Musings of a Sanguine Christian Woman
This site is about sharing my thoughts, views, and discoveries, as a Christian woman.
Indira sat astride her window, as streaks of lightning pierced the night.
She recalled her plea to Queen Sapphire:
“Pray persuade your husband that no element of your affection lies with my husband.”
“Tis betwixt you and your husband. Our people deserve not to suffer for it.”
Weekend Writing Prompt #199 – Element
Dear Mama, Susie and Janie,
Serving as a missionary on God’s call in Africa has been an adventure…
A 👶🏿 wail interrupted Mary’s letter-writing, followed by another👶🏾.
‘Suppose I’ll continue later, Mary thought, as she fed the wee twins she’d recently rescued.
Weekend Writing Prompt #197 – Call
The nights have been stormy and on one of such stormy nights, Indira sneaked into an enemy kingdom.
Soundlessly skirting a gargantuan fountain with splashes of indigo, Indira slipped into the queen’s bedchamber.
Queen Sapphire opened her mouth to scream, when she saw Indira, but Indira covered her mouth.
“My apologies, your highness. I mean no harm, but time’s of the essence and I need your help.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Indira. Emperor Sergei’s wife. I need to talk to you — woman to woman, your highness.”
“In this manner?”
“Aye. To prevent bloodshed.”
“I’m listening.”
Weekend Writing Prompt #195 – Gargantuan
Emira was excited.
Her mission was about to begin. There was no better way to introduce herself as the new boss of the military of this region.
She had come at this time based on classified information, of another invasion and she was here to prevent more borderline soldiers from being killed like they were sitting ducks.
If her new colleagues didn’t recognize her as one of them — and she seriously doubts they would — then they would have failed their first test. Which means they would be sent to her special training, which they seriously need.
This was her 3rd time on Indian soil. The previous times were to attend weddings of family friends.
This was no ceremony because it was about to get bloody in less than 5min.
Her kingdom was being threatened by some elements who were also threatening this region. And this was their route. Her kingdom now had more in common with India than friends and royal colleagues. They now had enemies in common.
One too many civilians have lost their lives. The military seems helpless to arrest the situation, considering they have lost one too many soldiers themselves.
The real issue was that the military has been named the culprit for every murder and crime in this part of the region. With no way of proving their innocence, their reputation was in tatters.
Hence, her father’s friend who was one of the generals in charge of this region had asked for her help in resolving the matter. He had handed his duties to her until the reputation of the military was sparkling clean and they drove back their common enemy.
Emira squatted as she scoped the desert soil and it sift through her fingers, as though she was trying to feel the pulse of the land and decode its secrets.
She could feel the intruders getting closer. She locked her fingers and with her palm still open upward she spoke to the sand left in her hand, “Oh, you earth of this region, hear the word of the Living God, rebel against the rebellion working against the peace of God in this land, in the name of Jesus Christ”
Then, like Moses did with one of the plagues of Egypt, she threw the sand towards heaven.
She did a last minute check on her secret camera and weapons, then adjusted her hood.
Since she had agreed to this mission, she had also studied the surrounding factors and key players in the situation, as she flew from her base to her father’s kingdom and then to India.
Emira cracked a wry smile as she was certain by her instinct that her father and his friend had planned to send her here, not because the threat wasn’t serious or she couldn’t handle it, but because they have found a man they thought was a perfect match for.
She suspected he would be her new second in command. We would see. She thought, as she fired a shot at an intruder creeping on an unsuspecting soldier with a wicked-looking knife.
I was on youtube watching “Conversations with America”. Bishop T.D. Jakes was the host featuring a group of senior police officers, retired police officers and a psychologist who works with the army on mental health.
The topic was Police Brutality. And the Bishop was asking a lot of questions to understand why it happens and what causes it.
One of the officers said they are not always taught to be human, but to just get the job done.
And the psychologist said, “If you need to be taught to be human, you shouldn’t be hired at all.”
