POSITIONING YOURSELF...

"God, please, help me."

Think about how often you catch yourself saying or praying these words.
Now think about how often you catch yourself wondering if he actually ever hears or answers.

How often, for me, you might wonder? More often than I would ever like to admit. I say these four words and a lot of times I'm stuck wondering if God is even listening to me at all. The one thing I am absolutely convinced of when I feel like this, is that I am not alone. I know that there are so many people out in the world on a daily basis who feel like they are always asking God for help and never actually receiving any of it.

A while ago, I was driving home sometime past midnight and my car was the only one on the highway. Tiny drops of water hit my windscreen in very quick succession and the only audible sounds were my wipers going back and forth and my tires on the tar. I was moving at about 130mph, and alone in my car, it felt like the perfect opportunity to just have a conversation with God. I wasn't praying. I was just talking to him like I would confide in a friend. I found myself saying these four words to him - God, please, help me -, and expressing to him how I felt like I had been asking and he wasn't forthcoming.

Now I am definitely still growing in my walk with Christ and getting more mature as time goes by, so I am not at the point in my life yet where I can say I distinctly hear the voice of God, but as I sped down the highway that night and expressed my heart to him, something began to stir my spirit halfway through our conversation. It was a question.

"You keep asking for God's help, but are you positioning yourself to receive that help from him?'

I tried to ignore it, telling myself that God didn't need my help to help me, and that he was all-powerful and could do anything I asked if he wanted to, so this really wasn't about me, but about him. But as days went by, no matter how hard I tried, this question would not leave my spirit, so I decided to explore the option of attempting to answer it.

You see, many times we ask for God's help but we truly don't position ourselves to receive help from him. We can be as specific as we want to be in prayer, but remember, faith without works... exactly. If you have been asking God to help you get a job, and the only place your resume is, is in the documents folder of your computer, you won't get a job. If you have been asking God to help you stop abusing alcohol, but the first place you go when you get off work is the bar, you will keep abusing alcohol. If you have been asking God to help you increase your finances, but you sleep-in until 1p.m and wake up and binge watch the new season of Orange is the New Black everyday, you will always be broke.

God loves you, but he won't break the rules for you. How are you positioning yourself for his help? If you need a job, send in your resume to organizations electronically, and walk around and distribute it if you need to. if you need to stop abusing alcohol, choose an AA meeting and go there after work instead of the bar. If you need an increase in finances, use your time to do something that can take you to where you want to be, or something that can at least be a start. You need to wake up everyday and make a conscious decision to be ready for whenever God's help will show up, especially if you have been asking for it.

As I spent some time reflecting on this question that stirred my spirit, I realized I had some work to do. I was asking for help from God, but the only reason why I was avoiding answering the question of whether I positioned myself for it, was that I hadn't. Instead, I was trying to put it all on God because well, he is all-powerful. God has every ability and capability to help you with every single situation in your life, but you have to actually let him. Granted, not all situations might be as black and white as needing a job or financial increase. It might be the restoration of a broken heart; a relationship you know you shouldn't be in; dealing with the spirits of unforgiveness or revenge; dealing with depression and a lack of self-worth; overcoming selfish desires ad desires of the flesh; getting over significant failure and defeat; it might be an extremely wide range of things. So the next time you find yourself asking for God's help concerning a situation in your life, ask yourself this one question: "How can I position myself to receive this help from God?"

In extremely challenging situations in my life, I pray these four words and many times I remember to express to God that I don't even know what "Help" means. I don't know if help means getting through the situation. I don't know if help means removing myself from the situation. I don't know if help means not dealing with the situation. I just. don't. know. Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation where you dont even know what "help" means when you're asking for it, but you just need something because you're at a point where you have absolutely no idea what to do. When these times come, ask God to position yourself for his will to be done.

God always wants to help me, you. Go always wants to help us. But God isn't going to give us the trophy if we aren't even playing the game.

That is positioning yourself... as I do it.

~***Shanpepe***~

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JUST KEEP RUNNING...

I stood at the line and waited for the whistle. I was already starting to sweat. I rubbed my palms together and bent my knees in a stretch. My eyes were staring at the ground but my ears could not escape the sounds of cheer coming from sidelines. I could hear my name and advice spewing from all the angles and my heart was beating faster than I could process a single thought.

5...
The countdown had begun. I had four seconds left to start, and I had every intention of winning this race.

4...
It had been years in practice, and this was the last chance I had to win. If I didn't win today, it would go on record that I never won. I wasn't about to let that happen. It was now, or never.

3...
I had to block out the noise. Who was I going to listen to if I made that decision? I had listened to people before. Or at least I had tried. But today, I was listening to myself.

2...
I began to relax in the midst of tense nerves and remind myself that I could do it. If I knew I couldn't, I wouldn't have worked so hard. But I could;I could actually win.

1...
I said my final good bye to second place. The end was about to begin, and I had the pen in my hand to write it. I said a quick "So help me God" under my breath and...

The whistle blew.

When I reflect on this moment that happened 9 years ago, I realize that I am still running a race; just a different one. We all are, and to be honest, you might have to go through several challenging steps to be able to get to the finish line upon which your eyes are set.

