"The Road Less Travelled"

It’s been a while since my last post; I have been too busy getting married and settling into married life. My love for writing had to take a temporary back seat, actually that’s a lie…The truth is that I have been going through so many emotions for the past year that I have been a bit afraid to put it to paper. I decided however with the mentoring of my amazing husband to actually put words to paper and write about the amazing yet defining moments of the past year of my life.

It is indeed very true, if ever any of you doubted trust me I experienced it first-hand that with every decision or any task God always provides all you need, the ammunition so to speak in order to achieve the task that you have set out to achieve. What’s that saying “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will no sustain you” My o my is that true…..

My husband then fiance and I got engaged last year and started to plan our wedding around September 2013. I will never forget the day that we decided on a month, my husband said to me that day, let’s partner with God. He then went on his knees and in that very moment invited God into it all and told God that no matter what, we choose to partner with him in planning our wedding and making the day God’s day. That was the best decision that we EVER made, infarct that decision was our saving grace. Had we decided to go at it alone as with anything without God, I am more than confidant that we would have failed but because we partnered with God, It turned out to be the best day of both our lives till date? Of course the best days are still ahead and we believe that and we live in that truth expectant of Gods glory in our marriage every day that we share together as husband and wife.

For some the process of planning a wedding is just a process, they go through the motions and do what needs to be done having not learnt anything at the end of it all, for me it was a spiritual journey, one which awakened me to so many things and a journey that shaped me and developed my character for the better. A journey for which I will be forever grateful because the life lessons that I learnt out of it are invaluable and I could never put a price on it.

My character was tested and my faith in God was tested, it was an experience in which I had to dig down beneath and choose my own path and not the path that was expected of me and not a path that had been prepared for me by man. All that mattered was God and his will and plans for my life. I had to decide to take the usual route and hope that I arrive at my destination or choose the road less traveled and trust that the same God in whom I had put my faith into when we decided to partner with him would see me through this road less traveled and help me in arriving at my destination. I decided to take the road less traveled and it was the best decision that I could ever have made.

The road less travelled to me represented adventure, freedom to be who I have been called to be, freedom to follow my heart, the road less traveled represented happiness and Joy and unity but it also represented me having to close the door to some things in the past and look forward to the bright future that God as prepared for me.

I took the road less travelled and in that road God was there, he walked with me, he held my hand, he wiped my tears and made me smile. He assured me of the future and promised me that he would always be there. I was never alone in my road less traveled; God provided sisters, parents, mentors, friends and many more. He then decided to show off completely by blessing me with a gift that I never expected at the end of the road. It most defiantly was a show stopper, My Show Stopper!!!!!

Where ever the will of God takes you the grace of God will sustain you. He defiantly showed up big time for me and I know he will do the same for you. Where ever life may take you, whichever road you may decide to follow in your life, please do not travel alone. Invite God to take control, partner with him in all things and trust God to direct your path for he surely will.

Every Journey in life is meant to define us, it would be such a waste to just go through things and not come out of it as the person that God intended, having no learnt the lessons that we are meant to learn. What a waist it would be. Therefore in all circumstances, even if it is whilst taking the road less travelled, Trust in God and rely on him to bring out the best possible you out of all situations.

My road less travelled was the defining point in my life and now I came out of it a stronger me and even more ready to trust in God and be led by him. Basically I am ready to conquer the world so watch out!!!!

FROM OUR HEARTS

“Love Is Friendship Caught Fire”, by Laura Hendricks
"Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses. Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past. It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals. If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things you lack. If you do not have it, no matter what else there is, it is not enough." 

 

 

Marriage Joins Two People in the Circle of Its Love", by Edmund O’Neill  

“Marriage is a commitment to life, to the best that two people can find and bring out in each other. It offers opportunities for sharing and growth that no other human relationship can equal; a joining that is promised for a lifetime. Within the circle of its love, marriage encompasses all of life’s most important relationships. A wife and a husband are each other’s best friend, confidant, lover, teacher, listener, and critic. There may come times when one partner is heartbroken or ailing, and the love of the other may resemble the tender caring of a parent for a child. Marriage deepens and enriches every facet of life. Happiness is fuller; memories are fresher; commitment is stronger; even anger is felt more strongly, and passes away more quickly. Marriage understands and forgives the mistakes life is unable to avoid. It encourages and nurtures new life, new experiences, and new ways of expressing love through the seasons of life. When two people pledge to love and care for each other in marriage, they create a spirit unique to themselves, which binds them closer than any spoken or written words. Marriage is a promise, a potential, made in the hearts of two people who love, which takes a lifetime to fulfill.” 

