Birthday Messages

What a year! 

If you know me personally then you would know that this year has been nothing but a year of harvest on every side and I am nothing but eternally grateful to God.

Every year, I take time out to hear what the word for the next year will be. This year it came in two batches and I thought it may be of benefit to share with everyone else. 

One question that has popped up severally over the past few months for me has been focusing on what I see. I don’t mean physical things per se. I’m referring to my future, goals, visions etc. 

For example, there was one time I was running late for a train I really needed to get on. As I was picking up my pace, I heard God say “What do you see?” I’m like first of all, I can’t talk and run at the same time lol. Eventually I responded that I see myself getting on the train. I got to the train station 50 seconds before the train left and someone helped me get on the train. This is one instance out of several examples.

God was trying to teach me something. Ultimately, He is in control but we have a part to play. What you see, is what will occur. What you see will be what you work towards or anticipate. It is such a mystery but I encourage us all to refocus our lenses by which we operate. 

This year I ‘saw’ several things before they happened. I essentially, through God’s help, created my own path and achieved personal desires that in other circumstances would have taken much longer. Another example, is in the area of my career. I kid you not, I changed roles twice this year because I knew there was more. I saw myself in a different position and God fulfilled it. 

So what do you see? Limitations or opportunities? Victory or defeat? Possibility or impossibilities? 

I will say that it’s not everything you see that will occur at that moment. As I mentioned earlier, God is in ultimate control and sometimes things are withheld for our own good, but we have a part to play. 

May I add that until we adjust what we see, we won't walk in full potential. 

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them" Ecclesiastes 12:1

This is just a word of caution and honestly I love how balanced God’s word actually is when we choose to take the time out to understand it. 

There's a reason why this scripture is so relevant. ‘The time of your youth’ is a unique opportunity you’ll never have again. It’s when you’re most naive, so you can explore different things. It’s the time you have the most strength and even zeal to take risks. It allows you to explore, find and build. Key element here is build. It is a time to build, a foundation if you will. This is why as we build it is in our best interest to build with our creator. 

The time of our youth is also very special because things are still very new to us. It's the beginning of a journey to discovery. Therefore whilst you still have the time, make sure you use it wisely. 

So as we step into 2018, take some time to assess what you see and stay in tune with your source. 

Happy birthday to me!

Ruth

P.S. 

A few scriptures that got me through the year are:

Ecclesiastes 9:10

1 Peter 5:6

Isaiah 55:10-11

Job 32:8

Zechariah 4:6

Psalm 31:14-15

Psalm  16:8

Psalm 46:10

Isaiah 41:10

A Festival of Life Encounter

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Hi everyone,

As promised, I will be sharing my Festival of Life experience. There’s a motive behind this. I am aware that there’s a younger generation coming behind who follow, watch and listen to everything we do. They need us to be open, transparent and help them whenever we can. I felt compelled nonetheless for their benefit to share this with them and whoever else happens to read. 

Where do I begin?

In all honesty, this journey started years ago but I will focus on last year. Last year had its great moments as I remember a few of my friends got married and I turned 25! Despite this, it was a struggle to get through. I spent days, weeks and months living in anxiety.

I remember a particular day when it hit me hard and in a way I didn’t think it could penetrate through. It was FOL season and one of the final rehearsals (for more info and when the next FOL holds, visit http://www.festivaloflife.org.uk). I was asked to lead one of the songs and I’ll be honest, I didn’t feel prepared as it was a complex song and required some getting used to. In fact, I spent most of that day worrying about it.

Time to sing! I get to rehearsals, the song comes up and the mic is handed to me. I froze. In my mind all I heard was ‘can’t, don’t bother, look at all these people staring.’ In reality, my friends were nudging me to sing and all I wanted to do was faint. In a nutshell, I was given only a section of the song to sing and that relieved some of the pressure I felt. 

Fast forward to this year. I’ve overcome the anxious period of my life and even if it crops up, I have the tools I use to combat it.

So the week of the event and I receive a call about leading the praise at this seasons FOL. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I immediately informed a few people to back me up in prayer…I really needed it.