Sometimes you will have to tune everyone out and listen to yourself just to be able to do what is right for you. So many people come along our paths with their own words of advice on how to run a race that they are not in.
         The Cheers grew louder as we left the start line. I started at a pace significantly slower than the other runners. Listening to myself meant that I would do what was best for my body, and that was running at the same pace for three laps. I had done this in practice and it had given me my best finish time. So regardless of how fast others were going, this was my plan, and I was sticking to it.

You will have to stay focused and do what you know is right. Others might have their own way of doing things, but doing it their way might cause you to fail. Stay focused. It is your journey, not theirs.
         First lap. Then second. One person down. She ran out of breath. I had remembered to keep my mouth closed. If practice taught me anything, to conserve energy in an endurance race, you ran with your mouth shut. Same pace. I wasn't giving up.

Your hard work might appear as stupidity to some people. People may not understand why certain things are very important to you and why you work so hard to achieve them. You don't owe those people anything. Remember why you are running. Remember the reason you are doing what you are doing.
         Third lap. More people down. Out of breath and not well practiced. I kept running. Nothing was slowing me down. Nothing was discouraging me. My eyes were on the finish line, and I was               getting there by all means.

Things are bound to get hard and difficult, but God never promised us a life without troubles or suffering. What he promised us was his sufficient grace, his embracing mercy, his presence; always.
         Last lap. I picked up my pace. I had a finish line to get to, and the one person who had always beat me at this race was still ahead. She was the one thing that constantly stood between me and first place. Today, I was determined to make that change. One foot. Then the other. And then the other. I ran like my life depended on it.

Sometimes you might try, and try, and try, and fail. You might have to keep doing the same things over and over and over again. You might have to fight and put in literally everything you have to make a dream come true. But how far are you willing to go? How many times are you willing to try? How many times are you willing to fail? How many times are you going to convince yourself not to give up? The one time you throw in the towel might be the one time you could've made it.
         I never looked back. I didn't want to. I wanted to not just finish, but I wanted to WIN. 5 years of practice, and finally, this was my moment. As I crossed the finish line, I unblocked my ears. Screams of joy and happiness surrounded me. I hadn't just crossed the finish line. I had crossed it FIRST. I had done it. I had won. I was completely exhausted, but I had done it. My hard work had paid off. I had one last chance. I was determined to make it count, and I did.

You have your race. What is your focus? What is motivating you? What is discouraging you? Why are you running? How much does finishing this race the right way mean to you?

NEVER give up. If you really want something, fight - blood, sweat, and tears - until you get it. Just make sure you take God with you. You and him form an unbeatable team.

That is Just Keep Running... as I do it.

***~Shanpepe~***

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NEVER TOO MUCH.

This was like what? The 5th or 6th time?

I'm pretty sure God had heard the prayer the first time it was said, but whatever. I rolled my eyes in my head and said an "Amen" when it was done. Was it time to go home now?

Pounded yam was my family's customary Sunday afternoon meal. We always made sure we had some soup made before Sunday morning and after church all we had to do was peal some yam, pound it, and enjoy. No yam flour or artificial pounded yam. This day wasn't very much different. Except, it was. We got home, pealed the yam, and were about to start pounding. I was outside the kitchen on the back porch; doing what, I don't exactly remember. My mom was inside the kitchen and her phone began to ring. She picked up, and a conversation ensued. A few seconds later, I was hearing responses from my mom that didn't exactly sound like everything was okay, and quite honestly her phone call wasn't any of my business, until I heard her shout "A kpe?" which translated from our mother tongue of Tiv means, "She died?"

Now, she had my attention. I pushed the door and walked in the kitchen and at this point no one is really stable. I'm standing beside her waiting for her to get off the phone but this was no quick conversation. Her expressions and exclamations only grew worse. I had started to connect some pieces of the puzzle myself as the conversation progressed, but there was only so much I could figure out. When she got off the phone, she told me what had happened. Our church had two branches in our city. The women fellowship from both branches had traveled for a conference in two buses and were on their way back when one of the buses had a terrible accident. 7 or 8 women were deceased. 

My heart skipped a beat, and immediately sank. I was overcome with emotions I still cannot exactly describe. I didn't know these women. They were all women from the other church branch - not the one that we attended. But this news had come like a blow in the face. At church that morning, every single prayer that was said included a prayer for safe travels for the women as they returned. But I sat in my chair when the closing prayer was being said and complained in my head that they had prayed enough prayers for the women because God wasn't deaf. 

Here I was, barely 3 hours later, with a convicted spirit. I started to ask myself questions. Would I have thought the prayers were a little too much if my mom had traveled as well? Would I have prayed that last prayer if my mom was with the women? But we prayed so much during the service for the women. Why did exactly what we were praying against happen? 

It has been 8 years since this happened. We said a lot of prayers, and God's plan for the circumstance was completely different from what we had hoped. But 8 years later, I never forget the profound lesson this incident taught me - There is no such thing as too much prayer. Don't take a n y t h i n g for granted.

First of all, I don't know what you're praying for. A new job, a breakthrough, a life partner, fruit of the womb, a difficult child, a broken spirit, a suffering marriage. God not only heard you the first time you prayed for it, but he knew your request even before you asked it. Don't ever feel like you have prayed enough about something that means a lot to you. Please keep praying. Be persistent. Tell God exactly what you need, what you want.

