DAY 9: LETTERS FROM FRIENDS - MARIA'S LESSONS

Hello fam, how's everyone doing?

I asked my friend Maria to share some lessons she has learnt so far with me some months back.

Well, what better time to share those lessons than this time of the year. Hope this blesses you as much as it did to me.

On faith

I wish I knew how the Holy Spirit communicated to me very early in my christian journey. I’m very certain now more than ever that he’s always been talking but I never heard or listened.

Most of the time,it was a still small voice, by the Word, by a line in a song, an impression on the heart, an urge to do something, losing my peace, even through my emotions (though not always a good indicator).

Know what works for you by staying with Him. How smart can you be without the help of the Holy Spirit? Life is abundantly better when your ears are in heaven.

On Purpose and Self leadership

Strive to be better everyday than you were a day before. Develop yourself for you. You wouldn’t want to appear ignorant before those you’re called to when necessity is deemed upon you to produce an impact. Everyday is an opportunity to upgrade, a learning process and a time for preparation. We’re all a work in progress for a bigger picture we might not even have an idea or a glimpse of.

I wish I knew early that my life is not so much about someone else leading me but me leading myself (under the ultimate leadership of the Holy Spirit of course). Accountability partners /mentors can only push you to be better but the main hurdle to overcome is disciplining yourself to grow and develop.

May we not disappoint ourselves,our families, our nation and generations to come. May it not be said of us that we lived all our lives wasting away without really living because we didn’t focus on

what really mattered - purpose in everything and everyday.

On relationships

Nurture meaningful relationships. Give yourself grace and give others room to be themselves. Genuine friends and most especially godly friends are hard to come by but be assured that you’d find your people along the way. And when you do, do all it takes to keep them. In all of it, seek God’s counsel on what role everyone of your friends play in your life. Be sure to define relationships and set healthy/godly boundaries. Have no sense of entitlement. Be good to friends because you want to be not because you expect the same in return and they will most likely be good to you too.

When relationships end

It’s fine to lose people you thought you’d never lose. You’d also find people you never thought you’d find.

Don’t remain with a person or a group of people who go against your core values in the name of loyalty.

You just don’t forget they once poured into you. You honor them as you should but don’t get tied up there.

Have the courage to let go of the people who might be pulling you back to your old ways.

On seasons

Embrace all the different phases of life. A sum of the all the happy, depressing, exciting moments makes you ready for the journey of life. Seasons don’t last forever.

Have no regrets and be appreciative. For all the times I felt mistreated, I look back now and appreciate the beauty of my scars. Maybe without that I might not appreciate as much how far the Lord has brought me. He picked me from the dungeons and He isn’t done with me yet because the verse isn’t complete. He will has set me up on high for His glory sake. He won’t forsake me. The Lord wants me to do better than I think.