What chair?

A philosophy professor asked his students just one question for their final exam, the question is “how are you going to make me believe that this chair in front of you is invisible?” It took all of the students one hour to finish writing the answer except for one lazy student who only took 5 seconds. After that day the results are already posted. The lazy student got the highest score, know what his answer is? “What chair?” LESSON: Don’t make simple things in life complicated.

I Spent Some Time With Me...

I spent some time with ME this afternoon and I relished every moment. I think I'm going to make this a weekly appointment. No one else is invited besides God. I spent some time just reflecting on where God has brought me to and the direction to which he was now pointing me. I reflected on the times I had allowed fear of failure and the comments of those around me to stifle and prevent me from shining as God would have wanted me to. I feel renewed and ready once again to take on all the obstacle that is yet ahead. Its amazing how even one minute spent in God's presence serves to put everything in perspective once again. So you can just imagine the renewal and growth that takes place when you put deliberate efforts into spending a hour or more with the only one who is able to restore balance to one's life. Wowww!!!

I wish that everyone would come to realize as I am now doing that we need to calue our own company. We need to feel secure in our own presence or how else do we expect others to feel comfortable around us. We should be the one making ourselves laugh first before we allow others to do so. We should be the one complimenting ourselves before we begin to accept flattery from elsewhere. We should love ourselves before we seek the approval and acceptance form frail human beings who are prone to hurt and put us down.

But the bible clearly says that we are unable to love if we do not know God because God is love. With that in mind, why not spend some time to develop a relationship with the Master Lover. I promise that this is a decision that you will never regret!!

1 John 4:7-10

The Message (MSG)

God Is Love

 ^7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 

 

 

Claiming My Destiny!!

Thoughts are powerful, I realize, yet still I find myself ruminating on some really self-defeating words that I know are  a plan of the devil. Today I choose to be positive, I choose to believe God's words about me. I am indeed fearfully and wonderfully made. I believe God has my back because He promised never to leave nor forsake me. I am destined for greatness because he told me so in Phillipians 1: 6 which says "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in (me) will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in (me)." Italics supplied.

I am going for great things and I may get deterred sometimes but I am very sure (now more than ever) that God's plan for my life will come to fruition. I wish more young people would come to believe this truth about their lives as well. I know that I have a role in this as I can be a beacon to the young people I interact with on a daily basis. My prayer is that God will give me the strength to care and look out for the best interests of those around me. I pray that God will give me the will-power to resist Satan when he tells me I can't. I claim His strength and power. Now I am off to empower those I come in contact with, starting with one young person at a time....

I find myself worrying immensely about what other people think of me and somehow my brain blocks all traces of the fact that God affirms and approve me in His word. Arrgh...my brain seemingly needs a rewire. I will be walking alone and I feel that everybody who is sitting and watching me pass by has something to think or say about me. It gets me thinking, questioning...why do we doubt our potential so much? It would seem that we have brainwashed ourselves into thinking that no one can ever love ALL of us. God so desperately wants us to be satisfied with our selves especially with the way we are physically made up. I am working on this so badly. What helps is claiming the promises found in his word that speaks to how much He loves me. I will share a few:
^{Psalm 139:13-16} Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
      you formed me in my mother's womb.
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
      I worship in adoration—what a creation!
   You know me inside and out,
      you know every bone in my body;
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
   The days of my life all prepared
      before I'd even lived one day. (Message)

 

Jeremiah 31:3Amplified Bible (AMP) 

The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

1 John 4:7-10

The Message (MSG)

God Is Love

 ^7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

A Dautgher Tallks to her Father..........

