undefined

I know this is really random, but today, I just felt the urge to share something that’s really close to my heart and how I personally find a release and meaning and peace and an expression of the work He has begun in me… My poetry.

I wrote this poem when I was sixteen. I wasn’t saved. I didn’t attend church. But the deep knowing and conviction I had that day without anybody saying a word, without hands being laid, without signs and wonders… Well, it means a lot to me now that I’ve become accustomed to church life and all the bells and whistles and frills and ruffles.

I was locked outside the house that day, because I went to school unaware that I had forgotten the house keys on the kitchen table. I attempted to break in and failed dismally, walked around the yard aimlessly for what seemed like ages, inspected the plants and grass in the backyard, stared at the clouds, lay there… With nowhere to go. Nothing to do. No one to speak to.

So I took a pen and paper out of my book bag and just wrote what came to mind. To this very day, I haven’t stopped.

I hope this blesses you.

Undefined

When golden rays danced upon my slumbering eyes
When a new day shyly whispers hello and the old will say its last goodbyes
With dew-drop tears and blushing skies, oh my
How even the sparrow seems to echo these words of mine
Before my time, I could only dream of life
And these words were undefined.
Undefined to those who can take lives but not a single soul
Fail to take my faith and fail again to take my hope
For my place is not in deciphering that which is better left unknown
It is in knowing that through troubled times, I do not walk alone
Before my time, I could only dream of life
And these words were undefined.
We spend our whole lives searching for profound and far-fetched truths
But how far have we gone when men take journeys to the moon
While the desperate cries of our youth fall on deaf ears… We’re so consumed
But if one heart was touched today, I bless this day for we’re not doomed
Before my time, I could only dream of life
And these words were undefined.
To describe the splendour of new beginnings
To warn society of its shortcomings
To share my joy, my fears, my pain
Is a feeling I will leave this earth unable to explain.
There are none as free as those who can give life to their beliefs
And I believe in a God with a thoughtful heart and a loving mind
The rest, I say, is undefined.

Hung up on love…

Wow, it’s good to be back after a couple weeks of dealing with everyday life and its many challenges. I haven’t forgotten all about you though, and as we enter into the second week of February, I know a few people have already caught Valentines Day Fever.

I was just talking to my best friend Chloe on the phone recently about how this can really be an awkward time for those who may find themselves, for lack of a better word, Valentine-less… Much like ourselves!

And on other days its a little easier to agree that its great not to rush into a relationship, its great to use this time to grow and come into your own as a woman of God, its great to learn to be happy all by yourself before you start wanting to be happy with someone else…

Yes, its all great, but with all the commercials all over the media and movies and RnB songs and cards and chocolates and red roses and happy couples suddenly popping up everywhere you go, tacky knick-knacks being passed around as tokens of love, it’s easy to feel unloved if you don’t get a card with a heart on it.

Its ridiculous, but it happens. Every year. Like clock-work. You’ve got to hand it to the media industry for this one.

They said I had to be tall and skinny to be pretty, I didn’t buy it. They said I had to be rich and famous to be happy, I didn’t buy it. They said you have to get a white teddy bear stuffed in a coffee mug with hearts all around it in high school and I actually bought it! It was so ridiculous it had to be true!

As a single person in February, you pretty much have three options during this month:

1. Climb the highest mountains and swim the deepest oceans searching high and low for a valentine. Well, that would be a good idea if it didn’t mean that you’ve bought into the commercialization of romantic love in the media to such an extent that you can’t stand yourself on this day because your television or tell-a-vison told you to get a plus one to make you whole.

2. Be sad and lonely and stay indoors and pray that it all blows over on February 15th. Which is still pretty lame for the same reason why option number one is lame. Its an overrated celebration of warm fuzzy feelings, not Hurricane Katrina.

3. Decide every morning of every day that this is the day that the Lord has made and you will rejoice and be glad in it.

I like option 3 because whether you’re single or not, it’ll get you through any day. Whether its Valentines Day with no Valentine or any day when things aren’t going according to your plan but are perfectly flowing with God’s plan.

