Spiritual

Temporary

Dr. R. A.

Image result for temporary

Not wanting to let go

Got me twisted

The habit of being in control

Got me distorted

Not being able to see clearly

That where I am is only temporary

The grind called life

Got me confused

Causing me to think this is permanent and all there will be

So I try effortlessly to fit into your mold

When we both know that a circle does not fit into a square hole

I got to thinking is it just me

But then I remember that the children of Israel also got caught up in the cycle of “permanency.”

Their goal was to make it through the wilderness in 40 days

However, they became bewildered and thought the wilderness was permanent

Resulting in them being there for 40 years

So I pray open my eyes Lord and let me see

That this situation I am in is not about me and more importantly, it is only temporary

 

5/9/2017 Dr.R.A.

via Daily Prompt: Temporary

Daily Post, Spiritual

Bitter

Dr. R. A.

Image result for bitter

Whenever we encounter hurt we feel like we have no choice but to react negatively. This, however, is a very jaded and twisted perspective as we all have the power of choice.  We can choose to be better and not become bitter over a hurtful experience.  I am not saying that it will be the easiest thing to do, but with a little effort, one can achieve what seems impossible at the sight of raw pain.

Bitterness occurs when we allow hurt to fester within our hearts. We meditate and regurgitate every detail of what caused pain.  This causes our heart to become sick and eventually our bodies as poison (hurt, anger, malice, envy, hatred, revenge, etc. ) is being pumped through our veins. So how does one know if they have become bitter? Well, I am glad you asked.  Below are a few indicators of a bitter person.

  1. Holding a Grudge: Forgiveness is not a priority for a person who is bitter. Bitter persons like to hold grudges and nurse the wounds that have been incurred. So if you find yourself nurturing hurtful experience, then chances are you are bitter. If you find yourself constantly talking about what has impacted you, then you are bitter.
  2. Always Negative: Bitter persons are unable to see anything in a positive light.  The glass is always empty for them. There is always things to complain about even when there is nothing to complain about. If you find yourself complaining always complaining chances are you are high on the bitter radar.
  3. Skewed Perspective: Bitter persons think that someone is always looking to hurt them. They are very suspicious of everything and have the attitude “me against the world.” If you think you have to defend yourself against the whole world, then you are bitter.
  4. Attention Seekers: Bitter persons love attention as such they will act out to get the attention they are seeking.  No matter how minor an incident may be, they will make a mountain out of a molehill.
  5. Being Jealous: Bitter persons are usually jealous of others and childish. They seem to think that others have what they want. They feel like they are more deserving of what another person has. If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, then you are a bitter person.

So now that you are aware of some of the traits of a bitter person how can you overcome bitterness? Well, the answer is simple. After doing a soul search and acknowledging your location on the bitter radar, forgive. FORGIVE, FORGIVE, FORGIVE and then forgive some more.  Forgive and let things go. Forgive when it hurts until it hurts and let it go. In doing this, you would have freed the individual(s) that has caused harm and also free yourself. You will become a better person for having done this. Remember the Bantu proverb which says ” a bitter heart eats its owner.” Forgive! Let it go and release you from the prison of bitterness.

5/8/2017 Dr. R.A.

via Daily Prompt: Bitter

Daily Post, Spiritual

None

Dr. R. A.

Image result for none

Who is like the Lord?

Who is like God?

Who else but God can make crooked paths straight?

Who else but God can dry up rivers and seas?

Who else but God can mend a broken heart without surgery?

Who else but God is from everlasting to everlasting?

Who else but God can keep you alive in a burning furnace?

Who else but God can keep you alive in a den of hungry lions?

Who else but God can quench a thirsty soul?

Who else but God can give peace that passes all understanding?

Who else but God can set shrubs on fire, and the bush is not consumed by the flames?

Who else but God knows your every thought and sees your every tear?

Who else but God knows your uprising and downsitting?

Who else but God can satiate every desire?

I could go on and one but I say None

None to all of the above.

 

5/3/2017 Dr.R.A.

via Daily Prompt: None

Daily Post, Spiritual

Control

Dr. R. A.

