OVERCOMING COMPROMISE

Going with the tide is often the first thing we do when our resistance is weak and we are tired of fighting.

We just give in because the ‘pressure is too much’

We see it all around us all the time so much so that our minds are fed with the lie that it is ‘normal’

Even those we look up to in every sphere of life begin to fall in it slowly until they lose their every sense of ‘good’

Then they leave us feeling discouraged and hopeless. “Is it even worth it?” we begin to ask all the time.

What do you do in a world where the moral decadence is on the rise and social standard and integrity is so low?

Make up your mind to stand out.

What do you do when everywhere you turn, everyone seems to do what is wrong as if it is right?

Stand alone and do not be timid at it.

What do you do when temptations come from angles you least expected? Brace up and fight.

What do you do when everyone is silent in the face of tyranny and oppression? Raise up and speak. Scream till the world hears you.

And this message is especially for my fellow young people. It’s hard to live in this society and not 

give in to the pressures. I know. It is really hard.

But it is possible. It is doable.

You can be one of the 7,000 prophets who have never bowed their heads to baal nor kissed his lifeless statue.

You can start the revolution you want to see and not always wait for someone else to take the lead.

And this has nothing to do with your age or your tribe or your skin color. This has everything to do with your mindset.

Can we just think differently?

Can we just be a generation that acts outside the box society has put us?

Can we just be different and live large? In our minds that is.

Can we spring up and be the catalyst for good behavior in our own little way?

Cam we embrace kindness, compassion, honesty, integrity and truth in our various spheres?

Can we surround ourselves with warriors who mean the same war we mean and are very hell-bent on winning?

Giving in to a leprous norm never benefits us. Rather, like every generational disease, our children and our children’s children will be stung with the very same disease.

Our society will remain crippled from the effect of this deadly virus called compromise.

And let me say this here, it won’t be easy. The circumstances wouldn’t always be convenient.

But this is war. A war against the legacy set by the society. A war against the goliaths our fathers fought and lost to.

But we must have a winning mentality.

And little by little, we will win this war, until no trace of the scars are found in our heritage anymore!

Embrace your super power!

Regina U.

ajaregina33@gmail.com

LOVING YOUR ENEMIES

 “But I say to you, Love your enemies,

 bless those who curse you,

 do good to those who hate you, 

 and pray for those who persecute you”.

  Matthew 5:44

                   

If we had our way, we would kill the killers in this country, those who sexually exploit children, those who commit acts of violence, all those who spew racist hatred and everyone who hurts people for no reason.

I remember in my JSS2, where these two boys in my class were my arch enemies. I hated them because they bullied me, made life miserable for me, threatened me, and constantly made me unhappy with their piercing words of jest. I wanted so badly to retaliate. Every time their torture started, I would wish I could do something to just end their existence on the spot and have my peace of mind because I mean, what did I do so wrong to deserve all that bullying?

Like every other person who had or has an enemy, there is a fresh rage that springs up in you every time you think of them. If we had our way, we would get back at every single person who back-stabbed us, lied against us, cheated us, hurt us emotionally, or hurt someone dear to us. We just want to snuff out life from them so badly, and that’s the thing.

Hate consumes the hater, and not the hated. I was there hating on them when they had no idea I hated on them that much. I was carrying so much bitterness inside and that toxin was affecting ME, NOT THEM.

Carrying hate on your inside, they say, is like drinking poison, and expecting it to harm someone else. That’s an illusion, you are only hurting yourself. Love your enemies, because hating them is an emotion that eats you up. Many times, they never get a chance to know how much they actually hurt you.

There can be no love without forgiveness. Forgive sets you free from being bound in your past. The hurt might have been so deep, and oh, I know it can be really hard, but you can let it go today. Forgive them even as your heavenly Father has forgiven you. Let God do the revenge, he says we should leave vengeance to him. The boys who bullied me eventually got expelled from the school, much to my surprise. I didn’t know the moment I left it in God’s hand that he was going to show up for me.

Love your enemies through good deeds and prayers. That way, you are heaping hot coals on their head. Many times, I have seen people come to Christ and surrender out of the guilt of been loved by those they have hurt so badly. God loves all of us by being good to us even though we don’t deserve it. Jesus asks us to do the same. Whether it’s something as simple as a courteous greeting, a smile at them or even helping them, we need to reflect God’s love by being good to our enemies. 

In addition to doing good, we must pray for those who persecute us. The best prayer request will be for their salvation. If they are Christians, the best prayer request will be for their walk with God.

We must love our enemies through good deeds, through prayer, and through allowing God alone to avenge the wrongs done to us – all through the grace of God and for the glory of God.

Do we know any other ways to love our enemies? Let’s feel free to share!

Get in touch with me at ajaregina33@gmail.com

THE LITTLE THINGS...

Today. Today was deep for me. I really got a chance to reflect on what this life really is about, on how privileged we are to have some of the things we have, that we don’t realize we have, and so we take them for granted. 

Let me give you a typical example. Ninety percent of you reading this article can readily answer the question ‘who am I’? You know your surname, you know your state of origin, you know the hospital where you were born, and it’s even no big deal to you, at least not yet.

Working with orphaned children has taught me that these little things are big blessings- knowing who you are, where you come from, who your parents are, and the rest. Many of them battle with what is called "Identity Crisis". Many of them ask the question 'Who am I?" No parents, no family members, no state of origin, no surname, no sibling…they don't know who they are and they do not belong to anybody unless and until they are adopted out, then they can associate totally with their new family.

Identity Crisis has been identified to be one of the greatest causes of depression, low self-esteem and self-pity in orphaned children who grow up in orphanages. When I interact with them, they often ask me personal questions like “Aunty, they always make fun of me in my class that I live in an orphanage where everybody is my mummy and daddy. What should I do?” This just goes on to give us a little clue of what is going on in their minds, and more.

And with every question they ask, I try to make them see that by human explanation, they may have been here by accident, but by divine arrangement, they are here on purpose. Stars that are destined to shine by God and illuminate their generation. Sometimes it’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.

Let’s cultivate the habit of thanking God for the seemingly ‘little things’ and encouraging and praying for others who do not have what we have. It is the best service you can render to humanity.

Here are some pictures from my visit to Vigilante Heart Charitable society, Ajah Lagos, talking to the kids on ‘Self Esteem’. Will post more pictures when i get them.

PS: our volunteers weren’t able to make it because it’s a working day, and they were all at work. (Don’t ask me how I escaped work. Hehehehe)

Get in touch with me at reginauzomafoundation@gmail.com for more information or details.