Because no matter what your tell-a-vision says, if you have the love of Christ, you don’t have the greatest lover of all time, you have Love Himself loving you and He is above and beyond time.

His vow is to love you not until death do you part, but until it brings you closer.

While others get a mass-produced card from the supermarket on February fourteenth about a crush, you get a love letter that begins with genesis and flows into verse upon verse, chapter upon chapter, and book upon book of His undying love for you.

While others get a red rose, His words came to life, with breath and flesh and feeling, and lived and bled and died and rose for you.

Those who nailed Him to the cross called it crucifixion, but He called it a marriage proposal…

Is your yes still impending?

Are you still hung up on your ex, while He was hung up on the cross for you?

Did you say yes, but live like you said maybe later?

What are your thoughts on this season?

How to ditch a bad habit for good!

Since my last topic was about New Year’s resolutions, I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately just thinking about why people make resolutions in the first place. Judging by the types of resolutions that people usually make, it would appear that a lot of us are just trying to lose a bunch of bad habits and are trying to gain a few good ones while we’re at it. Well, at least that’s what MY resolutions are all about. I don’t know about yours.

It looks simple enough until you realize just how easy it is to gain a truck-load of bad habits and how difficult it is to even maintain the few good ones you already have, never mind learning some new ones!

There is a wise saying that goes :
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

The crazy thing about the crazy thoughts that sometimes cross our minds is that they might seem harmless and private if they stay in our imaginations, but even the most shocking thought becomes okay to entertain once you’ve thought about it enough times and it becomes remarkably easier to verbalize too!

Once it becomes easy to talk about it openly with a close friend or something, it becomes that much easier to try it out with the rationale that “it’s just this once!” Right…

Once you’ve done it before, that becomes your reason to do it again because you did it before and you realized that guilt wears off after a while and it’s not the end of the world.

Once you’ve done it enough times, you don’t even need to think about it anymore, it becomes a part of you and you become an expert at it too, because practice makes perfect!

Scientists estimate that out of every 11, 000 signals we receive from our senses, our brains only consciously process about 40. Simply put, we do a lot of things without even rationalizing it any more because they have become such deeply entrenched habits. I could name a couple of people right now whose brains are permanently on cruise control!

In order to change a habit, you need to bring the action from a place where it is an involuntary response and drag it into the realm of consciousness.

Instead of just being vaguely aware that you’re always late or you exaggerate the truth a lot or you turn to certain things for relief in stressful situations, begin to ask yourself why and you’re going to discover a need. Begin to ask yourself how you’re going to change this and you discover a need for God.

One reason amongst many that makes me believe that prayer is really for our own good than it is a religious practice is that in prayer, we begin to verbalize exactly where we fall short and verbalize what should be the case instead and all these things are brought not only from the “spiritual realm” into the right here and right now, but also from the subconscious into the conscious mind where real steps towards change can and should be taken.

I’ve also realized that in prayer, we’re less likely to walk away with a temporary relief to the problem. God doesn’t put plasters on wounds that need surgery or a straight up amputation in some cases!

For every habit, there was a need that presented itself and the right way to fulfill that particular need was somehow disregarded most likely as a result of frustration or impatience and the temporary relief was chosen instead.

That’s all it is.

Think about it.

Temptations aren’t tempting where there is no deep-rooted need or desire and you’ll keep falling into the same sin and face the same guilt and condemnation over and over until you hand over even your innermost needs and desires to the Lord and trust Him to be your Jehovah Jireh at that exact moment in that exact area of your life.

Its not easy, but I’m really trusting God to get me to a point where serial dating is a thing of the past for me and I have handed over my need to be constantly swept off my feet and high on butterflies and sweet nothings over to Him, because only He knows what my need is really about, and when and how it should be fulfilled in such a way that He is glorified and I don’t end up looking for a new love interest as soon as the high has worn off and I need a new fix.

What about you? Do you have a recurring habit that you need to ditch?

Setting failure-resistant resolutions

Happy New Year!!!!!!