So on the day, I was all over the place. My soul wasn’t at rest and I didn’t know how to respond. I had prayed the night before but as the day unfolded, I became increasingly anxious. My friend noticed prior to sound check and mentioned we’d pray before we went up for sound check. Within a few minutes she had arranged for about 10 of my friends to surround me and pray. I was on my knees and I just burst into tears, struggling to breathe and praying against the spirit of anxiety. I could not believe it had surfaced again!! But I am so thankful for friends like this. Love you guys, you know who you are.

So it’s time for praise and worship to start, I could feel my heart racing and I wanted to give up but at the same time, I was so excited. In fact, to tell you how bad it was, I had calculated that if I fainted, then someone else had to lead instead of me, lol. Looking back, I realise how immature a thought it was and how easily the enemy could get into your head.

I have learnt from this experience and something I shared in my previous post-'We worship, we war’, that the enemy is always looking for a way to stop your praise. Be it on a personal or congregational level, the attacks will come. The question is, will you be able to stand?

I am sharing this as a personal testimony to God. See what God has done within the space of a year. Last year, I was trembling with fear, did not have confidence with the gift He gave me and look at how it has turned around. Surely this is only the beginning. 

I’ll close with this thought, one scripture that God gave me for this season was 1 Timothy 4:12

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

I did wonder why God gave me this scripture but now I understand it more. One of my prayers that helped me focus on God, was to realise I am but a vessel and God could use anyone. So if I am a vessel and He chose to use me, I should represent Him well in everything I do and say. Additionally, this scripture was added affirmation for me from God, that my age didn’t matter to Him but my heart towards Him is more important.

On that note, I give God all the glory. I appreciate the support and love but it’s all about Him!

With love,

Rubo

What worship is not-Part 1

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to another post on worship. 

Today we will be looking at the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well John 4. It's such an interesting passage that has taught me so much over the years. Specifically in this post, I highlight points that make it clear what worship is and what it certainly isn't. So grab a pen, notebook and your bible as we dive into this two part series. 

Worship is not about you, but it is for you.

Worship transforms you when you repeatedly and habitually give yourself to the Father Romans 12:1-2.

When Isaiah encountered the presence of the Lord, he realised his state and that he needed God to change him. The bonus was he found his mission in life. This is what the presence of the Lord can do Isaiah 6:5-8.

Worship is not about or limited to a place.

Instead, worship is a matter of the heart and connection of the Spirit. You could be in the ‘right’ place, for example, church and not be connected in any way.  John 4:20-24

Worship is not absentminded.

Mark 12:30 says it best: You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind and soul. 

Essentially it requires all of you. 

Worship is not an event.

It is a continuous lifestyle. 

The Samaritan women and those like her had been conditioned to think that worship could only occur in a place or at a certain time as was their custom John 4:20-21; Malachi 1:11

Worship is not limited to a song or type of song.

We truly get sooo caught up in this, don’t we? For some reason, it is only when we sing that we ‘feel’ like we are worshipping. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Everything we do is a potential act of worship unto God 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17

Thanks for reading the first post. I'm sure it's got you thinking on areas that require a different train of thought.

Stay close for the second post!

Much love,

Ruth

We worship, we war

So last week something interesting happened. 

I was very enthusiastic about service but also nervous at the same time as my pastor had asked me to coordinate our service-aka minister. But I was still excited for praise worship. 

On getting to church,  I realised that the keyboardist who is always punctual hadn't arrived. The drummer was around. Most choir members were around. So we prayed and committed the service into Gods hands. Keyboardist still hadn't arrived. I then checked my phone and realised he couldn't make it and a replacement was on the way. Nooo!!! I don't want a replacement today-legit not in the mood. It's too late to go through the songs. Will he know the songs, what key will I sing on now? (All the things going through my head. Our church is in the process of building up a team of musicians so we currently use an agency).  

Immediately, I told the Holy Spirit how tired and unprepared I was for this. Simultaneously, I changed my prayer ‘Lord please just help me’. With much courage, I pick up the mic ready to start without the keyboard and just embrace what the spirit of the Lord wants to do. 

