Tell Me About Yourself

"So, tell me about yourself."

He gives me this instruction flippantly.
But he doesn't seek a serious response apparently.
Since we began conversing, I'd identified his real interest;
One that his eyes declared before his lips formed a sentence.
It really wasn't difficult, he made it plain as day
And although my face kept his attention for a bit,
Clearly my chest held more sway.
The three layers of clothing I'd hoped would be my shield
Had failed at the job that was supposed to be in their field.
Rendering my precautionary steps pointless
Because with minds like his,
Even if I wore a steel armor, I'd still be undressed.

But he asked a question, and I digress.
I wonder what answer would be easiest for him to process...

Shall I tell him the bad, do I exaggerate the good?
Will it matter to him that at the moment my 3 little ones have had no food?
Do I go into details, or would he want plain facts?
I have been diagnosed with diabetes -
How about we talk on that?
I'm working to pay my fees at school,
To my last two exes I was a tool.
I used to steal at one time,
My father abandoned us when I was nine.
I've had to raise my siblings cus y'know,
Mom's got drinking problems - and keeps falling for jerks like you.
I struggled with depression in my teens because
It was unlikely that anyone could resist hating all that I was.
My body has always gotten me in trouble.
In fact, my last boss fired me and said I'd do better at a brothel.
I used to smile more when I was little.
I did that for a few more years -
But pretending life is good became too difficult
So I grew content with drowning in my tears.
I have a good voice, but I never sing.
Someone wanted to marry me once,
But my best friend stole the ring.
I've got a million questions about life, eternity, and Jesus.
I really I love my family and want to know if He would actually save us!
I need a break soon because I can feel myself slipping.
I'd call out for help one more time, but I've lost my voice asking.

But then, he doesn't REALLY want to know this girl.
So I pull up my camisole real high and shrug.

"There's nothing to tell."

xxx, Kwiksie.

About Last Night

Want to know what I think?

I think what happened last night in Paris is shocking and tragic and heartbreaking and yet infuriating. I think it's a very sad and unpleasant surprise to victims, their loved ones, and the world at large. I think we SHOULD pray for Paris. And pray for our countries. And pray for this speedily crumbling world of ours.

In addition, I think folks who are getting upset over the fact that Nigerians and others are encouraging prayers and solidarity and humane reactions to this show of cowardly cruelty on other human beings, are some of the most pathetic individuals on the planet. I've seen comments and posts actually shaming people for being concerned and upset about what has happened; their justification for such baseless insensitivity being that these Nigerians who are so concerned about what's happening in France were not supposedly as expressive or emotional or bothered when various attacks on Nigeria occurred.The belief system of these individuals follows the line of thought that Nigerians should be more bothered about all their many problems before they start acting like busy bodies and joining the bandwagon to mourn with and pray for Paris.

Wow. Just wow. 

I don't know where my disgust at such thinking should start from. I mean, I know we humans tend to be brutally selfish but this is quite deep. So, the pain and suffering of others becomes less relevant or even unworthy of any attention or feeling whatsoever simply because we have personal pains to deal with eh? Or we should all consider ourselves shameless and unpatriotic because we show concern for other HUMAN BEINGS who happen to live on another continent?

Can you not hear the folly in what you're throwing a tantrum about? It's disgusting that anyone would try to mask their innate disregard for human life and the well being of others, under some trash-worthy  twisted bants of national concern and the guise of patriotic fervency. 

If you think there is a problem with having a heart and letting it bleed at the hurt of others then you are cold and callous and in need of prayers yourself!

Of course charity begins at home and we should encourage our people to learn to value and cherish their own more. But this is the wrongest time to be teaching that lesson fam. And it's silly to be getting upset that (in your estimation) the world didn't turn off lights at attacks from Boko Haram or when they took our precious children for ages. For goodness sake, who goes around comparing tragedies and going: "My tragedy is more tragic than yours"?! Something terrible has happened. Period. If everyone who's ever suffered some hurt or pain in life (and I'm pretty sure everyone can claim they have) decided they'd wallow in their own sorrow and leave everyone else to theirs,  trust me, our world would be a lot less habitable.

