’s heart,
Lies stories and secrets,
That are yet to be told and shared,
Follow the poet down this road of discovery,
And you just might catch a clear glimpse of what lies inside a poet’s heart.

Opinions and expectations

Somebody asked me, “How does one define your purpose? How does one get to that place where they are living the life they were meant to live?”
There are various views on this. Mine is just one more. The broad spectrum of purpose cannot be summarised in one short piece so I will just share on what I have seen and learnt about opinions.
Opinions play a big role in the way we see ourselves and what we work towards. Often, we find ourselves living our lives based on the opinions of others. They say that what others think of you should not matter but the reality is that it does. We find ourselves wanting to live up to the expectations of the ones we care about, needing to meet that status, buy that car, get that job and have a particular lifestyle to fit in with the crowd. Is this a bad thing? No. Being mindful of the expectations of others make us more accommodating towards them, and we can then live peacefully with each other.
However, what others expect from us can become a trap, keeping us from living happy and fulfilled lives. For instance, the young person who gives up their dream to be a musician for a desk job because that is what his parents expect from him finds himself losing sight of his purpose and enjoying his every day life.
My take – we need to listen to others but be wise enough to know the difference between the opinions that should influence us and the ones we should ignore. Remember, we only have one life to life, we should be living it to the fullest. Sometimes just being brave enough to stand up for what we believe in is the first step in the journey towards purpose and a fulfilled life.
And so my dear reader, be brave enough today to stand up for your opinion. Prayerfully consider the direction your life should be moving towards. Play an active role in pursuing your destiny: the world will respect you for it and you will find yourself more fulfilled in the long run.

Traveling light

I recently had to move from the land of my birth to a new city in a different country. On my exit flight, I had a luggage limit of 30 kgs. That was a very big problem. You see, I am the type who person who has difficulties throwing anything away. I always think that I will need it in the future. Now, not only did I have to narrow down my most important items into 30kgs, but also had to pack the rest of my belongings to occupy as little space as possible. In short, I had to get rid of my non-essentials.

And so the sorting and categorization of my stuff began. I found that some items I simply had to forget and throw away, some I could store for future use and others found new homes with my friends and family. What started as a mammoth, difficult task turned out to be a richly rewarding experience when I involved others in it.

Life can be like that sometimes. We walk around with so much stuff in us, both good and bad, and all it does is weigh us down. Perhaps its time to learn how to travel light. I believe life would be much easier if we learnt the stuff in our lives to forget, store for future use or give away to others.

Our hearts would be lighter if we chose to forgive and forget all the bad stuff that happened to us, giving that hurt to God, the only one who can heal it. Our lives would be richer if we learnt to store the beautiful moments happening today in our minds and hearts, to encourage us when times get a bit harder. Our relationships would be stronger if we remembered to give away a smile even when we are exhausted, to give away a word of encouragement even when we are discouraged, to give away our time and affection even when the daily grind is pulling us in other directions. Traveling light is not easy, but I am convinced that it might be one of the most fulfilling ways to live life yet!

Sharing stories, sharing hope

Every life is unique, with a story to tell.
The beauty of this life we live is that experiences others have gone through can give us renewed hope and energy. Many times in my life I have been greatly encouraged by the people I have interacted with. Today I’d like to share one life story that reminds me sometimes all you need is to take a step of faith and use the little you have in your hand.

The 50 shilling (about 0.6 dollars) miracle
A dear lady once sat with a group of young women and was asked to speak. This woman is now an accomplished business woman, singer and songwriter who travels the world over. Naturally the women, me included, wanted to know how she got there. What she told us left us amazed. She told us of how when she was young, her mother had to leave her and her younger brother alone at home, traveling for many weeks to distant cities to try an earn an income. She told us of days she and her brother went without food, till one day her brother collapsed and she knew that she had to do something about it. Being only twelve years of age, she could not get any kind of job and the local store could not allow her to take any more goods on credit. The local store owner, being a kind-hearted man, gave her just enough for one meal and a fifty Kenya shillings note as it was all he had.
She then went home and made a meal for herself and her brother,immensely grateful for this act of kindness. The next question was what to do with the little money the shopkeeper had given her. At this point, she had no way of knowing when her mother was coming back, as they were too poor to afford a mobile phone or a landline. She did not even know where exactly her mother was. If she and her brother were to survive, she would have to start making some money.
This little girl, armed with nothing but her faith that God would see her through and the fifty shillings note, went to the open air market and bought a packet of onions and tomatoes, reasoning that the average Kenyan uses these two ingredients to make a basic meal, so she could resell them and make a little more money.
And so the young girl went back home, spread her little shuka (a traditional sash) outside the house near the path and started selling her wares. Now you can imagine the sight; a little girl in the twilight hour asking passers-by to buy her wares. Anything could have happened to her but God kept watch and gave her favor. She sold everything and made double the money that evening and every other evening for two weeks until her mother returned.
There, her love of entrepreneurship was born. Her little business continued to thrive, with help from her mother, and it became their livelihood.
Over the years the young girl grew, honing her business skill and building her faith in God. She now sat before us, an accomplished role model we could look up to. There were tears in her eyes as she told us this story, as she remembered the man who helped her when she was on the verge of helplessness. The man who was the turning point in her life. She reminded us that what to us is little, will be much in someone elses eyes. So be encouraged today, keep giving and helping in your own little way; it might make a world of difference in somebody’s life.

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