Someone in the comment section highlighted that statement and this response just hit me. I just kept writing. Here it is:
Unfortunately, we all have to “become” human beings. Remember the story of the “Good Samaritan”? All those who ought to know better walked past the wounded man. How many times have we as individuals “walked past”?
There are people who wouldn’t have joined the protest if they still had to go to work or identify with some “fraternity”. But priorities have narrowed down to food, shelter, health and security. Fear of “it could have been me” got many to rush out realising what they have probably been ignoring or not paying adequate attention to and not taking practical steps, toward a society of equity.
That’s why being born again prevails over just being okay, with being a “good person”.
It takes courage and a certain level of God’s anointing to do the right thing, ALWAYS. Especially, when it’s “dangerous”, inconvenient, or when we’re at risk of losing something of value.
Becoming humane is a journey we all need to take with love for the service of God and humanity.
What do you think?
I once…no, twice wrote, about courage. I mentioned that courage in some aspects may not, and usually does not translate to courage in all aspects.
I know how that feels. I have never in public spoken against any injustice that has translated to violence from the unjust. I suppose that’s what they are doing: Psychological warfare. If they can use a few as an example of how cruel and brutal they are, then people will shut up out of fear of being next.
Unfortunately, there will always be a next, as long as people are too trapped in fear to speak against injustices, violence, assaults, and all that is attached to it.
I say:
By the authority God has given me in Christ;
I am against any kind of assault on women and children.
I am against lack of equity for all.
I am against racism — wherever it may come from.
I am against rape. Be it sexual, economical, or cultural.
I stand with truth, justice, equity, fairness, respect, morality, and security for all.
“God is my refuge and strength… therefore will I not fear…” Psalm 46
Let righteousness reign in every part of the world, in Jesus Christ name. Amen!
Hello Beautiful People! I hope you are keeping safe and sound.
21st June was Father’s Day.
A bittersweet day for a girl who has lost her first earthly hero. As it’s rightly said, a girl’s hero is her father.
However, like Elisha having to watch Prophet Elijah his mentor, a man he called My Father, “charioted” up to Heaven; all I am left with, is the Mantle that flutters down as I begin to feel my father’s absence. That, and all the memories.
The memories of tough discipline, gentle instructions, his listening patient ears, as I nearly chatter his ears off… By the way? If my father didn’t loose his handsome ears for all my yakking, then no one can loose theirs for listening to others. Just said, I should put that out there.
I learnt the art of listening (eventually) because my father listened to me.
Because of that, I tried to do as he instructed, because I didn’t want to displease the only one after God who understood me.
It was a journey for him, because as a child I remember him, saying he didn’t understand me, usually, after I have been caught in an indiscretion. He would scold me. Then he gets real quiet, as if he was trying to solve the great mystery behind my behaviour. And then, like he was speaking to himself, he would say, “I can’t just understand…”
And I would feel sad and then resolve to not worry my daddy again. Which unfortunately, never happened.
Eventually, he began to understand me, and he began to teach me on what to do.
My dad is an angel.
I adore my daddy and I miss him. I suspect I always will.
Now, his Mantel has rested right on the floor in front of me.
I just need to pick up my courage and the Mantle to cross the Jordan river….
Shalom.
What to do
Without understanding
A risky business
Froth by desperation
To do something
Anything for the sake of busyness
For to do nothing
While waiting out obscurity
Is unthinkable
At times, we run
From the past
Or the present
And at times
Ourselves
Addicted to action
Work, busyness
To escape
What may be living with us
As a haunting shadow
But if we wait
And brave the quiet
To confront our thoughts
Our deeds
We would begin
To see
To experience
Through the troubled waters
Of life or our soul
Our true expression
Our true shape and state
Becomes clearer
And then…
Calmness
Through the clarity
After the storm
I want to stop running
From myself
So I can be free
From the storm within
What if I drown
But what if I don’t
As long as I have Jesus
As my anchor
I cannot sink
With Christ in my vessel
I smile
With peace
At the storm
Hello WonderBeau People! This is to continue from the last post, Wake Up.
