There is something special about the Easter weekend for born again Christians. Even our President spoke of the hope surrounding this calendar event in his speech. And while  this year was a rather unusual Easter, it’s significance remained because, as Christians, we get to celebrate how Jesus showed up for all humanity and showed up for the glory of God the Father. Jesus showed up in our salvation, taking our sins upon himself, enduring separation from the Father and dying in our place. Jesus shows up for us, not only in having conquered death and grave, but also in our ongoing sanctification – sealed with the beautiful truth that we have  a comforter and helper with us: the Holy Spirit. Now, with great anticipation, we can await for Jesus to show up again at the consummation, when we will rise to be with him forever in glory. 

These strange times present a great opportunity for us to show up too. We can never show up like Jesus did (we cannot even attempt to, because he showed up perfectly and sufficiently), but we can show up in our deeds and tell a dying world how Jesus showed up to save them. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

My husband and I have been chatting about how we can practically demonstrate the love we have for one another to a watching world. 

• Give sacrificially
• Check up on the elderly and widows in your community by giving them a call – they are some of the loneliest right now
• Pray for those who have lost their jobs and are in need
• If you have tenants, think of lowering their rent during these trying times 
• Pay your domestic helper or gardener, even if they aren’t coming to your home, and check up on them telephonically
• Club together with others to buy groceries online for those who don’t have much and have it delivered to their door 
• Send encouraging video/audio clips to people who you haven’t spoken to in a while: tell them you love them and share the gospel
• If you know of any orphan homes around you, buy essentials for them online and have it delivered to them
• If you have colleagues who don’t believe, perhaps share some devotional material with them and  go through it together using available technology

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start nonetheless! We can show the world how, in this Covid-19 period, we love not only in word but in action. We should be doers of God’s Word now more than ever, even during a state of lockdown. 

With the little the Lord has given you, think of how you can give to others. We don’t know how long this pandemic may be with us, but we may never have such an opportunity again. In our solitude, think of ways to show up! 

The post How Can We ‘Show Up’ During Covid-19? appeared first on Proverbs 31.

We’ve been locked down for 16 days in South Africa due to COVID-19. I have been floating from one day to another trying to balance home life, working from home and homeschooling my 5-year son. At first the pandemic felt surreal, so far removed from what I knew or heard. It felt foreign and unknown to my ‘comfortable’ Christian life. It actually started off as something we easily joked about in the work office until the numbers started spiking in China. Then, it spread from one continent to the next but it was still nowhere near home-Africa. So my husband and I went off on a trip to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Five days later our president announced a lockdown for 18 March 2020, we had to get home before then. We did and that’s when everything changed. 

Anxiety attacks

The first week of lockdown was ‘normal’, I worked normal hours, gave my son activities and writing exercises and we’d cook together.  After our evening devotions I’d go onto Netflix and binge on pandemic movies as a way of figuring out how ‘others’ feel when calamity strikes. Of course, movies aren’t real but I found myself starting to have all sorts of nightmares and thinking “it’s the end of the world”. I didn’t guard my ear and eye gate as Matthew instructs us in Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

This binging of not so edifying content started to affect my mind and the meditations of my heart so I had to stop. I had to remind myself that as much as the world is falling apart, God is still in control. He knew this would happen , it’s no surprise to Him therefore it should not be a surprise to us. In such times we ought to look into scripture and remind ourselves what Paul said in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”.

Data predictions and total despair 

I scrolled news updates every evening trying to get to grips with the numbers but it made me numb. These numbers were unfathomable and it was getting too close to home, literally. My mom, who is an essential services practitioner, was on the front line. Day 10 of lockdown I found out a person near her workplace was infected with the illness and for the first time in a while I crumbled. The idea that my mom could get the illness made me swob like a baby. I called her, she had the most peaceful and calm voice. We both knew who was in control and the call ended an hour later with me being so edified and strengthened. 

Be still and know that I am God 

The following days I was reminded of the scripture “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10). The writer tells us that God is our refuge and fortress, He never withdraws himself from his afflicted. He is our help constantly. That passage shows that even though they maybe terrible things on this earth, the child of God should not underestimate the faithfulness of God. We are not to fear. In fact ours is to be still and know that He is who he says He is; God!

How many times have we just continued with our ‘our lives’ and not had a second to just be still? How many times have we been on the rat race and tried to control everything? Well, what Covid-19 has taught me is that this season is for being still, looking to the maker of heaven and earth and knowing who He is. Being still is not easy, not being in control is not easy but I am called to do so, even in this very moment. Life has become so fast that I have forgotten to be still, I had forgotten who is really in charge of ALL things. I pray that as we continue in our lockdown in South Africa, we may come closer to God, meditate on His words and know Him again. May this season lead us to be still as the world around us crumbles.  

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As Mothers’ day celebrations subside, I just want to tell you that I’ve been thinking of you lately. I’m a mom today because you gave birth to my son. You gave me such a wonderful and precious gift. This letter is to merely thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have never met you nor do I have your address but I know you are somewhere out there.

Mothers’ day and my sons’ birthday are calendar events that bring so much joy to me and I think any other mother out there. I know these calendar events also tug something in your heart as you carried this boy in your womb. I’m sure you’d like someone to wish you happy mothers’ day, perhaps they have and you’ve struggled with the concept as you left your baby in the hospital and someone else is raising him?

