Courage!

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!

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Chronicles of the Crown: Misunderstanding

Indira!!!

Birds merrily chirping at the palace grounds took off in fright.

Indira and her cousin jumped, as the Emperor thundered.

“What on earth did you do, I’ra?” Her cousin looked at her in wonder.

Before Indira could respond — so perplexed she was — her husband stormed into her rooms.

“Privacy!” He ordered in an angry voice. All the servants scurried out of the Queen’s Quarters.

Indira and her cousin stood, both in anxious wonder.

“I’m sorry Princess MayRose, but I need to speak to my Empress alone.” 

“I understand that, your Highness, but I don’t feel at ease leaving my sister, while you are in this…..mood.”

“I would not assault my own wife, if that is what gives you concern, Princess.”

When MayRose didn’t look convinced, Indira gave her a reassuring smile, and she reluctantly left.

As she was wondering were to stay to be close enough should the Emperor turn violent, she saw the Emperor’s brother coming warily towards the Queen’s Quarters.

“Greetings Princess”

“Greetings your Highness”

“What brings you here? ”

“My brother is quite vexed, though he’s not violent outside the battle field and he honours women, I just want to make sure…..” He shrugged helplessly.

Obviously he’s not used to seeing his brother this angry. A realisation MayRose found the least reassuring.

“Very well. We might as well stay here just in case. Hopefully we worry in vain.”

“Hopefully”, He said.

In the inner room, Queen Indira stood calmly as her husband paced infront of her.

Finally he spoke in a strained voice, “Where were you the night before, my Lady?”

“Right here, my lord”

“All night?”

Oh dear.

” Nay, my lord”

“Nay? Very well then. Let me rephrase. Who were you with, Indira?” He asked in a dangerously quite voice.

Indira looked into his eyes, now fiery gold and asked, “Am I being accused of something, my lord?”

“Indira.” He looked like he was ready to explode. “Just answer the question.”

“Very well. I went out to see my brother, your highness”

“Your….what?”

“Your brother in-law, your Highness, or is that no longer permitted?”

Her husband looked shocked and confused.

“But Aunt Omra said….” He whispered

Oh the snake!

“Said what? Your majesty?” Indira was beginning to get angry herself.

“Never mind. Why did you have to sneak out to see him?”

Never m____! 

“Because that’s what he requested!” 

“And you couldn’t tell me where you were going?”

“I did not see the necessity. He said to tell no one.”

“I see”

“I realize how this looks to you. But I hope you can trust my sincerity.”

Her husband looked perplexed. Indira knew he trusted her. But the situation looked suspicion especially with his aunt stirring the brew. 

She really understood her husband’s dilemma. 

To believe her means his “aunt” was wrong. 

To completely believe his aunt, means to belief his queen was an adulteress.

I’m going to “properly” introduce myself to Omra.

Her husband was about walking out, but she blocked his path. He looked at her with a startled frown. 

Well my lord. No one may never have dared to block your part, but no one has dared accuse me of such a vile thing even if it was implied.

“We are not finished, my lord.”

“What am I being accused of? And who is my accuser?”

“No one has accused you____”

“No one, my Lord?”

“I am Indira, princess of Amfyre Empire, queen of Xenia and Empress of your empire, your Majesty. I will not tolerate any falsehood implied against my person.”

“Indira calm yourself. I did not think you capable of falsehood.”

Indira smiled in grim amusement.

“You did not? Then why did you come in this room in such a fashion, my lord? Did you know what my cousin asked me, What did you do?. Now if my cousin could ask me that, by now news has spread that I have committed such an offence that made you loose your temper. Rumours would be rife by now.”

Indira continued in a much solemn voice, “If  we do not discuss and resolve this openly, you will not like how my family will take it. And by then I will not interfere.”

The Emperor looked at her in calm understanding and took a deep breathe while running a hand through his midnight dark hair.

“What do you want from me, Indira?”