Don't shut down your feelings. Please. 

Besides, as I informed someone earlier today, many of us are still yet to learn to value our nation Nigeria and the lives in it. Its not about posting the Nigerian flag on your instagram page on Oct 1, learn to love your country!! If I treat my things like trash and show disdain for my possessions, no matter how valuable they are, chances are my friends and others around me will learn how to mistreat and abuse my own things from me.

Its the same for us.

We don't do enough and try hard enough and pray often enough for our own Nation. Stop being bitter that somebody else isn't excelling in what you failed at! If you want to encourage folks to constantly keep our country and our leaders and our people in their thoughts, hearts and prayers then do so.But don't sit there acting like you love Nigeria so much when there's the high possibility you've slandered and cursed your nation by your words and actions just as much as the next guy. And even if your love is sincere, loving one doesn't make it impossible to love others. Plus if you're one of those who claim to learn the love lifestyle from the God who IS love, then you'd remember that He never put a limit to His loving so why on earth should you?

Please, enough with the spiteful insensitivity and selfishness. Because it isn't love if you only give it when you're getting it back.

Lord heal us from these afflictions we create.

Help us learn love and unlearn hate.

God help Parisians, lead them from the dark.

Lord be their comforter and the healer of every broken heart.

Amen.

#TurnUp!

Loud.
The boom from the speakers
The squeaks from their sneakers
His bold attempt to seduce her
The excitement birthed by liquor.

Low.
Any and every sense of morality
The ability to distinguish hallucinations from reality
Their self restraining abilities
...on the dance floor go their indulged bodies.

Long.
Each person's drag on the shisha
The hours spent defiling one another
-is the distance between them and order
...naps and aspirins are all they assume they'll need after.

Late.
Some will be if they grab the steering
When they'll see that all they worshipped were worth nothing
...into the night they'll keep 'grooving '
It will be to repent if death does the sobering.

#whatareyouusingyourlifefor?

xxx, Kwiksie~

She Doesn't Belong

Several moments before her wristwatch indicated the passing of one day and the birth of another, she let her mind fly in search of the memories she desired be brought to her....

Suddenly,  it came.
She didnt want to belong anymore.
Truth be told, she really never wanted to but she had refused to admit it because she wasn't sure if her nonchalance was good.

It turns out, it was.

Diminished was every other thing's worth and allure. For quite sometime she'd realised that after Him nothing could really matter more. The distractions were countless and the haters merciless. Several addictive habits struggled to keep her in their clutches, because if they trapped her long enough they knew her mind and heart would need crutches -
But none of it worked. She pulled through. She let go of all the weighty emptiness to faithfully embrace hope.

The hope that she would not only be wise but that she'd consciously let love replace her eyes.

The hope that in place of every tear would be ten reasons to rejoice.

The hope of the higher calling that goes far beyond this sphere...

The hope that His truth and love would be so vividly expressed, that it obliterates every fear.

She didn't want to belong. She was already owned.
And all she really wanted was for her owner's name and truth to be known.

------------------------ Happy New Month to You and Happy New Year to me.  😊😉

xxx, Kwiksie  💗

Will you Help Me?

It started off a little better
But then better is determined by ones perception of good isn't It?
However,  regardless of what any perception held
A lot of things then were as they should.
You seemed to like me.
You appeared to care
For a long time I was actually convinced we were both heading somewhere.

It wasn't all about you then.
For awhile it was the most natural thing
Hearing you refer to us.
But clearly from my use of past tense
What has been is not what was.

You let me down.
Or was it I that failed You?
I wish I could say this isn't about faults but someone has to be responsible.
Maybe we should share the blame
Since us comprises of at least two.
But if you claim I am to be blamed...
Would it be for what I did or did not Do?

