Oh my - what did I just see...

...and learn?!

I really love learning...by observing and in other ways too.

I had a learning moment the day after I had the "Am I vain?"* experience which I wrote the post on(and I published at a later date- as I'm doing with this one).

Which are you?

An asset or a liability?

This question dropped in my heart when I read this verse in the Complete Jewish Bible.

Proverbs 31:11 - Her husband trusts her from his heart, and she will prove a great asset to him.

Another verse that focuses on the both sides of the "Balance Sheet" is:

Proverbs 12:4 - A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown;                                                     the other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does. (TLB)

I know that not all women are married...so we are not focusing on wives here. What I see in these verses is every woman can either be an asset or liability. So by extension, you don't need to be a wife to be an asset. How do I know that? Simple...to be an asset to someone else, you have to first be an asset to yourself.

So what does it mean to be an Asset not a Liability?

As a visual learner, this picture does a good job distinguishing assets from liabilities well for me.  

In other words, assets "add" to you and liabilities "take from" or reduce you.

One quote that has helped me clearly be and remain an asset is  "The value you add comes from the values you hold" - Anonymous

The values we hold show up in different ways. The first indicator of the values you hold is how you treat yourself. Did you just say "Huh?!" Yes, you read me right. People will not treat you any better than you treat yourself. Treat yourself as an Asset: take care of yourself, be intentional about improving yourself each and every day. My advice, take Warren Buffet's advice =>

Another indicator of the values we hold is how we treat others. Assets always treat others as assets. In other words, we treat people with respect. Be a Builder of others - now this could involve correcting them but definitely not corroding them. It has been said that "A rich man in the midst of poor people is a poor man." Likewise, if you invest in yourself and are an Asset in the midst of liabilities, guess what you really are?

You may not be able to do everything for everyone, but you can do something for someone. And when each of us does something for someone, together we have done many things for many people. Be an asset!

On point

Am I vain?

This question came up when 2 very different things happened

After I got ready for the day, one of my children said "You can't wear that to the bus stop." "Why ?!" was my sharp response. He went on to say "It's not 'busstoppy'." "Who will see me in it? " I asked...but didn't push for a response as we needed to head to the bus stop and I'm sure you know that I didn't change.

While on the train, I looked at my dress - which I like - and noticed that it had some "pimples." Of course, that was evidence of the fabric and usage. As I alighted from the train, I wondered some more about what my son said and appreciated the fact that he cared enough to look at me and what I was wearing - something they have learned from their father. However, that's not to say that he had a valid point, if he even had a point. On second thoughts, I said to myself, maybe I should convert this to a "Friday" outfit - whatever that means. As I pondered on that thought, I wondered, "Am I vain* - in caring how others think I look?"

The answer to this question and its irrelevance came quickly - very quickly. As I walked into the office, the receptionist said to me, "I like your dress." At that moment it was obvious that "No" I am not vain and "Yes" it is important to care about I look...and to care a little about how others think I look after all I am God's ambassador. Talk about vindication.

Later that day, something totally different happened. I saw a lady who I saw last week...and get this she was in exactly the same outfit! Jewellery and all. What?! Why? were the two questions that popped in my head. I quickly reprimanded myself. After all, what was my business with that? Yes, what's my business? Was that a trace of being vain? Hmm...

I thought about it some more and decided that I'm definitely not vain - just observant. Guess what I learned from these 2 experiences?

1. Yes, you're right - I'm not vain.
2. It is so easy to be vain if you do not rein your thoughts and actions.

May God, by His Spirit, continue to keep us - I mean me - in check.

Reference:

* Vain - "having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth." (Google)

How still is still?

At the end of each year, God gives me a Word to take me through the coming year.

2 years ago the Lord He gave me Psalm 46:10 -

God says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be praised in all the nations; I will be praised throughout the earth.” (NCV)

As if to be sure that I got the message, He sent me a water bottle with the verse on it through a Pastor and his wife. Later that year, a sister-friend came to me and said "I saw a notebook and thought about you..." I was happy to hear that someone thought about me and screamed when I opened the envelope...because this ==> is what I found in it. Obviously God was thinking about me as He always does - and repeated His Word to me.

Interestingly, the same Pastoral couple who gave me the water bottle gave my family a piece of Wall Art for Christmas. Do you want to guess what it said?

When I received it, I turned to Mrs. Pastor and recounted what God had said to me and how He has used them twice to reiterate it and how he used another person too.


Talk about reinforcement via repetition...


Then last year, He gave me this verse for 2018 is Exodus 14:14 
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (NIV)


Now it was evident that being "still" would be key to my #victory in 2018.