Secondly, please don't take things for granted. Some things may seem less important than other things. Some things may seem like they are not worth "praying too much" about. If it matters at all to you, pray about it. It may take one prayer sometimes, and other times it may take years of prayer. But whatever you do, pray about it.

Yes, God's plan differ from ours greatly, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about us and doesn't want to see us happy. Sometimes He might say no, but because our lives are in his hands, we have to be okay with that. We can never pray too much, and God is always ready and available for them. 

That is never too much... as i do it.

~***Shanpepe***~

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NO RIGHT WRONG

2016. Welcome.

So every new year there's some kinda trend going around social media. If you paid any attention this year, there were two main trends. First, there were those who were giving people making resolutions a hard time; basically saying resolutions were useless and those making resolutions were "playing themselves" *in my best DJ Khaled voice.* Secondly, there was the whole relationship trend discussion with the hashtags - #ShootYourShot2016 #StrategicPositioning2016 #WasteHerTime2016 #WasteHisTime2016. These were particularly interesting and somewhat disturbing, and from the hashtags you might have a rough idea what these discussions were about, but if you don't, google is your friend :-).  

The new year is indeed a time when people try to evaluate their lives and make changes - usually for the better. The problem is, bad habits are hard to break. We look at our lives, we look at things that need some work; anything from biting our nails to relationships we shouldn't have, and we make up our minds to finally try to switch things up and do the right thing. The first couple of days, or even weeks, we have things on lockdown. We're motivated and determined and we want to make these changes a lifestyle. However after those couple of days, vacation is over. Work resumes. And the only thing new about the year is your first bill that just came in the mail. Then it happens. Slowly but surely, we're back to old habits. 

For many of us, the changes we want to make are life altering, important changes that will greatly affect our lives, those around us, and even our relationship with God. Starting to go through with these changes and gradually falling back on them feels extremely defeating. Someway, somehow, we get to a place where we begin to think that we can actually never change things; that the things we've been doing wrong can never be right; that the mistakes we've made can never be corrected; that the space we are in, we can never move out of. This feeling of defeat makes us want to settle in where we are and what we are doing, and just forget about change, or what inspired it in the first place.  

See, when we look at ourselves and consciously choose to make a change in our lives, it is because we want to get better. Settling and accepting defeat over being unable to stop getting drunk, or taking home any girl at the club, or rolling a blunt and passing it around, or staying out late every saturday such that you can't make it to church on sunday, isn't going to make you a better person. I know it's day 8, and you already relapsed into your bad habit, and you're feeling disappointed and defeated in your attempt to make a change. I understand. But you need to realize that it takes much more than 8 days to break behaviour that might have taken months, or even years to become a habit. 

We're not supernatural beings. We're human. We WILL fail. Inevitably. But don't settle back into the behaviour you're trying to get rid of or the character you're trying to change because of one or two mistakes. Don't make excuses for yourself just so you can keep doing what you love, even though you know it is wrong. Don't get rid of half of the behaviour and keep the other half because half change is better than none. Don't try to convince yourself that you can't change because you tried but failed. See, there is no right way to do a wrong thing, no matter how hard you try. 

For some people it might be a breeze in the park to make changes. For others, you might have to wake up every single day and make a conscious decision to be a different person. You might have to ask God for strength and help every single day. You might have to try extra hard each day the sun rises to choose to do what is right. And you might still fail. But failure isn't the end. It just gives you another chance to try again. God's mercies are new every morning, and his grace is always sufficient. He knows your heart. In the words of Jonathan McReynolds, "limps are every flaw that keeps us from having an otherwise perfect form. And we were born handicapped, but God gives us strength back... if you just keep on walking with your limp." (Song - Limp, Album - Life Music Stage Two)

What is it that you're battling with? What is that one thing that you desperately need to change that has a firm grip on you? What is your limp? Don't try to get a walker, a wheelchair, or a stick to make you more comfortable with your limp. Just keep walking. Change isn't meant to be comfortable. It's just meant to be positive. It may take time, but God has all the strength you need. 

It's just day 8. You have 357 days left. And the best thing about this is, God's love, grace, and mercies never expire. 

That's no right wrong... as i do it. 

~***shanpepe*~

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A WEEK AND A HALF.

I didn't want it.

I sat in that chair letting my mind wander as she spat out all these words that sounded pretty rehearsed, but also pretty convincing. It was obvious that she had given this exact same "sermon" to a couple of other people and I knew for a fact that I wouldn't be the last. She said everything she knew I wanted to hear and a whole lot of stuff that were intended to invoke all kinds of emotions - determination, perseverance, fear, ambition. Unfortunately, I had my mind made up, and nothing she was saying was going to change it. I wasn't withdrawing my resignation.

It had been a week and a half since I'd taken the job and here I was, sitting opposite the boss, explaining that my last day was right around the corner. This job was packaged as almost everything I had hoped and prayed for - I could make thousands of dollars, I could get promoted really fast, I could be a business owner within 12 months if I was ready to do what it all required, I could get sponsored and take advantage of the work visa. I could. I was looking for an opportunity, and here was one. I had taken advantage of it. But a week and a half had taught me a really fundamental lesson.

