Equipping young women professionals with young families to find fulfillment, contentment and joy as mothers and home makers without losing sight of who they are as women.

Volume 12, Issue 07: Joy Comes In The Morning

I recently had an awful experience with someone close to me. It was a case false accusation, something I don't remember ever facing before. It was heart rending. Being falsely accused, busted and blocked all at once is a horrible experience. It reminded me of a glimpse of what Jesus went through for us.

The best part about that experience is what happened after. I thought I was going to be okay, recover from the ambush over time. But God didn't miss a bit. First thing the next morning he reminded me that "Joy comes in the morning". That was amazing for me. The Bible says that sorrow may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning.

There is a clear distinction between those who know the Lord and those who don't. If we walk with God, we don't have to wallow in sorrow and stay downcast from an attack for days on end. He takes it away, rolls away the reproach. And in it's place clothes us with joy and dancing. How awesome is that?

God brings his word to remembrance just when we need it. I hadn't read, heard or thought about that portion of scripture in a long time. But there it was that morning, right when I needed it. I wasn't searching for it. I just wanted to pray, to pour out my heart to God.

As I stepped out my door for my early morning walk, my heart was intent on laying the issue before the Lord. I wanted to talk about what happened the day before with him, and ask him to heal my heart. But God had a different agenda that morning. He had me drop the offense and receive his joy. I received instant healing and recovery.

People may throw their trash on you. But God is in your corner and he won't let you stay downcast over it. Shake off the offense by the grace of God. It's bad enough to be falsely accused and called bad names, it's even worse to be denied the chance to say "it's not true, I didn't do that". But it wasn't my trash to keep, it had nothing to do with me. So I shook it off and moved on with the joy of the Lord. And so can you. Joy comes in the morning.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 12, Issue 06: Plan Ahead And Focus

What is planned and given focus gets accomplished. Doing this last year I found that it's not that hard to get things done if I plan ahead and focus on the details. I started with planning ahead a day at a time, but progressed to planning a week at a time. At the end of the week, I make a mental and digital note of what I want to do the next week to nail the day, including all the details.

I then consider what I am doing the next day before going to bed. For my workout, I remind myself the workout I am going to do the next morning so that when the time comes I don't waste time choosing. I also select the podcast or Bible plan I would be listening to while I work out. For my lunch break, I decide what I am going to read or write so I don't beat about the bush. How about you? What strategies do you apply to keep you focused on the goals you are going after?

When some of your goals are hard to tackle because they involve doing things you don't necessarily enjoy doing yet, you are just getting started at them. You will be prone to procrastinate taking action or bail altogether. If this is your situation, you are better off starting with those activities first thing in the morning.

If you want to win at getting a workout done for your health goal but you are not very fond of exercising, start your day with it. Get it over and done with at the onset of your day. Don't let something you dislike doing torture you all day and keep you from winning the day.

How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it. Make the most of the early part of your day and it will motivate you to keep showing up well for the rest of the day. This proves true for me every time. If I am on time for my activities from the start of the day, I feel unstoppable and fulfilled.

In his book, Win the Day: 7 Habits to Stress Less and Accomplish More, Mark Batterson wrote, "what's the one thing you least like to do, but feel best about afterwards. That's your frog. It's often the hardest habit to establish but it pays the biggest dividends. Whatever it is, you've got to figure out a morning routine that works for you. If you want to win the day, you've got to attack the day. It's time to eat the frog." For me, this is getting out of bed as soon as my body is awake. Once I win at this, I can tackle following my calendar.

Even if you are just getting started at some of your goals, don't be intimidated. Tackling the activities will soon become second nature if you diligently put yourself out there every day. How do you do that? By planning ahead each day and keeping the activities before you throughout the day. Start the day with the activities you are most likely to procrastinate on and use that sense of accomplishment to motivate you to tackle the rest.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 12, Issue 05: Can You Do It Today?

How do we really nail the day? Last year I put tiny stickers written "Win The Day" in red all around me. I had it on the back of my phone, on my workstation, on my laptop, on the front cover of my iPad, and so forth. I wanted visual reminders to help me remember to win the day throughout my day.

