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 10, Issue 40: You're Fit For The Job

Today I saw something I wrote in my journal 5 months ago. It must have been informed by something I read from a study. I can't recall which study it was but it must have been very impactful to me. Here is what I wrote down;

"I am fit for the job. God could have chosen anyone to be the parent of my daughter and my son. But He didn't choose just anyone; He chose me! I will remain involved in their lives, engaged and an all-in parent. I will dream big for them, pray like mad, and never give up hope. I will remind myself that no matter how hard I work at being the best mom, my daughter and son are human beings with free will. They can and will mess up - more than once."

Then I wrote this prayer, "Father I ask You to lead every area of my life so that my daughter and son will see the joy and fulfillment that You alone can bring. Help me keep my cool, and model your love and peace to them during both wonderful and awful moments, Amen."

As parents of teens and preteens, it's not always a joy ride walking the parenting journey. Our kids sometimes push our buttons real hard and we can have moments when we don't even like them. I know I have had a few of such moments with my oldest. Luckily those moments quickly pass and our hearts are once again flooded with love for the child.

What's important to note is that such awful moments are real and we don't do ourselves any justice denying them. What counts is how we carry ourselves during such moments. We must train ourselves to not verbalize what we are thinking when we have been pushed to the limit but rather remain firm and loving, calm and collected.

At such times, you could feel you don't have what it takes to parent your child. But that's far from the truth. God did not make a mistake in choosing you to be the parent of your child. You are fit for the job. So buckle up and continue parenting your child the best way you know how.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 10, Issue 39: Forever Friendships

Do you remember how it was when we were kids? Most of us had best friends with whom we did a lot of things together. We had lots of fun and got in trouble together. We dreamt of going to the same high school together, we couldn't bear the thought of being separated. And when the worst happened and we ended up getting accepted by different high schools, we bid each other farewell in tears and vowed to write letters to each other every week. Those were good times. Doing life with our friends enriched our lives greatly.

But the story isn't quite the same for most of us now. We live in times when true friendships are hard to spot. Most of us find ourselves engaged in multiple social media groups but lacking in close individual friendships. I know very few people who can really refer to anyone as their best friend.

The truth is, we are wired for deep friendships but we have settled for mere friendships of convenience. God revealed to us one of deep friendships in David and Jonathan's story. These two were covenant friends, a bond that was forged as soon as they met. Jonathan became David's number one advocate and friend - sharing everything with David - from his royal robe and weapons - armor, sword, bow and belt, and defending David before his father, King Saul. David and Jonathan's was a friendship that stood the test of fierce opposition and death.

““Come outside,” said Jonathan. “Let’s go to the field.” When the two of them were out in the field, Jonathan said, “As GOD, the God of Israel, is my witness, by this time tomorrow I’ll get it out of my father how he feels about you. Then I’ll let you know what I learn. May GOD do his worst to me if I let you down! If my father still intends to kill you, I’ll tell you and get you out of here in one piece. And GOD be with you as he’s been with my father! If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die, keep the covenant friendship with my family—forever. And when GOD finally rids the earth of David’s enemies, stay loyal to Jonathan!” Jonathan repeated his pledge of love and friendship for David. He loved David more than his own soul!” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭20:11-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we long for deeper, closer friends with whom we can share life. We should have such friendships with our spouses or significant others, and a few other people, even just one. I believe we can stretch our faith and believe God to help us build a few forever friendships. We can ask God to help us go out and find someone who needs us to be their friend.

But we can't pray and do nothing. God isn't going to drop friends from heaven like manna. Let's accompany our faith with actions as the Lord leads. If you have a spouse or significant other that you don't feel as close to as you would like to be, begin taking steps towards deepening your connection and friendship. Let's go out and find someone who needs us to be their friend. Some of us have a random friend or kin whom we don't pay much attention to. They could be the people who need us to be their friend. Let's start investing in the friendship and see how it goes.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 10, Issue 38: Becoming True Worshippers

There are two times to worship: when you feel like it and when you don't. Oh, that our worship would not be tossed like the winds and waves when challenges come or victories are won. May our lives be a fragrant aroma of worship to the Father in every season.

After a long day at work, "I'm tired, but still You are worthy!" If finances aren't there yet, "I don't feel like it, but I lift my hands to You again in surrender!" When relationships are strained, "I feel like wallowing in sadness, but I look to You in adoration!"