Is it because I never cursed you back every single time you cursed Me?
Is it because I didn't covet and lust after another
Claiming your love was unsatisfactory?
Is it because I never complained when you made boast of the countless with whom you were constantly Cheating?
is it because I always welcomed you back, despite how much I was hurting?

Is it because I refused to resent you for not knowing my favorite song's Lyrics?
Is it because I kept hoping that you would be true to me and end your Gimmicks?
Is it because I adored you  with every bit of the space that is Me?
Is it because after receiving your spite and blows, I still wait for you to heal Me?

What is My fault?
What wrong have I Done?
Other than existing, where else have I gone Wrong?
I have been mistreated so and yet you're the one threatening to leave me.
I've wept so many nights, still waiting for the morning.
Why did you stop Caring?

My blood has been spilled.
My joy has been killed.
My fertility you've treated like a curse.
With all the good I've offered
You jumped bad and turned them worse.
I've been robbed, I've been beaten. I've been scorned and abused.
At the very times I needed your defending, it seems my woes only got you amused.

How can I grow when you won't let me Breathe?
How can I give you life when you always make me Bleed?
I can't convince you to stay
And yet you're all I have left.
The fact that you've let things get this way,
Hurts me to my depth.
From my younger days to my years of youth
I've watched you walk around with a blindfold,
Scared of this truth.
I'm a grown now, and getting older everyday.
If you don't do something, I won't stop being the tragedy you made.

Don't turn away. Don't feel pity for me or cry.
Take responsibility,  or watch me die.
Revive our relationship.  Love me like you should.
Stop looking down on me like I was never good.
I can be that way again. I'll never stop hoping.
So if you've wished me happy birthday...
I hope that's your way of saying you'll help me.
♥

Happy Birthday #Nigeria.
We're sorry.
We'll fix us.
We'll help you. :)

xxx, Kwiksie ♡♡♡

Picture Imperfect: What A Moth Taught Me.

It's been awhile. How have you been?

If your response is the customary "Just Awesome!" or "Never been better!!" I hope you mean it. And if you do then I'm really thrilled for you. :)

If yours' is more along the lines of "Life is messed up.", "They're all trying to kill me!", "I can't do this anymore." or the like...

I'm not going to say it's not that bad (because it very possibly might be from where you're standing), or order you to cheer up or anything like that. I will say a prayer for you though; hoping you get all the help you need - whatever form help chooses to take in your context - and that you remember to look away from all the endless issues long enough to realize all the other good things in existence didn't suddenly disappear just because the bad stuff suddenly drew too near.

So...hang in there okay? Please.

Right. Someone's probably wondering 'What's up with the Moth lessons?'...or not. Anyway, this post is really inspired by something God brought to my heart while i was going through some photographs i took early Saturday morning last week.

On my way to handball training (yes, I want you to know I play ^_^), i saw this lovely moth just off the walkway. Maybe it's just me, but i really loved the contrast it's bright orange wings (splashed with some yellow and a few white spots) made against the coal-tarred ground. So yeah, taking a picture came to mind almost instantly. There was however, a small issue; one that became more real to me as i tried futilely to get a clear shot on my - ahem - 4th generation iPod touch. (Judge not. It has given me some pretty good photos in the past).

The dear moth was flapping its wings. Really fast. -_-

As you can guess, this was making my mission near impossible because before my old faithful iPod was able to register and process my gentle tap on the camera button, the wings would have speedily flapped up and down about thrice - leaving me with several blurry would-be nice takes. #sigh What's a girl to do right?

Long story short, I did this really un-ladylike squat to get close enough - hoping it wouldn't just up and fly away - and took what i could, begging it the whole time to pause it's flapping for just a moment. Of course, it didn't acknowledge my pleas (arrogant thing) and later, while going through my pictures and thanking God for the few un-blurry moth shots i got, He brought a few things to mind; the summary of which is: If we decide to hope for the beauty we desire to own in life, to WAIT patiently for us to come get it (or make itself easy to be caught), then we're going to end up missing out on all the beauty there is. I'll explain.

