By “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Very many don’t make it. Very many, especially in my generation, are looking for shortcuts to fortune. No one wants to go through the process. This is why the market is flooded with surefire formulas for a successful life and motivational speakers have gained traction. I don’t blame my generation for wanting to “make it” and be successful. Life is meant for living right? It is important to note however that there is a way that seems right to a man… but in the end it leads to death. I have learned to be careful with “quick” things. Good things take time.
Great things mature through process. (A good Thieboudienne takes up to three hours to make! 😉)
The road less traveled is oftentimes the path that leads to greatness. This Sunday, a woman I look up to said something that hit me in my full chest. I am not a crowd. She said it in French: “Je ne suis pas une foule“. Selah. Please just sit and ponder on this for a moment because…what?! 💥
I choose to take comfort in my undeniable comparative advantage: the fact that I am different. I am unique. I can’t blend into or in with the crowd, I flow against the current. One thing that allows me to be comfortable in my lane, is Identity. I am constantly anchoring myself in who I am. My identity is secure, and so I know that I can’t go there, or I can’t wear that… I know who I am and so I know who I am not. I am not a crowd. Where others may, I can not. As we draw near to the end of quarter two, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure you are on track for who you will be in 5 years, 10 years and even 15 years from now. Join me on my journey of thinking long term by visualising who you will be tomorrow and acting short term by establishing consistent steps you can work on now in the becoming of future you. 1. Be plugged into good soil. If a seed is not growing, consider its soil. My mom brought beans from Zambia, to plant here in Senegal. The same seed that grew in Zambia, couldn’t grow in Senegal…why?
Good soil: Community that allows for the seed that is you to grow and flourish. As Bill Johnson says: to kill giants, follow a giant killer 💪. So who are you following? I personally am plugged into strong community that allows me to stretch and grow. My church youth group and choir & Kingdom Warriors are the two main ones. I also am plugged into other groups where I draw from for different areas of focus. Whenever I slack, there is someone to alert me and ensure I stay on track. There are also responsibilities I need to fulfill that keep me accountable in action (I can’t be caught slacking if there are others depending on me right?) I don’t joke with community. My prayer for me and you is that we will always be plugged into destiny relationships and alliances. That we will receive strength to leave wrong relationships and cut off from unholy alliances. 2. Be intentional about WHO you are listening to and WHY. I want to grow in my career, so I listen daily to a course online (Udemy) on how to use Excel. I want to grow in my relationship with God, so I listen to sermons and I’m plugged into Kingdom Warriors where I wake up every day at 3am to pray. I want to grow in my ministry of leading worship so I have organized my life to ensure that I attend workshops that are aligned with this goal. It just so happens that a church is organizing a worshipers workshop and I have been very intentional about attending, even if it means leaving my church service early and commuting 2 hours to get there and learn. Growth is important to me, in all the different focal points of my life. A question to answer as you self evaluate: Who are you when no one is looking? Who you are when no one sees you, is who comes out when everyone is looking. David defeated the lion and the bear when no one was looking, before he killed goliath. He showed he was great in secret, even before his greatness was celebrated in public.
A few resources that are speaking life into my life in this season:
Hello Tomorrow – Cindy Trimm. This book is power-packed on vision. STRENGTHEN yourself in THE LORD – Bill Johnson Living Awakened – Sermon by Debola Deji Kurunmi (DDK) Frequency – Sermon Series by Pastor Robert Morris on Hearing God’s Voice P.S For my English speakers that noticed how I used the word “plugged in” instead of planted… it is purposeful, please calm down 😎. Consider this scenario: your phone dies from low battery, and so you plug it in to charge. Once it’s full, you have to turn it on for it to work! It can be plugged into power, fully charged, but still off. To be plugged in is to be planted so that your roots can grow deep. To be turned on is to yield fruits…we want to see the green leaves and eat that fruit!
Much love, Lynda
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