How You Raised Me

Gracious Father,

I am so grateful and glad for how You have raised me, such that some steps, actions or decisions are not options to me.

You have taught me to go through processes and not jump out.

You have taught me to not take shortcuts.

You have taught me to trust You even if You don't "deliver".

You have taught me about the great value You place on me, how You think highly of me and how I am more than precious to You, so that I hold my head very high--no matter what--and I don't settle for less than the best....

You have taught me confidence. I take after You when it comes to assertiveness!

Really, I am grateful I can stand for what You will be proud of when I have every "justifiable" reason to compromise and excuse it with "God understands". Thanks for the strength to stand when normally I should fall.

Thank You so much for raising me so well. Continue the great work You are doing in me, good old Father.

Your own baby,
Precious AY

Above The Storm

Like an eagle,

I am rising above the storm,

My youth is being renewed

'Cause I'm shedding old feathers for new ones.

I am pressed but not crushed,

Persecuted but not abandoned

Struck down but not destroyed.

I am sure that now it will be said of me,

"See what Yahweh has done."

©2016, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Out of Brokenness

Out of brokenness, He brings forth loveliness;
Out of bitterness, sweetness;
Out of nothingness, something beautiful;
Out of the valley, streams of healing waters;
Out of ignobility, aristocracy;
Out of a sow's ear, a silk purse;
Out of tatteredness, wholesomeness;
Out of chaos, orderliness;
Out of confusion, clarity;
Out of a pile of mess, a message.
Only my Lord and Friend can do that,
For He works all things together for good for everyone who loves Him.

Photo Credit: https://sysministriesinc.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/the-strength-of-brokenness/

That Gurgling Joy

That joy, that gurgling joy, is my strength.

It keeps me going in days of trouble,

In the desert it maintains my eyes' sparkle,

It dictates my dancing steps in the night time,

And my voice it raises in beautiful melody while it storms.

Yes, that joy, that gurgling joy, is my strength.

Turn On Your Light

 

Don't worry about darkness,

You just turn on your light anywhere you are
And darkness will flee:
For darkness has never comprehended light and never will.

But if the light in you is dim or it is darkness,
How can you shine?
Arise! Get rid of every partial or total darkness in you
By letting the Light of the world shine through you.
For in His light we see light.

That Little Boy

That little boy,

His mother gave him five loaves of bread and two fishes,
To have as lunch on his day out with Jesus.
But the crowd was hungry, hungry,
And the disciples were looking for what they might feed them with.
Then they found this little boy, who was willing to give his lunchbox.

"But what can five loaves of bread and two fishes do,
Among a crowd of five thousand men,
Excluding women and children?"
They asked Jesus.

But instead He directed them to have the people sit down,

In groups on the green grass,
Took the little boy's lunchbox and blessed it.
Then He gave it to the disciples to share.
Everyone in the crowd ate and there were twelve basketfuls of leftovers.
All these happened because of five loaves and two fishes which a little boy happily brought to Jesus.

What do you have that you think is too small to give to the Master?

Never mind, when you give it to Him, He will bless it and increase it,
And not only you will be blessed but a whole multitude of others.

Oh that we will stop giving excuses and give that little we have.

Oh that we our lives are willing for Him to use as He pleases.
Oh that in our poverty, we still give to Him.
Oh that in days of trouble we give Him that little praise.
Never forget that little boy’s lunch that did wonder to multitudes.

©2014, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Photo Credit: https://achristianpilgrim.wordpress.com/tag/5-loaves-of-bread-2-fish/

 

AFRICA, ITS TOWNS AND ITS HUMANS

Africa is a biiiiiiiig country with many towns:
In those towns, you will find jungles with a lot of wild animals--

Lions, elephants, giraffes, antelopes, monkeys--name it.
There are a lot of humans there too.

Those humans, hmm, they don't go to school,
They can't speak or write pretty Engrish.
Their children are malnourished with bulging stomachs and skeletal bodies;
They feed on less than a dollar a day.

Those people, hmm, they drink dirty water,

They don't have access to clean water.
Those humans, hmm, they live in mud huts with thatch roofs.
Some of them even dwell on trees with monkeys.

Every house in Africa has at least a giraffe,
That ruminant with long neck, as pet.

It is such a sweet pet too,
It sometimes feed from its owners' hands.

In Africa, there are no side walks,
No roads, no bicycles, no cars, no trucks, no airplanes--
Those people, hmm, they go on all their journeys on feet, bare feet.

I am one of the human beings from Africa,
Ebony-skinned with a head full of wild, kinky curls.
This human, hmm, she did not go to school
And cannot speak or write pretty Engrish.
I come from that town in Africa called Nigeria.

©2015, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

Photo Source for non-human pics: http://all-free-download.com/free-photos/
Human pics mine.