When you go to a hotel and make a reservation, you get a room on one floor. There could be a million rooms in that hotel, but only one will have your name on it. You can get in the elevator and stop at every single floor, and get off. You can try to use your key to unlock the other doors in hopes of success. However, until you stop at your floor, and go to your room, you have no access to adequate shelter. The rest of the hotel will have things you might need - a restaurant, a fitness center, a pool, maybe even a casino or game room, but all those are just amenities. Your reservation is a room.

This job was going to give me everything I wanted for the long term, but knocking on peoples doors and convincing them that they needed a fibre optic network for cable and internet was completely uncomfortable for me. The motivation from my boss and co-workers sounded good but did nothing for me. Everyone at work thought I absolutely loved my job, but every one in my personal life knew I felt like it was a complete disaster. I have never been a quitter, and I have always understood that the only thing that brings success is hard work. My daily prayer at the moment became "God, Help me. I don't know if 'help' means another job, a change of perspective about this one, or tremendous success at it, but I need your help." As the days passed by, I began to understand that the great discomfort that came with this opportunity was no coincidence. One person had told me "Se, this job isn't your job." Another asked me, "Are you happy? Are you satisfied? Are you fulfilled?" A week and a half was all it took for me to realize that this opportunity that could eventually give me everything that I wanted, wasn't for me.

Living a life of purpose requires us to understand how to handle opportunities that come our way. Opportunities are like hotel rooms. Many opportunities are available to you in life, but not every opportunity is for you. Many of them will be far reaching, but some of them will fall on your lap on a platter of gold and shine like the miracle you have been waiting for, but until you understand that your purpose is greater than some opportunities, you will be stuck on an elevator, getting off at every floor, trying to unlock every door in hopes of success.

Prayer and the spirit of discernment are so important when making important decisions and taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. God wants you to wait on him. Sometimes he might literally place in your path things that look like all you've ever wanted, hoped, and prayed for, just to see if you will wait on him. You might have to say some hard no's and goodbye's. You might get very uncomfortable. You might have to turn around and go back to the drawing board. But waiting on God is ever so important. If you want to skip to how the story ends, this is it right here. I'm still waiting on God. I dont have a job or anything that I had hoped and prayed for, and I promise you, it gets hard trying to understand what God is doing sometimes. But then again, my business is not to try to understand what He is doing. My business is to wait on him. To wait for his plan to prevail. To wait for the right opportunity; To get off on the right floor, and open the room with my name on it. Then everything else will just be an amenity; icing on the cake.

Thats a week and a half... as i do it.

~***Shanpepe***~

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WORRY, OR WORSHIP?

201.....5.
There is motivation to do things that you've made up your mind to do. There is excitement about what is to come. There is planning and preparation for major decisions about to be made. Because another 365 days have gone by, and this marks another beginning; starting over, in a sense.

Many people brought in the new year with loved ones - at home, in times square, at that club downtown, on vacation, in church. Personally, I really wanted to cross over in church, but the service at my church was designed to end before midnight since this was our first ever new year as a church. Regardless, I was still at the service. Like me, many others of you were in church, and you probably heard powerful sermons about what the new year was going to bring. Along with other believers, you praised, you worshipped, you prayed, and you left with an immense feeling of hope and encouragement because this year was going to be a year of (fill in the blank). Being reminded about the things that God can do, and the things he has already done put you at peace because that is the God you serve.

Fast forward to today. Maybe you got woken up by bill collectors because well, the beginning of a new 365 doesn't pay your bills. Maybe you woke up hit by the reality that you still don't have a job, and it seems like every search for one ends in nothing. Maybe you woke up to the same pain in your back and still have to take that medicine. Maybe you woke up to another invitation to a wedding, and you don't even have a boyfriend or girlfriend yet. Maybe you woke up to another announcement of birth, when all you have been praying for is the fruit of the womb. Maybe you woke up to another day of struggling because your bank account keeps depleting, and nothing is coming in. Maybe you woke up to another day of wondering how you are going to make it through.... through everything, because nothing seems to be in place and frankly, you're just tired. All of a sudden, you realize that we are three days into January, and this year is beginning to look a lot like last year already. As a matter of fact, you realize that it is merely a continuation of last year. The clock changed, but your situation didn't. It is 2015, but the only thing that is different is the last digit in the year.

Away from all the emotions of being among other believers, praising, worshipping, praying, rejoicing, and feeling invincible about the new year, the realities of life start to hit, and you quickly forget that feeling of hope you left with just two days ago. All the feelings of discouragement, failure, inadequacy, hopelessness, helplessness - all the negative feelings return; and naturally too, because those feelings are what your situation is associated with. Your situation is not going to go away in the blink of an eye, and if those feelings are associated with your situation, they are going nowhere soon. Sooner than later, you start to forget what it truly feels like to be reminded of God's goodness, favor, mercy and love, because your situation feels completely devoid of it.