1st issue, the mics started messing up. They were perfectly fine beforehand but once we started singing, it kept cutting off. I'm like what the heck! We start swapping mics, sound guys are running up and down. I eventually just put the mic down and carried on singing, closing my eyes and focusing on Jesus. 

I hear someone running in pressing the keys on the keyboard to find out what key I'm on. My mind is like, but we didn't pray together- 😩. 

Then I literally saw someone else run towards the conga drums. I'm like wait, what?! Hahaha this is funny.  

Is this praise worship or competition to create the most commotion? I couldn't take it anymore so I stopped everything. Told the sound uncles not to bother with the mic, told the keyboardist not to bother pressing anymore keys, asked the drummer to please refrain from using her sticks and asked everyone to focus. 

Let's forget the list, forget all equipment and just worship. Wanna know what happened? There was such a peace that came with that-we totally flowed together as a church, singing old school devotional songs and personally I felt like this was much better than anything else. 

Let me take you back. The night before I was writing to God and I remember the impression God laid on my heart. He kept asking me to pray for the service. I was like what's with this constant request, can I please talk about my issues? Honestly, it was such a tug but I only prayed a general prayer. I can't remember if I was specific about anything. 

When I narrated this story to one of my worship mentors, I was made to understand that we are not worshipping but we are 'warshipping'. This is warfare. The devil will do ANYTHING, he can to disrupt service, praise worship and personal devotional times. 

A few things I'd like to pass on to choir members and worship leaders 

1. Cover yourself in prayer. This is no longer about you. Yes you have a heart and love for God but you’re in battle
2. The worship team is not a playing field. It's a battle field. You're either ready for it or not. The attacks will come. What I spoke of is minute compared to what I've experienced in the recent past 
3. Be spiritually sensitive. This is tied in with number 1, start by consistently praying and praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude 1:20, Romans 8:26
4. Be open minded. When it comes to praise worship, be led by the spirit. I had my list all ready to go and I had to adapt last minute. This may not be the scenario in all churches but let the Holy Spirit be your compass 

I hope my little Sunday story helps you as it has taught me something fresh. I'm grateful to God for this gift and totally enjoying this journey. Expect more posts on this topic! 

With love,

Rubo 

Lessons learned

Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6:10 NLT)

Hi everyone,

There is a concept in project management called 'Lessons Learned'. It's simply an evaluation of the different points within the project. Some themes include improvements that could have been made along the way, logs of different mistakes that occurred and conversations ruminating around action points that can be taken onboard for the next project. 

I find it to be a useful tool as, in my view, small improvements over time produce excellent results.  
Having said that, these are my lessons learnt from last month and I intend to take these forward from now on, so follow me as we continue...

1. You can't influence the expectation's people may have of you 
This!!! Honestly, brethren, you can only do so much. I thoroughly hate the idea of people bondage, yet it is one thing I find myself constantly fighting against. It's time to embrace who we are, including our limitations and look only for God's approval. 

2. The dynamics of certain friendships will change...
and you have to be ok with that. It does not mean that something terrible happened, it could  just imply that friendship has run its course. There's no need to pull at frayed strings. 

3. Excellence is worth striving for 
I recently realised that it didn't matter what field, talent or product it was, as long as it had exhibited excellence of some sort, it attracted results. Excellence is universal and people are naturally drawn to excellence. Surely it means because of this, I should be drawn to pursuing it. (There are other reasons as well, might I add).

4. We are more connected than we think
This world is small and we ought to be good towards all when we are in contact with them. I have been in several situations of late where I met someone from my past. Thankfully, it was pleasant and loads of good memories were flooding in. Imagine if I had been such a horrible person towards them in the past? 

5. If one door shuts, another will open
I saw this happening in my friends life. He's quite a passionate and somewhat misunderstood young chap and recently a door was closed if I can use this phrase. In a roundabout way, the same door that was closed was now opened for him. It was so unexpected but mehn, I am ecstatic for him. If this is you, wait on it...it is coming. 