So apparently, from my little account, the uncooperative moth model was a representation of beauty I wanted to own. Something i appreciated and wanted to be able to access whenever I felt like it (from my photo library). But then, it would have been unwise for me to rush back to my hall, run up the stairs to my room, begin a search for my more advanced digital camera, and then come back out to conveniently take the picture. Why? Uhhh because》》》what are the odds that someone wouldn't have carelessly crushed the moth while walking by? Or that the moth's flapping wasn't its way of gearing up for flight? Or that in my hurry i wouldn't have dropped my camera on my way down and then caused a whole different issue for myself?

See many times we desire things (I'm talking about good, positive, edifying, profitable things now), but then our responses to these desires are sometimes the issue. How do we go about pursuing what we seek? Are we all lackadaisical or enthusiastic? Do we procrastinate? Whether it's in one's mental life, emotional life, physical life, spiritual life -- the point is, how do we respond to an identified and acknowledged need/want?

Life is no butler. It's not about to wait on you. Don't get it twisted, this is not me drumming some 'Live in the moment and forget everything else' principle. However, we sometimes need to remember/be reminded that things are hardly ever going to turn out just the way we want it. But then, the way we want may not even be a great way anyway. Think about it. If the moth was still&calm, proceeding events = uneventful. I take my shot and it's like every other moth I've taken (except they're usually on the wall and this was on the floor). I don't get any inspiration for this post. I don't get the satisfaction of finding a solution to a challenge. I don't get to improve my photography skills. In fact, ALL i'd get would be the moth' photograph - nothing more. But with theway thingswent downI got that and a little extra. Now if in spite of the flapping, I decided to have no chill and walked away irritated, I'd have ended up with nothing and the moment/experience/opportunity  would pass. And that's it.

There are so many instances and examples i could give where we miss out on capturing the beautiful blessings God surrounds us with each day, but then I'm sure you can think up a few yourself. All I'm driving at is, we can't keep waiting for things to be convenient or ideal before we take the action(s) we know are necessary. I mean seriously, let's stop it. It's a waste of time and breath. Don't be too arrogant, nor too lazy, nor too confident, nor too cowardly, nor too intelligent, nor too simple, nor too worldly, nor too religious, to pursue that which is of true worth. Avoid letting minor distractions or temptations or glitches, completely take your attention off what is of most priority. Time waits for no man (woman, boy, or girl), so quit stalling already.

For instance, you're reading this and you've been doing this back and forth dance with thoughts of accepting Jesus into your life. Ma'am, Sir - what's up with that? If you realise you need Him. Admit it. Accept Him, and get on with your mission on this here earth. Life isn't going to pause rapidly beating a whole lot of things up and down to give you time to clear your head and make the best decision of your life. Hassles and distractions and natural disasters and economic crises and social conflicts and academic challenges and financial wants and all the problems you can think up, aren't leaving just yet. They won't stop! Bad things won't stop happening either I can bet - they won't even slow down - but that doesn't mean you have to miss all the good things both within and around the bad. Take a risk and step out in faith. The beauty is right there - get your hands out of your pockets! Take back that dying relationship that you know has no business being in the grave. Take back the humble and considerate person you used to be before you let things change. Take back your joy, take back your purity -- don't worry, this isn't you being stingy. Take back the controls over your emotions, your anger, your tongue, your spending, your living...take back what you let get stolen, and guard the beauty you've been blessed with jealously.

If life won't slow down, you slow down. Don't walk past your inspiration. Don't carelessly crush the very things that should keep you going strong. Don't beg the interruptions to give you a break. See things through God's eyes...view through the lens of faith. Then, even at life's most restless moments...

Future perfect will always always be your take.

Amen.

xxx, Kwiksie.

It's Just Not eNouGh!

Hi people.

I know, I know. It's been a while. Like a friend once wrote some years back; "Life's been deeper than rap for me" in recent times. But I think it's a more positive than a negative depth though...Either-way, please forgive my busy-ness dear folks.

