TWENTY THREE TRUTHS IN TWO DECADES PLUS THREE YEARS

In my one score and three years, these are twenty three things that I have seen to be true and I’d love to share.

God is real and He does heal broken hearts if all the pieces are given to Him.

A mother’s love can transcend the grave.

The psalm 23 prayer is no joke; God will indeed serve you a six-course meal in the presence of your enemies and you’ll only have to let them watch you eat.

Watch your thoughts and your words; they truly have an impact on your person.

Timidity really is a spirit and it can stop you from living. A friend said and I agree, “timidity is deadlier than you think”

I used to wonder why Nehemiah 8:10 didn't read “the strength of the lord is your joy” but now, I know that “the joy of the lord is truly our strength”

Being alone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re lonely and not all first relationships will lead to the altar.

And yes, true love can come more than once – don’t be scared to love again.

Being generous with who you are and what you have never drains you.

Life is short, make sadness shorter!

The heart has reasons that reason cannot know – not everything can be explained.

You will make decisions that even you may not understand, why bother about making others understand?

Bitterness is as toxic as… what’s the most toxic thing again? Please, let all bitterness go.

Your beginning never dictates your end, that you were born a certain way doesn’t mean you should stay that way.

We will learn a lot from friends who are older than we are, just as much as children can teach us how to be Christ-like.

There will be people who will forever be reference points for you, strive to be a reference point to someone too – invest in people.

Who you are at 19 shouldn’t be who you are at 23. If it is, something is definitely wrong – you really should be better.

You can never accurately tell God’s ways, just trust Him painstakingly because He is good all the time.

Changes will occur that may want to throw you off balance. Even if it does, do realize that change is constant – this change will probably be changed too.

If you don’t have a life, you don’t need a life partner – get a life of your own.

Some of the best relationships you’d ever have are those you never saw coming.

Never regret giving someone the benefit of doubt or telling someone how affectionately you feel about them.

For your own good and peace of mind, you may have to flow against the tide sometimes and this will help you bloom.

LETTER TO MY FUTURE SELF

When I was a brand spanking new teenager, age thirteen, I thought I had it all figured out. I would receive my first car at age eighteen and be married by twenty-one. Half true. At age twenty, I thought I would surely major in pharmacy, own a pharmacy store at age twenty-one, and be planning a wedding at age twenty-two. All wrong. After leaving the Junior Secondary School, my mother died and closet worrying set in. Moving away from home and enduring the shock of the loss, I still thought I had it all figured out.

As I begin a quick decent in a career, I am learning that I will hardly ever have it all figured out and that things change, which is perfectly okay. When you are eight or thirteen, twenty-one seems like a grown-up age. But I am currently twenty two and still do not feel as grown-up as I expected myself to be. 

As I begin a new year in life tomorrow, it is with great anticipation that I seek to refresh my thought process of having my act together. Here I sit today, my last day as a twenty-two year old as a French educator, not a pharmacist. Isn't it funny how life changes with time? Moi? Teaching? I didn’t I could do it!

It seems as though with age, time, and change we transition into the mindset of "yeah, I have it all together" then to the point of "I should've had it all together by now" but what is the deal here? Why do others seem to know what is going on all the time and I seem lost? Honestly, I am not sure if I will ever know what is best for all situations in life. I am not sure that I will always learn something new or attempt something new. I do know that I am perfectly okay with making mistakes and learning from those mistakes.

As I humbly welcome year twenty-three, I am blessed to understand age is age and life is life. Instead of conforming to the mold of age expectations our society places on young adults, I have begun to embrace the trials and triumphs of each day, prepared or not.

When considering the implications of age, I am learning that number truly does not matter. Instead of being controlled by age and what I thought I should have accomplished at a certain time in my life I have instead begun to consider my blessings thus far. I have begun to consider that, like many others, it is perfectly okay to not have it all together because independence sometimes makes us shy away from dependence upon Christ. Life lessons and doing things at different ages are what make us unique. Straying from the mould of age is what allows us to not conform, rather create our standards and personal stories.

A few months back, I wrote a letter to my sixteen year old self. Looking back, there is always a lot to learn from the past. As I approach the future I thought it would be fun to write a letter to my future self in hopes of holding myself accountable for what may come and go, while being reminded at all costs that it is totally okay if things take a different course. It is just important to also have that reminder to keep moving forward, too.

Dear Oyiwodu,

I hope life and time have been kind to you and that you are well. As you journey through the next few years of life and love you will more than likely eventually become a professional career woman, a Ph.D student, wife and mother as the Lord sees fit. As time passes and seasons change, life will change also. Remember who you are, where you started and where you are headed. I hope that you forever still feel as fit as you are today.

Be strong in the Lord. It is with great joy that you have been saved by Jesus Christ.  His blood has washed all your sins away. Take time to pray. Continue to wake up each day thankful to live life with more than enough. Seek to remain dead to the flesh. Never stop listening for the call of the Lord and pursue life as a Christian, wife, mother, sister, and daughter in such a way that others see Jesus in you. May you always do the work of the Lord. Your Christian faith is, and always will be, about Jesus and not merely only works or only faith.

While others may see you at your best, it is at your worst that Christ sees your best because you run to Him instead of from Him. Whatever you may profit as the years pass by, consider it all loss for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Love sanctifies those in weakness when they need it most. As Jesus shows selflessness and compassion, seek to always fiercely love and care for your husband with the same affection. Honor him continuously. Serve him covered in grace and mercy. Always see him at his best, encourage him at his worst, and never pull him apart when you are the one he needs most. Never stop communicating, dating, or sharing the most intimate depths of your heart with him. For he is the one who will lead you until the day of Christ's return. Follow and serve in his leadership, submit to him. Love like the warmth of the sunshine, for that warm will always remain in your heart even as the rain falls.

Never take your friends or family for granted. Remember those who have accepted, loved, and encouraged you at your worst, for those will be the ones you can still call on. Engage and pursue the heart of others. Seek to never live life vicariously through another. Strive for joy in the moment. Shy away from things of this world with materialistic value. Unplug and really communicate with others. Seek the beauty in simplicity. Live life in the present instead of stressing through each step along the way. Find balance in the pain and joy in the mundane. Continue to always be in bloom no matter where you may go. Hold yourself accountable for your actions, words, and thoughts. Do not judge without walking a mile in another's shoes. Live without fear of tomorrow or regrets from yesterday. Accept yourself as you change and grow spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Forgive and forget, but do not forget why you are here. Love life and those the Lord places in your path as if each day is breathtakingly beautiful.

Although your experiences have been such a teaching tool for sharing and journaling life, love and faith, continue to use them as a platform for Him as time and change allows. Seek to share life, love and faith in a manner for growth and encouragement. Use your words in light of what the Lord can do through a nobody like yourself. As you transition into each day to live life, never lose hope. Attempt to impact a life, love a stranger, and have faith embedded in the small lessons of each day's devotions. Teach your little sisters with passion, strength, and heart. Light the fire and fill the pail of every mind that will walk by your side.

You were created to do great things. God's got his hands on you and has molded your path just for His master plan. Be present in every moment. For what happens while you are working and waiting is more important than what you are working and waiting for. Be thankful for each and every single moment, for you do not know when the Lord will call you home.

Bloom,
Your twenty three year old self.