Unexpected Turns

Hello wonderfully-made! It’s an honour to be in your reading pleasure.
I found myself smiling to myself remembering a movie scene:

J: “Is there anywhere on this list that says, marry a man that isn’t your fiancé?!”

One of the girls just waking from a hang over, squinted her eyes to better see the said list shoved in her face, replied with a calm and barely concealed amusement, that I and the character found annoying:

 “I don’t see anything like that here”

I was about scolding the wild friends for allowing a bachelorette party end, with the bride-to-be waking up in the suite of a stranger, she had drunkingly married the night before. (Taking a deep breathe)

How wild is that?

But my mind companion, reminded me that it ended well for her good. She met an amazing man she would have missed out on, or not have met ordinarily.

The movie title is “I Married Who?”

That was one unexpected turn, because the bride had a plan, had a list of what she would do and how.

By the way, I don’t recommend taking alcohol. People have found themselves in irreversible and damaging situations because of alcohol. Avoid it like a plague, please, because it is.

However, there are certain things that are beyond our control, that could affect us positively or negatively.

So if you are reading this, and you don’t like surprises or unplanned changes intruding in your space and imposing on your plans, you need Jesus more than anyone else. 

Why?!

Well, because: 

1. Jesus Christ is the only guarantee you have for everything working together for your good.
2. You can’t control and predict everything.
3. Unexpected turns are part of life and living. And that is totally out of your control.
4. Jesus Christ is an anchor especially when nothing else makes sense. And is there a day that everything ever makes sense? Non!

What holds me and keeps me sane when things fell apart, is that Jehovah through Jesus Christ holds my future.

That and the truth that Jehovah is more powerful than any situation, circumstance or happenings.

He knew they could or would happen. Nothing catches God by surprise. Jehovah is all knowing, all seeing, Almighty, all sufficient.

Aaand nothing is out of His control.

I think it makes sense to form an alliance with Someone Who can do all things, so I can get some things done! I mean isn’t that what world leaders do among themselves?

“I don’t have this but you have it and I need it. Let’s form an alliance.”

Next thing you know a trade by barter arrangement is made for mutual benefits of all parties involved.

Unexpected turns are inevitable. They take you by surprise, sweeping you off your feet sometimes. But when you have Jehovah as your God, you call on Him and He will answer.

He may not answer as we expect Him, but He will answer in a way that will make you say with joy and thankfulness, “If not for that unexpected turn, I would not be in this happy state today“.

Like one of my favourite persons would say, “ It will end in praise”.

However, if you try to do life alone without Jesus Christ in your life, it’s will end in tears. That’s just the Truth.

“Lord Jesus Christ come into my life. Take control of my life. I surrender everything to your control. As from this moment, I am, yours and yours alone, completely. Oh Jehovah my God as I become Yours completely, complete me, in Jesus Christ name I pray, Amen.”

Read your Bible and pray everyday. For all round growth.

Shalom🌴

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Courage for Today.

Hi Beautiful People.

I feel tired and overwhelmed and restless.

I feel tired of being too tired to be who I wanted to be — who I want to be.

Having plans sometimes is like setting oneself up to fail.

I mean tell me:

What do I do when I make plans and things don’t fall into place because the obstacles were much?

Well, I reverted back to prayers.

Of course, I have always prayed. But there’s praying and there’s praying.

There’s praying in your head and there’s my-heart-is-bleeding-I-can’t-take-this-anymore praying.

Praying with a bleeding heart, is like trying to burst a boil at maturity. It’s painful to touch, much less squeeze and it throbs painfully without being touched.

To leave it on it’s own is not an option, because the pain increases to the point of insomnia.

So you have to clench your teeth against the pain and burst the boil. Once you do, you feel better and relieved.

Sometimes until the pain of where we are stuck in, is greater than the pain of breaking free, we might not pursue true liberty –Paraphrased from the novel “The Last Ten Percent” by Michelle McKinney Hammond

Breaking free can be a Herculean task, but it’s not impossible.

Speaking of Herculean tasks, I recall — not that I have been able to forget — the movie “Hercules” whose lead actor is Dwayne Johnson (I think I might watch it again).

I don’t know if I have written this before, but I believe Dwayne found his true calling in acting. He may have wanted to be a sports man, but his size and skills makes him a better actor as warrior in period/medieval movies.

Back to Hercules.

There are lots of lessons to glean from the movie, but the one that relates most to this particular “muse-ticle” on the issue of pain, is best described by my latest finding on this popular quote:

What doesn’t kill you……

Had. Better. Run!!!!

If you are going through pain I recommend Hercules the movie, featuring Dwayne Johnson — I had to add that, because I don’t know if there are other movie versions.

Hercules had lost enough to kill a man, but when he found the truth about his painful past under …less than congenial circumstances, the truth set him free. And in setting himself free others also gained their freedom right along with him.

No wonder, Jesus Christ said and I quote:

Ye shall know the truth and the truth will make you free.

End quote.

A pastor recently said the word make in that scripture is deliberate and has it’s meaning to the text, but we will talk about that in other muse-letters.

Hercules was legendary for his brute strength and his long strings of victory, but he was running away from a memory.

Which brings me to another point:

To be free from a pain you must gather the courage exclusive for it, because you can’t borrow courage from another experience or victory. You need to begin courage or encourage yourself all over again. Therefore, courage is exclusive.

That’s why we see that many of us are fearless in so many aspects, yet have deep seated phobias in one or more areas of our lives. Phobias we choose to ignore, but they are there waiting — waiting to spring unpleasant surprises on us in our most vulnerable moments.

