She wants a Chef

When a man is looking to marry, there are certain things that never fail to appear on his "list of thing a good wife must have/know how to do". Here is a peak, and by the way, please do not go off saying this is some sexist gender biased post, it is not.

1. Great body
2. Well mannered
   
3. Educated mind
4. Amazing culinary skills
5. Better laundry skills
6. Good at handling money
7. God fearing
8. Good with children
9. ................................(fill in)

The items are not placed in any particular order. However, this is my point, what if the women had a list too, how many of these would I tick ?

So she wants a chef...lol

Mind Your Business

I woke up this morning needing refreshment. There are days we wake up and when we try to peek into the day, see a lot of discomfort, pain and anxiety. My heart was thirsty for it knew my soul was parched. Thoughts of anger, lack of motivation, unforgiveness, hatred and many other were stuffing all the good space in me. I was bound to have a bad day if I started it like this.

So, I decided to do what I knew would change the situation. I talked to Him. There is something about Him which is just so liberating .2Co 3:17 . Liberating in that, it frees you from those thoughts that make you want to feel like that's how life is, yet to Him, there is a more excellent way!

I did talk to Him. Released my heart. Spoke His Word. Maybe I let some anger go, some frustration, some tears. I needed to, I think.

Then as I read and thought about Him, it occurred to me that His only business was His Father's. He completely gave up His own desires, dreams, hopes, fantasies, and decided to go after only that which was in His Father's interest. Phil 2:5-9. John 14:24.

He did not ever caught up in wanting to be like His peers. Sure, he had peers. Some were married, some were fathers, some were wealthy business owners, some had repute. However, that was not His focus, not His interest. His interest was in pleasing His Father. Luke 2:49. John 5:30.

His mind was focused on pleasing His Father. He was about His Father's business. Not His own.

Strangely enough, even when He called two of His disciples, Simon Peter and Andrew, He said to them, Matthew 4:19. They would no longer continue in their vocation, or profession. They were no going to follow Him and do His will.

So why do we get discouraged, distracted, when living for the Lord? Why do we seek to live Bill Gates life, or Usain Bolt's life, or Chris Brown's life when our Lord specialised and his disciples did too?

We are not called to live the same life. There are those of us called like Christ Jesus to devote to the Father, and nothing else will work unless we do. Matthew 6:33. We are busy seeking other things before we have found the Lord, thinking they are the key to joy, peace, happiness , LIFE!.

Yes He does tell us to glorify Him in all we do. 1 Cor 10:31. Yet there are many of us who have told to only have one way to do so, and that is by living for Him, telling others about Him, doing what He asked us to do.

I pray to be the kind that shall mind my own business, by minding His business, just like Jesus Christ's only business was the Father's business.

God bless.

Baseline:

John 15:4,7 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.

Forbidden Memoirs

They had not talked in a while. It was not abnormal. After all, she was a married woman. They were not supposed to be talking all the time; that used to happen when they were still both single, but now that she was married, she needed to talk to her husband more.

However, she was here and so was he. He said her name, "Michelle", she replied " "Ethan, it's been long." He asked her how she was and she said she was okay. Then proceeded to say how her life was grown up and that it was very scary. She had to take responsibility for her husband, and him her.

He thought that that was standard procedure and found it a non issue. She did not take his belittling of her situation lightly. She told him he did not understand and said it was a new experience, at the same time difficult. He smiled and thought it funny, that she was talking like this, after almost a year of marriage. However, he did not back down, maintaining it was her responsibility, she had to do her duty regardless of how she felt. After all, she made vows, she must have known what she was getting into.

Maybe she got a little angry, he did not know, all he could see were the words appearing on the screen as she typed.

She seemed not to mind as she told him how she'd not been feeling well. He sympathised. Perhaps had they been physically communicating, maybe he'd have offered an embrace, maybe. Maybe she'd have accepted it.

For some reason he asked her about a certain call she had made, and why she had hung up on him. At first, she could not exactly remember, but after some explanations she did. She had hung up because she was reminding him about a moment they had shared and that while she remembered everything very well, he seemed to have no idea what she was talking about.

It was a big deal to her. And although at the time he seemed to have no idea, it was a big deal to him as well. Later as she explained, he understood: it was the time they had that magical walk across the timeless bridge. That moment stayed etched on each others heart, as though joining them regardless of how far they had separated.

Nay, it was not the only thing. For from that moment, they followed a train of conversation remembering the good times they had shared in the past. He dared that she had forgotten a lot, but as she spoke, he discovered that she had not forgotten anything and that she treasured the memories as much as he did. She called them poignant memories. A troubling thing for a married woman to say.

At the moment, they failed to see it, but their hearts were leading them on. She did not want to give herself away, she could not make it explicit. She was married. What he saw on the screen next broke his heart. "I must have liked you some. I hang out with you, so much."

When chatting, silences mean a lot and he did not want to appear caught off guard. So he told her she was in denial she had liked him all along. She said maybe she had been in denial , but added, "I don't know how many guys I would have dated unnecessarily if it weren't for you."

What ensued was a conversation they had been avoiding for ages: The reason why they had ended up apart. He had needed to choose between her and God and that time. She never understood why. They had already chosen God. Why was he leaving her now? Why did he need to change Church? She had been brought here by him. It was everything she wanted and now after bringing her, he would leave her there? She explained to him, that at that time, she had not understood. For a moment it brought them apart. Only for a moment. However, that moment remained.

It was evident for now that perhaps some mistakes had been made, that perhaps some rash decisions were taken, that perhaps in another life, the surname she would be using would be his. In this life however, that had not been.

They both felt a deep sense of regret, because on the opposite sides of the screen were the people they were had been most comfortable with, the people they wanted to be with. Even when they spent ages apart, a single session of communication joined them instantly.

Michelle told him she had to leave and run some errands, so she excused herself and left Ethan alone in thought. But she was running away, again. Some things were hard to bear.

It was sad. Perhaps better they had not had this conversation. He realised she could have been his, and kept wondering why she had gone on with the wedding? Was it her family? Was it her friends? He would keep asking himself. And that he was learning all this now?

JBN

Amazing

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Amazing.