Like the widow who gave two mites, we may not have much, but we give all that we have because Jesus is worthy. His love is incredible, redeeming, selfless, victorious and relentless.

Pure worship isn't built on a foundation of a feeling, atmosphere, or the lyrics and melodies composed by man. Worship is a response to seeing Him. A worshipper is marked and formed by an encounter with the man Jesus, an encounter that brings life and death simultaneously.

It's in beholding the beauty and holiness of the Lord that a response rings from the inner man, "I love You! Apart from You, I am nothing. Jesus, I respond to You with all that I am. Your love for me has me completely undone from the inside out. I praise You, Holy One! My soul will bless You at all times, and I will not forget your benefits. The melody you sing over me causes me to triumph, and I'm left in awe!

This is from the heart of worship YouVersion Bible plan provided by Christ for the Nations.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 10, Issue 37: The Last 100 Days

The beginning of this week marked the start of the last 100 days of 2020. When this was brought to my attention, I started thinking of what I can salvage. By this time in the year, there are intentions that we have probably given up living up to this year. But the awareness of a whooping 100 days left in the year brings a sense of motivation that it's not too late to salvage some things.

Are there conversations you intended to have, maybe one off or on a regular basis this year that you haven't gathered the courage or made the time to have? Are there trips you intended to make, places or people you intended to visit that the COVID pandemic prevented you from making and visiting respectively? Are there habits you intended to master or drop that somehow fell through the cracks? Are there disciplines you started at the beginning of the year but didn't follow through with after awhile? If you are anything like me, you have answered 'yes' to some of these questions.

Is there a qualification you intended to get or start pursuing that you put on hold for one reason or another? Are there struggles you would rather conquer this unprecedented year than carry forward to next year? I most certainly have a few of those. This last 100 days' mark gives us an opportunity not to reset the clock, but to salvage a few things and finish the year in a better place than we otherwise would. Let's take a few moments to consider what's important to us, the things that are worth salvaging thus far in the year and give it a try.

There's still enough time to start enjoying your life, to start rewarding yourself, to start eating better, to start exercising, to start a course or earn a qualification, to start praying with your spouse, to start reading books, to start planning for your future, to fight for a relationship worth salvaging. There's still enough time to stop hitting the snooze button, to stop overeating, to stop shouting at your children, to stop taking yourself too seriously, to stop working yourself to the ground, to stop overspending at the expense of your future, to walk away from a wrong relationship.

There's still enough time to dance in the rain. There's still enough time to stop beating yourself up for what went wrong, for the messes you made. There's still enough time to let go of the pain or shame, to accept what you can't fix or change. There's still enough time to give yourself permission to fly, or smile. There's still enough time to come out of the furnace of 2020 smelling like a rose. So, will you give it a try? I sure will. I owe it to myself, and so do you.

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi

Volume 10, Issue 36: One Purpose, Different Assignments

I like what I gleaned on the subject of purpose while studying Rachel G. Scott's Walking in your Purpose YouVersion Bible plan. She wrote that the Google search dictionary defines the word "purpose" as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Google defines the word "assignment" as coming from the root word assign, which means to allocate (a job or duty) or to designate or set aside for a specific purpose.

As you can see from these definitions, these two words although seemingly similar are distinctly different from each other. One answers the what and the other answers the how. Purpose answers the what and assignment answers the how - Rachel G. Scott.

Our assignments are defined by our purpose. As followers of Christ, we have all been given the same purpose. Our purpose is to walk in the authority that has been given to us on earth and in heaven, and to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the reason we exist, to make His name known throughout the earth. Through spreading the message of Jesus Christ and bringing people into the knowledge of Him, we walk fully and totally in the purpose for which we have been created - Rachel G. Scott.

The purpose is clear, it is our assignment (the way in which we are each called to go about it) that differs. Rachel expounds more on assignments in her Walking in your Assignment YouVersion Bible plan. She says that assignments are defined by the purpose, and the purpose is fulfilled by the assignments. Every assignment is significant in fulfilling the purpose. All assignments that God has us on are impactful and a contribution to his greater purpose.

My key takeaway from these devotionals from Rachel G. Scott is that, just like every believer, my purpose is to make Christ known. My assignment - one of the ways I do that is with my writing. What is your assignment? What are the ways you are called to go about fulfilling THE Purpose? How are you making Christ known?

For His Glory,

Lillian Chebosi