I wish courage was all encompassing. I really do, because it makes the business of living much easier.

But unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you see it, courage or encouragement does not work that. And I’m learning that the hard way.

This reminds me of the prophet Elijah — the prophet who called down fire more than once in his day. The prophet who never tasted death. Went straight to heaven alive in heavenly escort of horses and chariots of fire.

I mean, that was some serious wonderment that amazes me every time I think about it.

Yet, the same man who stopped rain and called it down when it suited him. Who escaped arrest many times just by disappearing and appearing wherever and whenever he wanted;

Ran away….. ran away, when a witch threatened him!

Some say God had to call him home earlier than planned, because he allowed himself to be frightened by something less than what he had crushed in the past.

The explanation I have for that is: his courage failed him or he lost courage.

This leads me to believe that courage is food we need to injest daily, to be able to withstand unforseen threats that may distabilize us.

Courage is food we need to learn how to feed ourselves with i.e personal encouragement.

We can’t leave our encouragement in the hands of others. Because it’s not always, we can have someone around us to encourage us. Like Dwayne Johnson’s character in Hercules had.

When we depend on yesterday’s meal to sustain us, we would soon faint.

The same applies to courage.

Shalom🌿💚🌴

Fiction as Real as Reality.

Hello wonderful people!💚 I hope we are doing good in our different corners of our global community. 

I’m a student of the Arts. I believe literature is the mirror of life. So if literature is the mirror of life, why are we always quick to dismiss stories and literary works as unreal?

For me every story is history or a prophecy come to life. Because we don’t know anyone personally whose life story is similar to fiction, doesn’t mean it isn’t other people’s untold story. Either in the present, past or the future, in any other part of the world. It may have been the author’s imagination, but it doesn’t make it any less real. Like a character in a Indian TV serial said, ‘The truth is sometimes more strange than fiction’. 

If stories are all fictitious, then why is it necessary to write before the story that, ‘…any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental’? Because it’s possible for someone’s imagination to be another’s reality!

As these thoughts were established in my mind, I set out to always draw lessons from every story I read and movies I watch. The best way to describe fiction for me is what they call Historia in Spanish. 

Most of what I have learnt in my life are from fiction. I suppose how one views something will determine what one gets out of it. A lot of people, simply digest fiction for fun or entertainment. But I study fiction like non-fiction material. I see the culture, the fashion in the costume, the beauty in the interior decoration, the themes of the story, the personality of the characters, the uniqueness of the story. That is why, I read the plot/summary of a novel/movie before I watch it.

I love historical, medieval movies a lot. So much infact, that a modern novel/movie has to be extremely unique and interesting, to get and keep my attention. 

Fiction is not that removed from reality. If it was, people won’t spend time and money reading or watching fiction. And people are into fiction because, it has life, which only something real can have. 

Shalom. 🦋💜

When will my reflection show. ⁉️

Hello Everyone!💚 If you haven’t guessed, this topic is inspired by the animation movie ‘Mulan’. 

I can relate with Mulan’s story, as I’m sure a lot of us might. The expectations from loved ones that you must fit a particular mold, created by traditional and cultural preconceptions. 

• That you are not normal if you don’t fit into this archaic mold.
• That you are a rebel with no respect for your elders. After all, doing as you are told, without questions or protest is a mark of ‘respect for elders’. 
• That a young person who is apparently made with and for a difference, is bound to be a failure, which unfortunately could be true. Not because a person is different, but because the environment stifles and  doesn’t accomodate anyone who is different. In this case, it doesn’t hurt to find another environment to thrive and succeed.

I remember the first career I decided I would pursue as a child: Newscasting. Well, my parent discouraged me and gave me reasons why I won’t suit for the job or the job won’t suit me, or whatever. Then I wanted to be a super model, that too was too ‘showie’, among other things. 

I may not still desire to be a newscaster, but I want to be a show host, either on TV or on radio. I still want to be a model. Now that I’m a fashion designer, modelling my designs will be just appropriate. 

But I look at myself, as the years are going by, one year at a time, (ouch!) and I ask myself, when will my reflection show, who I am inside?!

It puts my enemies (not me!) in a gloomy doom mood. But one has to think about it, because well, I don’t recommend playing ostrich — not even to myself. 

But asking how gives one more hope, energy, and push to do something. Asking when is waiting for something to happen, rather than working on something to happen. 

So let’s try it: How will my reflection show, who I’m inside?

Sounds better, right? 

How sounds like an action word. Like asking, what do I do, to make this happen? 

• Know your strengths, your abilities, and exercise them. Many of us are too aware of what we can’t do, that we have become oblivious to what we can do. Identify your strong points, and make them so strong that they turn your weaknesses to strength. Your strength doesn’t have to be popular, but with faith and the right work, they will become a brand worth mentioning. If someone can shop for others as a career, I really don’t see why yours should receive less acclaim. 
• Be aware of  your weaknesses and inabilities but don’t dwell on them!
• Find the strength in your weakness. The solution in your inability. 
• Work with what you have — a hand work or talent in a positive manner — to get what you need. Work from where you are to get to where you are going. 
• Encourage yourself and always keep hope alive. Believe in God and what He has invested in you from beginning of creation. 
• Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the issues of life. Never allow any negative thought or words settle in your mind. If it’s negative, replace it with positive, no matter who said it to you. 
• Learn to seek and depend on God, and His wisdom. Because only God knows the end of a thing even before it begins. 
• Never despise humble beginnings.
• Be persistent and diligent. 
• Believe that all things are possible to them that believe. 

With these points I believe our God given reflection will begin to show. 

Shalom. 🎶🦋💞