It is so easy to get caught up in the emotions of praising, worshipping and praying when you are surrounded by other believers doing the same thing. In that moment, it is so easy to believe that God is able, that God can do it all, that God has already done it all, that God is all you will ever need, that God will make a way, that God will... God has... God will continue to. In that moment, it is so easy for everything to seem perfect. After that moment, everyone gets in their car, drives back to their situation, and you do just the same. This is where it gets significantly harder. See, the negative feelings associated with your situation will always be there, but what you choose to do concerning them is what makes all the difference. Will you worry, or will you worship?

I learned something a couple of weeks ago about the story of Job in the Bible. There was a challenge made in the heavens, and it was about God, not Job. Satan told God, I bet if you don't bless him, he won't serve you. Job wasn't on trial. God was, and Job was just the witness. Satan left the presence of God with the ability to afflict Job anywhere and anyhow he wanted, but the very first thing he went after was Job's sheep and oxen. Why? Because Job offered, every morning, a sacrifice to God. The FIRST thing Satan wanted was Job's ability to sacrifice to God. He wanted Job's worship. In the words of William McDowell, "The enemy doesn't want your possessions. He wants your worship."

When you're out of "that moment", you will have to make a conscious decision to let your response be worship. You have to wake up to every situation and say "Yet! Will I praise you." You might have to do this every. single. day. You might even have to do this multiple times a day. You have to constantly remind yourself that you are choosing to let your response be worship. It is so much easier said than done, but that is why worshipping when things are hardest carries so much weight and power. You are human and you might forget for a split second. You might get discouraged, upset, hurt. But when you do remember to say "Yet! Will I praise you."

It is a new year, and yes, your situation might be very far from new. Things might be the same, but you can choose to let your response be different. There are people around you watching to see how you will respond in the storm. When the rain is heaviest, the hail is hardest, the thunder loudest, and the lightening brightest, will you worry, or will you worship?

"Lord, we recognize that you change us many times before you change our situation."
                        ~ William McDowell.

Yet! Will I praise you!

That is Worry? Or Worship?... as i do it.

~***shanpepe***~

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Something That Matters

There was something about the white t-shirt this lady had just handed me.

She had told the story of Toms and explained how for every pair of shoes bought, a pair was given to a child in need. But as I walked out that room that Saturday morning, the words on the t-shirt stuck way more than the story she had just told. In big light blue print, the t-shirt read: "START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS."

I couldn't put it on. I looked around as almost everyone walked out the room with their t-shirt on but resolved in my mind not to do same because it would ruin my outfit. Unlike everyone else wearing jeans and shirts, I wore an orange dress and just didn't think a white t-shirt with giant blue print across the front of it would match. So I folded it and took it with me, but all I could think about were those words: "Start something that matters." When I got home after the weekend, instead of putting it away in my closet, I unfolded the shirt and I pinned it up on my wall. Now that's typically not what people do with shirts right? They wear them. But the words on this shirt had made me think very profoundly, and everyday I woke up I wanted to be reminded.

At 18 years old, I had no idea what I wanted to be, and sometimes I add the words "when I grew up" at the end of that statement because for some reason, I felt like growing up meant doing something very significant with my life. Just when I thought I could take some time to figure it out because after all I was just 18, I would go on social media and see people accomplishing things that I wanted to accomplish but just never got the opportunity to even explore. I am sure you can see how this threw wet blankets on my aspirations.

Growing up I had big dreams. I always said, like every other ambitious person, that I wanted people to know my name. I wanted to be successful in a way that I didn't have to introduce myself when I walked into a room. I wanted flashing lights, and red carpets; nice dresses and perfect make-up; private jets and mansions. In simpler terms, I wanted the perfect life. In my late teenage years when I started to battle my frustrations with what seemed to me as my lack of success, which was derived from my own view of the perfect life, God chose a simple way to work on my heart and change my perspective. On one Saturday morning, at a breakout session at a conference, I had received a t-shirt that read: "Start something that matters."

See every time I thought about what I wanted to be, my thoughts surrounded this whole idea of fame and fortune. My drive was to do something that would make me be famous and wealthy. My determination to work hard was fueled by the life that I pictured for myself - this perfect life. But this was exactly the reason why I was watching everyone around me, but me, achieve the dreams that I had. I didn't understand purpose. Suddenly the words on one t-shirt had put things in perspective. I needed to understand who and what I was living for.

Growing up to me meant doing something significant with my life, but how I had previously measured significance was fame and wealth. Therefore, until I had a huge bank account and became a household name, I hadn't achieved anything significant. However, now I was beginning to recognize that the real measure of significance isn't fame or wealth, but something that matters; and that it wasn't necessarily something that I had to attain. It was something that I could start. Slowly, the perfect life started to mean something completely different to me. It was more about what I could give, than what I could get; more about what I could do, than what I could achieve.

Although I haven't completely arrived at a total understanding of purpose, the transformation of my mind gave a whole new meaning to my idea of significance, and that is what I really needed to understand the part that I am playing in advancing the kingdom. Our human nature makes us want to pursue the fame and the wealth, and there really is nothing wrong with that. But we need to realize that our spiritual nature calls us to lives of purpose; to make a difference around us, even if it is in the simplest way possible; to touch and change lives; to start something that matters. Would it be nice to walk into Gucci and Prada, or Louis Vuitton and pick a pair of shoes, or a purse, or maybe even sunglasses without looking at the price? Would it be nice to have dresses sold out in stores just because I wore them? Absolutely. But that isn'y my idea of the perfect life anymore. Working on something that matters, is.