So I took a little break from writing this festive season. I trust that many of you also took a time-out of some sort from whatever it is that keeps you from spending quality time with the people who truly matter and also took some time out to just be…

Just being is really hard to do nowadays with all the commitments we tie ourselves up in during the year and I can’t even tell you how many times I caught myself trying to write an epic Christmas or New Year’s post only to realize that it would feel a tad awkward writing a post about spending quality time with your loved ones on Christmas or having an amazing time on New Years Eve if I’m not doing that myself. Nope, I’d be spending it in my room, staring at my computer, trying to be deep and inspiring again.

So I risked losing those few readers who expected that epic Christmas and New Year’s post and went on holiday instead.

As soon as the clock struck midnight and the sky lit up with fireworks and festive cheer, I began to think of all the things I’m dedicating my efforts towards accomplishing during the course of this year.

Making resolutions is almost a tradition at the end of the year for many people, but according to a study in 2007 by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol, 78% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail.

What about the 22% who don’t fail, you ask? What makes them immune to the February meltdown where diets and other good intentions go to die and you revert back to your regular old self again?

Well, it all has to do with how you set your goals, and goals that are measurable tend to be achievable too.

So if you say this year I want to lose weight, then you my friend are a part of the 78%. But if you say I want to lose a specific amount of weight a week and you state how you’re going to do just that, then welcome to the 22% club where dreams actually come true.

Just taking a shot in the dark isn’t enough. You need to structure a plan to be successful and define the resolutions with a carefully thought-out methodology. A great way to start is an honest assessment of where you are before spending time on where you want to be. In my opinion, failing to do just that is where we first go wrong. We’re trying to get “there” without first being here.

In my own experiences, I’ve found that before God starts to mould and shape you into the sort of person you want to be in the future, He needs you to be willing to deal with who you are right now.

More often than not, if you’re out chasing your dreams and they turn out to be a mirage as soon as you’re getting close and you’re wondering where God is in all this, He’s right where you left Him… In your present. Trying to deal with your right now. Trying to deal with whatever it is that made you want to be somewhere or someone else in the first place. He’s waiting for you to stop running around trying to get “there” for a second and try being here with Him, because only when you’re traveling with Him can you get “there” without first having to lose yourself.

So friends, what are your plans for this year and how are you going to make sure that they become an Absolutely Godgeous reality?

Do you even believe in making New Year’s resolutions at all?

Money matters…

So we’re in the last stretch of 2011 and the bottom line is that the majority of the human population spent most of this year trying to earn a living and maybe squeezed in some time with family and friends here and there, but mostly we were trying to improve our financial situation in some way or the other. Be it through education, our jobs, businesses, whatever.

The logic behind the whole rat race system is that everything costs money and we get that money by working for it. The harder you work or the more hours you put in, the more money you make. If we excel at what we do, we get promoted, gain an impressive title and earn respect by being someone important. It sounds simple enough, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people think that’s what its all about and that if they start earning truckloads of money all their problems will be solved; when hardly a week goes by without us reading about rich celebrities getting a divorce, getting admitted into rehab for drug and alcohol abuse, while we’re trying to look like them, they’re getting surgery because they have issues with every part of their body, seeing a shrink on the regular or getting caught up in some criminal case.

The truth is, despite all their money, many rich people feel empty. After catching all the riches they’ve been chasing all their lives, they start running around desperately searching for meaning. Some surround themselves with a dozen hangers-on who follow them everywhere so they’re never left alone to deal with themselves. Others get pulled in by New Age beliefs and religious cults searching in vain for something that will make sense of their lives.

Way before I had even caught wind of the “prosperity gospel” all I had grown up knowing was that money is the root of all evil and you cannot serve God and mammon (money). Things really got interesting when I discovered that “money is the root of all evil” is a line from a song by Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer, recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1946, but it is NOT a line from the bible, as so many people seem to think.

The bible quotation that is found in the book of 1 Timothy 6:10 says “the LOVE of money is the root of all evil”. Its not the money you have to keep in check, its your own lust for it.