 

 

 

 

 

“I Love You”, by Roy Croft
“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you, for the part of me that you bring out. I love you, for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart, and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out, into the light, all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find. I love you, because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern, but a temple. Out of the works of my every day, not a reproach, but a song. I love you, because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Sooner or Later”
“Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines, and romance in the movies. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives. For love is the creator of our favorite memories, and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent, a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places. And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all -- one known only by those who love."

 

 

"Sonnet 18", by William Shakespeare
"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou are more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade
Which in eternal lines to time thou grow’st
So long as men can breathe and eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

 

 

 

 

"The Magic of Love", by Helen Steiner Rice
“Love is like magic, and it always will be,
For love still remains life's sweet mystery.
Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,
And there's nothing in life that love cannot change!
Love can transform the most commonplace
Into beauty and splendor and sweetness and grace.
Love is unselfish, understanding and kind,
For it sees with its heart, and not with its mind.
Love is the answer that everyone seeks;
Love is the language that every heart speaks.
Love can't be bought, it is priceless and free.
Love, like pure magic, is life's sweet mystery!!”

 

 

 

“Foundations Of Marriage”, by Regina Hill
"Love, trust, and forgiveness are the foundations of marriage. In marriage, many days will bring happiness, while other days may be sad. But together, two hearts can overcome everything... In marriage, all of the moments won't be exciting or romantic, and sometimes worries and anxiety will be overwhelming. But together, two hearts that accept will find comfort together. Recollections of past joys, pains, and shared feelings will be the glue that holds everything together during even the worst and most insecure moments. Reaching out to each other as a friend, and becoming the confidant and companion that the other one needs, is the true magic and beauty of any two people together. It's inspiring in each other a dream or a feeling, and having faith in each other and not giving up...even when all the odds say to quit. It's allowing each other to be vulnerable, to be himself or herself, even when the opinions or thoughts aren't in total agreement or exactly what you'd like them to be. It's getting involved and showing interest in each other, really listening and being available, the way any best friend should be. Exactly three things need to be remembered in a marriage if it is to be a mutual bond of sharing, caring, and loving throughout life: love, trust, and forgiveness."

 

 

 

"Prayer of Love"

My marriage prayer for you is this: That you will always remember the qualities that attracted you to each other when you first met and how you felt as your feelings of attraction turned into respect, admiration and finally love. That you will work hard to turn your feelings of love into acts of love so that nothing and no one can divide you. That you will always have kind and loving hearts that are quick to ask for forgiveness when you are wrong as well as to forgive when your partner is wrong. That your love might grow to hear all things, believe all things, and hope for all things, endure all things. I pray you place your marriage in God's hands, and that your
love increases and overflows, beyond anything you can yet imagine.



A Lifetime of Love"
Author Unknown

"The most ideal expression of love is the joining in spirit of two people whose hearts are as one.
'Love……' A word that promises so many happy tomorrows, That gives meaning to everyday moments of sharing …..That strengthens and supports in difficult times…..That makes a commitment that never ends. Today is the beginning of a whole new life together …A life of special moments, shared with love….Today is the beginning of countless bright tomorrows…..
Filled with all the special dreams you are dreaming of. May the happiness you have found together be yours throughout a lifetime of love

Women living in Freedom.

Today I attended a ladies meeting at church and I was just so blessed to be surrounded by other women and hearing women and their stories as well as their struggles, challenges and strengths.

I realised just how much women need to be in relationship with each other, instead of judging one another or competing with each other, we were made to love and we should be pouring out God's love on each other.

It is true that as women we tend to put our best foot forward, we want to create an impression that e have everything together, as if we are doing well and are not struggling with anything.  The truth however is that every single one of us as one thing or another that we are struggling with. nobody as a perfect life, we all need each other, we all need help with one thing or another and it is only when we are vulnerable with the problems that we are experiencing will we be able to get freedom.

