PiChron

Inspirational Picture Chronicles

Open Heavens!

Image: Blue sky between two building - Blue mountains Collingwood, Ontario

Blue mountains, Collingwood, Ontario

Deuteronomy 28:12-14 – English Standard Version (ESV)
“The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”

Faithful God! Only you deserve the glory!

Well, well, well – see how time flies…

Where do I start from? All I can say is that I give thanks to my Creator God for 2022! My trust is in you Father God for 2023…

To the one who may be saying – “what is there to be thankful for?” Know that even if you do not have anything to be grateful for at this moment; someone else is grateful that you are here today….

Take your place in the world, know that you are not alone and are never alone – even if it feels or seems like you are…

You made it thus far, and to this I still say…

Happy New Year!

Be well…

The best is yet to come…

***Picture taken at the Blue Mountain Resort, Collingwood, Ontario***

Stepping out of the wilderness…

Forest Park in Ontario

Park in Ontario

 

Mark 1:12-13 – English Standard Version (ESV) – “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.”

The picture above was actually a screenshot from a video I made – on my way back from my walk.

It reminded me of many experiences in the wilderness. Sometimes, I am edgy 😨 walking through this part of town alone. I often run past or I walk very fast! – cause I am thinking something would jump out of the bush and startle me! –  LOL!

Weeelll… on this day, I overcame that fear! I actually decided to spend some time by pulling out my phone and doing a video – and then I walked really fast after that!😂

Now I am writing about it!…

Even from this little experience, I again learnt how sometimes fear can keep us from getting to where God wants us to be. If I had let my “fear of the wilderness” get to me, I would not have gotten to where I am now writing about it!

The scripture above tells us how Christ was in the wilderness with “the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him.”  This is encouraging, to know that even the son of God was at a time in the wilderness – and guess what, God was with Him all through….

Now if Christ came out of the wilderness even stronger! And then went ahead to fulfill his mission; you can trust that your Heavenly Father can do the same for you!

If you are reading this, then know that you have definitely defeated the enemy. You may say – “but I am still in the wilderness, and I don’t know how to get out of this!” I want to encourage you today to hold on! Try not to dwell on your circumstances or your failures.  Know that He is patiently waiting for you.  Go to the One who gave you life and talk to Him about all your fears and worries…

Know that even with your current situation, or with whatever challenges you may encounter in the future; that the Creator is there with you – AND YES! even in the wilderness…

Talk to the One who loves you unconditionally – your Creator, your Heavenly Father, your Redeemer, your Comforter, the Almighty, the Great I am!…

Happy Sunday!

Be well…

The best is yet to come…

Every Child Matters…

Heart-shaped rock under a tree with quote "Every Child Matters"

 

Luke 18:15-21 – International Children’s Bible Version
“Some people brought their small children to Jesus so that he could touch them. When the followers saw this, they told the people not to do this. But Jesus called the little children to him and said to his followers, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these little children. I tell you the truth. You must accept God’s kingdom like a little child, or you will never enter it!”

So, on one of my walks this summer, I spotted the rock in the above picture on a neighbor’s lawn. But of course! You got it!  Your girl had to take a picture!😁

According to the United Nations, today, November 20 is “World Children’s Day.” So, first of all, let me use this opportunity to say Happy World Children’s Day to children of all races across the globe!

Children have always been very close to my heart. I have had the opportunity to be around them over the years.  From babysitting my family and friends’ children to working with children in various settings.

My observation through the years is that every child is unique! From the way they play – to the way they eat – to the way they speak and what they say – to the way they behave when they see their parents, friends, or caregiver, etc…

Through those years, I realized how important it is for children to grow up in a healthy and loving environment. Children learn and can easily pick up (good and/or bad) traits by observing their environment. And so, as adults, it is our responsibility to protect them – even the ones who are not ours…

There is a saying that “it takes a community to raise a child…”

Growing up, I remember having to attend after-school lessons. I made sure that I went straight to my lesson and back home. I knew that if I branched off somewhere else, that my mother would somehow still find out!

Now, you may be wondering how that was possible – especially on the days she was still at work?

Well, not only were there “neighborhood watch associations” – or as we called them in Nigerian pidgin English – “Amebos! 😁”……But there was also the fact that she (my mother) knew exactly how long it would take for me to attend my lesson, and be back home.

There were  also “women private investigators associations😊” at every corner of the street leading to my destination.  This was not just for me, but for my friends who I would meet on my way to our after-school program.

Some were “market women” who would greet and wave at us as we passed by their shops. My friends’ moms who also had a shop close to hers would offer us roasted or boiled corn and coconut or groundnut (peanuts).  All these were part of their investigative routines – now, I know!😄…

So, essentially, the day(s) we did not go through their shops, they assumed something was wrong.

At the time, it seemed like our parents and neighbors were watching our every move.  However, we never complained as it was all normal to us – or should I say, we had no choice!😊  Sometimes, we even had to explain why Ms. so and so saw us just hanging at some gate corner, or why we came home late.

Over time, I understood why these “neighborhood watch associations” and our mothers were attentive to our every move. You see, they saw us as being innocent and helpless.  And though we were old enough to do certain things by ourselves; they still felt that they were responsible for our well-being, and were obligated to protect us.  This to me is a reminder of how our Heaven Father constantly watches over us…

Going back to Luke 18:15-21 – when the disciples rebuked the children. Jesus reminded them that the kingdom of God belonged to “people who are like the little children.”

I believe Christ message to the disciples back then and to us today, was to be like the children.  Children are innocent, helpless, and trust easily.  And so, He wants us (adults) to have the same mindset when it comes to trusting Him with our lives.  He wants us to come to Him with an open mind and be ready to receive.  He wants us to know that He has our best interest at heart and will never do anything to harm us…

My hope is that we are able to see that….

Be well…

The best is yet to come…

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