My Heavenly Father, I come before u shamefaced and disappointed in myself. I have not been spending enough time with you and for that I'm sorry and I humbly ask your forgiveness. I ask your strength and guidance to be poured out in my life so that I will do what it is you want me to do. I want you to be my heart's desire; I want to crave your presence constantly. I am reaching for greater heights but I am constantly distracted by material things and the opinion of those around me. I am afraid to shine sometimes because I do not want anyone else to feel threatened by the power I know resides in me. I am grateful Lord that each day you have been speaking to my heart, uttering statements of approval and affection. help me to believe and trust fully in your acceptance of and love for me. Thank you Lord for the opportunity to start a brand new semester. I embrace the knowledge and learning I will achieve. ooh Lord I am bursting with excitement and I know that can only come from you. Help me to remember why ti is that I am pursuing social work. Help me to realize that my knowledge must first be applied to my life but it must also be passed on. Help me to take advantage of all the occasions to help those around me. Send them to me Lord and I know you will direct me as to how exactly to help and who to point them to. Help me to be kind to my classmates and if I see them struggle, help me not to be blinded by ambition or revel in their struggles but help me to lend my skills and wisdom. Be with my family, there are so many dynamics present that hinder sometimes our ability to be closer, help that to change and help me to play my part in making that change lasting. Help me to be the one to reach out (provide the money to buy the credit please :) ) and help me to love them even when they hurt my feelings. Thank you for the lesson I learned during the summer sessions and help me to remember them. I am learning to love myself weaknesses and all because I know my worth is found in the indelible truth that I AM YOUR DAUGHTER..yaay!! I love talking to you God so help me to not to make this a once in a week thing. Help me to revolve my life around you, help me to make YOU my all in all. Thanks for listening to me. Thank you for everything in Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Kirk Franklin - I Smile

Passionate Determination!!

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... We must do that which we think we cannot. - Eleanor Roosevelt

This poignant line captures my thoughts essentially as of late. It is my resolve to be daring, to pursue my goals with passion and to hand over the reins of my life to the only one who can successfully master them--GOD!! It really is a nice feeling; knowing that there are uncharted paths for me to tread. I like knowing that I have God in front and behind me (like He did with the Children of Israel), directing the steps I take and helping me to learn from the mistakes I make (hey I rhymed!! ).

I am determined to release my fears of the future, my fears of people's opinions and my fears of my own greatness. i am well able to pass statistics next semester :) and I am well able to shine like never before. Yeah so I am well on my way to a God-filled destiny. I'm not backing down, I'm not in the frame of mind to accept defeat because I have so much to live for. (slipping into a little Jamaican jargon)...A ME SEH SELF-DISCIPLINE AN DETERMINATION...A ME SEH CHRISTAIN SWAGG!!!

Verse of the Day

^"The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." 2 Cor. 10:3-6 MSG.

The Spider and The Fly: Mary Howitt

The Spider and the Fly
Mary Howitt

Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there."
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."


"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"


Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, " Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -- will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"


"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you 're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."


The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple -- there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue --
Thinking only of her crested head -- poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour -- but she ne'er came out again!


And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

Summer Sessions: Knowledge is Power!!!

This was my first summer session and it official comes to an end tomorrow at 2:30 pm. What can I say that I have walked away with after seven weeks of brain-busting activity?
1. I appreciate the value of putting theory into practice.
2. I value teamwork; I appreciate the vast knowledge, creativity and skills that my peers bring with them as we seek to accomplish our tasks.
3. I value the potential for learning; retaining and application of knowledge that God has placed within me.
4. I understand the duty I have to help those around me more so, the duty I have to my colleagues to be there for them and to aid them in anyway possible as long as it doesn't impede and hinder my own progression s a person.
5. I appreciate and value how much God has been guiding my mind and my actions. I realize also just how much He looks out for me on a daily basis. He understands my struggles, forgives my sins and then He hurls them into the deepest part of the sea. Unlike the devil, and those around me, He does not bring it up and wipe it in my face.
6. I love ,the early morning times with Him (which I only got a chance to do this week). As a result, I am seriously contemplating moving out. I worry though about the response my roommate will give and how they will be affected. I'm still waiting for God to give me an official answer.
7. I love NCIS, White Collar, Suits and Necessary Roughness!!! USA rocks!!
8. I want a job next semester at the library so I can buy my textbooks. This summer session really got me thinking how useful they are. I also realized that every opportunity and situation I experience presents an opening to learn.
9. This summer session, I really got in tune with some really wonderful blogs; from wonderful insightful social workers to grumpy doctors, I enjoy reading them all.
10. I love my family and it hurts that I ma not able to help them financially the way I would want. this summer, I have determined to do my best, so that I will be a valuable asset to my company and as a result I will be indispensable ( and the money will come flowing my way).

