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.

Issue 06, Volume 27: Full-Time Happy

I recently realized that it’s a waste of life to stay upset and stressed when facing a challenge. When you know that God has a track record of making a way, you do not waste your life worrying about problems that show up once in a while, or even every now and then.

You must have realized in your own life that not every storm is on the forecast. Some problems just spring up on us unannounced, and sometimes undeserved. We therefore need to get ready, stay strong before the storm.

Make up your mind to be full-time happy. Decide that you will be happy in the storm and happy when the storm is over. That no matter what comes; you will keep your peace and stay happy.

It is okay to enjoy your life while you have a problem. You don’t have to wait for the problem to go away to be happy. After all, no amount of worrying or being unhappy has the power to solve your problem. Trusting in God gets the best results all the time.

What messes us up is the waiting, and sometimes the problem gets worse before it gets better. And we are tempted to doubt if God can really fix it. No matter how bad your problem gets, tell yourself and other doubting Thomas’s around you that God is working. It may not look like it, but God is at work in the situation.

I have had a loaded stretch at work this year with only short breaks here and there, and I thought I was going to enjoy myself when I finally get to take a long break at the end of the year. Then I realized that that’s not good enough for me. I need to enjoy the whole year, not just a fraction of it. I work hard, but I have to enjoy my life as I work, not wait to enjoy life only during rest times.

During this long school holiday in Kenya, my children have been counting down days to the day we leave for a family vacation sometime next month. I look at them and think to myself how terrible it would be for me if I actually waited for that day to enjoy myself. Then what would I do when that vacation period comes to an end, I wait for the next one? No, that’s not the way to live.

Don’t wait for the day you get a well deserved break to enjoy your life. That’s not good enough. Determine to enjoy every other day of your life, whether you are at work, at home, or at a lovely resort on vacation. Make up your mind to enjoy your life whether everything in your life is just the way you want it; or you are waiting for something to happen, a breakthrough, a miracle; or you are going through a challenge.

Jesus said that “I came that you may have life and have it to the full”. God wants us to enjoy life. This whole idea of being miserable while going through a problem is the devil’s idea to keep us away from what Jesus paid a price for us to have.

The Bible says “rejoice and again I say rejoice”. This stuff about rejoicing must be important for God to have said it twice on the same verse! He must have known that there would be many opportunities for us to lose our joy, hence repeated it to stress the point, commanding us to rejoice no matter what comes.

Additionally, it doesn’t say to rejoice only when things are good in your life. It says to rejoice always. There is so much strength in joy, it keeps us going. What we need more than anything else while going through something hard is the joy the Lord and the peace of God that surpasses understanding. And these are available for the taking for whosoever will.

Just because your child is unwell or your marriage is in trouble doesn’t mean you have to be miserable. There is no power in misery. Cast your care to the Lord and enjoy your life. You have no power to heal anything. Your being unhappy carries no magical power to change the situation. Do your part and trust God. Take your problem to the miracle worker and leave it there. He is faithful.

Worrying and fretting only sets you up for regret. God answers but you are not in a position to receive because you are bordering on doubt instead of faith. And if per chance you do not doubt but stay unhappy, you will feel wasted when the situation is resolved and you realize that God was working after all, you did not need to worry. What a waste of life! Be happy while you wait.

The next time you have a challenge, take it as an opportunity to see God work. Things always work out when we trust God, always. Chose to trust God even if nothing good comes out of it. Decide to be full-time happy; happy in the storm, and happy when the storm is over.

Lillian Chebosi

Issue 06, Volume 26: Do it Early

Things don’t always go our way every day. A day that starts out beautifully may face some negative happenings. Make up your mind early that whatever comes your way, you will remain at peace. Set up your mind that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Decide ahead of time that no matter what comes in your day, you are equal to anything through Christ who infuses inner strength in you.

Make some decisions early in the morning. Prophecy your future. Call forth things that are not as though they are. Expect something good to happen to you and through you. Set your mind to enjoy your day early in the morning. “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad”. Decide ahead of time to enjoy your day and to live to please God.

Some people say they are not morning people, and that’s okay. But whenever you get up, (even if it is 1pm in the afternoon), that is your morning. Whenever you start your day, start it with God. We need to do some things on purpose, make some decisions early.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and they shall not faint!

Rise up early and seek God because he is your manna. Jesus is the bread of life that we need now. The Israelites got up early and collected their manna. That stuff came down early and you couldn’t wait for it to melt because you weren’t getting anything until the next day. They got up, got their jars and went out and collected it early.

Get your day started right by seeking God first. The Bible is full it. David rose up early and sought the Lord. Jacob rose up early and sought the Lord. Abraham rose up early and sought the Lord. David rose up early the day he slay Goliath. You are not going to kill your giants lying in bed, hitting the snooze button.

If this early thing is not important, if getting things right with God first thing you get up, whenever your morning is, is not important, then they wouldn’t say it all over the Bible.

Get the difficult stuff over with early. Abraham rose up early the morning God asked him to sacrifice his son.

Get up early in the morning and take care of the hard tasks, get them out of the way first. Don’t let some job that you have to do threaten you all day and make you dread the day. Different people dislike doing different tasks. If you dislike going to the market, get up and do it early and get over with it.

Jesus rose up early as was his habit and sought the Lord on the day he was arrested. He was so distressed over what he was going to endure he sweat blood. As he prayed, angels came and strengthened him. Jesus had asked his disciples to pray that they wouldn’t fall into temptation but they fell asleep. Peter denied Jesus 3 times that day.

Pray ahead of time that when temptation comes, you won’t fall into it. If food is a temptation for you, don’t wait until you’ve already eaten half a plate of cake or 3 plates of food at a go then pray. Pray about it all the time. Pray about it in the morning. If telling white lies is a temptation for you, don’t wait until you’ve told one then pray. Set you mind early in the morning by praying about it.