Before i begin, let me give you my word that this will not be a lengthy post (to be honest, as i type  right now, I'm not 80% certain i can keep this promise). However, if it starts seeming unlikely for me to stick to this as we go along, I'll just delete this part. :D

Okay, basically, I'm sure majority of us know what goals are. And if there were people who didn't know the dictionary definition, i'm almost certain that hasn't stopped them from setting one goal or the other at some point. Now if you're going to set a goal, then it's safe to assume that if the desire to accomplish it is really there, you'd come up with a working strategy that's geared towards attaining it. Beyond planning and strategizing, you'd begin to actively work out and implement in reality, what has been plotted on paper.

It's pretty simple right?

But then, as effective and useful as this simple process is, many people neglect to use it. Instead, their

cycle looks something like this; 1. I have this goal i want to attain. 2. I have no idea what the best way to attain it is. 3. I take absolutely no reasonable action towards the attainment of this goal. 4. I expect the goal to be attained.

Wow. *Claps hands* Nice one.

See it takes a lot more than 'wanting' to get things done. As the well known saying goes; 'Pursuit is the proof of desire.' It's about time we got off those hypothetical high horses and got active.

It's not enough to wish this generation were better trained and less immoral. (Proverbs 22:6)

It's not enough to cuss out your leaders and sentence your country to doom. (1Timothy2:1-3)

It's not enough to wear the title 'Christian' like a head warmer. (Colossians 1:10)

It's not enough to sit wishing for the perfect partner/buckets of money/a good name. (Matthew 6:33)

It's not enough to keep needing, nor to keep wanting, nor to keep getting. (Luke 6:38)

It's not enough to be a 'good doer' or 'good person' or 'responsible citizen'. (Romans 10:9-10)

It's not enough to know the problem and hope for a better tomorrow. (James 2:14-26)

It's not about being good enough or giving it your best shot. It's about knowing who is, understanding that He is your best shot, choosing Him and doing what He wills. <2 Corinthians 12:9-10>

That's what you do when nothing less can truly get things done.

xxx, Kwiksie.~

P.s: I kept my promise! ^_^

On Titles, Motives, and Homosexuality

Hi there you wonderful person you! :D

How's it going? On my end, life's been busy. But the gist of its busy-ness will have to be shared with you some other time.

Okay, so between 3 and 4am this morning I was trying to catch up on some of the blog posts of folks I follow on Wordpress.com (that account is kwiksie.wordpress.com, in case you were wondering) and I came across this oooold post by blogger Micahel J. Pittman (Here's the link to it: (http://michaeljpittman.com/2014/11/21/im-a-married-man-who-loves-another-man/comment-page-1/). Basically, the post was great and I learnt a thing or two from it. As you can see from the link, the title is a bit controversial and so the first person who commented on it expressed her displeasure at the fact that a believer like him would use the 'cheap trick' of controversial titles just to get readers, especially when there are likely brethren who could be misled into thinking the post would help them in their struggle with homosexuality.

Hmmm. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Of course, I understood her standpoint (I personally hate it when I get misled by a News headline on Yahoo mail, thinking it's something serious and finding that an article is actually just a bunch of worthless gossip. #sigh #smh) but then I thought the title was pretty creative and something you could just 'read between the lines' to grab. Nevertheless, i decided to comment. But because I'm still learning to talk less and give less lectures over statements of two paragraphs, my comment on the post ended up being lengthy enough to become my blog post for today. ^_^

Please try to simply read it as though you were the one who posted the comment and I am now sending you a response, okay? Excellent! :)

___

Assuming his intentions are primarily to garner attention from readers may not be the best approach. Love gives the benefit of a doubt sis and since (I believe) your goal here isn’t just to ‘Tell-him-off-cus-you-can’ but rather express concern and be your brothers’ keeper, an accusatory assumption may not quite do the trick because truth is none of us really like that (especially if we just made a mistake or have been misunderstood) and all it does is put one on the defensive and could prompt a person to be un-receptive to sincere and even profitable counsel.