This is a different cup of tea from faith. Courage has been said to not be the absence of fear, but moving forward inspite the fear and working through the fear.
Now that you have taken a reflective journey through the change from your past, the next form of action is recovery, not necessarily from the blow of the past, but to recover your dreams and what life took from you.
You may feel too tired to try. You may argue it’s been too long ago, or you are too old, too sick, to ashamed or anything else you might be going through at the moment, to reclaim what your life was.
But inspite all of that, you must try and try hard! Strain your emotional, mental and physical muscles to repossess your dreams, vision, purpose and motivation. Let that be your wake up call: repossession.
You worked too hard to let it all go away just like that! You need to fight back and push back the blur, the fatigue, the procrastination, the fear and the helplessness! Especially the helplessness….! Don’t get me started on that one.
Helplessness is a major energy drainer. It’s like a vacuum cleaner. But instead of sucking into itself the dirt and junk, it sucks in energy, motivation, self-esteem, hope and faith. Push back at the helplessness, that tries to settle every time you try to move and an obstacle comes up.
Now an obstacle isn’t an issue. By now, we are probably used to that. But there are some obstacles that are special in that they are like Goliath. But unlike Goliath though, it’s a loved one who you can’t seem to conquer because you can’t use the usual weapons.
That’s sometimes where the helplessness may stem from mostly. Because these are people you can’t defy because not only do you love them, but they are one or more of the following:
Now when any of the above, are opinionated, bossy and they think you must do as they say, then you are in trouble.
These people — who we must respect, even though they make it sooo hard — feel it’s their right to tell you what to do, and when you don’t, Lord help you, because you know the emotional/scriptural blackmail and mental torture is on the way.
Sometimes, you wonder if they realise the harm they’re doing to you. The painful part of this whole over-protective shackled relationship is that you don’t know how to explain what is happening to others. And when you try to, you either sound like a whiner, ungrateful, or a lazy person blaming others for his/her misfortune. Or worse, on those rare occasions someone believes you, they call your “loved” one, cruel, which makes you feel worse, then you begin making excuses for them or even blame yourself. So most times you lie, yes lie to cover for them!
When someone who believes you is looking in from the outside, they will call what you are in an abusive relationship with a controlling person.
And if you are honest with yourself even if it hurts more, you know they are right! Now instead of shutting them down in defence of your special person, may I humbly suggest you listen to them?
Remember, you have a challenge that’s hurting you more and more, and you don’t have a strategy to overcome. You had better listen to someone who actually believes you! Because they may have been in your shoes before and now they are free or they’ve found a way to manage the situation with significant progress. That, or they’re therapists. Besides, it’s not like you have a long queue of people waiting to help you the way you need to be helped.
They may say things that hurt, but as long as there suggestions are not sinful or criminal, I don’t see why you shouldn’t try it. Remember we are still talking about courage.
In one of the posts on this blessed blog, I talked about how you need to develop courage from the scratch for every situation. Which may explain why you can push back in all other areas eyes blazing, but freeze helplessly in one particular area.
The greatest prayer you can pray is, “Jehovah have mercy on me and help me, in the name of Jesus Christ”
Remember “God is our Refuge and Strength a very present help in trouble, therefore will we not fear though the earth be moved….” Psalms 46. Please read that. You will find it to be of great help and comfort to you.
Mostly, our fear of confronting our over-bearing loved ones are:
“What if I hurt their feelings? After all they have been so good to me. I don’t want to seem ungrateful….”
“What if they withdraw their support? What will I do? Where will I go? I have no one else I can turn to and I have nothing! Will I end up in the streets? Will I end up becoming a victim of street horrors on top of all I’m going through? I won’t be able to survive that. But I don’t think I can survive this either….”