One thing I have realised is that until we let it out, ask for help, cry out for somebody to rescue you, speak to someone about your struggles, it is only then that we find relief, freedom and we overcome.

So often the devil uses women against women, we are our own worst enemies, the devil uses people who will judge you to prevent you from seeking freedom. We are then isolated and left to struggle and drown in the very thing that we need relief from if only we would talk to someone about it.


There are always people willing to listen, people who have walked through what you are struggling with and have overcome it, people willing to give you advise, to hold your hand, to cry with you...you would be surprised that maybe there is someone who as had victory over the exact same thing that you are struggling with if only you would open up to someone.

Now I know that sometimes it can be a bit difficult because as I said some ladies tend to be a bit judgmental and I also know that as a lady sometimes we do not want to show our weakness out of fear that it may be used against us but the reality is that it is better to be free because it is only in freedom that we are able to live an abundant and fulfilled life, it is only in freedom that we are able to prosper and live our full potential.


So ladies what ever it is that you may be struggling with whether in your life, your relationships, careers, families, whatever it may be, god wants to set you free. Sometimes it is not enough to just pray about it and try to overcome it by ourselves. Ladies we need each other, find someone that you trust, someone who you can confide in, someone you can open up to. Ask God for the spirit of discernment because it is true that we cannot trust everybody.

I was so blessed and challenged to see women being vulnerable with each other today and just opening up and letting God work in us. It is only when we open up and invite God that he will do a Really good thing in us.

God is a gentleman, he doesn't just force his way in, he wants to be invited in, he wants you to want him to set you free, to let you go so that you can live free as God intended.

As women we need to support each other, listen to each other and encourage each other... Too often women are too concerned about what they don't have and the other person as. Living in freedom means that you are thankful what what you have and trust God for what you don't have.

We don't need to compare ourselves to others because we are all special and loved by God....When we realise the depth of God's love, nothing else seems to matter...except living in God's love and freedom.

Life is not meant to be walked alone. God loves us and he wants to set us free and do a good thing in us. Open up and God will meet with you, you will encounter him, God always shows up....Thank You Jesus.


God wants to pour out his love, Receive it....Women need deep and meaningful relationships with each other...

Blessings

When I say "I do"

In exactly 144 days, I will be saying "I do", "I will","I promise to" to the love of my life, my best friend, my favorite person in the whole world. The one who wipes my tears, the one who makes me laugh. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend as his wife.

When I say "I do", it will be the greatest day of my life, a day I will never forget. The day I say "I do", I will be forsaking all others, everything will be perfect because I will be promising in front of family and our beloved friends to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, taking care of you and dealing with life together.

When I say "I do" it will be because you are the only man I want to spend the rest of my life with, it will be because I want you to be my last kiss, it will be because I want to make you happy, I want to go on my knees every single morning and cover you in prayer as the head of our home.

 I will say "I do" because I will take you to be my husband all the days of our lives until death does us apart. I want to pray with you and discover life together as husband and wife. I want to spend all the precious moments of our lives together as one.


I cannot wait to say "I Do", I cannot wait to be your wife, I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. When I say I do, it will be because I realize that this is a once in a life time kind of love(literally not in a cheesy movie kinda way), A love that God as blessed us with, a love that I want to protect, a love I want to nurture, a love I want to pray for and a love for which I will always thank  God for.

When  I say "I do", it will be because I want to call no other man "my husband", it will be because I want no other man to be the father of my children, I want them to be our children, ones who we will create together. I will say "I do" because I want to live and experience life at its best and worse only with you.

I will say "I do" because no other man can love me the way that you do except God, I will say "I do' because no other person other than God as shown me unconditional love. When I say "I do" it will be because you are the one person that makes me want to be a better me, the best me for you and for us.

I will say "I do" because you made me believe in Love at first sight, I loved you within the first week of meeting and knowing you. It was probably love at first sight even though we only realized it 2 days later. I will say "I do" because I do, I will say "I will" because I will, I will make promises that God will help me to fulfill.


Soon and very soon I will say "I do", "I will", " I promise to" and I cannot wait.