Set your mind right every morning and keep it set. Arm yourself with right thinking. Quit living by whim and feelings. Make up your mind to some stuff. Use your will to line it up with God. How can two walk together unless they be agreed? Get yourself in agreement with God.

Lillian Chebosi

Issue 06, Volume 25: Stay in Your Comfort Zone

There are so many stressors in life today. One of the things I have found helpful is staying in my comfort zone.

Stay in your comfort zone. It doesn’t mean you never do anything difficult. It does mean you recognize your limits and respect them. Stop trying to do stuff that you are not good at.

Stay where you are comfortable. Do things that are within your strength and comfort zone. Don’t think you have to compare yourself with somebody else. It creates so much stress when we think we have to do what everybody else is doing. No matter what somebody else is doing, if they like it they are going to think everybody should do it.

If you don’t stand up for yourself, you will spend your life doing stuff that you don’t like and feel bad because you are not good at it, when it’s not even what you are supposed to be doing.

Don’t do things that stress you out. Whatever you do, let it be that you do it from a position of rest. Be it raising your children, home making, doing ministry, your career, sports or exercise; do it from a position of rest. Don’t be pressured into doing exercise the way somebody else is doing it unless it suits you. Do what works for you.

We don’t get to do only the things we like to do, things that are easy for us. But we shouldn’t have a majority of what we have to do be things that we don’t like doing.

Spend your day in activities that strengthen you, things that make you feel good about yourself, things that draw out your juices. If you dread going home to cook every other evening, then maybe having someone else cook for you may release you to enjoy your life. If you dread going to the office every other morning, seriously consider rethinking your career. It should be something you are not only good at, but enjoy doing.

Lillian Chebosi

Issue 06, Volume 24: It Takes a Lifetime

Pablo Picasso was walking down the street in Paris one day when a woman recognized and approached him. After introducing herself and praising his work, she asked him if he would consider drawing her portrait and offered to pay him for the piece. Picasso agreed and sat the woman down there and then on the side of the street, brought out a sketchbook and pencil, and began to draw the woman. A small crowd of spectators gathered very quickly, but in only a handful of minutes Picasso had finished the drawing. As he handed it to the woman, he said, “That will be five thousand francs.” Surprised at the price, the woman objected, saying, “But Mr. Picasso, it took you only a few minutes.” Picasso smiled and replied, “No, my dear woman, you are mistaken, it took me a whole lifetime.”

What happens in our lives is almost always a result of the things we habitually think and the things we habitually do. Success doesn't just happen in a moment, it is a result of what we habitually practice.

Life is the fruit of discipline, or lack of it. I cannot separate Rory Mcllroy's phenomenal performance and record-crushing victory at the TOUR Championship and FedExCup at East Lake in Atlanta last Sunday from the twenty years of his life prior to that event. Mcllroy holed two shots on the sixteenth hole, his second victory in 3 weeks that made him the first player to win four FedExCup playoff events. His practice sessions fifteen years earlier at the age of six were as much a part of that double victory as his final approach shot to the eighteenth green.

Some of us enjoyed the Olympic games several weeks ago. I still remember some of the phenomenon athletes by name, and the exloits they did in Rio, Brazil. I was wowed by their breath taking performances. Each athlete showed up for gold. They spent the last four years or more preparing for the championship. We celebrated with those who attained podium finishes, walking away with gold, silver or bronze medals.

Champions are not made in the ring, they are only recognized there. None of the Rio 2016 Olympic champions were overnight champions. They spent their lives preparing for that moment.

When you see people advanced in years energetic and vibrant, it didn’t just happen, they worked for it. When you see a family enjoying a strong bond of friendship and thriving relationships, it didn’t just happen, they invested years of quality time together.

Don't just marvel and do nothing. Make the necessary investments in your life to position yourself for what you want to reap in your life now and in future.

Be not discouraged when you don't see any rewards for your efforts now. Picasso spent all of his life practicing his art to be able to do it meticulously. Nobody was paying him while he practiced. Years later after he polished his art, he started reaping rewards from it. Every disciplined effort has its own multiple reward.

Lillian Chebosi

Issue 06, Volume 23: Invest Your Time

We are always spending time doing something. When you spend your time, you are buying something with it. What are you buying with the time you spend doing this and that in your day?

What are you doing with the time you spend exercising? You are buying years. You are buying energy. You are buying vibrancy. You are buying the opportunity to be here a lot longer than you would if you didn’t do any exercise.

What are you doing with the time you spend studying and soaking in God’s presence? You are buying intimacy with God. You are buying confidence in the promises of God. You are buying the opportunity to experience the blessings of God. You are buying a rich and abundant life.

What are you doing with the time you spend reading? You are buying wisdom. You are buying intellectual growth and development. You are buying an expanded view of life. You are buying the opportunity to help others from a position of knowledge and understanding.

What are you doing with the time you spend with your children? You are buying a happy home with children growing up well-mannered and feeling loved. You are buying a close bond that will last for years. You are buying generational greatness.

What are you doing with the time you spend with your spouse? You are buying intimacy. You are buying a thriving relationship that will stand the tests of life. You are buying a strong bond of friendship that you can count on in hard times. You are buying a happy and functional home for your children.

On the other hand, what are you buying with the time you spend worrying, or feeling sorry for yourself? What are you buying with the time you spend gossiping or listening to gossip? What are you buying with the time you spend watching endless episodes of reality television or soaps? What are buying with the hours you spend on social media?

Take an inventory of your time. See if the activities you are spending most of your free time on are investments or divestments. Invest your time. Don’t waste it.

Lillian Chebosi