As this year has progressed - challenges and all - I've continued to remind myself that God has instructed me to "Stay/stand still."  According to Google, "Still" means "not moving or making a sound" (as an adjective) and "deep silence and calm" (as a noun).
 
In my opinion, I believe that I have done a really good job in being still but now and again I have asked myself "How still is still?" I noticed that I was really carefree ("free from anxiety or responsibility"*) and care-less (without a care) not careless ("not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors"*) in my attitude due to my trust in God.


Now and again my husband would say to me "their strength is to sit still."** Even though I agreed with him, the question "How still is still?" was still top of my mind. As I pondered on this, the Holy Spirit reminded me that being still does not mean that I should be inactive. Actually what He said was that I must keep busy "sowing" from a place of strength not from a place a stress. Now that made sense to me because the deep calm and confidence that you will get a harvest comes after you have sowed...

 
As I was pondering on the best time to publish this piece, 2 interesting things happened:
First of all, I saw this Tweet...(italics, mine)
T.D. Jakes (@BishopJakes) tweeted at 9:22 AM on Sun, Mar 04, 2018: When you serve you see more. God magnifies Himself. We often misinterpret the scripture. If we're waiting on the Lord, it doesn't mean that we wait and do nothing.  https://t.co/jUe8MHGuqL #TPHOnline #PrinciplesOfService #SundayMorning (https://twitter.com/BishopJakes/status/970333568919658498?s=09)

And then the next week I had training in another office. When I went to get tea, I wanted a different mug - after all I'm unique. Then I saw this mug that was spot on. As I made my tea, a lady came in and said, "Oh I love that mug..." We chatted a bit about how being peaceful is powerful. I said to her I find that being still in a storm is a source of strength...for me it has been.

So I encourage you to cultivate the habit and attitude of stillness - especially in the busy-ness of the world. You'll be amazed at how energized you are to do what you need to in those moments. "Be still" 

References:

https://bible.com/bible/105/psa.46.10.NCV

https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.14.14.NIV
*Google

**Isaiah 30:7 - For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. (KJV)

#HaveFaithInGod

Are you a WoV?

To wow the world as a WoW (Woman of Worth), you need to first be a WoV (after all, “V” comes before “W”).

The four things which “WoV” could stand for are interWoVen:

1. “Woman of Virtue” – Google defines “virtuous” as “behavior showing high moral standards.”
   Our go-to Bible verse when we talk about a Virtuous Woman is Proverbs 31:10: “An excellent woman [one who is spiritual, capable, intelligent, and virtuous], who is he who can find her? Her value is more precious than jewels and her worth is far above rubies or pearls.” (AMP, italics mine)
   Essentially, being a Woman of Virtue is not an end in itself…just a means to an end. Using different words, (to make it as easy as ABC for me), we must be Able, have good Behaviour and be Connected to God to be virtuous. Then, we can be(come) the next dimension of a WoV...
2. “Woman of Value” – the verse clearly tells us that a Woman of Virtue is also a Woman of Value – not a vain one.  BTW, the Lord expects the man (born-male) to find her. Our go-to verse when we talk about a woman being found is Proverbs 18:22. Let’s read it in 2 versions:

• A man’s greatest treasure is his wife— she is a gift from the Lord. (CEV)
• The man who finds a wife finds a good thing; she is a blessing to him from the Lord. (TLB)

This means that to be a gift and a blessing to one’s husband, you must already be blessed…as you cannot give what you don’t have. To be a Woman of Value, one must have value before becoming a wife, because a wife is found “As is”.

3. “Woman of Vision” – Proverbs 31:21 tells us how she is a Woman of Vision: “She doesn't worry when it snows, because her family has warm clothing.” (GNT) Note that she has prepared herself and her family for whenever it snows – which as we know can happen in any month of the year

Verse 25 goes on to say, “Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; And she smiles at the future [knowing that she and her family are prepared]” (AMP). This is another pointer that this Woman of Virtue and Woman of Value is also a Woman of Vision.

 

         4. “Woman of Victory” – Synonyms of “Victory” include “Success,” “Triumph,” “Win,”                      "Conquest”

         Proverbs 12:4 says:

• A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him [with her foolishness] is like rottenness in his bones. (AMP)
• A worthy wife is her husband’s joy and crown; the other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does. (TLB)
  This verse is not saying that a wife “sits on her husband’s head.” Of course not! Imagine how that will weigh Him down if that’s what the verse meant. A crown indicates success and is a sign of victory. It’s noteworthy that even the woman’s husband says, “There are many fine women in the world, but you are the best of them all!” (Proverbs 31:29 - TLB)

Are you ready to wow the world as a WoW (Woman of Worth)? If yes, be committed and determined to be a WoV (Woman of Virtue, Value, Vision & Victory)!