“You cannot serve God and mammon (money)”is indeed a quotation from the bible though in Matthew 6:24 and in order to understand what Jesus meant in this verse, we need to understand what it means to serve God and what it means to serve mammon.

The business of serving mammon is putting the pursuit of money first in your life, and by serving God, we put God first in our lives. What this verse means then is that you cannot/ it is impossible to serve God whilst you are putting the pursuit of money first in your life.

As a Christian, you should never separate God from your source of provision, because it gives your job an eternal context- a purpose other than to pay the bills.

If you make your employer a billion dollars by having to go against everything you stand for in the process, then you have just joined the not so exclusive club of financially successful people in the world who have just declared spiritual bankruptcy.

Gaining all the riches of the world and losing your soul is never worth it. He wants you to prosper as your soul prospers. To prosper from the inside out.

So yes, I’m definitely planning on having an Absolutely Godgeous career and prosper and rule and reign with the dominion He has given me as co-heir with His son, but I’d rather maintain a better relationship with Him than with my accountant any day.

What about you?

Women’s Rights vs Bible Rights

So I was innocently getting a snack from the fridge the other day while my dad was reading the paper in the kitchen when he suddenly found it to be the appropriate time to ask me if I’m praying for a husband (like he assumes most Christian ladies my age probably are) and if I am, what are the requirements that said husband would have to meet in order to win my affections.

The reasons why that was an awkward moment for me are on the rough draft I wrote before I posted this final draft and because they would turn this into a 20 page thesis on why fathers shouldn’t ask their 20 year old daughters questions they don’t really want the answers to, I had to leave that bit out and focus on the matter at hand.

So I gave him a really generic one-size-fits-all answer about how my ideal husband should be someone I think would provide and protect and be the head of the household and all that jazz but my dad seemed oddly disappointed with my answer. I know this because he then asked me if I’m intelligent, independent, educated and successful, why do I need to be some man’s subordinate? Because he’s definitely not sending me to university to have me end up a housewife, cooking and cleaning and raising countless children with some man towering over me and barking out orders like I’m some village wife.

Hearing those words come out of a burly African man’s mouth suddenly made me realize that its almost 2012, I’m a “hip young thing” with so many opinions that I have to edit most of them out so people don’t grow old trying to reach my conclusion, but here I am walking around with a two thousand year old “Thou shalt submit unto thy husband as unto the Lord” type attitude that made that whole scene look so wrong.

Many 21st century societies educate their daughters and encourage them to not only consider the opinions of marriage and motherhood, but also to consider the prospects of becoming doctors, lawyers and even presidents. In such a world, the bible has slowly developed a reputation for being on the side of men who want to treat women as sexual property and glorified personal assistants rather than equals.

I do hear those who are crying out for equal treatment after centuries of women being banished to kitchens, given secondary class citizen status, deprived of opportunities to excel outside of the home, being subjected to all sorts of abuse, I hear them, but “equal” doesn’t always have to mean “same”. Reason being, men and women are different beyond just the physiological aspects and we need to make peace with that so that we can combine our different strengths and capabilities to compliment each other instead of trying to out-do each other. How well this system works is equivalent to the degree of love, respect and selflessness that exists between both parties. Which is why it is never indicated in the bible that a woman should submit without the man being told to love his wife as Christ loves the church, and that’s a TALL order for any man.

He came into the relationship already prepared to lay down His life so that the church may have life and have it in abundance [John 10:10]. He became poor so that she could become rich [2 Corinthians 8:9]. He endured pain and persecution to carry her burdens so that His bride wouldn’t have to [1 Peter 2:24].

“Jesus always showed the greatest esteem and the greatest respect for woman, for every woman, and in particular He was sensitive to female suffering. Going beyond the social and religious barriers of the time, Jesus reestablished woman in her full dignity as a human person before God and before men … Christ’s way of acting, the Gospel of his words and deeds, is a consistent protest against whatever offends the dignity of women.”