6. Every relationship will teach you something 
How do I put this phrase in a better way? What I mean is even though the relationship did not work out, there was something in it that made you a better person. Something was gained through that experience-it served a purpose. Having said that, please don't waste your time in a relationship that CLEARLY isn't going somewhere. It is not every rope that you need to hold on to.

7. We all have a lane
Everybody has a unique part of them that makes them different from everybody else. Find it, embrace it, use it.

and finally the UK has no sense of seasons. Torrential rain in summer *sigh*

That's all for now guys,

Much love 

Rubo 

Oh death where is thy sting?

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV)

Hi everyone,

Please pardon my outbursts of unscheduled posts, I just feel that if I don’t write about it, it may no longer have any relevance.

I recently wrote a post on FB, it read ‘Can I be honest? I no longer understand death...I think it's time we talk about it.’ For a hot minute, I have not been so transparent on social media as I believe there’s a time and place for everything but for some reason I did. I must thank those who have reached out and I believe it is because you also identify with my sentiments.

I thought it would be useful to expand on these thoughts and provide some clarity.

For a few years, I have watched several friends and close acquaintances lose a family member to cancer. Some have even suddenly passed away. These usually occur in waves and after intense prayers, we would ‘appear’ to lose our battles. At first I’d mourn briefly and move on with life. However, as I have aged, I have begun to seek for more answers. I feel part of this delayed response has been due to the fact that I still have all my family members and in good health. In essence, there has been no direct cause of questioning.

I am a Christian and I have been brought up with the ideology that, although I am in a relationship with God, He is the higher authority and some questions are not to be asked. I beg to differ. I recognise the sovereignty of God and will always acknowledge it, however I believe I am permitted to ask questions. The only issue here is I may never receive an answer or the answer will not be satisfactory. I should also avoid to question God himself because I am a mere mortal, alive by His mercies alone.

What has further contributed to this season of questioning if you will, is that I’m currently studying the book of Job with a few friends. I have read and assimilated the pain Job tried to convey and am amazed. Job DID vent and he DID complain but funnily enough it was ALWAYS done BEFORE God. Not once did Job hide his thoughts from God. Another point to take away from Job was that he somehow, in all his pain, recognised the sovereignty of God and never denounced His supreme authority through his speech.

Back to my Facebook post. I still stand with the statement but I will explain my angle. I have essentially been emotional. I wonder how my friends carry on with life without their mother or father. Who will walk them down the aisle? Who will nurse them when they have had their children? Who will they refer to when adult life hits them? I strongly believe Jesus is their comforter and will be their ever present help in time of need. However, I am also aware of the purpose behind parents and the value of their presence in our lives, so if I am honest, it hurts sometimes.

I was encouraged to read Philippians 1:21 and boy o boy did it provide a perspective. I also read 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 and Thessalonians 4:13-18

I’ll share what I learnt from these scriptures:

1. Death was not the original plan but now is as a result of sin in the beginning

2. Death is therefore inevitable; everyone will eventually die

3. Jesus conquered death by His sacrifice on the cross

4. Believers have hope in Christ 

5. We all have a purpose to fulfill and when that time is up, we will essentially leave

6. God’s ways and his plans are different to ours and we should remember that

I hope in sharing this; I’ve been able to highlight the key themes running through my mind over the past few weeks.

I pray for anyone reading this who has lost a loved one that God truly comforts you and I also pray that you stay strong in the faith.

I still believe death and bereavement is a topic Christians should talk about in depth as it has impacted everyone, one way or another.

With love,

Rubo

The beautiful butterfly

The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. (Joel 2:25 NLT)

Hi everyone, 

This is actually an unscheduled post. I was initially going to post on Sunday but I refrained and now I know why…follow me through.

At times, I take an old diary and go to that same day in the previous year. I read over what I wrote, what was on my mind including my fears, worries and expectations I held for that year. The outcome is usually one of mixed emotions. Some entries cause me to be happy, others cause me to be ecstatic and others cause me to well up in tears. Overall, I always notice some form of progress, no matter how small.

Yesterday was one of those moments and I’d like to share it with you.