What if I offended God with my outburst? How would I redeem myself? God is my only Help I can’t afford to annoy him by offending an authority figure. But I can’t take this anymore… Right. I said that 5years ago, yet here am I. How long is this going to go on….”
“I promised myself and I believe I owe it to them to take care of them. If I leave now, they will be all alone, yet they are unwittingly adding to my misery. Even though they belittle my efforts, I love them too much to leave them all alone without someone trust worthy to replace me….”
Would I ever get out? What a horrible dilemma!”
Whatever the fears are, they’re quite understandable even if they are a bit exaggerated.
Understand though, that you have to speak and walk and work through those fears.
You have to push back at their attitude, not at them! Don’t do it too often, therefore you have to choose what to stamp down your foot for and give a polite but firm,’No!‘ to.
Push back with strategic wisdom. You don’t want to cut off your nose to spite your face. Be diplomatically assertive. Yes, there will be times you will be so upset you want to scream — and you probably should, so you don’t loose your mind — but do it in moderation.
Insist on the your basic need for privacy. Don’t let them walk all over you. You might not get a positive response the first time, you don’t allow them to invade your privacy. But they will get the message and eventually back off, because inspite your politeness they can hear your scream of frustration and hurt, even though your voice was low. They won’t want that fraying restraint to let loose, so they will see reason, eventually. Remember to say “thank you” when they do oblige you.
Know that you may not gain your independence in one fell swoop. But be grateful for what little airspace you have. Enjoy that little freedom and make profitable use of it to seek freedom in other areas. More like invest that freedom to afford you more freedom. Don’t waste small freedom on frivolities. Ooooh, I know it tempting. And I have misused the little freedom I have had on a few occasions, but I the end of the day. It isn’t worth it, because freedom is an opportunity, a ticket to do better. Freedom is also an open check.
I read a question once that quite deep:
If a wealthy relative gives you some money for a month and then tells you that whatever is left of that money at the end of that month is what you will be given every month for the rest of your life! What will you do? Think about it!
I know you are loosing patience because, well, you are not getting younger and life seems to be passing by. But impatience can ruin things, so make haste slowly.
This gives you a chance to establish yourself one step at a time. By the time you are reasonable established you will be confident enough to stand on your own in other areas you are still dependent.
Remember to look back to see how far you have come. That way you will know how much you have to be grateful for. Be grateful that things aren’t worse. And they could have been!
Be grateful for where you are. Thank God for what you have. Look around you and thank God for what you have access to — even if it isn’t yours.
I listened to a speaker who said every night he writes 50 things he’s thankful to God for. And he began that practice when he could barely cater for his family. Fifty things!
I doubt anyone will do that and not sleep better at night. Such a practice resets your mind for the best, that enables you to have a clearer mind, which in turn generates ideas for productive growth. It increases faith and renews hope that all will be well.
I remember the first few days I tried it. By the time I got to thankfulness number 50, I had about 10 more points, to be grateful for.
Gratefulness helps you to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.
Its an eye-opener to the opportunities that are available to you where you are. The privileges and the advantages you do have will become more visible to you.
Gratefulness leads to discovery. It helps you to be content even as you aspire and work towards making your good dreams come true.
I must say that contentment does not keep you in one spot, but resigned acceptance or accepting defeat does.
Contentment is fulfillment in transition. It’s being at peace with what you have. But I believe what inspires contentment the most, is the knowledge of who you are and Whose you are. The knowing that who you are is independent and therefore isn’t defined by what you are or what you have, is what inspires contentment.
Contentment keeps you grounded in your principles. That is, it stabilises your character and personality. It establishes and makes you deeply rooted in character, good principles and high moral standards.
Therefore, contented people cannot be bought. Infact, they don’t have a price. They don’t change along with their circumstances. No wonder the Bible says, “Contentment with Godliness is of great gain”
When you are contented, you are mostly fearless — especially where material wealth is concerned.
Contentment is peace within in the midst of the storms of life…..
Shalom🌴
Musings of a Sanguine Christian Woman 