Perhaps you have tried to keep a straight face when you see a mothers’ day advert on TV or in magazines, when you hear on radio how thankful people are to their mothers for raising them in difficult circumstances. Perhaps you’ve tried to run away from such celebrations. Perhaps you’ve tried to stay strong and forget about the whole thing?

Well, YOU are a mother even though you are not raising your baby. I don’t blame you at all for leaving him at the hospital. You chose the best option for him, instead of aborting him or leaving in near a bin or in some open field him you gave him up for adoption. Some women do not have such guts and for that, I take my hat off to you, salute! [eltdf_blockquote text=”I want to wish you a happy mother’s day! You’ll forever be my son’s mother and forever in my thoughts. Please know that I will tell of your courage to my son for years to come and perhaps until the day I die!” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]

Don’t let this mothers’ day (and the ones to come) bring misery and pain but smile and be filled with much hope. He’s growing up with so many people loving and supporting him; especially his dad, my husband loves him like his own. It’s been an emotional journey and a half for me;  love doesn’t begin to describe what I have for him and I’m so blessed to be his mother!

Happy mothers’ day once again.

Love

Your sons’ mother.

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As I’m growing in my faith, one finds themselves seeking external benefits at first and then one realises how those do not satisfy, instead they can lead to seeking more earthly goods and losing one’s soul in the process. I’m reminded of 2 Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy” (ESV). This scripture is characteristic to some of the Christians I know. I’ve also been there and sometimes I find myself still there, only because I don’t acknowledge my internal need.

Our daily struggles can be well hidden, especially when one is single and living by themselves. However, they eventually come up to the surface sooner or later… In my case it was quite a slow journey before I realised what my daily struggle was.

By nature, we are all covetous – we want what others have. This is nurtured by society, especially when you meet other women who are always asking each other where they bought their dresses, shoes, or who did their hair? These moments are fluffy but they cement the need to be covetous. Even though one may not want what others have, but the desire is to be on the same level – at any cost.

Being raised by a single mother, I was told I could be anything I wanted, of course this was further enforced by my school teachers and as a teenager I actually started believing in “this theory”. I was independent from an early age and worked hard in order to succeed. I wanted to be part of the top 5 in high school and I did, my mom was proud but still set higher standards. In my last year of varsity I wanted to be the best in my class and that goal was achieved.

There was nothing wrong with being excellent with my school work but in hindsight trying to be the best messed with me. It made me proud, I didn’t learn humility, instead I learned how to be rude, unkind and critical of everyone around. I learned to see the wrong they do…but never my own. I never learned how to truly love, how to build, how to be patient, how to wait, how to trust, how to serve others…how to be content with the portion the Lord has given me. I wanted more for my own glory and the traits Timothy speaks of above were very evident in my life.

[eltdf_blockquote text=”This deep-rooted sin started off as a harmless seed which has now grown and was infiltrating my marriage, my church and work life. Wanting a life of ease with no complications or inconveniences is what everyone longs for, but a Christian life is full of trials that James says we should “count it all joy and endure”.” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4 ESV).

I will be made complete in trials! This for me is a reassuring hope. I’m also thankful for David’s 73^rd psalm as it has shown me how to delight in God even with the mess going around me. That Psalm has taught me to trust, submit, listen, be slow to speak, to be satisfied and still before God, no matter the cost. This, I confess doesn’t come naturally to me. This is a daily struggle and my prayer request. Pray that I may not be covetous and want a life of ease, but be content with where God has placed me in order that I may be perfect, complete and lacking nothing.

The post My daily struggle appeared first on Proverbs 31.

Yep, my life was planned out! I was set and my ways would prevail – if I just made sure that I focus on the goal ahead, work hard and pray that God would make my plans succeed. Needless to say, I was on a power trip and I wanted God to make my plans succeed. I was on my high horse thinking God was my genie, this was my formula: you dream, pray and viola! The doors are open.

Little did I know that I was deceived by my own selfishness-everything was about me – my this, my that, nothing about me being silent before a holy God and asking what he has in store for me. I was not eager to hear his word or voice. In fact I had removed him off the throne and made myself the king of my life. I elevated my fleshly desires above Jesus Christ my Savior.

Many times we often get excited with the journey ahead, we forge forward, we want to be in control of “our lives” and then our worlds often come tumbling down when things don’t go our way, we literally get stuck and go into a depressive state where weeping and gnashing of teeth is experienced. We build our plans on how ‘my life’ should be and never on how much I love God with all my heart. The “me ideal” collapses immediately. As Matthew puts it Mark 12:29–31

[eltdf_blockquote text=”Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this:‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandmentz greater than these.”” title_tag=”h2″ width=””]

You notice there is a shift of focus when you love the Lord your God. Everything you do, you do with this in mind, heart and strength. My varsity ambitions were for my glory and not for God. I wanted to set my life up in such a way that I’m king. This year I turn 30, half of what I had planned out a decade ago didn’t go as planned and I’m okay with that. Actually I’m thrilled it didn’t, as I would have thought that my life turned out as I planned because of my efforts and wisdom. In fact how things have turned out it has been for my good and sanctification. And I’m so thankful it has turned out the way He intended, otherwise I’d be that “Ms high and mighty” but dead spiritually. I now intend to live for Him. Walk in his ways for his glory just as Paul states in Philippians 3:13 that “…13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Side note: I have in no way become a saint over night; this has been a gradual process. It took God almost (and still in the process) 10 years to break my will. On a daily basis I ask God “Oh Lord let your will be done, not mine but yours be done!” This is a daily struggle for me but I’m taking it one step at a time. Remembering who is in control.

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