This time last year I had just closed the door on a situation and was going through a rough season. I was struggling with my dissertation, managing a demanding a part time job, started a new church where I was given responsibilities and other ad hoc responsibilities that found their way through to me. What put the cherry on the cake was that I was battling with anxiety. At the time, I wasn’t too aware what I was experiencing. I knew that I couldn’t sleep well, I ate more than I needed to, I had severe muscle pain over my legs, nausea showed up occasionally and I found it hard to concentrate.

My anxiety story will be one I’ll share in length one day but for now I want to thank God for the progress since last year.

I think the worst part of this period was that I didn’t really share this thoroughly with anyone apart from God and my journal.

As I was reading through my journal yesterday, something caught my attention. I had just finished from a busy busy busy weekend. It was my besties birthday and a friend’s bridal shower, the day before my prince2 certificate in project management. HOW this happened to me and I got through it, I will never understand. God’s grace is real y’all! I saw a prayer that I wrote down regarding that weekend and I looked up and smiled.

As I write today, I am a project manager working for a reputable company (sorry can’t mention the name haha) WITHIN my field. Honestly, let me not lie to you, I didn’t think I would even put this qualification to use, I just did it at the time without giving it much thought.

I can also say that emotionally, I am in a healthy place, anxiety is far from me and I see life from such a beautiful perspective.

As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.

                                                                                                             Joseph B Wirthlin

This post is just to encourage myself and someone else who may be unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel…I was once there but things have surely turned around. I haven’t shared the full story of progress as it is ongoing but I still hope that in some way this has sparked a light in you.

It’s mid-July of 2017, can you remember where you were this time last year? I’m sure it has been nothing but a story of progress! Drop us a comment and share your story with us.

With love,

Rubo

You got any luggage?

 Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. Hebrews 12:1

Hi everyone,

If you know me well, you'd know that I love to travel, but hate flying...what a combination! I love being in a new place, meeting new people, tasting food, learning the history behind buildings and street names. The best part for me however, is listening to other speak in their local dialect and accent. Gosh memories are already flooding in!

Having said that, the part I don’t enjoy so much is the preparation, aka mission-plan-every-outfit. It can be laborious to say the least, especially if you’re like me and you prefer to wear as the day commands…but it’s all good. I have learned over the years, that I actually don’t need to pack so much that I don’t have any space to buy new things whilst I’m away. I need room for the new things I encounter along my trip unless I miss out on a memory or an experience I cannot fully grasp just by having photos (although those are amazeballs too). 

It’s taken me some time to learn that as I honestly can’t deal with not having ‘in case’ items but sincerely, all it does is take up space. You just end up with more weight than you essentially need. Although, on my last trip, my blunder was that I didn’t check the local weather forecast. For some reason, I assumed it would be the same as the UK (don’t ask). 

So why did I use this analogy?

Without giving myself away, at the time I wrote this piece, I was carrying baggage and I’m certain that a lot of us have at one point or the other. 

Baggage in itself can mean several things for different people. In this case, I refer to an old way/habit/pattern of thinking AND behaviour. In essence, the thinking and mindset I had, affected my behaviour severely. 

Until the old mindset leaves, the new can’t come in and even if it does, it will not work. 

I will refer to the scripture that talks about pouring old wine into new skin. "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins." Mark 2:22 (NLT)

What happens? It bursts, new skin cannot hold old wine. Never ever, no matter how you try it. So also you cannot walk with a renewed mind by harbouring old thoughts…you’ve gotta get rid of the old thoughts first.

Likewise, it is difficult to walk in freedom, purpose and pursuit of life whilst hanging on to previous emotional baggage. I chose to dwell on this specifically today, although it can be applied to other areas. How will you be able to embrace the new opportunities if you actually have no space to put them anywhere? Think of a hoarder, they buy, buy and buy some more, yet they cannot appreciate the vast amount of items they possess as it’s completely covered up. 

Also what good is it to you to keep carrying the baggage? 

Please let’s not be in denial, some of us have to dig deeeep pluck it out and address it. One way to do this is to pass it on. Hang on before you crucify me. Why don’t you cast your burdens unto Jesus for He cares you? Jesus is able to take the burden and exchange it for His. The issue is, we’ve carried this around for SO long that it has become a part of us and because of this we struggle to let go.