Your point does make a heap of sense though and i can totally appreciate your concerns. You see a title, expect to see one thing, read the post, and find something else. I know. But you see, getting folks to be interested enough to sit and read something in our mega fast-paced era is not the easiest task in the world so you need to catch their attention – make them want to go beyond the first glance (just in case they clicked your blog link accidentally, lol). This is not me trying to defend anything though, I’d just like you to be a little more generous with that benefit of a doubt we give ourselves. :)

Now on many of my posts – whatever genre they are (prose or poetry) I sometimes get a title in my Spirit and that’s even what brings the ideas for the actual content flooding in. I’m all God’s (Spirit, soul, body) so I know my creativity and inspiration are totally from Him – that doesn’t mean I don’t need to make adjustments 95% of the time, alter diction a bit, get feedback, etc. Why? Because although I know what was put in my heart and what i intend to pass across, people can perceive things in all sorts of ways so breaking things down is sometimes necessary. Yet I try to put myself in the shoes of my reader, and i can honestly say some titles I use would interest me if i were randomly browsing the net or going through blogs i follow or mistakenly clicked on a link, etc. Have I then chosen to mislead and deceive if i used a pun in my title or some witty metaphor (because that’s really the fun thing about literature) or at least just make you curious enough to give my blog more than a cursory glance? Have I chosen to mislead if I force you to try to read beyond the words to the meanings behind them every now and then?

When I saw this post, I got that He was referring to Jesus after half a second. Why? Because first, he used the present tense and not past (I am…who loves…). I haven’t read too many of his posts, but I think I've seen one that talked about his relationship with his wife, its progression, their submission to God’s will, purity, etc. If he was gay all through their courtship, I’m thinking he would have mentioned it at least once (if not to us then her) or it would be part of his testimonies of growth in Christ, establishing his authority as a believer and all that. An honest believer should not keep something like that from his intended so it’d be expected that they hold off wedding bells until he receives the manifestation of his freedom from that lifestyle. Follow my drift?

Some titles like those are very easy to misconstrue because majority of us have preconceived notions; but we should share some of the blame of misinterpreting with that fact, and not dump it all on the author fam. I mean, do you attack the director of a movie because there was too much suspense? Or if the plot twist didn’t align with your expectations? (Well, some folks do…and others often just appreciate the irony). ;)

Yes the title can give many the wrong impression (myself included) but that doesn’t make it valueless when you’ve gotten over that surprise; yes some brethren (and even none brethren) might have been anticipating a testimonial/testimony of sorts that could help them make practical their love for God and live in righteousness and purity, but hey, that’s not what it was. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to gain from the post! They could apply the understanding that they as members of the church – Jesus’ bride – are on this mission called life to do His will and serve His purposes and not necessarily to pay attention to every urge or emotion (no matter how strong) that tries to derail us from this focus. I am fully aware that it can be a trying and difficult struggle for many and i can never claim to know what such brethren are going through because I don’t. What i do know is that there are millions of sinful lifestyles and habits that are mega-tough to let go of and discipline the flesh to abstain from – but then that’s why we have the Holy Spirit and God chose to redeem us by grace through faith, because He knows it’ll take more than a blog post from Michael Pittman to renew our minds and cleanse us from the filth of our former lives (the way we lived before accepting the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ).

So my very lengthy point is, those struggling with homosexuality SHOULD believe that there is someone who understands – way better than the author of this post even – what they’re going through (especially if they’ve already met Jesus). They should also go beyond THINKING they have a chance at a godly lifestyle to KNOWING they do – because when Jesus said he’d already won the victory for us over SIN, SICKNESS, POVERTY, DEATH; when He breathed His last on that cross and said ‘It is finished’…He meant it. Life does not revolve around our preferences, or opinions, or emotions, or convenience, or what we think we have legit right to , etc. - True life revolves around Jesus Christ and the word says He has made all that we need to succeed in this race to heaven available to us (2 Peter 1:3) – including the grace and strength and resilience to fight the urges of our past sinful natures. When something is shared out of a sincere love for God and His children and is in line with scripture, it can minister to anyone. What’s important is your attitude. A beautiful song full of devotion and worship to God may minister to and convict one person and be just an entertaining tune to another – you’ll only find value in something when you search for it. Positive or negative.