So together lets change the idea of what matters. As you read this, just like TOMS challenged me, I challenge you! Start something that matters. If it's as little as a glass of water to someone working under the sun all day long, it matters. If it's as big as shelter to a homeless person, it matters. Start something that matters, then spread the word! And remember Matthew 6:33: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL other things will be added unto you!

That's Something That Matters... As I do it.


~ ***shanpepe***~

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IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY...

So many things are wrong with the world today. So many things.

Racial prejudice, religious persecution, and diseases are the most popular topics on our TV screens right now. If you escape one, well, you land in another. Some people have to deal with all. It's a hard life.

I wonder what a picture perfect world would look like - Where there was a natural progression of life without disease; where we all worshipped freely and accepted the differences in each others beliefs; where we were all blind to the colour of our skin. But, I can only wonder. This picture perfect world? We can never attain it. So we try to make it the best we can. We protest for justice, sign petitions, write beautiful statuses to encourage people, and even pour ice water over our heads - because this is our world, and EVERY SINGLE LIFE matters. However, our different opinions get in the way sometimes and it becomes hard to see past them.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is one that has taken social media, and the world by storm. This is a challenge where people pour a bucket of ice and water over their heads to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease, which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord (www.alsa.org). So many people from students to celebrities have accepted this challenge which goes with making a donation. This Ice bucket challenge has raised over $40 million for ALS research! How. Amazing.

Now I am writing this post because I have seen a lot of people hating on the challenge, especially Nigerians, because some Nigerian celebrities have taken part in this awareness and fundraising challenge. I couldn't understand why anyone would hate on a good cause in the first place so I took out some time to read what people had to say. To say the least, some of the words that have been used in addressing these celebrities have been downright disgusting, but I will address three main points that people have been making.

1. "Nigerian celebrities just like to hop on the bandwagon and do what is popular."
      This is a challenge where you are nominated and have 24 hours to participate. All the Nigerian celebrities I have seen partake in the challenge have been nominated to do so, and in turn, nominate other Nigerian celebrities. It is a challenge that has become popular, and the more people do it, the more it becomes popular. It is also a challenge for a good cause. A great cause. ALS doesn't choose who it affects. We probably have people dying in Nigeria from ALS and dont even know it. If we can bring the awareness of this disease home, and contribute to the finding of a cure, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Bandwagon to save a life? By all means!

2. "We have more pressing issues in our country. Why aren't they raising awareness or money for Ebola? or Bringing back our girls?"
   First off, let me give you an example. Eldee, long before he accepted the Ice bucket challenge, has been posting about Ebola and how to get educated about it. Look at his facebook and instagram. That is just one person. Secondly, there is no denying that Ebola is out there and awareness needs to be created about Ebola. Ebola has been on the news - local and international. Almost every body now knows symptoms and causes, and has a rough idea what the disease is, not because celebrities were posting about it, but because it was killing people at a rapid rate and gained global attention. ALS doesn't have this kind of attention. This challenge is what has brought this disease to the limelight.
     The girls that were taken from Borno haven't been brought back. We can pray and trust God, but physically, I doubt that there is anything we can do. Or, is there? You want to rally and stand in the streets, and you want the celebrities to join you. The government doesn't even care about the families of the victims enough. You think they will care about P-Square standing in the streets demanding the girls be brought back? Meanwhile, half the people go because a celebrity is going. Why do you have to wait for a celebrity to go? To take pictures and say you saw them yeah? Why can't you leave them behind and just go and rally?

3. "So many places in Africa do not have water, and yet the nigerian celebrities are dumping water on their heads."
    The amount of water people are dumping on their heads is not going to save the world. If they didn't dump it on their heads, they'd probably flush it down the toilet or take a shower with it. It's not like they are building wells and jumping in them. People that live in places where there is no water have a problem that a bucket of water can't solve. They need wells, bore holes; sources of water that are not temporary. Now, can we raise awareness for them and build these wells, or bore holes? Absolutely! Why not? But if that bucket cannot get to them, but can raise awareness for a disease that is killing people, why not raise the awareness?

I think that as Nigerians we hold celebrities to a standard that we ourselves cannot even reach. When last did you transport a bucket of water to a village where people had no water? When last did you do something to raise awareness for ebola? When last did you try to make a change? Yes, celebrities have A LOT more influence that the lay nigerian man, but why must the responsibility always be on them? Have you asked yourself? Was it a celebrity in America that started the Ice Bucket Challenge? Someone wanted to see change, and carried it on his shoulders to start something that would bring about the change. $40 million has been raised from people dumping ice water on their heads. Our country is part of the change. But you mad?

We want our celebrities to do everything. Where are WE? If you want a challenge for awareness and fundraising for Ebola, or the girls that were taken from Borno, START SOMETHING. Come up with a plan and put it to action. That is not 2face's responsibility. Neither is it Don Jazzy's or Genevieve's. It is yours. It is mine. If we want change, we have to be the ones to bring it. If we started a challenge to raise awareness or money for a cause in our country, what's to say that they wont join in? I bet you'd want them to hop on the bandwagon if it was yours.