— John Paul II, “Thoughts on Women─Address to Italian Maids,” April 197

So that’s my Absolutely Godgeous take on the matter and its pretty much settled on my side. I would take all my qualifications, super intelligence, fame and fortune and submit to a man who understands that to whom much is given, much is expected.

What’s your take?

I’m putting on my Sunday Best!

I would like to start out by saying that I am aware that it has almost been a week since I last posted an article and the reason for that is tied up in what I have been meditating on since I attended the Esther Prophetic Conference at NAGC this past weekend. Awesome awesome way to spend a weekend by the way.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how I started out wanting to just share topics that I find interesting and possibly having a discussion about them with a few girlfriends, but the more I wrote, the more I realized that it was impossible to separate my faith from whatever I wrote… From the abundance of the heart the issues of life flow and just like that, this became a “Christian Blog”.

I suppose it has a lot to do with how I spend my time, what I listen to, who I surround myself with, and I really hope you don’t mind me throwing in a scripture or two while discussing the latest fashion trends. I really can’t help myself.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my journey to the place I find myself in and its been a long winding road from when I was a little girl in itchy stockings and a chiffon fancy dress walking the dusty streets of Potchefstroom every Sunday morning with my grandmother on my way to a church with a loud bell at the entrance, wooden pews, stained glass windows and old hymnals.

A place where everybody acted like they were due for a rapture into heaven straight after the service, but instead as soon as they got back home after the service, it was like the clock struck midnight at Cinderella’s ball and the crystal carriage turned into a pumpkin again until next sunday.

It’s a wonderful “God bless you so and so” and “I’ll pray for sister so and so” charade most people don’t mind scheduling into their day at least once a week. A great reason to dress up and get emotional and go home feeling good routine most people repeat without even putting much thought into it.

But there’s some things I’ve realized recently.

1. The weekly cycle of putting on your Sunday Best and switching into your Monday Worst just hours later defeats the purpose of your Christ walk being more of a journey than a roundabout stroll in the same spot every week for the rest of your life. There needs to be progress. Hebrews 6:1states: ” So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.”

2. Realize that a church is place where you are equipped to change circumstances, where you are trained to be effective. This is where you learn to master your gifts and calling. 1 Peter 4:10 states:
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” So sitting back and enjoying the show clearly isn’t how we’re going to accomplish that.

3. Going to a church believing for a transformation in your life without realizing that it takes sowing your own life to transform the lives of your family members, your colleagues, your neighbor, and even the lives of complete strangers you meet along the way, then your life will most likely not be transformed until you realize and get started on that. Luke 4:18-19 states“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” Its about bringing a ray of hope to others and that same light will illuminate your own life.

I’m not claiming to have it all figured out but I’m looking at all that and I’m thinking we all need a bit of a make-over as church-folk. Some straightening out and some touch-ups on the inside out and maybe who we portray ourselves as on Sunday morning won’t be something we put on, but something we’re growing into truly being… Everyday. Now can I get a witness somebody!

My top 5 secrets to weight-loss!

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen those words on an ad somewhere. Whether its some magical pill or potion, a rabbit food diet, some crazy contraption that gives you back pain just looking at it, some “its all in the mind” book, or a funky workout video where everybody in it has rock hard abs already, it’s pretty obvious that weight loss is a major issue in society. So major that according to a 2008 article on www.businessweek.com: “Like psychic readers and astrology hotlines, the weight loss industry sells hope to desperate people. Americans spend $40 Billion a year on weight loss programs and products alone.”

With questions like “honey, does my butt look big in these jeans?” being one of the questions that make grown men everywhere shudder in pure terror, it’s safe to say that it can be quite a touchy issue. Especially if the answer used to be a “no babe, you look lovely in those jeans”, but it gradually turned into a “yes, it really does and you might not want to wear those jeans anymore” – not that he’s likely to say that anyway.