Love:Your future wife.

Fitness-Body and Mind

So recently I decided to change my life style in terms of health, no not after I saw what Boity did or didn't do....Her Curves are not threat!!! Neither was it a new years resolution nor is it to fit into my wedding dress(I can rock my dress just as I am right now). It was more like something within me woke up, arose....

Initially I wanted to slim down a bit for my wedding but a month into gyming and working out that changed. It changed into a desire to be healthy in body and to be physically fit, well that's how it started out but I have since realised that fitness is not only a body thing but actually starts with the mind.

So since January I have been gyming and working out...this is not about the scales(although it would be great to drop a dress size). I am someone who use to be sick quite often, particularly in 2013. I always had headaches, back pains or some pain or another and had extremely high blood pressure and I was always tired. 

Looking back I don't know how I went probably a whole year without any form of exercise. It's no wonder I was always at the doctor. I knew what I needed to do but I was too comfortable with the uncomfortable and I was mentally weak and extremely lazy. This was physical and mental laziness, for goodness sake I am only 26. I knew that I had to do something but kept procrastinating.

So this is not a new hobby, this is a life style that I want to implement, I have discovered the benefits of working out and pushing your body. It's true what they say that exercise is addictive, once you start you feel that your body needs it and as for me I don't know how I lived without it.

Not only do you feel great but you actually have better days at work in terms of been able to push and withstand the pressure, you get less exhausted and are able to do other things except work, home and sleep. This year is quite a big year for me in terms of work, my wedding and other personal goals and exercising is keeping me on top of things. If I didnt change my life style this year, I can't even imagine what would happen to me. Thank God :-)

Being fit is not only physical but also mental. This new lifestyle as forced me to think just beyond...When I am working out, I tell myself that If I am not going to work hard and achieve what I want to achieve in terms of my body, fitness levels, health etc then I might as well be at home sitting in front of the TV as it would all just be a waste of time. 

So when I am at the gym or running with all that in mind, I push beyond yesterday and I am inspired to achieve better than I did the day before. I am inspired to go big or go home and I have now transferred that thought into other areas of my life.

You see whats the point of me going to gym and being physically fit if I am mentally unfit. If I want to achieve something and I tell myself no "I can't" and give myself all the reasons as to why it won't work instead of all the reasons why it will then I am in actual fact mentally unfit and if I am mentally unfit then how will I push myself in gym and other areas of my life because we cannot achieve anything in life unless we are mentally fit. We have to be able to believe that we can do it, it all starts in the mind.

Someone VERY special to me hates the word "I can't". He always gets so annoyed with me every time that I say I can't do something whether in gym or any other thing. To him. "I cant" is a word that doesn't exist. It's a limitation that we put on ourselves. Charles as made em start questioning my "I can't" and turning them into "I will". Thanks Babe :-)


A healthy mind, leads to a healthy body. A fit mind will achieve great things. I decided to stop wishing I was fit, stop dreaming of being fit and to start actively doing something about my health and I have been feeling awesome ever since. No head aches, no sickness just loving and living life.

I encourage all of you guys who as been thinking of getting healthy to do something about it, don't just wish it and think it but actually get up and do something about it. When you decide to do something about it, don't do whats easy or comfortable, push yourself in order to see a difference.


Remember no pain, no gain.

Blessings

An Attitude of Gratitude

There comes a time in our lives when we are forced to evaluate our lives, our friendships and our relationships.

It's often the people that are closest to you who are not there in your time of need. Why is it that we have visions of how our lives are suppose to be and play out but our visions and our realities are often very different.

 Yes it's a part of life that things do not often play out the way we expected, the friends we thought were for a life time often turns out to be seasonal and when we get to a certain point in our lives, very often even the most profound times of our lives, people who we thought would be there, people with whom we share history, people with whom we share a past are not a part of our future.

I do believe that God changes disappointments into appointment. Regardless of whether we believe it or not, see it or not, appreciate it or not, God always steps in. The people that we think are best for us are the very poison that keeps us from reaching our promise land.  Life and situations forces us to be mature and see things for what they really are.