It's amazing how quick people are to attack the characters of these celebrities and call them names. I can't tell you the kind of alarming things I have seen people write about these celebrities, all in the name of them accepting the ALS challenge. I think it's just wrong. First of all, there are so many things that we don't know about these people. Yes we know they buy the latest cars, and they live the most luxurious lives, but what they do behind the camera's and TV's with their money, we don't know. How do you know they don't contribute to other causes? I'm not saying that they do, but because we don't know, the judgement is uncalled for. Some of them even have foundations to help in different ways in our country.

I spoke to someone who has a passion for the suffering families in Borno. Today, I saw someone on facebook who is interested in starting a cause for wells in places where people have no water. These are amazing causes that will benefit our country. Start them. If you fail, try again. Let your passion lead you. Let the potential results motivate you. Forget about what Mavin Records, Banky W or Iyanya is doing. Focus on what YOU can do to bring about change. If we all worried about ourselves more than we worried about others, change would come! If you can't make a change in your immediate environment, by all means, make a change thousands of miles away. A life is a life, no matter where in the world it is saved.

The person who started the ice bucket challenge didn't need fame or money. All he needed was a passion for ALS awareness, and willing participants, and he used whatever means he had to bring it to the fore front. Be your own voice. Be the change you want to see. We are all accountable to God. Not each other. :-)

That's your responsibility... as i do it.

***~shanpepe~***

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THEIRS, OR YOURS?

     If you go to school or went to school in a college town, you know exactly what summers are like. It's quiet, less rowdy, and campus seems like a ghost town. For a university of about 58,000 students, that is what I was expecting when I headed for the international student services office at UF a couple of weeks ago. However, it was everything but a ghost town.
     There was a ton of orange and blue everywhere, people of all ages walking, talking and laughing, and as the red hand turned to a white man and I crossed the street, the voices only got louder. I had taken summer class last year and I didn't remember this many people on campus at one time. Ever. Just then the sun shone really bright and pierced my eyes so I tucked my forehead under my palm to get some relief, and as I looked down I saw a sign with a big arrow pointing right that read "Preview." I smiled and thought to myself "These poor freshmen just about to start college have absolutely no idea what they are getting into. They are going to really hate it." Right after I thought those words, something inside me asked me "Who says?"

     If you didn't know already, I earned my undergraduate degree at a small christian college in PA, and although I loved my professors and a few friends, it wasn't my ideal college. There were a lot of things I didn't understand or agree with that were happening administratively, and if I had to do it all over, I'm certain I would go with a different institution. Lets just say that my undergraduate experience was very much less than fulfilling. My graduate experience at UF however, was the opposite. If I could do it over, my undergraduate degree would have the University of Florida at the top. Even with my fulfilling and pleasurable experience at this institution, I looked at the freshmen coming to summer preview and was instantly overcome with a sense of doubt that they would enjoy college. Simply because I didn't.
     It's amazing how quickly we attempt to project our reality on others. Or even vice versa. It doesn't work for someone, so they try to give you all the reasons why it won't work for you. Someone had a bad reaction to something, so they tell you all the bad things that happened to them. Maybe it was a college that they didn't get to with a high GPA and try to convince you that applying is a joke. Maybe they're an expert or something and quote a 95% chance that this is not the right thing for you. Yadi, yadi, yada.

     Reality can be a weird concept to wrap our minds around, but one thing we need to understand is that just like finger prints, no two are the same. We may have some shared experiences or little things in common, but our journeys are never identical. Someone else's reality should not define your perspective on life or the way you live it. God's plans for you are awesome and true, and sometimes it may not seem like it, but thats why we have faith - to believe when we start to doubt. All it takes is for one person to tell you its impossible. Then one more. Then one more. Then just one more. And sooner or later, you start to believe it. Don't let people tell you how you will fail because they failed. Don't let people tell you how you won't make it because they didn't. Don't let people dictate to you how life will go, because they just. dont. know. Refuse to let anyone but you write your story. Your legacy will have only your name on it, whether or not it is one worth remembering.

     That I didn't have the best college experience doesn't mean others won't. That was my reality, not theirs.

"You dont have to know the future, but you can trust the one who holds it."

Thats theirs or yours? ...as i do it.

~***shanpepe***~

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INVALID EXCUSES...

For the first time in my life, I felt naked. Totally, completely naked.

Because I didn't know this man. I had never met him. Yet in a crowd of thousands of college students, he was speaking to me; countering my every argument with a solution. Who exactly was this man, and how did he know this?

I sat and listened to him as he spoke. He spoke about Moses and going into the promised land. He spoke about the many excuses Moses made when God told him very clearly what he wanted him to do. God had an answer for every question, a solution for every problem, and a rebuttal for every argument. Moses wondered how he was going to do this - God said "I will show you." When he wondered who would go with him - God said "I will be with you." When he complained about a lack of resources - God said "I will provide." When he didn't think he could do it - God said "You can do all things." And when he didn't think he could see it through - God proved that his grace was sufficient.

