Catching up

H Iguys, I thought I should check in since next month is June and that means already half of the year is gone. In January we did a lot of goal-setting and I wanted to find out where you are? With your goals, dreams and aspirations. I felt it was important to check in as I for one have been side tracked and now feel miles away from the finish line.

This could lead to one being demotivated and even wishing to give up.

I am here to tell you that you haven’t failed, you are not far. You are where you need to me because you are not working on anyone’s timetable but your own. Do not get depressed measuring yourself up to the next person. For what? Your paths are different. You are different, you are unique and special and have your ordained journey that is just for you.

It’s easy to become discouraged and when you do all the past doubt and failure sets in to rob you of your peace. Regardless of what is happening in your life, your situation will change over time. There are so many things that can happen during a given week or month which can influence our lives. As time goes by, your problems won’t seem as bad and you will be able to see your situation in a different perspective. Haven’t we all been here, yes it’s a trying time but when you look back day by day nothing changes

ISITUATION

want to address a sensitive topic today. Does God want to bless us and what does that look like? Let’s look at some verses and analyse this from a biblical standpoint.

is a very popular memorised scripture. “God has plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Let me name it and claim it!” Let’s take a closer look at that scripture in context for a better understanding.

reads, ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ The Jews had been captured. Their disobedience had finally led to God allowing a foreign country to come into Israel and carry them off. Various false prophets were trying to give

Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:11-13

but little by little everything changes? Look at five years ago? Where you here? No even if it seems like nothing’s changed so much has. Take a closer look.

The point I’m trying to drive is, if we know deep down that things are always changing. And the only constant is change. Then we can embrace that this is exactly where we are supposed to be.

We ourselves are constantly changing as we move through life. If we let go of a fixed idea solutions for instant results to get God’s favor back. God says no. The solution is simple but it will take time and faith. Wait! Do your best where you are (in captivity). And seek me first with all of your heart then everything else will be added. Our nature wants quick and fast results. It is easier to go to the ‘man of God’ who promises riches with a prayer than the man of God who promises blessings with a lifestyle of faith.

Let me share a story with you. Maybe you know it. I have read it before, but when I reread it recently it really convicted me. It’s the story of Elisha, a prophet renown in the Old Testament.

PLOWING

Elisha was plowing in a field. Run of the mill every day normal. Walking behind a set of oxen and plowing. This was presumably how he made his living and how he put food on his table. He needed to plow to make sure he and his family ate. Makes sense and certainly nothing wrong with that. Then, one day something odd happened. The famous respected prophet Elijah came and threw his cloak over him. A symbol of offering him a chance to come and join him. What happened next baffles me! Elisha took his oxen of our self, and if we don’t always resist change, we can evolve and adapt and respond creatively.

We can see that we are changeable with the potential to develop more of the good qualities of our true nature. Everythin g is constantly changing. We can’t expect anything to remain unchanged. Nothing is fixed. There are no certainties. Good things don’t last forever; bad things don’t last forever. Everything has its and kills them. Then, he takes the plowing equipment and burns it to cook the oxen. Then, he gives away the cooked meat!

What?! The logical thing when entering into a new season of life is to have a back up plan. Save some money from your ‘old life’ so if things don’t work out, you put aside a nest egg. If it were me, I probably would have sold the oxen and plowing equipment so I could have taken a little cash with me for ‘rainy days’. Then he kills the animals. Yikes Okay, Elisha – you can still sell some braii meat and save for a rainy day! But, nope he gives it all away! Why? Because he had chosen to trust in God. He had no need to hold on to any safety net. He way literally ‘dying’ to self and putting all of his trust in God. Amazing!

Over and over, in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, we season; everything has its time; and time continually moves forward. We observe changes around us: The seasons; birth, life and death; changes in our bodies; changes in our family and friends; in our community; in plants and animals; the weather; the urban or rural landscape.

Change might be natural, or it might be due to human activity. It might be slow and gradual; or sudden and without warning – a cyclone, a flood, a bushfire, an earthquake, a tsunami. Such catastrophes can bring upheavals in totally settled lives, perhaps changing them completely forever.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

– Alan Watts CHANGE

Point is if you want to change, change! Don’t wait for a tsunami. Reinvent yourself and be unapologetic about it. Do you ever find yourself questioning who you are? Wondering how you got to the point you’re at today. Maybe you achieved some goal or success, but it’s no longer satisfying.

Maybe you didn’t and feel stuck in a rut. Do you daydream about doing something completely different? Maybe you’ve been thinking about pursuing a different career, something unrelated to what you do now. Maybe you don’t have any experience in it but believe it would help you find true happiness and success.

Or, perhaps your life has changed. With different needs and expectations, you may be motivated to forge a new path that will provide Reinvention can sound exciting. Yet the idea (and process) of reinventing yourself is daunting for many people. It can take a lot of work to change who you are as a person, how you think of yourself, and how others perceive you. But reinventing yourself can be truly empowering. see a consistent thread. Blessings come when we die to ourselves and put our faith in God. Here is the thing I want us to look at – he followed without any promise of earthly riches. In the next verse, it says he became a servant. Let me share a couple of other verses which make this concept clear.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

DESIRES 16:24-26 Galatians 2:20, Mark 8:36

If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew

‘I have been crucified with Christ: And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of As I am doing my research there are lists and lists and so many different ways on how you can do this change/reinvent yourself. When you read them all it boils down to one thing. Self-care! Self-care requires checking in with yourself and asking yourself how you’re doing and what your body’s asking for. Some people use it to deal with difficult news stories, others just to maintain their happiness day to day. Self-care does not mean the same thing for everyone.

Different people will adopt different self-care practices, and even your own definition might change over time. “What is self-care for one person will likely differ from someone else, and what’s self-care for you one day might not feel like self-care another day.

Engaging in self-care regularly could help you put your best foot forward. When we are regularly taking care of ourselves, we are better able to react to the things that go on in our lives, it’s something we do to maintain positive well-being.” Dr. Amsellem says.

So if you feeling far from the objectives you started out the year with please take it upon yourself as we approach June to Google self-care and be proactive in making sure you don’t fall of the wagon. I could write about this for the rest of the year but it won’t mean anything if you do not make the effort to be intentional about your own goals.

There are so many tips, lessons, workbooks and apps to engage in on the World Wide Web. Use it, it’s at your fingertips. Good luck, I’m still rooting for you and honestly from the bottom of my heart hope that when you look back on December 31/January 1, 2023 you will be proud of yourself.

God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’

Next time you desire the blessings of God, understand that the best blessing you can get from God is just to follow Him. Wherever He leads. To be rich. To be poor. It doesn’t matter. Many, like Elisha, have left everything to just be his servant. Our goal is not to seek the riches from God but to seek a relationship with God. In following Him, He will take care of all of our needs. Can you imagine an Africa where people were more interested in getting right with God rather than getting rich from God? It would transform our continent from one rife with corruption, greed, immorality to one of love, generosity, and purity. Oh Lord, lead people to understand that true riches and blessings are actually found in throwing off the material yokes and serving you.

Ashley Thaba is a popular motivational speaker, family building facilitator, author and Producer of the hit TV show, Talking with the Thabas, which has strengthened thousands of marriages and helped countless families become stronger. Learn more about her work at www.ashleythaba.com or view her work on her YouTube channel: Ashley Thaba. You can buy three of her books: Dive In, Making Marriages Fun, and Conquering the Giants on her website. Email her at askthaba@gmail.com or follow her on Facebook: Talking with the Thabas.