I desire....

I desire a man who loves God

I desire a man who is so patient and so kind

I desire a man who believes I am the best thing that ever happened to Him and demonstrates it

I desire a man who is so selfless in his dealings with me, it's almost unreal. There's no doubt about it that I come first.

I desire a man who is so interested in me and what I am about and what I have to say.

I desire a man who is never tired of listening to me and talking to me.

I desire a man who calls me at least 4 times a day just to check 'how his wifey is doing'.... after 20 years of marriage.

I desire a man who hardly ever calls my name but refers fondly to me with a special term of endearment (it makes me feel so loved, treasured and special.

I desire a man whose heart desire is to see me comfortable and happy.

I desire a man who is devoted to me and our children.

I desire a man who is a servant-leader. Firm but oh so gentle and loving

I desire a man who does not have the capacity to be mad at me or stay mad at me.

I desire a man who respects me deeply and I see it in his eyes and feel it in his touch.

I desire a man who never gets tired of me and loves my body through the changes that age and childbirth brings.

I desire a man who is my no 1 fan, my biggest cheerleader.

I desire a man in whom I am absolutely attracted to - spiritually, physically, mentally etc

.....

I could go on and on and on.. 

I bet for some people, the above list sounds far-fetched and almost incredible. It used to: For me, I didn't think it was at all possible to have a marriage like I have described above... Only happens in fairytales.

In fact I dared not share this with some people as their sneering and jesting would hurt too much lol.

I had seen so many bad examples of marriage that I had started to believe that it is wise to be modest about your expectations of marriage at best.

BUT! What I describe above is not fantasy, it is actually REAL. It is a real life testimony of a beautiful African couple I know who have been married for over 20 years! (yup, you can read the list again, and it's in no way exhaustive). Their marriage inspires me. It makes me want to get married... quickly!

Yes, I have seen and heard about atrocious marriages. At one point, it made me have doubts about the institution, but real examples like this couple and some many others are testimonies on which I refer to when I speak to God about my own expectations of marriage.

Simple message for today, A good marriage, actually an awesome marriage is POSSIBLE by God's grace! Don't stop believing it, don't stop desiring it, don't settle for less than God's best for you!

Once in a while on this blog I will feature some positive examples of marriages that I know. Real life examples. There are so many bad examples out there, the good ones are not allowed to shine and encourage others!

Remember, faith comes by hearing.. We need to refine what we hear so that our faith can be strengthened!

Lots of love peeps, God is good!

xxxx

Today Oh! (No matter what I face...)

Today Oh!
I will lift up my voice in praise
Today Oh!
I will lift up my voice in praise
For I know, you are always there for me
Almighty God
You're my All in All
No Matter what I face
When trouble comes my way
I will praise you Lord

That's another praise song that I love and that ministers to me so much.

I have been singing the above song for over 10 years now, and it never gets old! (over 10 years? gosh I'm getting old!) :-)

I was privileged to have been at a spectacular praise evening where the songwriter himself Mr (Pastor)Wale Adenuga gave a poignant introduction to the song. He spoke about how he and his family members faced difficulties at that period he penned the song which is a conviction in itself that no matter the circumstance, he will choose to praise the Lord.

You know, it is so easy to praise God when all is going well. I know this sounds so cliche but recently I have come to kinda understand what the 'sacrifice' of praise means. Praise in dark and very low times, praise when you feel genuinely that God is being 'unfair' to you, praise when you don't have anything at all, praise when you have literally lost everything, praise when others are being hugely successful and moving forward in life and you seem to be stagnant and lagging behind, praise when everything around you seems to be un-praiseful (yup, I sorta coined that word).

If we are being honest, it is easier to praise, sing, dance and rejoice when things are wonderful, when things are at least alright and manageable. When God has just blessed you / you have just passed an exam / been given a promotion and a raise / met a wonderful man or woman / had a beautiful baby / received an answer to your prayers and so on.

But, honestly? It's tough to praise God when "trouble comes our way". In fact people don't like when trouble comes their way hence why many people have re-phrased the last part of that song to say "Whatever comes my way" or "When success comes my way"... There's nothing wrong with praying for good things and success etc but the reality of life is that there will be times when trouble will come. Now, that is when the test of the 'sacrifice' of praise comes in.

