No Ordinary Days: How to Make Your Days Count

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Most people complain that their everyday life isn’t interesting. Nothing special happens to them except on some special occasions where they have something to celebrate or mark. Their days are just so-so they claim.

Yet these individuals forget that life is measured and tested in the “everyday life”. Anybody can do well on special occasions. Anybody can do good on Sundays. Any person can be nice and sweet in the midst of gentle influences. Anybody can perform acts of heroism once or twice in their lifetime.

And all these is good, but you must realize that what you do with the ordinary days is the real measure of your life’s character and value. You cannot neglect your ordinary days and expect to have a great year. Often people say “I have had a bad year”, “I haven’t achieved anything worthwhile this year” etc, without realizing that it is 365 days that make a year, and when you don’t take care of those days, you will miss out of the year.

Nearly all the world’s best work is done in the ordinary days, the every days. Too many people have missed of their opportunities because they neglected the common tasks and assignment before them, while looking for big ones that will come on special days.

How Are We to Think About The Difficulties We Meet in Life?

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Most people regard the difficulties they encounter as great misfortunes, and they are right. But that isn’t completely true about difficulties, that aren’t the only way to see them. In fact there is a better way to think about difficulties.

Difficulties are often, when rightly used, often great blessings in disguise. And this is how you should always see and think about them. Most people complain about having to meet with difficulties in their start-ups, relationships, or early years in marriage. But on the contrary they ought to be thankful.

Because every difficult we face cause us to think outside the box, enables us to reach for that part of our minds that we have allowed to grow weeds, spur us to travail, become more resilient and resourceful.

Think about those giant trees in your parks, like that giant oak tree or any other tree that has been standing since when you were a little kid going to school or playing with your friends. The tree hasn’t lasted this long, grown that big and strong just because the ground was fertile, NO!

So No One is Repaying Your Kindness?

I was listening to a radio programme yesterday where there was a discussion about gratitude and kindness to others. In the course of the programme, someone sent in a message and stated that he had stop caring about others because in spite of all he does for others, nobody ever shows him gratitude or return favours.

As the show continued, most of the callers’ responses to the message were very sympathetic to the guy who wasn’t receiving enough gratitude and favours for the good he does to others. One caller went as far complaining at how the world is filled with ingrates and unloving people.

Some of the questions going through my mind both during and moments after the radio show were; “why should we write off the world just because of a few bad people?” Why should our love and kindness to others be tied to what they give to us or how we expect to be treated in return? Must everyone whom we show some form of kindness pay us back or even tell us gratitude?

Sometime ago I ate food that didn’t taste very nice but that didn’t make stop eating food again because of my previous experience. Some people drive and unfortunately get involved in some accident, yet they never stop driving or travelling along the road. But you find an individual who helps someone or some people, who later didn’t do enough to repay his/her kindness, says, “I have had my experience, I have learned my lessons. This is the last time I will ever show kindness to people. I did this or that for this and that, and now see what I got in return.”

Watch Your Confessions

Most times when I meet people, 8 out of the ten sentences they make are complains about life; about not having what they want. They complain about having bills, not having the car or house of their dreams. Not having enough money, they complain about the society, the negative influences, their children, the weather etc.

Folks the more we talk about these things they more they increase in our lives. Some of us are making the laws of God work against us instead of working for us. The scripture says, “Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened to you, seek and you shall find.” What have you been seeking? Problems, sicknesses, poverty, lack of opportunities? Yes you seek for these things when you talk more about them. Remember what you focus on will expand.

Rejoice, not Complain

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“We can complain that the rose has bushes, have thorns or we can complain that thorns have roses.” – Abraham Lincoln

Like the thorns are always parts of the rose flower, so are problems part of life. There isn’t a life without some form of problem or the other. But some of us have made it habitual to complain about our problems. We are always seeking friends, family and church to complain to. In my country today many people are always seeking for prophets and “prayer warriors” to eliminate problems, failing to understand that a problem free person is a dead person.

One Day You Will Thank God for That Difficulty!

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Many times we are wont to complain about our difficulties and challenges, but the fact is difficulties and not the good life is what it takes to develop into the man or woman God created you to be. Some of us will agree that we are able to handle life better today because of the challenges we faced in the past.

Early on in my life I faced a lot of difficulties because my parents suffered some financial setbacks, so I was made to grow up earlier than most of my mates. Back then I used to feel bad that I had to hawk at a time; I had to go to the farm after school, or some days even skipped school for farm.

There were times I had to travel alone for hours often riding a motor bike across villages and forest to attend to my family’s business. There were also times when we couldn’t afford three square meals so we had to make do with one or two…then it was painful for me.

Today as I look at my life and how God is dealing with me, I can only look back in thanks for having me go through that phase early in life. Although life isn’t altogether rosy for me now, but I can face any challenge life throws at me easily because it can never be as hard as the ones I had face earlier.

Better Days Ahead!

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Some of you are always talking about your past; your past achievements; your past successes; your past relationship and marriages. Meaning that nothing really grand is happening to you now or in the future. When you look at your future you do so with the eyes of fear and worry, thinking that you have lived your best years and achieved your best successes in the past.

Folks if this is the case with you, cheer up and never worry because an old Italian proverb says, “Do not worry. When God shuts a door, He opens a window.” Your past isn’t your best. The relationship you just lost isn’t going to be your last nor isn’t going to be your fondest.

Stop looking back in regret of your mistakes and inaction…yes you made the mistakes but there still opportunities ahead for you in the future. In my own life I have done so many mistakes too that I thought my life would never move ahead. I have also experienced good times too, but I know that I have more years ahead of me filled with great opportunities for me to take – same also with you.

Everybody Can Teach You Something

Some of us are waiting to hear from God about our purpose, career, life calling, relationships, marriages, money, success, school, health, and so on. We pray, attend churches/seminars/workshops hoping to finally hear or have a divine solution towards that life’s problem.

Doesn’t God speak anymore? of course He does, as the scripture says, “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” Every day passing day each of us is  being spoken to, we are being offered solutions to our problems and challenges, yet the world is still filled with people who are yearning for more.

Maybe the reason you don’t hear God is because you are looking for a divine medium to talk to you. You fail to realize that you can learn from and are encouraged/challenged/blessed by everyone, every situation and every experience. You see, everyone you encounter; the beggar on the street, the child passing along the way, the neighboInspiratr you are not in terms with, the co-passenger in the bus you travel in; the challenge you are going through; that misunderstanding with your spouse/partner…all have something for you to learn.

Today: God’s Gift For You

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“This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24

“Each night I go to sleep I die and the next morning when I wake up I am reborn again.”  —Gandhi

Each day is a gift from God, and the best way to live it is with rejoicing and gladness just like the Psalmist said. Receive this day as a special gift from heaven, an opportunity for us to be reborn and begin our lives again. If you see this day as a gift, you will treasure it, and not waste it on unproductive activities. Never allow the pains, hurdles, handicaps, and defeats of yesterday to poison your attitude towards this day. Never allow the words, actions or inactions of others to cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. This day is too precious to be wasted on thinking about the hate, jealousy and envy of others.

Sometimes it seems as if the 24 hours allotted to us each day isn’t enough to accomplish all tasks at hand, and so we tend to always be in a hurry.