My plea to you, if this is a situation you find familiar, is let go. Stop selling yourself short. Make that exchange, move on and begin to embrace the opportunities that Jesus has already presented to you.

With love,  

Rubo 

P.S. Stay tuned for my official travel blogpost soon 

When it is not well

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5)

I’m from a Nigerian background…. scratch that - I am Nigerian and proudly so. I am also a Christian (waits for everyone’s negative view and moves on). With this said the term ‘Nigerian Christian’ comes to mind.  

I love love love the vibrancy, passion and zeal expressed by some of my fellow Nigerian Christians. The enthusiasm displayed is contagious and encourages you to be expressive of your worship. However, there is one pet peeve I have, the ‘IT IS WELL’ phrase.
I originally heard of this phrase in the beloved hymn - It is well with my soul. This hymn for me has been a great help during difficult times. Whilst it may not have brought the solution to the problem, what it has done is provide peace and clarity for me to move forward; something one can argue is a solution in itself.

Initially, ‘It is well’ was used, in my opinion, as a means to comfort someone going through a difficult time. I think it is quite appropriate actually. However, it has been abused!!! Errbody and then some say it. In fact, it’s even used as a way to end a conversation, as if to say it is now a full stop. Like how did this happen?
It has also been used as a means to avoid answering a question. Can anyone relate? You talk with someone but instead of them talking sense or providing you with a good answer they burst out with this response.

Ok there goes my background information…please follow along.

I recently encountered some not so pleasant circumstances and these were my thoughts. I kept thinking- what happens when it is not well? That sentence doesn’t sound grammatically correct but honestly, that’s what I thought. What do I do when I cannot find the right words to say to myself or even someone else? 

What happens when ‘It is well’ does not suffice? 

At the time I had no solution, but that season passed and with it came points that could help someone else get through a difficult season:

1.     A support system
Remember how I said the ‘it is well’ phrase was coined to encourage someone through a difficult time? Well having a support system sit with you to listen and provide encouraging thoughts can be a great anecdote to the situation you find yourself in.

2.     Allow yourself to go through the motions
I strongly believe in being real with yourself. I am one for crying, needing a hug or whatever else…BUT doing this in the presence of the Lord. So have your moment but do it with God.

3.     Realising there is an end

Sometimes when we go through certain things we forget that there is an end date to it. I get it, it seems like forever but when we walk with the mentality that ‘this too shall pass’, it helps us in our attitudes to move forward.

4.     Taking it step by step
Give yourself some slack. You will not know what to do at every point, instead ask God for the next thing to do and He will direct your path.

If there’s anything I wanted to achieve with this post, it was to make you think about the power behind words…I hope that can be said of this piece.

With love,

Rubo

Welcome to Adulting

Hi everyone, 

Yes there is no error in my title. I'm talking about Adulting not Adulthood. 

Adulthood is the stage of being. Adulting for me is the state of transition or becoming. 

I remember as a little girl how excited I would be whenever I spoke about my twenties. I literally skipped the teenage years as I didn't even know it existed. I spoke about my wedding day, having a car for every day of the week (pssf), and having a lot of money. I could not wait for my 25th. At the time, I thought being an adult meant perfection. Yeah right!!! 

In fact, with a 'harsh' reality, my friends and I have come to realise that our twenties have been nothing but tough and rough. It has been a journey of several lows, momentary highs and a literal flight of discovery. 

I remember this particular day, I was fresh back from uni and as per usual, I was cleaning the house. It was a mixed season and I had been praying too. I was asking for an answer to a question I wasn't too clear about. I wanted to understand my struggles and I wanted to know what I should be expecting going forward. It felt like I hit rock bottom and did not have a recovery plan.  But something happened. My friend called me and as we spoke, she gave me a scripture: 

And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness--secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. (Isaiah 45:3)

This scripture gave me a glimpse of hope in a very unsure season. It assured me that there were things in me that God was yet to pull out. It showed me that God was and is in control of my life and path. It illustrated that my purpose, calling and who I was to be was solely connected to Him. Finally, it explained that I am His and everything I was to go through would be so that I could know who He really was-The God of Israel. 

