Author: Flo

The Subtle Idols We Hold: A Reflection on Faith

| Flo

I’m sitting close to the front like I always do, listening to the minister preaching. Today, he’s talking about idols – the things we hold near and dear. The things that can take the place of God.

I listen to him talk about vices, the things that spring to mind first when we think about idolatry. The things that feed our greed or fears or desires so easily. Then he starts talking about the second type of things we idolise, the things that are not as intuitive. He talks about exercise, careers, being a good friend, family, and even worship or ministry. The things that are considered good and even glorify Him, but we have the tendency to make them about us or try to receive from them what we should be receiving from God alone.

In any case, now I’m super attentive, and the message is resonating with me. For example, I find it so easy to get caught up in worship songs as they comfort me, minister to my soul and form part of my day-to-day life. It can be problematic if they start to provide meaning in and of themselves as opposed to drawing me closer to God or worshipping Him. Sometimes, we forget we are lifting up Jesus and honouring Him. It’s about the tune, the melody, the lyrics, the joy of singing, the memories it evokes, and perhaps not as much about Jesus as it should be. Exercise is another big one for me. I confess that I find it a lot easier at times to commit and wake up early for a hike or a morning workout than for Bible reading or time with God. 

What about the countless times I’ve cared more about a loved one’s opinion than God’s. It’s ever so subtle, like consulting them first before praying and feeling like you’ve gotten all the counsel you need and you never get to talk to God about it. So now, my interest was piqued as the pastor spoke. Towards the end of the sermon, he asked everyone to consider what they’ve been idolising, especially the subtle and virtuous things we don’t realise we put before God. Is it a spouse? Is it friendship? Is It work? Is it being a worship leader? Is it being a minister? Is it a child? And there it was…

“Okay, Father Dad, I am giving her to you. I still hope and pray you’ll bring miraculous healing but she is yours. I surrender her to you.”

God spoke to me in that moment and brought the baby I was carrying to mind. She was suffering from a fatal disease in utero, but up till then, I had been praying and believing for a miracle. It was towards the end of the pregnancy, just over a month to go. And clear as day, I heard my Heavenly Father say to me, “Give her to me.” Still, quiet, gentle but unmistakable. “Give her to me.” I was shocked. I turned it this way and that way in my head. I stored it in my heart and wrestled with it all the way home, but by the time I arrived home, I had a response. “Okay, Father Dad, I am giving her to you. I still hope and pray you’ll bring miraculous healing but she is yours. I surrender her to you.”

Funny that, isn’t it? She was already His. Entrusted to me for a time but, ultimately, she was already His and here I was, wrestling to give back what wasn’t mine to begin with. A week later, I was in hospital, water broken. She was coming! The week had been the hardest week. I was sad. I was depressed. I just knew in my soul that I wouldn’t get to keep her. Though I had willingly given my daughter to her Heavenly Father, it hurt like nothing I had ever experienced before or since. Another week passed and she was born on a surreal Friday and went home to heaven to be with her Heavenly Father. I told her we would see each other again and sing a thousand hallelujahs on the other side of the veil.

I would like to believe she was a worshipper of note. She always moved a lot during praise and worship in church or when I was upset. That may seem like nothing but not for her. Because of her condition, she couldn’t and didn’t move much. I believe she was such an empath and she loved to praise her Father. Many, many years have passed since that Friday, since that promise. Today, I was reminded of it because of a TV show – someone going through my story, right down to the baptism of her baby soon after birth before the baby passed.

A couple of things stood out to me. Though my eyes welt up with tears a little bit, there was no pain. All I could say was God, you are good, through it all. The fact that I am no longer bent and broken inside and I can think of her fondly, feeling blessed can only be God. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know whether I was going to be okay. Lots of advice and choices came my way but there was one choice I made that made all the difference – faith in Jesus and His faithfulness. He came through again and again. He is still doing so.