People will come in and leave our lives at some point or another. I have learnt to get with God's program, to bid people farewell when their part in my story is over, however I am still human, It still shocks me when I place people on pedestals and they disappointment, it hurts me when "that friend' does not share in my happiness, but like eagles wings I rise above it. In fact I look around me and it makes me appreciate those who are still around even more. It makes me welcome those that enter my live and give them as much love as I can.

I still question life, people, situations,  Why is it that someone whom you know less seem more appealing to open up to? Why is it that the friend whom you have known forever only shares a portion of your life and not all of it? Why do you feel like you will be judged if you open up to those closest to you? Why is the first person that crosses your mind in times of need not that dear friend or loved one? Why does a stranger get to see you cry and wipe away your tears?

Maybe it's just me, Maybe I need to be a better friend. I'm sure that other people don't share the same experiences as me. Maybe you have never been disappointed by a friend or loved one. You have probably been in the same situation at some point in your life, if not its still coming.

Human beings are far from perfect, we are in perfect human beings. The key to our happiness is to not take offence, let it out, forgive and move on with your life. Don't waste time trying to make that friend love you, appreciate you, support you. The truth is that it is impossible to please everyone and if you spend your whole life constantly seeking approval then one day you will wake up and realise that your life was never about you but about others and at the end of it all you still have not achieved anything.

So the moral of the story is forgive quickly, love with all your heart, live and enjoy every moment and recognize and accept when the story as ended so that a new story can begin. We all have a promise land, we are all on a journey to a destination better known to God and as a friend of mine once said  "YOU CAN NOT TAKE EVERYONE WITH YOU TO YOUR PROMISE LAND, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO STAY BEHIND"

So it is important to choose carefully who gets to walk with you to reach your promise land and more importantly who goes into the promise land with you. If you are not careful and do not leave some people behind, you will NEVER reach your promise land.

So my new philosophy is that "WISDOM IS KNOWING WHO TO TAKE WITH AND WHO TO LEAVE BEHIND" so choose carefully. Not everyone will get you and not everyone is meant to get you. Don't spend time crying over spilt milk, if its spilt then let it be.

Blessings

Becoming a Praying woman too.

Last year, I wrote a piece about the power of a praying man. I was encouraged and felt the need to share the power of a praying man because I had seen the power and effect of a praying man in my own life.

I felt a responsibility to share the importance of men being prayerful and covering their families and protecting their families and loved ones from the forces of this world. I had seen the damages and effects that are caused by men who are not prayerful, who do not protect their families and loved ones with prayer and I am convinced that a lot of challenges that people face in their lives, families relationships could have been easier with prayer.

Not that people don't know about prayer but I feel that too often we do not realise the true importance, significance and meaning of being prayerful. May things that happen in our lives and even in families such as families been torn apart, divorces, affairs etc all could have probably been prevented had the MAN and WOMAN been prayerful and covering each other in prayer.

On the flip side, the man does not carry the responsibility alone. There is power in a praying woman too. We as women should be the kind of people that make hell tremble, we should cause earthquakes and volcanoes in hell when we pray and seek God. As much as many things could be prevented in homes and families if men covered their families in prayer, a lot of things could also be prevented if Women covered their men in prayer.

Being a praying woman does not only apply to husband and wife relationships but also to daughters, sons, sisters, brother, cousins and all sorts of relationships. Very often we think that things have to go wrong before we are on our knees praying, situations bring us to our knees and that should not be the only times that we are on our knees. If we wait for problems to arise before we stand in prayer, it might very well be too late. Therefore let us pray and praise God in Good times, bad times, difficult times, at all times.

I am dedicating this year to living on my knees, that's my vision for the year. Not only to cover my soon to be hubby in prayer but all my loved ones in general and the country and live in and the world at large.

They say behind every great man their lies a great and prayerful woman. As a MAN fights off the burdens & pressures of life to protect his family, his woman who is anchored in her FAITH supports him in prayer and is not facing him as not to judge him as he strains to push through.

As we start this promising new year, my hearts desire is that God will give us the spirit to push(pray until something happens). That in every difficulty we shall be victorious, in every struggle that God shall speak to us, teach us and show us the way to the promise land that he as prepared for each and every single one of us, ladies and men.

God Bless us all.


Damilola