Breaking Free: Fear Relinquished

        I've decided that it's time to break out of this mold of fear. I am taking God at his word when He said that He has not given me a spirit of fear. I am intelligent and I have an ability to convey deep meaning  in my words and expressions. I am able to get good grades and I am able to apply them and make them relevant to the time in which I live. I realize that I am a unique individual created by God and I want other people to realize just how valuable and special God made them as well. I realize the importance of keeping our minds filled with positive, fulfilling thoughts. When we allow our minds to become contaminated by self-defeating thoughts (a trademark of the enemy), our entire lives are affected and we become underachievers and we divert from the path that God had set us on.
        I love the fact that there are so many people in my life who value the contributions  I have made thus far; they believe in my ability to make a change and to be anything that I set out to. Now it is up to me to believe in myself because no one can truly do that for me. I am taking charge of my education, of my christian journey and my social life. I appreciate myself and although I still struggle with my self concept, I am claiming today Galatians 6:4 (NIV) which says, "Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else"An author explained this verse squite nicely. She says, that comparing ourselves with each other is such a dangerous thing. When we compare and we find ourselves to be superior, we become haughty, proud and we are the meanest, unchristlike person; on the other hand, when we compare and we find ourselves wnating, we reduce ourselves and are filled with doubts about our worht.

With this is mind, I hope that others will join me by breaking this tradition of fear and stepping into our God-ordained destinies.

Music

I'm here listening to some soothing music. Music just gets my body moving and my blood rushing. I am an avid listener and I can't help but appreciate the talent that God has placed within certain individuals. I'm listening to Jill Scott, Avril Lavinge, Erykah Badu and India Arie at the moment. I wish I could sing as beautifully as they do but for now I am just content to listen, smile, nod and let the rhythm envelope me

Optimism!!

I'm quite optimistic. I said no to my addiction lastnite. 'm sure that the fight is not over but it felt quite empowering to say NO out loud. I figured that if I am a Social worker in training and I am not able to use effectively the techniques and theories I have learned over the four years, I will be just as ineffective in getting my clients to use them. I'm not going to write it off as my own doing, I knwo fro sure thta God had a hand in my resistance. I understnad what Paul means when he syas that we need to caputre all our thoughts and we need to ensure that we do not conform to the oractices of the world.
My optimism also centers around the fact that God has given me a mind that understands concepts easily. I realize more and more just how much of a "broad" knowledge base social workers really need to have and God has been helping me to remember and apply what I have learned. I confess that I am a long way off and there are certain bad habits that I still need to get rid of but I am determined to be the best person I can be so I can make my family, myself and GOD proud!!

Self-doubt

     (This was written in my journal sometime in April)
     I realized today that to have friends, I have to go out of my way to be friendly. So I have resolved to talk more, to be nicer, to reach out to people and to just allow God to speak to them throguh me. My some friends of mine are all struggling to pay their school fees abd I feel so angry and hurt knowingt hat I am unable to help them. What amazes me though is how stromng they are, they laugh and joke (even though they are hurting inside). I wish I had the money to give them.
   When I woke this morning, I never even prayed or read my bible, not even a devotional. That's the danger of having too many persons around (CONSTANT DISTRACTION). I still have to resolve to spend time getting to know God or my living just makes no sense. I really want to love, care fro and help those around me but I sometimes feel so inadequate. I pray and ask God to use me but I don't see myself being used by anyone. My knowledge base just seems so empty. I don't have a wide vocabulary, my ability to explain concepts is almost non existent. Suffice t say, I have an exam to study fro and despite all my self-doubt, i feel I'll do pretty well.

An Addict's Lament

How the HELL did I get here?
How the HELL did I allow myself to be captive;
To be a slave to my own passions?
Caught up in five minutes of momentary pleasure,
Forgetting the vow I made with God only seeking to please myself.

I am an addict, it's as simple as that,
I quit!! I must have said that a thousand times,
Yet still I feel my fingers reaching down,
My womanhood throbs and five seconds later,
After the fleeting pleasure,
Guilt sticks its knife into my mind, twisting without remorse

God only knows that the help that will eradicate this self-fulfilling, destructive pleasurable decadence,
Can only be found in Him,
But where is He now?
Doesn't He hear me crying out to Him out of the depths of my own, self-induced orgasmic prison?
When will he come like a thief and steal me away from this bomb disguised as bliss?
It had better be soon, else I fear that I'll be beyond redemption, when finally he decides to show up.

Shanniel Shakespeare
Copyright 2011

Overcoming!!