Just like love in marriage, praise is a conscious decision you make, to do at all times, both the good and the bad. Not just when things are rosy but even when your mouth would rather keep quiet than sing a tune, when you'd rather just sit down than 'jump for joy' (at that point you're thinking "why?!").

It is difficult to praise God when you've just lost a loved one, it is difficult when you are faced with a completely hopeless situation, it is difficult to praise when you are on the death bed. But Praise we must choose to do, for in that we show our unstinting love to the One who deserves it. For then, we put into action what we pledged to do in the good days, for then we prove to HIM that 'I love you, I sincerely do'.

AND through Praise you can surely overcome.

I have been in that place whereby people around me were rejoicing and dancing (serious dance oh!lol), praising God, and you could just see the visible joy of the Lord on people's faces but I just had tears in my eyes because at that time, I felt God had deserted me and let me down on many fronts. And sometimes, you may feel like that (we are human after-all, Lord have mercy!). But I urge you, just like I did then to ask God for grace and find the strength to praise Him right now (or right then) through the tears, and honestly, His presence through praise makes a mighty huge difference! + You are offering and sowing a deep sacrifice that will ultimately yield a bountiful reward.

I love that song (and sing it in its original form) because I know that unpleasant things will come, but 'no matter what I face, even when trouble comes my way, I will (still choose) to praise God (My awesome and loving God, The Ultimate ONE)



xxxx

PS
God is good, even when the situation says otherwise, even when we do not understand 'why'? I have a firm belief that for the things we go through now that look like there are no answers to, when we come face-to-face with Him on the last day, there will be a complete answer to it all. I know it sounds far-fetched but we need to understand that God is good and everything about Him is LOVE. He is NOT a wicked God. He is a just God, He is fair, He is kind and He loves us.

(May God's comfort and peace guard the hearts of those who are hurting right now due to one loss or the other, especially as a result of the recent Dana air crash. God almighty wrap you in His love and make you feel Him close to you)
Why some things happen? I don't know but one thing I

Songs that make me go hmmm...

Darling Jesus, darling Jesus.
Oh my darling Jesus
You're a wonderful Lord
I love You so much
Darling Jesus
Oh my darling Jesus
You're a wonderful Lord

There's a particular scenario that usually comes to my mind whenever I sing that song. It was many years ago, I can't really remember how young I was, but I know I couldn't have been more than 8 years old.
Interestingly, at that time I was Muslim and had hardly gone to church but we had been taught that song in school and I just liked it without really understanding the meaning of the words I sang.

On that fateful day, we were at a kiddies party and the compère had asked for any child who wanted to sing/dance or do anything to come forward and then prizes would be given to whomever was voted as the winner in the mini 'talent-show'. He kept calling and calling for contestants and people weren't responding. Eventually, I summoned courage and walked up to him saying that I would sing a song and so I picked one of the few songs that was my favourite....

It was only years later that the meaning and the sentiments of the song became real for me. Whenever I sing that simple song now, it makes my heart soar with love for my 'darling Jesus'.. Just simply expressing the state of my heart when I relate to my no 1 Lover of my soul..

What's you story? Do you know and understand the love of this darling Jesus? Have you given yourself the opportunity to get lost in loving and having a deep and meaningful relationship with this wonderful Lord? Trust me, it's the most beautiful thing ever :-)

.. Oh and by the way, I won a prize for my song :-)

Lots of love xxxx

New Month.. I love new things!

It's a new month folks! Thank God for bringing us into this new and wonderful month of June!!!!

"All those (who) are born in June, stand up! stand up! All those (who) are born in June, stand up! stand up! Ariya riya rosy (?), God bless you!' (Don't lie, you sang it too! :-)

Here's wishing every one of the 1 + The One readers, followers and visitors, the very best of this new month! May the lines fall for you in pleasant places. God's blessings upon you and yours today and always.

May you eat the good of the land and may this be the best month so far for you! I pray for love, peace and overflowing joy for you!

HAPPY NEW MONTH beautiful peeps!! :-)