I listened as this man spoke, and it was all just a beautiful message UNTIL he said "God is calling you to something. What excuses are you making?" It was at this moment that I realized that it all made sense. THIS was the reason why everybody was talking about Jubilee.

I had come back from christmas break earlier, and it was my last semester of college. Jubilee had happened every other year that I was here but this year, 2012, every one I had a conversation with asked me if I was going to Jubilee. I was tired of explaining that it was a little bit too expensive for me to afford at the time, and I had no sponsors, but I explained as I was asked anyway. As the weekend of February 18th 2012 got closer, I stopped by the chaplain's office one day to just say hi, and yet again, there was a conversation about jubilee. By this time I had my explanation memorized to the t just because of how much I had given it. It had become a speech. So again, I pulled it out the front of my memory, and it was so compelling it could have received an applause. He looked at me plain as day and said one sentence. "Sese, don't let money be the reason you don't go to Jubilee."

I felt defeated in my attempt to pitch my lack of finances. One person saw my excuse as irrelevant and suddenly I felt some type of way. I tried to brush it off and went back to my apartment. It wasn't 5 minutes after I walked through the door my roommate called me and asked me if I was thinking about going to Jubilee, cause everyone had been asking her about it but she didn't have that money at this time. This was when I realized that this wasn't coincidental. Maybe, just maybe, God needed me at Jubilee. It sounded funny but I decided to take a chance. My roommate and I went out looking for support. We had to write these long essays on why we wanted to go, and I didn't know how writing "because God wants me to" was going to get me three hundred and something dollars, but hey, if he wanted me to go, he'd get me there. Less than a day later, my roommate spoke to a professor about jubilee in a casual conversation just like I had with the chaplain, and he volunteered to sponsor both of us fully. Like, all of it. He was paying almost $700 for me and my roommate to go and sit in a huge room at an expensive hotel for two days with thousands of other college students, listening to speakers, and singing songs. Almost too good to be true.

Jubilee weekend was finally here. Friday had gone by, saturday had gone by, and it was now saturday night. We were going to leave sunday morning, and I started to lose hope. I felt like God wanted me at Jubilee and I was expecting something great to happen to me; something divine; something big; I had just a few hours left, and... nothing. My spirit was dampened. I had done this all for nothing.

As my roommate and I walked around the various organizations' tables before the last session for the night, I remembered I had come for Jubilee before in my freshman year, and Compassion International was usually there. So I asked my roommate if she had seen them and she said no. I randomly asked someone else at another table and she said "Oh, right there by the main auditorium entrance." So we walked over there. On the table lay all these pictures of kids that needed to be sponsored, along with pens, bracelets, and other things Compassion. Precious kids from all over the world - some older some younger; kids that needed just one person to make a commitment to be a part of their lives and support them not just financially, but spiritually as well. As I read the information, I read that sponsors were required to give a minimum of $38 a month. I asked the young man at the table if there was anyway a I could sponsor a child with a little less than $38 monthly, and he said the only way was to make a one time donation. Unfortunately. So I turned and asked my roommate if she would be willing to split the cost, and she said she honestly couldn't make the commitment at the time. So we thanked them for their time and walked into the auditorium for the last session of the night and ..... finally.

This man had been speaking about Moses, but the minute he asked the question about what God was calling us to and what excuses we were making, I realized he was talking to me. Every excuse he had up on that screen, I had just made a mere 20 minutes ago. I didn't know how I was going to sponsor a child, but God was saying He would show me. I was looking for someone to make the commitment with me, but God was saying He would go with me. I didn't have the resources to make a $38 commitment every month, but God was saying I will provide. I walked away thinking I couldn't do it, but God was saying I can do all things. In that moment it was clearer than a writing on the wall. This was why God brought me to Jubilee.

As the speaker made the alter call for people who wanted to answer God's call and stop making excuses, I knew what I needed to do, and it wasn't to walk up to the alter and accept that call. It was to walk outside the auditorium to Compassion International, and accept that call. So I got up, walked straight to Compassion's stand and told the lady with the biggest smile ever, that I would like to sponsor a child. I had the opportunity to choose whichever child I wanted, and I picked a child that had been waiting 10 months and was in need of immediate support. After that session, I went back to my hotel room, and couldn't waittttt to become a part of this little boy's life! I pulled out a pen, a sheet of paper, and wrote my first letter ever to Jhon Jairo Rojas Tamayo in Columbia.

Two years and many letters later, I have never failed, even once, in being able to support this little boy. Gods promises rendered my excuses irrelevant. Everyday I am reminded that one of the biggest blessings came into my life by God taking from me, instead of giving to me. Everyday I am reminded that living life without a purpose is meaningless. If you want to live life without a purpose, quit your job, quit school, sit at home all day, watch TV. But purposeful living involves much more than just yourself. Its more than just doing what makes you happy. It is choosing to make a difference where you can, no matter how little.

If God is calling you to something and you're making excuses,  be reminded that God's promises make your excuses invalid. Answer God's call and dont ask too many questions. An obstacle to us is only but an opportunity for him to show us just how much he is able.

That is invalid excuses... as i do it.

~***Shanpepe***~


For more information about Compassion International, click here.
For more information about Jubilee, click here.