In all sincerity, my brethren battling homosexual desires can take from this post (and  this comment) that their love for their Lord and Savior Jesus – the bridegroom – MUST precede and define/guide every other love, relationship, lifestyle, etc. That love is beyond romantic feelings and attraction and emotions and sex. That the agape love that should be the lifestyle of the believer is way more spiritual than it is carnal/physical. You can never walk in agape without God’s grace and the enablement of the Holy Spirit – and the good news is, WE’VE GOT BOTH! So we should know we’ve already won the victory over every sin that used to be ‘second nature’ and are no longer subject to Satan’s dictatorship. We grow into living holy through the renewal of our minds by the word of God! Blog posts and articles and devotionals are all very nice but their main goals should be to strike a hunger in you to seek out the real deal, the full picture in the Holy Scriptures and ask God that the eyes of our hearts be enlightened (Ephisians 1:17) so we know exactly what He’s saying to us and how we can apply to everyday living – even as we work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12).

Please forgive me for writing another blog post in the guise of a comment. ;)

Blessings and Peace. <3

:)

xxx, Kwiksie ~

'The Woman I want To Be' series (part 11)

The woman who properly manages her home.

Father, I know you expect me to be a good and diligent caretaker of all that you have placed in my possession. I take charge and care of the home you have blessed me with. I am the woman who handles and governs the affairs of her home to bring about success despite difficulty in any area. I choose to put my time to the profitable use of building a strong and sturdy environment for my children to grow in, I choose to ensure my home is always filled with love and warmth, I choose to ceaselessly seek for your peace to reign over my dwelling in all circumstances, and I choose to keep you as the author and foundation of my home to lead myself and household in all and help me protect that which you have entrusted to me. I use your wisdom and direction to effectively maximize all the resources you make available to me and I will ensure the place I call home is a place that exudes with the light and warmth of your love, and a place where, through you, countless can find lasting help, healing, counsel and comfort.

As I am yet unmarried, may I apply such wisdom, diligence, organization, discipline and love as I assist my mother in managing her own home.

You're a God of order who values the institution of the family. I’ll continue to value family and ensure order reigns in my home.

xxx, Kwiksie.

The Woman I Want To Be series (Part 10)

     The Woman Who Honors Her Parents.

     Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 19:3, Deuteronomy 5:16, 1 Timothy 5:4 and Ephisians 6:1-3, are some scriptures expressing the importance You place on the respect and honor we show to the primary individuals You've placed over us on this earth. Though each individual is unique, and parenting styles cannot all be the same, I am fully aware that I could never have better parents than the ones You have blessed me with. Sure they can improve and better align their hearts, minds and actions to Your desires and instructions, but it's not like I could select two individuals who'd 'fit' me better. Even if they didn't get to know You, nor learn to treat me with love, kindness, or consideration, I'd yet have reason to thank You for salvation, for helping me endure in love and righteousness, for equipping me with the grace to forgive any wrongs done to me, and for the power in your word and prayer. Still, I'm grateful that I've been blessed with people who're devoted and loyal to You.

I am the woman who consistently treats her parents with high respect, as befitting under-shepherds of Jesus . You have a reason for placing them as my earthly heads and I will value them as stewards you use to guide me, and vessels who help to impart your wisdom and truth to me. I refuse to succumb to the temptation to be haughty or insolent in my relations with them; even when we disagree. Help me to be reminded that because they know You and practice loving like You do, that their every action is taken with the intent of providing the best for me. If ever their desires or instructions are in contradiction to your will and plans for my life, help me express my refusal to such in love and not in arrogance, and give me the wisdom to handle such situations only in a manner that would bring you honor and joy.

I live my life to honor You, and that includes honoring my parents.

xxx, Kwiksie.