Image result for control

Lord it is not easy not being in control, but today I come asking You to please take control

When I am weak, please take control

When emotions floods my senses, I ask You to take control

At times when I believe I have the handle on life – take control

I surrender my thoughts and ask You to take control

I present my heart to You and ask You to take control

I submit my will to run ahead of You and ask You to take control

When I can’t see clearly – take control

When my strength fails – take control

When it seems like all hope is lost – take control

When discouraged – take control

When I forget just how awesomely amazing You are – take control

Continue to be the Creator, Sovereign One, and Manufacturer of my entire being and take control.

5/3/2017 Dr.R.A.

via Daily Prompt: Control/

life, success

Micromanage

Dr. R. A.

Image result for micromanage

There are various leadership styles all of which serves their purpose if implemented correctly with the right personality type. Some persons, however, do not need to be in management positions as they will drive away good employees leaving the organization to suffer. Some leaders I would say are gifted with the ability to micromanage. They hire professional employees to get a task done and use their gift to chase individuals away while their plastic smile is painted on their face. For those “gifted” leaders I say stop it!

STOP IT!!!!

Stop using your gift that does more harm than good to create hostile work environments. Stop abusing your position of power to prove how effective you are as a leader. Allow people to breathe. Allow them to do the job they were hired to do. No one likes to be stifled so just stop it. If you want to kill an organization, create your own and use your gift. Maybe then you will realize how your gift is really not a gift.

 

5/3/2017 Dr.R.A.

 

Daily Post, Spiritual

Apprentice

Dr. R. A.

Image result for apprentice meme

Always a student never a master

Constantly learning this trade called life

With no guide book or recipe to follow

I boldly place one foot before the other

The scenic routes and adventures are indeed breathtaking

Exposure to various cultures is quite enlightening

Although sometimes I feel like I have attained

Situations occur which reminds me there is still changes to be made

An apprentice is what I will always be

As indispensable skills, I continue to pursue

Not focusing on wages received

So that with the dawn of a new day I can never be replaced

While all the while discovering life’s true meaning.

5/1/2017 Dr.R.A.

via Daily Prompt: Apprentice

Spiritual

Your Hair will Grow Again

Dr. R. A.

Image result for be strong in the lord

Life is filled with choices being served as a dish on a platter. This results in us constantly making decisions, whether right or wrong. These decisions sometimes have a way of sapping our strength, leaving us extremely vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. Unfortunately, sometimes our choices may even lead to our ultimate demise as they have ripple effects.

As we grow older, these decisions become harder to make as we become more aware of the consequences of our choices. However, the pressure to perform or to prove that we are grown can tip the scale to the left. Therefore, supplying us with a greater degree of influence for making wrong choices. As everyone wants to be their own superhero and advertise their independence.

This is not unique to our dispensation. As a matter of fact, it was quite prevalent in the days of old as depicted in the Bible with stories about the patriarchs. Some of these choices made by these patriarchs were good and showed great rewards. Whereas, some decisions were wrong and proved to be very costly.  Regardless, however, because of their desire to serve and please God, He had a way of working things out in their favor.

In the book of Judges, we learn of a man named Samson who although was chosen by God and dedicated to Him from birth seemed to be prone to doing only that which was wrong because of the lust of his eyes, lust of his flesh and the pride of life. He placed a downpayment on temporary pleasure with his future power which was extremely dangerous and costly. The consequences of his choice left him blind, head shaved and imprisoned by his enemies. This left him in a position of shame, ridicule, bondage, pain and loss.  From the perspective of his enemy, all hopes were lost for him. As a matter of fact, he may have believed for a moment that there was no hope left and this would be his destiny. However, somewhere in the pitch darkness his eyes and heart got fixed on God, and he began to pray.  The change of perspective and his spiritual disposition resulted in his hair starting to grow again. His strength was regained with every strand sprout until his strength was matchless.  He then was able to destroy his enemies, essentially taking back everything that the enemy had stolen from him.

Maybe like Samson, you feel despondent, and your life is filled with despair because of the decisions that you have made. Maybe like him, you are experiencing ridicule, shame, pain, broken heart, sickness, insecurity, drug addiction, promiscuity, loss (financially, emotionally, physically, etc.). Maybe you feel like all is lost and there is no reason to continue to live. However, I say to you that your hair can grow again. Regardless, of what you have done if you fix your eyes on God, your hair will begin to grow again. This is not the end although it seems like the end. How do I know this? Because things always work out in the end. The fact that your heart is beating is proof that there is still hope for tomorrow. Therefore, if it has not worked out it only means that it is not the end. God can make a way out of no way. He can turn every crooked path straight and every Red Sea into dry ground.

It does not matter how deep you have fallen. You could be beneath the deepest depth of the sea, God can still reach you if you are willing to be pulled up. It does not matter how sick you are. The only thing that matters is if you are willing to be made whole.  You may want to disqualify yourself because of the numerous times that you have fallen, but remember that a just man falls seven times but gets back up. All you need to do is be willing to get back up. God has a future plan for you that is filled with good and not evil to give you and expected end.

Prayer: God, please let Your light shine in the deep dark areas of our heart. Let failures, weakness, insecurities, hopelessness, etc. be exposed so that Your people can regain strength. Let our hair begin to grow again. Open the prison cells that we have locked ourselves in because of bad choices that we have made and set us free to fulfill our purpose which is to worship You. Clothe us in Your righteousness as we ask for Your forgiveness. Help our eyes to affixed to You from this day forward. Amen.

4.27.17 Dr. R.A.

life, Spiritual

Discouraged- Now what?

Dr. R. A.

Image result for discouraged

The vicissitudes of life have a way of breeding discouragement in our lives. If this feeling of despair is not handled effectively, it can lead to our detriment. This is because discouragement can cripple us and prevent us from accomplishing our dreams. It has a way of making us want to take a break. Making us want to hit the pause button on life (if one existed) and catch our breath before we continue on the journey of life. Additionally, sometimes to be quite frank, discouragement has a way of making us want to throw in the towel and just calling it a day. It makes us want to hit the stop button and never hit play again, causing all the sounds from the music of life to end.

Discouragement may be defined as the loss of enthusiasm. As we all know enthusiasm comes from the Greek word “entheo” which means “in God.” This simply means that when we are discouraged, we have lost our grip in God.  Discouragement shows that God is no longer at the center of our focal point but rather has been replaced by whatever “boisterous winds and waves” that is causing turbulence in our sphere.

Becoming discouraged is very common to all humans, and its causes are too many to mention. Therefore whenever we find ourselves in this state, we should not become alarmed. Instead, we should employ tools that will cause us to break free from this prison and get back into the game of life and enjoy the music.

The Bible tells a story of a woman named Hannah who was barren. She had married the man of her dreams, and he loved her like none other. He would always show her ways of how much he loved her. Yet all this display of affection did not satisfy as she could not bear children. Although, Hannah’s life seemed perfect in regards to love and material needs she had an adversary named Peninnah who would taunt her for being barren. This made Hannah very discouraged, so much in fact that she no longer had an appetite for food. Additionally, nothing her husband said brought any comfort to her. She could have remained in her state and become bitter and become consumed by the “woe is me” syndrome, but she took a different approach.  She instead decided to pour herself out to the Lord. At a time when everyone was rejoicing and being merry, she made a sacrifice unto the Lord and pour out the anguish of her soul. This was being done so emphatically that the priest noticed and thought that she was drunk in the temple. However, in the end, we know that the Lord heard her petition and granted her request.

So how do we really push through these dark clouds of discouragement? How do we pick up the pieces of the chips that have fallen and begin to build again? I am in nowise saying that it will be easy but it is very doable. With a little effort, one can push through and encounter astronomical breakthroughs. So how can this be achieved?

  1. Get Up. Move from the place that you are familiar with. Move from the area of your comfort zone. Often we become so comfortable with being discouraged that we just want to remain in that place. However, coming out is going to require some movement on our part.
  2. Let go of the crutch. Often we use things and people as a crutch and refuse to let go even when we are able to stand and walk on our own. Releasing the crutch will reveal to us that we are able to do the thing and achieve the goals that we thought would never come to pass. Take baby steps if you must but let go of the crutch.
  3. Pray. Do not be afraid to pour out the deep anguish and cry bitterly to the Lord. He is God and He will hear when we cry out to Him. There is nothing that is too insignificant or too major to pray about. Prayer should be a part of our lifestyle.
  4. Ignore the eyes. People will always be looking at you, whether you are doing good or bad. Learn to ignore the eyes and that include the voice. They may have all kinds of negative things to say about you as you are getting our of the discouraged state but press on as the reward is greater.
  5. Be thankful. Even before you receive that which you are hoping for be thankful. Being thankful even before receiving will show that you are resting in God. He is your father and the One who is more that able to supply all of your needs. Remember gratitude will determine your altitude.

4/23/2017 Dr.R.A.

life, Spiritual

Drop on Purpose

Dr. R. A.

Image result for woman picking up barley

Often when we think about receiving a blessing, we presume that very little effort needs to be exerted to obtain one.  This often proves to be a flawed perspective as often we miss out on great opportunities/blessings because we do not want to exercise the required efforts to receive. Moreover, we are of the mindset that whatever we are going to receive as it pertains to blessings will be placed in the palm of our hands. This is also a very erroneous view. Have you ever considered that your “blessing” may be falling at your feet? Also, is it possible that is it being dropped on purpose? Have you been missing that which is designed to sustain you because you will not bend to pick it up off the ground?

The Bible relays a story about a young woman named Ruth who lost her husband and went to a strange land to live with her mother-in-law.  She may not have been the most confident as she gathered leftover grains for herself and her mother-in-law to survive. However, while she diligently worked picking up these grains, her kinsman redeemer (Boaz) took note of her and inquire about her. He was a man who was very affluent and influential. Upon hearing her story, he advised his servants to pull some heads of barley from the bundle and “drop them on purpose” for her. Now one may think yes that is a blessing, but not one that is “big of a deal,” since she did not receive it in the palm of her hand. Additionally, she had to exert the effort of picking it up from the ground. It was not gathered together and placed neatly in a bundle for her to take home. Instead, it was being dropped on purpose a little at a time, and she had to bend and pick it up to receive her “blessing.”  It was deliberately being placed at a low place.

I wonder if we could adapt Ruth’s attitude and never be too proud to bend and pick up what is already laying around to bless us.  Is it possible for us to take our eyes off the lofty things, the get rich quick schemes and look at what is already laying at our feet to bless us? Could glancing at the ground instead of gawking at the cloud be more profitable now?

The Bible admonishes us to be clothed with humility so that we can be exalted. Furthermore, it requires us to serve so that we can be leaders.  These both show that there is a purpose to being in a lowly position. Besides, when we pick up what seem insignificant an even greater blessing awaits us. Do not be distracted by the position of that which you need. Bend if you must and pick it up as it is being dropped on purpose.

Prayer: God help us not to be too high-minded that it prevents us from receiving that which you have purposefully given to bless us. Let there be a shift in our perspective as it pertains to receiving. Help us to recognize that as our father you will drop that which we need on purpose. Strengthen us to exert the effort required to receive a blessing. Amen.

life, Self Esteem, Spiritual

Beautiful Scars

Dr. R. A.

Image result for beautiful scars

You look at me but what do you see?

Pain,  ashes, fear, shame, mourning, regret, mistake,  failure, and lost identity

You assume that you have the 411 on me because of what you heard on the street

When I pass by, you blatantly stare disdainfully with the intent to intimidate

Sorry to inform you that your information has been outdated

As a matter of fact, it is ancient history

And to stay with the current then you need an upgrade and an update

You see the scars you see is only skin deep

And there are deeper dimensions lying beneath the surface

You think the scars have disfigured and completely deformed

But you cannot comprehend just how beautiful they truly are

As all these scars have been transformed

You see my pain has been enveloped in joy

My ashes has been exchanged for beauty

Strength has replaced fear, gladness has been traded for my mourning

I could go on and on but the credit does not belong to me

It belongs to a man that I met who showed me my true identity

It is His love that drew me out of the pit of despair and planted me firmly into His purpose for my life

He loved me through my bad and  my good and He keeps on loving me unconditionally

The thoughts He has for me did not change because of my past and neither will it because of my present or my future

When I showed Him my scars He was not ashamed and shifted my paradigm from being that way

He showed me that He also had some scars as He was beaten and nailed to a tree just for me

And so we laughed together as I discovered that we are both beautifully scared.

 

4/20/2017 Dr.R.A.