The Storytela

Aug 4, 2013Aug 4, 2013

Feeling Unappreciated?

Have you ever come to that point in your life when you’ve given so much of everything you’ve got, sacrificed so much and yet it seems no one really appreciates?

It’s possible they actually thanked you and maybe someone sang your praise, but that was all. You were left feeling so spent and maybe drained.

So what do you do at this point? Get angry? Feel bitter? Wish you had not done so much? Decide to be a bit more self centered next time?

Well, the truth is, if no one seems to appreciate what you’ve done, God does.

Yes he does.

The bible says that whatsoever you do, do it as unto the Lord and not unto men.

Did you see that? WHATSOEVER, in other words, anything at all.

The bible also says that God is not unfaithful as to forget your labour of love.

You see, God really does appreciate all that you do especially when you give so much to bless the lives of others.

And He would reward you! That’s the truth, whether you want the reward or not, God is a just God, he does not forget.

Also, you need to start appreciating yourself. Yes…

Praise yourself for being able to give so much and bless the lives of others even if they are your family members.

Joseph recognised that God sent him ahead to Egypt to be a saviour for Israel at the time of famine. His means of getting there was by no means funny.

Same with you. God has empowered to you to be a source of succor and strength to the people in your sphere of contact. Thank him for counting you worthy of such a task and trust in him for the ability to do it and do it well.

And though people may not go overboard to show they appreciate you, the truth is they do! They are glad you are a part of their lives and they would not want to do without you.

So when next you are feeling unappreciated, take a moment to think about the love of God, be grateful for the opportunity to be a blessing and also know that people are grateful for your contributions to their lives.

God bless you.

Image- Courtesy: http://www.wei-yin.com

Jul 31, 2013Aug 3, 2013

The Labour of Our Heroes Past

I really love the line in the Nigerian Anthem that goes

“The Labour of our Heroes Past, Shall never be in vain”

As I sang the anthem to myself today, this line caught my attention again and I started to ponder on it

Our heroes in the past were selfless people, who fought for the good of everyone in their own unique ways. A lot of them were involved in several causes all bothering on justice, equality and fairness. We also know of several heroes in other countries that fought for other human beings to be treated right. A lot of them suffered for what they believed in, many were killed even before what they fought for materialized. A lot of these heroes we celebrate, some of them have been forgotten but the truth remains that the society became better because of this people.

Fast forward to our generation…

The Labour of Our Heroes Past shall never be in vain…

How concerned are we about our society?

How concerned are we about our community?

A lot of things go wrong and we look the other way and do nothing. After all, it doesn’t really concern us or affect our immediate environment. We live nice and happy lives within our comfort zones, not wanting anything that would stress us.

“Hey! I do not want to get involved; it’s none of my business really…”

And we watch things go from bad to worse.

The Labour of Our Heroes Past, shall never be in vain…

It’s time to get involved Brother! It’s time to get involved Sister!

Jesus got involved when he was here; he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the enemy!

We are in his place now and he expects us to get involved. We have the good news to tell people, there’s a higher life for them in Christ.

God has given us a voice that must be heard, we have to speak out! Don’t let evil and ignorance run rampage around you, pray and by all means do something because YOU CAN!

Jul 30, 2013

What exactly are you good at?

You know what? I have asked myself this same question several times and it’s helped to keep me on track. So, I thought I might as well share. It’s really a question to be pondered upon deeply. It’s so easy to dissipate energy in several directions, trying to do so many things at the same time. But you know what? It pays to find out that one thing you are really good at and when you do, invest in developing it. That is what will make you an expert in that area and also make you stand out.

Let’s take a little walk up memory lane, do you know any popular person in any field at all? Whatever field it is, I can bet you that they did not just arrive where they are overnight. It’s possible some of them seemed to have become popular ‘just like that’ but if you take time to read up their biography, you will discover years upon years of practice, consistent practice, without giving up even in the face of several rejections. Quite a number of really famous writers that we know today had their first manuscripts turned down by several publishing houses, I’d cite two examples: Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ was rejected by all publishers apart from Heinemann and Agatha Christie’s manuscripts were rejected for 5 consecutive years.