But yes, carrying a little extra weight on your body can be quite a drag, but do you know what I think is an even bigger drag? Carrying emotional weight in your spirit over a dissatisfaction with yourself in general, about your past, about mistakes you’ve made, about people who did you wrong, about people who said things about you, about times when life seemed unfair, about a missed opportunity… And the list goes on… And on… And on…

So this isn’t really about how you can look like Twiggy…even I don’t look like her. But this is about how we all need to take a long hard look at ourselves and deal with all the baggage and issues we should have let go of, but instead we tie ourselves to it and live our lives around it.

You could be a runway model and still be carrying tons of extra weight that’s not only unattractive, but killing your joy, your peace, your health, your ability to give and receive love, your faith, and to make a long story short, its killing you slowly.

People make a big fuss over the weight they need to lose so they could fit into a particular outfit and not enough of a fuss about the sort of weight we all need to lose to ensure that we are able to fit securely into a relationship with someone without bursting into an “all men are dogs” rant as soon as something goes wrong, a friendship without bringing up how she did this and that to you last year, or even a relationship with God where you’re able to accept His mercy and grace and unconditional love with zero guilt and zero condemnation.

The top 5 secret weight-loss tips I mentioned in the title?

1. A mind-set makeover. If you’re carrying a lot of guilt and self-pity, keep this in mind: Psalm 65:3 “Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,
You forgive them ALL.” Not some, all are forgiven.

2. Stretch your forgiveness muscles. Colossians 3:13
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

3. Recommended diet. Galatians 5:22 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

4. Work it out! James 2:17 “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” So do something for someone other than yours truly for a change and see all those self-absorbed issues and habits begin to fall away, because you’ll realize that the end of the world is never triggered by one person’s troubles.

Life is heavy enough without all the extra baggage we’re always carrying around over things we have no control over. In my opinion, there is nothing more Godgeous than someone who has shed all their insecurities, grudges and bitterness… Allowing them to be blameless… Shameless…and weightless…. What do you think?

To have a friend, be one.

Chloe, Thobie and I at Goldreef City.

So this is my second post, and it really wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for a few key ingredients: gallons of favor from the Lord for even allowing me a platform to really connect and engage with you through my writing, a dash of inspiration and heaped spoonfuls of appreciation for the people that took the time to read my first attempt at writing anything from the heart that didn’t start with “Dear Diary” or OMG Chloe you won’t believe this!!!!

Building meaningful relationships with people is one of those things that takes a certain grace that I believe we all need to tap into because once you learn how to do that, you’re covered from all sides. Especially those times when you really need a miracle and no matter what you do, it refuses to fall from the sky or materialize right before your eyes.

Oftentimes blessings come in human packages. Apostle BVG drove that point right home with me, because I tend to go into “I can do this with or without you mode” from time to time. So yesterday I took to sending all my personal friends a message letting them know about the blog I want to share with them. Some of them got a message on BBM, some got a message on Facebook, but all of them received a personalized message with me asking them on an individual level to share this with me… And their friends too!

But with all that said, we all have our preferences when it comes to choosing friends. Some are like my aunt Mina who has the whole neighborhood take turns visiting her for tea everyday around the clock, Some have a more intimate social circle of girlfriends, a posse or clique, and others can just point to about one or two people other than their family who would pitch up and pitch in when they were urgently needed. But no matter how many people you can rely on to be there for you through life’s ups and downs we’ve all been drained, disappointed, deceived, discouraged or even straight-up dumped by someone we regarded as a friend. Some of these relationships were built to weather the storms while others, well let’s just say they got swept up in the tide.

But through it all, I’ve learnt that sometimes you will have friends who look and sound just like enemies, but in reality, their mission is to make you stronger, to push you forward and out of complacency. Sort of like the mommy eagle might look like quite the villain pushing her chicks off a cliff, but otherwise, they wouldn’t know that they could catch the wind and soar if they spread their wings wide enough.

Sometimes you’ll make friends who are on par with you, who understand and speak the same language as you, and those friends are there to stand in agreement and to accomplish tasks with you.

Then there are those who pull you along because they’re further ahead- some you’ve met personally and some you haven’t, but they still influence you a lot. You’re liking their Facebook statuses, you’re following them on twitter, you’re watching them on television, you’re reading their books and they encourage you to make the choices you make. In media studies, we call such people “opinion leaders”.