I'm going thru a really rough period right now. I am struggling between satisfying my fleshly urges and living a life that God can be pleased with! I so want to do what I feel like but God has called me to deny self and follow him!! He asked Peter if he loved him more than anything in the whole wide world and Peter responded in the affirmative but it took Peter three times to really understand what God was asking of him. God wanted more than a surface type of love and in the same way, that is what he demands of me today; I'm just too scared to venture into that life of selflessness that He wants of me. I am scared; I feel that I have made Him too many promises and that one day, God is going to get angry and nothing I say to HIM will matter anymore. This sucks, but I've told Him that I will not desist in chasing Him, so He is stuck with me :).

Scared Silly!!!!

I admit it: I am scared silly!!! As I near the end of my journey here at Northern Caribbean University, I find myself questioning my competence. I find myself wondering if I have been equipped with the knowlegde base necessary to go out and facilitate change. I wonder if I have done a good enough job of honing my skills, or if in truth, I had any skill to begin with. I fear that my interactions with my clients will be bland, dull and inefective. I fear that I will not be able to comtribute to the knowledge base of my profession and in turn, will give Social Workers a bad name.

I must admit that sometimes I envy all the students and young people I see being highlighted who are consistently charting new paths and making a name for themselves in this world. I fear that the knowledge I have gained will never measure up to the international standards that have been laid out. I am afraid that I won't know the right words to say to the clients I have vowed to serve; I fear that my words, instead of holding the power for good will be a dangerous fire that will burn and destroy what little hope my clients had of damaging.]

I AM SCARED......but somehow I feel that it is far worse to hide my light in a bushel, to cower in a corner than it is to shine and reveal the light and optimism I have inside. I AM SCARED......but I believe that it behooves me to make sure that my parents money have not been spent in vain.
 I AM SCARED...but I owe it to myself, after five years of toil, labour and sweat to believe in myself and my competence. I value religion and as a christian I must believe that God is with me, guiding my every step, thought and speech. I must believe in the intrinsic worth of everyone I come in contact with and I must give them the benefit of the doubt.

I AM SCARED...BUT I AM WILLING TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP NONETHELESS!!

Self: Exposed

                                         Things I'm Learning of Myself Everyday

*I really love to sing (I am, able to convey my emotions and with practice, God will continue to use me to bless and minister to otherz).

* I am humorous and quick witted (EVEN IF OTHER PERSONS DON'T GET IT...tsk).

* I am compassionate and caring (Slowly God is placing His love in my heart and replacing my selfishness)

* I am intelligent; I have the ability to clearly express my thoughts; I am able to write well and do careful research. (Thanks be to God)

* I can act well and recite poetry (I'm still waiting for that ministry to come alive :-Dramamtists 4 Christ is a beautiful start).

* I love to read!!! Definitely, I love inspirational books, books that make me think, learn and point me to God (NO MORE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT BOOKS FOR ME...SATAN U LOSE..HA HA!!)

*I am a nice dresser with unique and exquisite taste (I do not have to be in what everybody's in to look nice; I must admit that I absolutely adore jewelry- it's a pity, I can't wear them....no stumbling block roun' here).

* I love to make a statement. In other word I like to be seen. (God has been showing me of late that it isn't always such a good thing; sometimes it is better to be in the background. God is calming the extrovert in me- balance is becoming more clear). 

* I'm honest about the way I feel. (I need to work at speaking my feelings in love though for AI tend to be a bit harsh sometimes)

I pray and believe through Faith that God will continue to direct my feet and guide my life as I seek to be a jar of clay that he can show his surpassing power and light through me.

Semester Blues: God's Restoring Happiness

Lamentation 3: 22, 23. NIV.
"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,  They are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.  "

I had my last exam today.I must admit that I was immensely apprehensive during the entire semester.I worried about money, friends, my family; I struggled with my self esteem-wondering if I was capable enough and I wondered if I would ever make the mark on the world as God had intended. Amidst all this,I can honestly and safely say that God has proved faithful.

I have seen God's hands in my life and it amazes me even now as I look back. I see him in the resiliency of my brother and my sister as they dealt with some family problems. I saw it in the renewed vim, vigor and purpose that God has sparked in me. I saw it in the financial provisions sometimes right at the last minute. I saw God working in the life of my friends and making Himself more visible; proving again and again how much He loves them.

God's faithfulness is indeed incomprehensible. I realize that His grace is indeed a gift and not a loan that I have to repay. I celebrate His death and resurrection because what that means for me is that there is hope and I can come boldly before God, addressing Him as Father and Friend. I relaize that every day is just one stepfurther down the path that He has ordained forme even before my parents even thought of having a child.     