The key is to believe in yourself and in the gifts that God has deposited in you, because God has really blessed you. You need to stay inspired and motivated, never letting circumstances deter you.

Invest time and resources in developing your God given talents. Do something everyday to polish that skill, make up your mind to make a difference with what you have and with that determination, no demon hatched out of hell would be able to stop you!

God bless you.

Image courtesy http://www.searchenginejournal.com

Jun 8, 2013Jun 8, 2013

When you wake up by 3pm…

There’s this popular adage in Igbo language that goes;

‘A man’s morning begins whenever he wakes up’

And that’s the way it is. A dream morning routine for me would be: Brush, Pray, Work-out, help everyone get ready for the day and then head to work. But sometimes I skip the workouts (oops!).

Now imagine if I woke up late, like say 7am and instead of rushing through all my routines and dashing out of the house, I start lamenting:

‘Oh! I just woke up late. Why did I wake up late?’

And then I pick up my phone, go through my chat list and I see different updates from different friends: example a friend might write;

‘Wow! Great morning, early start’

Then I start feeling bad and instead of getting ready for the day, I decide to visit my online fitness group page and read the various workout logs and I see different exercise logs from different people who woke up earlier and again I feel terrible and I continue my lamentation

‘What made me wake up late sef?’

And 30minutes later, I finally drag myself and start off. I get to work and attribute everything that goes wrong to waking up late. In summary; I get to have a bad day just because I woke up late!

Now, compare this to people who feel that they ‘started out late in life’ maybe you are one of them. You probably didn’t finish school early,

Or maybe you didn’t get a job when others did,

Or maybe you didn’t get married when you expected to

Or maybe you did get married but didn’t have kids on time

Or maybe you are yet to have kids.

The examples are endless…

Whatever your case is, one thing you must NOT do is to waste time comparing where you would have been if ‘it’ had happened earlier to where you are presently.

Instead, invest the time and energy is making the best of the moment and preparing for a greater future. Thank God for his blessings in your life, including the ones you cannot see with your physical eyes.

AND GUESS WHAT?

God is never late! (2Peter 3:8-9) It is human beings that are time bound, counting days and years and trying to ‘catch up’ but the bible says that God makes everything beautiful in HIS time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Does that mean that God is inconsiderate? Absolutely not!

Let’s take a look at Jesus; he didn’t begin his ministry until he was THIRTY! Like seriously? I mean in today’s world people expect you to have achieved so much at the age of thirty! But the truth is that Jesus took time to prepare for his ministry and when it was the right time for him to launch out, he did and in three and a half years, he made the kind of impact that is still being felt more than 2,000 years later.

Have you read the story of Mark Kay Ash? That would be in another article.

What does this tell you? What really counts is doing what God wants you to do, when He wants you to do it, where he wants you to be and how he wants it done.

So, quit comparing yourself with anyone. Rather seek God! What does God want you to do now?

A successful person is not just someone that has loads of money and fame. A successful person is someone who is doing what he was created to do, thereby making a success out of others around him.

The lives and destinies of men are intertwined with yours; you’ve got to fulfill your destiny, so that they can fulfill theirs. It doesn’t matter what obstacles that have come your way, greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

God says ‘I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

What are your expectations? What are your desires? What are you saying to yourself about your life? Or are you still wallowing in self-pity?

Just in case you are still feeling bad, then this bible verse is for you:

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. Romans 8:28- Amplified Bible.

If you really believe that, you will never be discouraged or feel bad for one more second in your life. Rather, you will smile, think positive thoughts and find a way to encourage someone around you.

God bless you.

Photo credit: http://www.buzberry.com

Jun 5, 2013

Hurray!!! The Very Inspiring Bloggers Award!!!

Wow! So I got this post from Michael@ http://justmikemon.wordpress.com telling me that I’ve been nominated for ‘The Very Inspiring Bloggers Award’. It was quite touching that he considered my blog deserving of that award and I’m really grateful. Thanks Michael and a big thanks to everyone who has taken out time to visit, to comment, to like and to follow. You are the reason I write and I pray that you would continually be inspired to be the very best that God has made you to be. Thank you and God bless you all.

My Nominations

The award rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.
4. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.