So what I’d like to know is who do you aggravate to the point of them realizing that they need grace just to deal with you?

Who are you agreeing with and helping along the way?Are you really being there for them like you should?

Whose opinions are you leading? And whose leading yours? Are they leading you to a place you’re sure you want to end up?

I’m amazed every time I consider that God looks at us mere mortals and calls us His friends. Psalm 25:14 declares that” The LORD is a friend to those who fear him.
He teaches them his covenant.” None of us have earned His friendship, most of us don’t even give Him so much as a shout-out or a thank you from time to time and yet He sticks closer than a brother, doing all three – pushing us forward, walking side by side and if we let Him, He leads us.
I don’t know about you, but I think that’s absolutely Godgeous…

The Perfect Girl…

Now, I’ve been wanting to become a published writer since I first learnt how to read, and after some time speculating over what I’m enough of an expert on to write about, a few false starts and bucket-loads of “I’ll-start-first-thing- tomorrows”, Absolutely Godgeous was born.

As my debut post, I can remember telling myself that whatever I decide to type onto this page needs to be epic… It needs to blow your mind at first glance and absolutely change your life! It should make you want to follow me through groundbreaking articles that will make you shed tears on account of how breath-takingly beautiful my sentence structure and grammar is and stick with me through dry spells when I might as well have left a sign written “Lindi’s mind gone fishing”. But in reality, I can edit this a thousand times before its posted and still not have you at hello. So I would at least like to have you at hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere?

In this day and age, there’s a lot of pressure to dazzle the world with clever gimmicks and catch phrases. With the biggest names in fashion and clip-on weaves, eye-lashes and toenails. With every girl trying so hard to look like a clone who just walked out of Mattel inc (the Barbie company), it makes me wonder where we all even got the absurd notion that men are pacing the aisles of Toys”R”Us desperately praying that Barbie would come alive and live happily ever after with them. Or are they?

From a Christian perspective, the legendary Proverbs 31 woman aka “the wife of noble character” sounds like a stark contrast to Miss Barbara “Barbie” Millicent Roberts (yes, she has a full name and last name!), but that in itself is still a tall order by anyone’s standards.

Proverbs 31:1 in the Amplifed Bible states “A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman–who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.”

So its not just about having the latest look and matching accessories, can you imagine a world where young women looked up to women who were capable, intelligent and virtuous and young men were fully prepared to celebrate that?

If you take a look at what embodying the persona of this woman entails, you’ll find that she is:

1. Faithful and trustworthy – (Proverbs 31: 11).

2. She comforts and encourages people- (Proverbs 31-12).    

3. She is highly skilled and no stranger to hard work – (Proverbs 31:13-15).

4. She plans ahead, saves and is successful – (Proverbs 31:16).

5. She is strong spiritually, mentally and physically – (Proverbs 31:17).

6. She never lacks faith in times of trial and tribulation – (Proverbs 31:18).

7. She is giving and reaches out to the less fortunate – (Proverbs 31:20).

8. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine and of purple; Meaning she dresses for success and looks the part – (Proverbs 31:21-22).

9. She is enterprising and can run her own business with confidence and competence- (Proverbs 31:25).

10. She speaks with wisdom and kindness – (Proverbs 31:26).

11. She is not idle/lazy, discontent and filled with self-pity – (Proverbs 31:17).

Proverbs 31:30 clearly sums it up by saying “Grace and charm are deceptive, and beauty is vain (because it is not lasting), but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!”

So its all good and dandy to be drop dead gorgeous. To have the long flowing hair, flawless skin, an hourglass figure and legs for days… And days…. But that’s the easy part. Today, if you make enough money, you could buy all that. However it’s character that can’t be faked, bought, stuck on, painted on, tattooed on, sewed on, clipped on or stuffed into your bra.

So my question is, do you know of any absolutely Godgeous Proverbs 31 women in this day and age who still keep it real or should we all just invest in a good weave and squeeze into that elusive size zero and call it a day?