Indira walked up to her husband,  held his strong hands and looked in his eyes, “Be sincere and open with me, my lord, as I will you. Otherwise, we will have a divided kingdom on our hands and that is dangerous for all concerned”

The Emperor slowly nodded and squeezed her hands in agreement.

via Your Daily Word Prompt – Sincere -September 3, 2019

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🌿💚🌴

Forbearance

Patience is a virtue that I have been trying to have, but haven’t got yet. Have you noticed that *some* of those who are patient, are usually people who are up to no good? I mean to serve cold vengeance, isn’t something done by an impatient person, right? At least that’s what the movies show me! Oh dear.

Hello House!💜 It’s the end of a weekend today!😳 Some of us are probably flying around the house trying to gather our oh-my-GOD-tomorrow-is-Monday! paraphernalia; while wondering ‘Where did the weekend go?!’ Well, it probably went well. So well in fact, that some of us have completely forgotten what day it is tomorrow. We are probably(I seem to be saying that alot) impatient for another weekend, so I guess we need lots of patience to get us through the next working days, before we go TGIF-ing again.  So Today’s prompt is just what some of us need!

I can’t recall a time when I have ever been patient. I have pretended it, but I don’t have it yet. Maybe because I can’t recall anyone ever been patient with me. Usually we act out how we have been treated. I remember been told a time or two that I was been tolerated. But no nonsense was tolerated from me, so I don’t know how to tolerate nonsense either.

I cringe for what I’m about to say, but I confess I left my laundry half way done for a week! I mean, who does that?! Well, I do. *sign* And I had the riots act read to me on that matter. I wasn’t even given a chance to defend myself. Hurtful words were said to me, as if it was going out of fashion.

But you see, I started the laundry because I knew it needed to be done and I needed clean clothes, obviously! At the same time matters and duties came up that I thought where more important than what I was going to wear next. I was trying to please someone who ended up displeased anyway. How sad.

I wouldn’t have felt hurt been called out about a bad habit. But what hurts is how quickly I get labelled the bad person without the benefit of doubt. From experience though, when someone seems determined to think bad of you; being a good role model by finishing your laundry, is more important than helping someone avoid imminent starvation, for instance. I have been accused of not getting my priorities right. Perhaps if I think more of my own pleasure, then maybe my priorities might be right then.

Thinking of it now, I might have been fairly patient if I didn’t feel rushed to do ten things at the same time, NOW — regardless of what I may be doing at that moment. So I always seem to have this slight panic feeling of, ‘If I don’t do this now, I won’t hear the end of it for a minimum of one year!’

Forgive me for whining. See this as a physician trying to heal herself. But I couldn’t just talk about how wonderful it is to be patient, without talking about how it affects me.

One of my favourite sayings is, ‘Make haste slowly.’ I read that in my Literature in English textbook, as an example of a figure of speech — can’t remember which one now — and I have made it mine ever since.

Making haste slowly, to me, means; doing something with thoughtful and precise speed. Blind rush is a recipe for disaster.

I opted for a blind rush at a final exam of practical bakery; and I ended up grating my finger tips with the almonds. Not a fun experience.

Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit and it’s also a characteristic of love.

One thing about love and the fruits of the spirit is that, they don’t usually come upon you like the Holy Ghost. You have to decide to exhibit patience/love and be patient/loving all the time. It’s a choice and a decision you have to make. And the best way to become patient is being constantly placed in situations that test your patience. Like slow internet service or poor internet connection, when you’re trying to write, post, comment, communicate with someone or watch a long awaited movie/episode. Yeah, that happens to me and I end up feeling frustrated while trying not to cuss out my service provider. I did cuss them out just last week, when I had half my blog post unsaved and I couldn’t recall exactly what and how I had written what I had written. Forgive me Jesus *sign*

How you react to whatever used to annoy you or send you into a frenzy, will determine how much progress you are making in the patience department. And maybe you can come up with a plan or a patience challenge, if you’re into that sort of thing. If not, just keep trying and be a bit more deliberate about it.

Did I mention that patience is a sign of love? So try to remember that, whenever you’re impatient with someone, even if that someone is yourself.

Patience is good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. Isn’t that loving? I don’t know about you, but when I read that definition, my heart softened and I went, ‘Awwwww, I‘m not gonna cry. But isn’t that sweet💞?’

That confirms what the Bible says about love being patient:

1Thessalonians 1:3 “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; “

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, “

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. “

Shalom. 💚

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