God is a good father. He showed up and taught me He is trustworthy. He showed me that He is the Good Shepherd. He introduced Himself as the lover of my soul, Faithful and True, Saviour King, Redeemer, ever-present Help and so much more. I chose to believe Him and, my oh my, He is the gift that keeps on giving all manner of goodness.

Are you in a storm today? Perhaps you’re searching for answers? Who do you commit your plans to? Have you put your hopes, dreams, desires in things – maybe even good things – but something tells you that’s not “IT”, there has to be more? Or maybe you needed a reminder today – a story like mine? I urge you to make a choice. Choose Jesus. Ask Him to introduce Himself to you and show you who He is if you don’t know Him. Perhaps you do but your perspective of Him is dulled and skewed by life or pain or too many voices or other choices. 

Invite Him in once more. Ask Him to do what only He can, what only He knows you need from Him.

Love,

Flo 

When Grace Meets Desperation: A Testimony

| Flo 
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24

It was a day like any other. Mummy went to work as usual, had an uneventful day there and returned home. When she went to get her handbag, though, she couldn’t find it. She was not alarmed at first. She was sure she’d just placed it somewhere absentmindedly and would soon find it.

A Missing handbag

“Have you seen my handbag?” she asked me. I hadn’t but I, too, was not alarmed. “Have you checked the car,” I responded. “Yes, I have and it’s not there.” I started to help her look for it all over the house, retracing her steps. We were so sure it was in the house somewhere. Nothing. After a little while, it became clear the handbag was not in the house or the car so she called her workplace.

By this time, we were slightly worried. There were valuables in the bag including her wallet with all her bank cards, ID and a good amount of cash. She also had three mobile phones in the bag, one of which belonged to my recently deceased father. See, we had been looking for contacts that he kept such as the plumber, electrician, and handyman he used regularly among other important details for service providers, his friends and associates. 

We had just found them on his secondary phone (he had two) and we were elated. We had been struggling with getting hold of certain service providers and really feeling the gap that he left behind. Anyway, she called work and they promised to search and call her back. They thoroughly searched her office and the entire premises – it was not found. We prayed that the bag and its contents would turn up. Then it dawned on her…

She had been called in to work for an emergency that morning and in her hurried state to attend to the emergency, she must have left the bag in the car and the car unlocked. Needless to say, we were devastated. She had just gotten the cash for something important, not to mention the irreplaceable phone and books she had in there. We kept praying and, in my frustration, I said, “Whoever took that bag should know that such actions do not bring blessings.” 

Grace After Loss

I even started to say out loud that they shouldn’t expect to progress or prosper in life if that is how they went about things but God would not let me. He would not let me criticise the person any further or speak about their future in that way. He checked me so clearly, and I was surprised. He knew the hurt I was feeling at losing something that belonged to my dad, something that couldn’t be replaced, something that we needed at that time. He knew the need we had for that cash. He knew how difficult it is to replace cards, IDs and driving licenses. He was fully aware and He was… What?

He was showing grace and asking me to do the same. He placed on my heart that I did not know the person who took the bag or their circumstances and what led them to commit what was probably an act of desperation. We all fail, make wrong choices and fall short. This person needed grace not judgement, and certainly not judgement from me, one who falls short too. Saying what I was saying, thinking what I was thinking, was not going to change my situation or make me feel better – at least in the long term. What it would do is potentially harden my heart towards someone and place distance between me and God. And my Heavenly Father was having none of that!

So, I repented, changed my stance and shared with my mum what I’d heard God say to me.

Guess, what?! She felt God was placing the same message of grace on her heart too! And so, we placed our trust in Him in the matter and carried on with the day. Not too long after that, my mum received a call from someone she did not know. Turns out this man was a pastor, like my mum, and saw a handbag lying in a ditch next to the road. He was hesitant at first but something prompted him to pick it up and open it. He found my mum’s business card inside – her pastoral card – and decided to call her.

We went to meet him in the city centre, which in itself was not an easy feat because he had quite a busy day and had to go out of his way to ensure he got the bag back to us. He later shared that when he saw that the bag belonged to a fellow pastor, he was so moved and he knew he had to get the handbag back to us at all costs. We briefly shared the story of how the bag went missing, how God showed grace to the person who stole the bag in the first place and how He orchestrated that mummy get the handbag back through a fellow pastor. 

God’s Grace is Sufficient

The cash was missing from the bag, and so were the phones. In the place of hurt and disappointment though, a newfound grace for the perpetrator, trust in God’s provision and sustenance, and peace through it all had taken deep root. When I shared the story with my Bible study group, all were amazed at the turn of events, at how God led with grace in such a situation and caused us to do the same, thereby bringing Glory to God. This was about four years ago but it still stands as a powerful testimony to me and my family.

I hope that by sharing this story with you, it also stands as a powerful testimony to you about the unmerited grace God gives us and perhaps those that have wronged or hurt us. It is not always easy to accept or to give, especially in light of accountability, justice and restitution. However, these things are not mutually exclusive. God is just and merciful. God is the bringer of both justice and grace. It is for us to follow His example and be led by Him because only he can see the complete story, the past, the present and the parts that are still to be written. 

Jesus died for our sins, knowing full well how undeserving we all are. I mean, that was the whole point. So, reflect on the level of grace in your life. Let God’s grace grab ahold of your heart. Let Him show you how to walk in grace, if you aren’t doing so already. Accept the grace God has freely given, and grant yourself and others grace when you or they falter. 2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV says God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things, at all times, you may abound in every good work. Only God can supply the desire, the strength and skill to live a live that is worthy of Him.

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
2 Timothy 1:9

Love,

Stillness III

| Flo

Of mind, heart and soul. 

It’s a cold, cloudy and windy but beautiful Sunday. I had a late night last night watching series. At some point, I told myself that I should sleep because I would struggle to wake up in time for church the next day. Yet I carried on watching nonetheless. A slight pang of guilt stabbed at me. I brushed it aside. I set my mind on attending church online instead of going in physically the next day. Interestingly, I woke up in good time for church today. One of the first things I did when I woke was draw my curtains. It had been raining last night and it was still overcast and looked like rain.

I reaffirm my decision to attend church online and set about my morning routine before preparing for church. Something is nagging at me though. I realise it is because I didn’t spend quiet time with God yesterday like I intended to. I also come face-to-face with the fact that I have been hiding from God, running from Him. I pause what I am busy with and approach God. I start to talk to Him and as I do, I come to the realisation that I have been trying to do so many things on my own i.e. using my knowledge and capabilities as opposed to relying on God. 

“Little flock over here has been trying to fix it and build it herself. I thought I was past that!” I say to God (this is something I have struggled with a lot). No wonder I’ve been avoiding, hiding, running. Realising there are some attitudes, motivations, desires and reasoning that I need to allow God to deal with, to work on, I put on some worship music. I pray as I sing and sing as I pray asking God to prune, mould, and reshape as He sees fit. A sense of peace begins to wash over me. Finally, it is time to attend church online. I have been looking forward to it and worshipping corporately with my church community.

Sadly, there is a technical glitch. Initially, I’m very disappointed and a thought pops into my head, “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d gone to church physically.” I ignore it. Guilt and condemnation are not from God. I decide to load a sermon from a few weeks back that I’d missed at the time. I’m glad I did because several things in that sermon resonated with me. Like me, the preacher had gone through a period of asking God, “What next?” Like me, the preacher had gone through a period of discovering and growing to understand, with God’s help, her gifts, her calling, her identity and her place. 

She drew parallels from many women in the Bible (it was a Mother’s Day message) like Mary the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist. These women had experiences and encounters that may have challenged or confused them. Not only did these women ponder and meditate on these things, they had the blessing of having other women come alongside them and affirm them and the calling Christ had placed on them. She spoke of how we can do the same for others. We can intentionally point the people God has placed in our lives to Jesus Christ. 

We can encourage them to become who Christ has called them to be. Likewise, we can allow God to shape us and lead us into who He created us to be more and more. We can connect with Him and discover who we are and understand our calling in Him. It was, once again, a message that felt tailor-made for me for the exact moment I found myself in. I found myself recalling all the times I have asked God what my place and purpose is. Sure, it is to serve and glorify Him, this I know. What I have asked and continue to ask of God is, “Show me what that looks like on a granular level, on a practical level, on a day-to-day basis”.

Love,

Stillness II

| Flo

Of mind, heart and soul.

The sun is out and the weather is mild – not too hot, not too cold, just perfect. There’s a slight breeze blowing every now and then. It is Friday mid-afternoon and the roads are fairly quiet. I decided it was a perfect day for a walk. I wanted to get in a bit of exercise and, usually, I couple that with an errand where possible. I’d run out of sugar and I needed to replace a canister that had broken a couple of days earlier. So, I put on some comfortable walking shoes, grab a mask, and my purse and off I go.

As I walk out of my apartment complex gate, I smile and wave at the security guards at the gate. I always make it a point to greet them. They smile and greet me back, one with a nod and a formal, “Good afternoon,” and the other with a more casual, “Hello, sisi”. I keep smiling as I walk on, thinking about the differences in their personalities. Formal guy takes himself and his job very, very seriously. I noticed this the first time I met him. Casual guy is the embodiment of happy-go-lucky. He never seems to have a bad day.

The first half of my walk goes by fairly quickly. My thoughts turn to an upsetting conversation I’d had earlier. I turn it over this way and that way in my head, processing it. I pray about it briefly then let it go. Next, my thoughts turn to daydreaming. I enjoy creating scenarios in my head, allowing myself to dream. At some point, my attention turns to the people around me. I indulge in some people-watching for some time, another one of my favourite pastimes. People do fascinate me so.

Then I notice the sun is shining directly onto me and I’m getting uncomfortably warm. I cross the road to walk under the shade that the left-hand side of the road offers. I haven’t been to this neighbourhood in a long time and memories flood in from a time in my life when I used to frequent that area almost every day. Looking around, I see so many things have changed and yet many have stayed the same. It is the same with me. In many ways, I have stayed the same, and yet, I have changed in so many other ways.

Finally, I reach my destination and I buy my sugar. While I’m at it, I see some cinnamon sugar that’s reduced to clear next to the regular sugar. I grab the shaker and mentally picture all the things I would do with it. A mental image of a yummy latte with a few shakes of cinnamon sugar causes me to start salivating. Then, I remember that I haven’t eaten all day save for a pear. As I leave the shop, I also remember that I intended to find a quiet space and visit with God. I need to be still in the presence of God, surrendering everything to Him.


It’s so easy to get caught up in your own desires and needs.

I also realise the day will be over soon and if I wait until I get home, this may not happen today. I decide to find my quiet and still space right there during my walk. At first, it isn’t easy, not because of everything going on around me, but because of everything going on within me. I had to admit to God that I was afraid to truly hear what He has to say. What if I don’t like it? I was equally apprehensive about not hearing anything at all. I believe that when we move towards God, He moves near to us (James 4:8) but I was scared nonetheless.

After my daydreaming earlier in my walk, it seemed clear to me that I needed to do more of seeking the kingdom of God first. It’s so easy to get caught up in your own desires and needs. So, I confess these fears and the inner congestion to God. I walk and talk with God, becoming more aware of my inner state of being and of my surroundings as well. I begin to surrender everything to God. How does one surrender? I think I know but I ask God to remind and show me how to surrender, nonetheless, and lead me because I can’t accomplish it without Him.

I walk past a beautiful block of apartments that catches my eye. I chat to God about it as I admire how it’s built. I get distracted for a little while by the people, the cars and everything going on around me. I realise I’m feeling vulnerable, so it is easier to focus on other things. “I will not run away or hide,” I say to God, “I will run to You instead and hide in the shadow of your wings,” (Psalm 91:4). I talk to God some more about my inner-most thoughts. As I walk, I find that I want to keep walking until I find myself in a new place, a place of adventure and discovery, a place of new beginnings…

Love,

Stillness

| Flo

Of mind, heart and soul.

My best friend and I had a call and, true to form, it was a long call. We spoke for a good two hours. The call was just what I needed. I had had a particularly challenging week on so many fronts which resulted in reflection and asking myself some really hard life questions. I needed someone to talk to about and potentially help me navigate the head space I found myself in. I’m very blessed to have friends and family with whom I can speak freely.

What did I need to talk about? Well, what do you do when you find yourself in a space where you’re not happy with where you are in life or the trajectory that you are on. The short and obvious answer is change it. It’s never too late to pivot, to change your life and start investing in yourself and in the future you dream of. It’s never too late rebuild. I have been on this journey for a little while now and have invested a lot time and energy on rebuilding and pivoting.

I have prayed many times and asked God for guidance and help. I believe I’ve seen and heard God respond in several ways, some of them surprising, some of them challenging, most of them exciting. Many of them are promises; they have not yet come to pass. I’ve attended masterclasses and watched more webinars than I care to count. I’ve started to read again, something that had fallen on the back burner in the busyness of adulting as did my writing. I have done a lot of introspecting. I have tried as best as I could to implement what I’ve learnt.

As long as there is breath in my body, I am resolved to do the work I need to do to become a better version of me and live the life I believe I am called to live. The challenge though is that it is not always clear what that looks like and, or how to get there. It can also be very difficult and demoralising when you do not see the results for your efforts yet. It’s very easy to start feeling or operating like that fly at the window bashing it’s body against it in a bid to get outside not knowing that that’s a fruitless path.

So there I was, pouring my heart out to Bestie. I expected we were going to breakout the pen and paper at some point and systematically rework ‘the plan’ as it were. Instead, she said something I did not anticipate. She encouraged me to find a space, physical or otherwise, where I can be still and in a state of surrender.

In that space I should sit with God and leave room for Him to be God. Like that fly against the window, it may be that I am bashing myself on a path that is not for me. Meanwhile, God wants to show me an open window I can fly through and soar.

On the other hand, perhaps the fly analogy does not apply to me and I need to keep pushing forward in faith – on a side note, why am I even using a fly analogy? I find them repulsive, but anyway, I digress. Either way, the best thing I can do is to still myself, still my soul and wait on God. This reminded me of a sermon I heard some years ago about waiting on God. The preacher described how waiting on God cleaves you to Him. That is, you stick closely and are glued to Him. He went onto to add that cleaving to God makes you stronger and provides you with the best support to rise, to grow.

He gave an example of a climbing vine growing against a wall or structure. Without the support, this vine cannot rise or grow well. However, once it has grown on and intertwined with a structure, it is stronger and cannot be easily torn down. That sermon really spoke to me at the time and I recalled it as Bestie spoke. Her words resonated with me even more as a result. I was focused on what I needed to do, when I needed to do it and how I was going to do it. These are not negative things to keep in mind; however, it all was starting to feel a bit too much for me.

I was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff I wanted and needed to accomplish. Quite frankly, I was starting to look for an escape. Well, I may have found one. I’m looking forward to finding a serene and beautiful space to sit and visit with God. I’m anticipating stillness of mind where I surrender the myriad of thoughts and plans and questions running through my head. I am looking forward to the stillness in my soul, nothing weighing on me. My heart shall be still as I seek God and what He has in store on the other side of this season. Even now, I feel the peace of God flooding in.

Love,

Heights

| Flo

His goodness and mercy save me

Thank you, Lord, that my salvation and victory are not on my shoulders. Many times, this truth may seem hidden, a bit distant. I think myself resourceful, intelligent, capable, resilient, discerning, and wise – all good things, gifts from You. At times, I’m even worldly – knowing the things of this world and the adventures it has to offer. It’s so hard to be in this world and not of the world. The memories and experiences I’ve carried since my birth in this world till now are so tangible, so real.

As You well know, there are times I have wished You were just as tangible. I have wanted to humanise You so I could experience You at my anthropological level. To throw my arms around you, to sit across from You and to audibly hear your voice like I used to do with my earthly father are things I’ve cried out to You about. Yet, I recognise that in that desire lies the need to shape you and resize into something my mind could fathom and experience in a way that I know and understand.

If I were to get my wish, You would cease to be the God that you are. You once said to people who were perhaps feeling like I have felt, “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor — Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you],” John 16:7 AMP. You could see the bigger picture and knew the greater plan.

In light of this, I am very grateful that I do not have to save myself. I cannot lead myself to victory with my limited vision and wisdom. There are many things I do not know and understand, about You, about the world, about people and even about myself. However, none of these things are hidden from You. Darkness is as light to You; the farthest corner of the Earth and deepest depths cannot escape from You. You search and know the depths of my heart and show me compassion.

Out of love, you took my place in the seat of the accused, gave up Your life and saved me from sin, from death and ultimately, from separation from You. You, Sovereign Lord, are my strength! You make me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights (Habakkuk 3:19 NLT. Thank you, Beloved Saviour, that my freedom today is not based on my actions. My victory comes only from You and what you have done.

Love,

Ask and you shall receive

| Flo

Is anything too big or too small for God?

I hate being sick. I think everybody does. Unfortunately, I succumbed to a head cold just over a day ago. It started off with some body aches, a general sense of malaise and some nasal congestion in the evening. I had nothing for it but I knew the drill. I planned to go to the pharmacy and get my usual head cold medicine early the next day – yes, usual because I am prone to head colds.

The next morning, I woke up feeling significantly worse. I did some work I couldn’t get away with not doing then decided to take a nap before heading to the pharmacy. Sadly, my body had other ideas. It seemed like it had decided to wage war against me. I had a terrible headache straight from the pits of hell. I couldn’t sneeze or cough without feeling like I’d burst several capillaries. Opening my eyes was an impossible feat and I felt dizzy. I ended up staying in bed pretty much all day.

When I woke up in the evening and still felt terrible, I decided to pray. It was too late to go to the pharmacy and I was having the worst time with no medication in the house. I prayed for my headache to subside and for relief from the aches and pains I was feeling. My prayers were so modest. Luckily, Jesus is anything but frugal in His giving. I didn’t feel the relief the split second I prayed, but I did not have to wait long. My headache subsided and I began to feel a bit better, so I prayed again, and again. Then I felt it. The shift. The difference in how I felt was so marked!

You know, I used to do this all the time. When I would get sick, my first port of call would be to pray for healing. It was so effective. At some point, I stopped doing that so much. After I prayed and felt so much better, I remembered my prayers for healing in the past and I thought, “Oh, Flo! How could you forget to pray?” I caught myself wondering what things I had gone through that I didn’t have to experience if only I had prayed. Thankfully, I also felt a sense of grace. I am learning to treat myself as Jesus would, and He definitely would lovingly remind or convict me instead of admonishing me the way I had been doing.

Today, I finally managed to get to the pharmacy and got some medication. I still feel a bit under the weather. This time though, instead of going through it seemingly alone and hoping for the best, I am putting my hope and trust in God and praying for a full and swift recovery. In fact, I believe it is already done.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” 
Matthew 7:7 NLT

Love,

Biblical Insights: 7 Life Lessons from Ladybugs for Daily Living

| Flo

Lately, I have been enjoying how God has been using unlikely creatures in the animal kingdom to reveal things, reminders or lessons, if you will. Today, I got a mental picture of a ladybug while I was praying. Naturally, I looked up some facts about ladybugs and have compiled seven Bible-based reminders for daily living from the lovely little ladybug.

Be Useful

Ladybugs eat pests that are harmful to plants such as aphids, and one beetle – yes, ladybugs are beetles – can eat up to 5,000 of these in its lifetime. This is very useful to farmers and makes ladybugs well-loved by them. How can you serve God and others today and everyday like the ladybug? 
Galatians 6:10, John 9:4

Be an answer to prayer

It is said that ladybugs showed up after farmers prayed for a solution to pests that were ravaging their crops. I think this is noteworthy. Imagine how joyful and blessed those farmers felt after the ladybugs arrived and cleaned up their fields. You can also be a blessing and an answer to prayer, and often, just by simply showing up and being magnificently you.
Genesis 12:2, Proverbs 11:25

Be a good planner

Did you know that ladybugs can plan ahead for shortages in their food supply? They are able to eat their eggs – yes, gross – and so, they lay infertile eggs for themselves and for their young to eat when there are shortages. Likewise, be sure to plan ahead under the Lordship, leadership and guidance of God.
Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 24:27

Be colourful – show your true colours

To show your true colours means to reveal your character or to make known what you are really like in nature.

Ladybugs come in a variety of colours and markings. In fact, there are about 5,000 varieties of them and I’m sure you’ve seen how beautiful they are. Let this inspire you to allow God to nurture and build your character then let is shine for the world to enjoy and find inspiration.
Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:12-14

Be transformed

Like the dung and other beetles, ladybugs go through a transformation from young to adulthood. As a follower of Christ, you also go through a transformation from spiritual immaturity to maturity as stated in 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” Lean into the transformation God has planned for you.
Isaiah 64:8, Romans 12:2

Be vigilant about enemies

The colours of a ladybug, as pleasant as they are, serve a purpose. They deter predators, making them think the beetles are poisonous and no good for eating! You have a natural predator, the devil, and you are to ‘be alert and of sober mind for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:9). Be vigilant against the enemy of your soul.
Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Peter 5:9

Be fruitful and multiply

Ladybugs are found everywhere except the Arctic and in Antarctic. They live in many habitats and adapt to many different conditions. They are quick to mature and are very productive. Emulate the ladybug and be effective and fruitful for it is to your Heavenly Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourself to be Jesus’ disciple (John 15:8).
John 15:4-5, Luke 6:43-45, Genesis 1:28

Love,

Déjà Vu

| Flo

A vessel without purpose
Hands without work
A beautiful mind atrophying
Something within longing to be birthed
Day in day out the clock ticks; it’s all circular
Round and round it all goes, starting where you stopped
Onwards and upwards, arriving right back where you started

What is the purpose of life? 
Wading through the muck and the mire
Won’t you please remind me
What is the point of existence?
On and on it goes; it’s all déjà vu
Rising to fall to rise again
Phoenix from the ashes
Methinks the phoenix exists to burn and rise in turn

Hope refuses to die
Stubbornly, it rises when it has no reason to
Peace grabbed hold of this vessel, won’t let go
A soul searching for something beyond itself
There has to be much more to it all
It refuses to give up much as it wants to
It was birthed for something more
The soul knows this deep within

Unshakeable hope and peace rising to take a stand 
But why rise? 
Why keep putting one foot in front of the other? 
On and on it goes; it’s all déjà vu
Rising to fall to rise again 
Phoenix from the ashes 
Methinks this life was set upon a rollercoaster
Destined to ride until the clock runs out

Or was it? Was it really?
Clock, who are you? What is your power?
Destiny, to whom do you answer?
Why should a life answer to you?
All bow to a greater King, the King of kings
He provides a vessel its purpose
Hands find their work in Him
On and on it goes, into eternity
Rising to greater heights, upwards into glory

About the author

Flo Boora

Jesus follower, lover of life, story teller, adventurer, foodie, natural-born motivator, perpetual learner.