For the years that followed that day I have literally been Adulting. I have been taking it step by step, day by day and leaning on God to know the next move. It has not been easy and I have certainly taken a few wrong steps, but it is part of the process. 

Adulting to me is like the transition of a caterpillar to a butterfly. It has to go through a stage before it grows to be a butterfly. Imagine the pain in between that we never get to see, all we see is the beautiful butterfly afterwards. 

So we are left with a few options; either grown your way through your growing pains or embrace the change, learn, adapt and evolve into the person you were always meant to be. 

Here are some few tips that have helped me along the way 

Know who you are and who you are not

In other words be real with yourself and work on and improve on areas that you are lacking in. For example, if you're not an organised person, accept it and improve on it. There are tonnes of tools and resources out there to help you get into a routine and stick to it. 

Be financially savvy 

Yeah, finances is a critical topic in this period. It is certainly advisable to improve your knowledge on finances, savings, accounts available and those most beneficial to whatever stage you're in. 

Some websites I've used to improve my knowledge- Money Saving Expert and The Money Advice Service

Website I've used to maintain my credit score-

Also speak to others who may be more knowledgeable than you in this area. The bank is also willing to provide you with information-for freeeeee. 

Love yourself 

So many ways to dissect this phrase but I'll stick to one-don't rush into a relationship. Whilst I believe that every relationship is for a purpose to learn something et al, I also believe that we don't have to waste time and emotions. So learn to be by yourself. No relationship, as good as it is, will fill the vacuum that self love does. 

Adulting is hard, I won't lie. Sometimes I'm like bye (waves bye to air) but most times I observe and I take on what I can because I realise this phase will end eventually. 

Keep the hope up! 

With love 

Rubo 

XxX

Not where I want to be

If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 (TLB)

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my first official post of 2017! Rubologs is back and in the zone (am I allowed to say that?)

I am excited to have you with me on this journey but first I will take you back to my 25th birthday and the thoughts I had running around in my mind at the time. I will also be sharing some of the pictures from my photoshoot, I decided to have a little glam session- see it as a bonus if you will.

As I assume everyone does, your birthday comes around and you review your previous year. You take stock of what you were able to accomplish or almost accomplished, you remember your failures and of course your moments of success. Can you tell that I forget to remember the good things? Lord help me.

Anyways, I started feeling as though I had not achieved enough, which I think is a sign of being ungrateful. I felt fat because I had not lost enough weight despite having a personal trainer, I had not secured a role in my preferred career path and I was not married- L O L. To add, I stopped blogging which I dearly missed.

In essence, I just felt like I had several setbacks and I used these as an excuse not to move forward. I remember, I was at home on this fateful day when the scripture hit me. I had dropped my car off at the mechanics and as I walked back to pick it up, I took in my surroundings. I’m not quite sure what caught my attention, but something did and it’s as if I was in the ‘mind of a tree’. It’s true that trees, plants and flowers alike have their optimum conditions to do what they do but they don’t ever stop doing, even if we don’t see it on the outside. The roots are constantly networking, water is being drawn up the stem, leaves fall off when they need to, but the key thing is that they continue. 

If you wait, you will not grow

So here I am with my ideas and what do I do? I chose to wait. Wait for what exactly? Did God ask me to wait? I mean sometimes He does but I kept waiting for the perfect conditions and not taking stock of the place I had reached. I didn’t take into account the work my roots had been involved in, the nourishment from the water I had received or even the benefit of a dead leaf falling away. That is an achievement in itself and should be celebrated.

             I may not be where I think I should, but I am certainly not where I used to be.

The above statement was something I had always heard in church but maybe it was never my reality until now. This pushed me to affirm and indeed take stock with the right perspective.

I’ll tell you where I am. I am in Christ, I am loved and to be loved, I am a work in progress, I am healthy and beautiful!

So, we have found ourselves in May and I welcome you because that is enough to move forward with.

Hope this post has touched you in one way...

With love,

Rubo