Having built the habit of waking up early, most of the time I am awake before my alarm goes off. When I hear it, I remind myself to nail the day, starting with getting out of bed that very moment. When I am getting ready to eat, or when I am tempted to eat when I am not hungry or to continue eating after I have had my fill, I remind myself to win the day by eating right.

A house is built one day at a time. A career is advanced one day at a time. A relationship is built one day at a time. A strong, fit and healthy body is built one day at a time. It matters not what discipline you're trying to inculcate, what habit you're trying to build, what goal you are going after. It always happens one day at a time.

In his book Win the Day, Mark Batterson writes that "no matter what habit you're trying to build, what problem you're trying to solve, or what goal you are going after, it always happens one day at a time. When you think it terms of weeks and months and years, it can be overwhelming and demotivating. Don't worry about next week, next month, or next year! Can you do it today?"

Can we do it today? With God's help, absolutely. We can get out of bed on time today. We can eat right today. We can workout today. We can squeeze in more reading today. We can spend quality time with our loved ones today. We can do today whatever it is we need to do to get us to our desired ends.

Almost anybody can do something for just a day. We can look at each day as the only day we have to work on something. Before we know it, we will be living each day as if it's the only day we have left to live. We will be showing up as we truly want to, really playing our "A" game, being who we really are, a people made for greatness.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 12, Issue 04: Nail The Day

As I set out to go after my goals again this year, just like last year and the years past, I figure that the best chance I have in succeeding is setting out to win today....every day. My inspiration for this last year was from Mark Batterson's "Win The Day" book. I have scheduled to read it again this month for fresh inspiration.

Goal attainment isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. It is not something we end up with all of a sudden, it is something we work towards. We attain our dreams a day at a time, and an action at a time.

Just like I figured last year, if I want to start my days on time, tackle each and every item on my calendar unhurried, without skipping some, then I have to get out of bed on time, as soon as my body is awake this morning....every morning. If I want to wake up refreshed, I have to go to bed on time tonight....every night.

If I want to read a book a week this year, I need to break that down into a daily habit of reading for an hour today....every day, and listening to two audiobooks a week....every week. If I want to become a seasoned writer, I need to write a few paragraphs today....every day.

If I want to maintain a flat tummy, what holds the key to this become ingrained my reality month after month all year long is my daily habits with food. The best way I have learnt is to watch how much I eat today....every day. Rather than counting on getting it right over time, I will consume a prudent diet today....every day. This constitutes correct food portions in the correct proportions taken at correct frequencies.

Once again, I am applying this principle across the board for all my intentions for 2022. My goals are most likely very different from yours, but what we have in common is a strong desire to go higher this year. We don't want to just look like we are playing our "A" game, we want to really play our "A" game in all spheres of our lives.

In order to attain your goals this year, how can you set out to win today .....every day? What small daily habits can you incorporate in your lifestyle to help you nail the day?There are no overnight successes. Let's chip away at our goals today....every day, and we will most certainly have the future we want.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 12, Issue 03: Not This Year

What did you leave on the table last year? What has your lifestyle and your systems have you leaving on the table year in - year out? What is it that you know you want but haven't had the stamina to rearrange your life to accommodate?

Just like the start of every day and every week and every month is an opportunity to turn our lives around, the start of every year is an even bigger opportunity to make bold decisions and start taking steps towards what we really want.

What don't I want to continue leaving on the table anymore? What could I have if I followed my calendar to the letter? What could I accomplish if I started every single day on time? What could I gain if I invested in the friendships that I have?

What don't you want to continue leaving on the table anymore? Happiness, health and fitness, a spouse, kids, a thriving marriage, closeness to your growing children, real friendships, a house, time to enjoy the life you work so hard for?

What could you have if only you changed a few things in your life? What could you have if you switched jobs, moved houses, downsized your lifestyle, dropped wrong friends, saved before you spent, called and visited your family more often?

What could you have if you went to bed early, ditched the snooze button on your alarm and got out of bed the time you really need to wake up? What could you have if you changed your diet, walked up the stairs instead of using the elevator, went out for a brisk walk instead of binge watching Netflix every evening? You can make a bold decision right now and start moving towards not leaving anything on the table this year.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi