ACT TODAY

Today might be the last
Who knows
What the day might bring
Who knows?
Today might be the last
Be kind to someone
Say something nice
Forgive, let go
Today might be the last
Go see a loved one

Today is another day
Another day, a new day
Another opportunity
To let go, forgive
Today is the day
To forget yesterday
The pain of years past

Let go, forget
Today, forgive
Embrace, love, share
Another day might not be
Today might be the last
Let go, let God
Today, not later

Tomorrow, later
Might be too far
Too late!
Tomorrow, later
Might be too late
Just too late!
Act today, now
Let go, today

© Unique Ministry 30/06/2007

GRACE IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY

When my dearly beloved maternal grandmother passed away in 1993, I thought my world had collapsed, as she was such a gracious and loving grandmother who cared and always prayed for the family. She was a pillar to all of us, including my father. In fact my father, whose parents died when he was aged 12 adopted my grandmother as his own and they had a fantastic relationship, he treated my grandmother as his own. A year after my maternal grandmother died, my father passed away. I was so distraught and aggrieved, as I realised that my father did not live to see me get married nor did he live to see his grandchildren. This caused me a lot of pain and it took a while before I could let him finally rest. He was also a great man of prayer and was a wonderful father to all his children. Then a few years later, as if we had not suffered enough, my precious, kind, very quiet brother-in-law passed away. He was such a nice man, we all found it hard to come to terms with his sudden death at the age of 48, leaving behind two young children. In 2003, my husband survived a fatal accident, which could have killed him.

As I look back at all these events behind me, I marvel at the grace of Almighty God whose power became perfect in my weakness. I marvel at how His grace brought me through the pain, grief and sorrow.

There is always a way out of any tunnel, it depends on how you see it. You might feel you are in a pit right now thinking you can't go on any longer. Is your world crashing around you and you think you've just about had enough? My encouragement to you is that the grace of Almighty God who was sufficient for me in my time of pain will bring you through your valley of affliction and replace your weakness with His strength. Weeping my endure for a moment but your joy will come in the morning. I pray that you will find strength in God and anchor yourself to his grace. Though times may be tough for you right now. He will carry you through and be sufficient for your emotional, mental and physical well being. Count your blessings today and name them one by one and you will be surprised what the Lord has done!

ARE YOU A WORRIER?

If you are a worrier my heart truly goes out to you. In this day and age it is very difficult not to worry about one thing or the other. If it's not the bill you are worried about, it could be your health, the children, your family, the future and so much more. The world we live in today is a very difficult place to avoid worrying about one thing or the other. We are all in pursuit of happiness, which seems to elude us. My encouragement to you is to start where you are with what you can. I leave you with these nuggets of wisdom:

• Planning for tomorrow is time well spent. Worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.
• Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps and schedule and trusting in God's guidance. Turn to God first for help.
• When done well, planning can help alleviate worry.
• Worry damages your health, as the object of your worry consumes your thoughts.
• Worrying can reduce your ability to trust in God.
• Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.
• Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
• Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.
• God does not ignore those who depend on him.

LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME!

WORRY CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE WAY YOU TREAT OTHERS

YOUR LIFE

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will.
You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too,
so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone
you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every
sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

ETERNALLY GRATEFUL

I am grateful for this new day. Another day, a new lease of life. So grateful that I have a roof over my head. Another day to be thankful, to be grateful that I have food to eat, I have shelter to dwell in, I have clothes and shoes to wear. I am thankful that though life is not all perfect, I have a God who is perfect and He watches over me. For this, I am eternally grateful.

CAN YOU PUSH?

Today has been quite a challenging day for me. Another trial on my journey of life, another unexpected surprise in battle. Another battle I could do without. I tell you, sometimes I feel like giving up! The only option I had was to make a choice whether I would fret and allow the circumstance I was going through to overwhelm me or rise above the tide that was coming against me. Life is full of choices and I realised that this was my opportunity to practice what I preached all the time. It's alright to encourage others to have faith and stand strong but when faced with the same adversity I wondered whether I would be able to display the same attitude I encouraged others to have. No matter what, you will be tested and proven by your own words. I tend not to panic when faced with difficult situations, as it causes more anger and confusion. Like a pregnant woman in labour about to deliver her baby, I realised that this is evidence that my breakthrough was just round the corner and I had to keep pushing despite the pain, regardless of the pressure.

My encouragement to you is to push despite your pain. Keep pushing and don't stop, you're just on the verge of your breakthrough. If you give up now you will never experience the joy that could have been, so keep pushing and don't give up now.

Victory comes through pain. There is no victory without battle. If an army does not go to war there would be no sweet taste of victory.

The breakthrough of any pregnant mother is the joy of having her baby delivered. I know that my joy is just round the corner and I choose not to give up now, though I am bit tired of going through the battle, I know that if I persist, I will surely experience the joy of breakthrough.

My choice is to keep pushing and not give up now. Can you push? I encourage and persuade you to push and not give up now. Your breakthrough is just round the corner!

ARISE AND SHINE

Our minds become easily polluted when we have nothing good to occupy it with. What is on your mind right now? Are you worried about how you are going to pay your bills? Is your marriage on the verge of breakdown or your relationship is not working anymore like it used to? Are you worried about your health and well being or your children's well being? Does the thought of an uncertain future set your heart pounding?

My prayer for you today is that God will strengthen you and give you hope. Even though you walk in the valley of the shadow of death, He will be your rod and your staff, He will comfort you. Be encouraged and try not to sink deeper in the darkness of your thoughts which has no answer. God is the only way out of the darkness, He is the only One who is able to stretch out His hands and pull you out of the pit. No man has the answer, the only thing any man can do for you is give you promises that are not guaranteed to be fulfilled.

Try and look up, there is always a light at the end of every tunnel and though your journey might seem like it's not going to end, believe me every story has an ending to it and yours will be no different. Your pain is nothing compared to your victory but in order to experience victory you must go through the furnace of affliction, turmoil and despair. Your persistence will pay off and your expectation will not be cut off.

I leave you with the words of Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of God is risen upon you.

HANG IN THERE!

Today is one of those days I feel that although nothing seems to be happening the way I would like right now, I am rest assured with hope that there is going to be a breakthrough for me. My choice is to hang in there and not give up although this is easier said than done. Believe me I have been through the fire and know what it's like but what can you do in the midst of this hard and wicked world where life treats you like a piece of meat? I believe what we make of life is to do with our choices, so today I choose to hang in there and cling on to hope. I am hoping that all will be well and that I will get to the light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow is another opportunity for me to hang on to hope and I know that one day, just one day, my dreams and wishes will manifest. Today is another day in my journey. Wishing you well. May your today be better than your yesterday and your tomorrow be greater than your yesterday. Keep looking up and hang in there!

SO THANKFUL I DID NOT DIE

I am thankful that I did not die in my sleep last night, as this was a possibility. Whoever told you your life was your own? We are all so vulnerable but we refuse to admit it. I am thankful for the fact that I could lift myself out of bed and walk into the shower. Someone somewhere could not do that this morning. I am thankful that today is another opportunity to be grateful for my life and not take it for granted, as this is what we all tend to do without realising it. Our lives are not our own. I choose to be nice to someone today. I choose to be kind to someone today. I choose to add on to someone else's life today. It could be the last day I am opportuned to do this. Be grateful for what you have and do not take your life for granted. Choose to be kind to someone today. Smile and be grateful for today you never know what tomorrow might bring.

A NORMAL DAY

Today has been one of what I call a"normal" day. Woke up with no worries though I had every opportunity to worry. Got a lift to work and got out of the car with a spring in my steps. As today is a Friday, I was a bit more cheerful at work and everybody noticed this. I was looking forward to having a great weekend. I came accross one of the letters I started writing to my pastor's wife, which was never finished and therefore not delivered. I regreted this so much because she passed away on 4th June 2007.

Lesson learnt: proscastination is the thief of time! Do not put till tommorrow what you can do today, for tommorrow might just be too late!

AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

I am grateful that today is another day in the scheme of God's great plan for my life. I am grateful for the fact that I am still alive, this is something that money cannot buy. I am grateful that even though I do not have millions of pounds, I have millions of opportunities to make it in life. Today is another moment in my life, another opportunity to be a better person. I am grateful that today is today and that it will take care of itself. I am grateful for the air that I breathe and all the beautiful things that life has to offer. Today, I will maintain an attitude of gratitude. Try and do the same today.