I purpose to living a life that is above mediocrity,a life that makes my family,myself and God proud. Will you join me?

Trustting God!

Today at 5:48 pm, I am sitting at the computer and I am on the brink of being overwhelmed. I just looked at the cost for both summer sessions and it is a whopping amount. One would think that based on past experiences of God coming through for the last three and a half years right on time with my school fee, I would have a little more confidence. Tsk, tsk. I want to trust Him wholeheartedly...I'm thinking that my lack of trust can probably be based on the fact that I totally am at a loss as to why He keeps providing and comforting after how I let Him and my parents down.
It is now 5:51pm. I just spoke to daddy and I believe that the Holy spirit spoke through him to me. Here's what daddy just said, "Don't worry, let me do the worying" Amazing, isn't it?
So at 5:43 pm, I am making this pledge: I WILL ALLOW GOD TO PROVIDE FOR ME. I AM TRUSTING HIM  WITH THE 7000 FOR THE TRAINING SEMINAR. I AM TRUSTING HIM WITH THE MONEY FOR BOTH SUMMER SESSIONS AND I TRUST THAT HE WILL PROVIDE FOR THE REST OF MY TENURE HERE. 

I am , "confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6)

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139 (The Message)

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

 ^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
   I'm an open book to you;
      even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
   You know when I leave and when I get back;
      I'm never out of your sight.
   You know everything I'm going to say
      before I start the first sentence.
   I look behind me and you're there,
      then up ahead and you're there, too—
      your reassuring presence, coming and going.
   This is too much, too wonderful—
      I can't take it all in!

 ^7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
      to be out of your sight?
   If I climb to the sky, you're there!
      If I go underground, you're there!
   If I flew on morning's wings
      to the far western horizon,
   You'd find me in a minute—
      you're already there waiting!
   Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
      At night I'm immersed in the light!"
   It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
      night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

 ^13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
      you formed me in my mother's womb.
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
      I worship in adoration—what a creation!
   You know me inside and out,
      you know every bone in my body;
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
   The days of my life all prepared
      before I'd even lived one day.

 ^17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
      God, I'll never comprehend them!
   I couldn't even begin to count them—
      any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
   Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
      And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
   And you murderers—out of here!—
      all the men and women who belittle you, God,
      infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
   See how I hate those who hate you, God,
      see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
   I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
      Your enemies are my enemies!

 ^23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
      find out everything about me;
   Cross-examine and test me,
      get a clear picture of what I'm about;
   See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
      then guide me on the road to eternal life.

Royalty

Yesterday at class.....my teacher had devotion it rerouted a large part of my thinking.
  She told us to imagine that we were seated in a room (you can try it too). In that room were the prime minister, the governor general, the president of the United States and some other influential persons including your favorite musician. She didn't stop there; after a huge pause, she then asked us " How do you think those persons should feel in your company; you know for the privilege to have you in the room?"
   The class was silent. Then she asked it the way we had expected in the first place, " How would you feel to be in the room with such persons?" Of course, that elicited more response... Isn't it strange though? We often forget that we are royalty. We often forget that people should feel glad to be in our presence (by no means should we be haughty); people should feel look to us for words of wisdom and comfort. Yet so often we act like commoners, we dress and talk like the world with no regards for our high calling.
       I'm guilty of that. Ever so often, I forget. I sometimes choose to disregard the mark God has placed on my life. I do that because HONESTLY, fitting in is easier than standing out. I forget that my value is to be found in God and it is his opinion of me that really matters. How many of you are guilty of the same thing? God wants so much for our lives and it is time that we give Him the opportunity to make the best of us.

                                        Scriptural Reference

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(1 Peter 2:9)

Purpose

Honestly,
    I've come to realize that true purpose can only be centered in Jesus. It is only after I realized this that I started to see the importance of certain things. Family became more relevant; no longer do I view school as a place to get good grades but now it has become a place where I can learn all I can in order to impact change. My life is now a partnership with God.
   I admit that I am still selfish and sometimes I do not give Him the say and respect He deserves. Amazingly wonderful on my part is the fact that He does not treat me as my sins deserve. So yes, the journey has begun and I am completely confident that He who begun a good work in me is faithful to complete it.