Hello beautiful people. Happy New Month! And even better and more meaningful, Happy Good Friday! Oh how beautiful a love that caused a pure sinless man to suffer extensively and die in order to give many the choice to life, ABUNDANT life. That Kind of love…. no words. Just soak in that, He loves YOU that much. Hmmm… may we never forget the gravity of the gift we’ve been given. So yes, indeed, Happy Good Friday because this is a celebration of the day that the ultimate seed went into the ground in order to continually bear lasting fruit for all time.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” — John 12:24
While this has absolutely nothing to do with my intent in writing this post, can we circle back real quick to how such a devastating day was termed “good“…. we call it Good Friday and it is the day that Jesus was brutally persecuted and executed by crucifixion. You know why we call it “good”? Exactly. What comes after, something we are still beneficiaries of to this day btw, was directly connected to the prize He paid on that bloody(literally) Friday. I just want to highlight once again that God knows what He’s doing. Trust Him if He calls what may look like the darkest season in your life a “good” thing…. there’s more to it that we’re likely not privy to. Let Him do what He does and I pray that one day, soon, you will understand and testify of the fruit that that “good” season has produced in Jesus Name. Amen.
“But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.” — Isaiah 53:10
Now, to the core of this post. Over the past year, moreso than ever before, I have realized just how imperative it is that we hold on to our testimonies. More specifically, over the last month, I’ve been reminded of how a lack of intentionality to remember is bound to leave you daunting, pessimistic and hopeless. Let me explain. There is no doubt that from time to time, we may come in contact with people who have the testimony we desire(d) to have. Just like we have the tendency to lose sight of the good things in our lives when going through a challenging time, we often dismiss the testimony we DO have when we ruminate over the one we wish we had but DON’T. We have the propensity to compare our condition to that of others when we lose perspective. We cannot afford to forget the times we testified of God’s presence and hand in our lives. Okay, this may sound like a lot of abstract talk, let’s get practical with a real life example.
I started this draft almost a month ago and just like many others (a number I’m too embarrassed to admit), I left it halfway and moved to another. Over this past week though, something really heartbreaking happened that brought me back to this post highlighting the fact that this is a very important message for people to hear and apply. I’m not going to talk about that but I will speak on what prompted me to start this in the first place. I lost a very very loved one in the flesh fairly recently – my mum. And umm… I’m in awe of how of God has worked through this (Click here for a quick glimpse into what I’m talking about) . He has preserved my mind and that of my family. He’s been a well of joy and gratitude within us. He has birthed things so wonderful that just do not align or seem congruent with the circumstance. The point is this – she was ill and this was the premise of her transition. The testimony that my family has is one of preservation through a storm. It is not the testimony we desired and earnestly believed for but it is the one we got. Here’s the thing though, it is still a testimony – and a very very valuable one that I must be careful not to devalue out of envy or despondency.
I have been learning this forcefully by experience because I have found myself in rooms surrounded with people boldly testifying of how God came through in the way that I had hoped He would have for me. I have sensed sorrow and dejection try to rise up within me as I wondered why God did it for them and not for me UNTIL I remembered. I reminded myself of just how intentional, present and trust-worthy this God has been to me. My Abba, that I wholeheartedly have come to believe and trust, truly has nothing but good plans for me. Yes, I really believe this. No, it is not just some memory verse I recite. Yes, He has proven His character to me over and over and over again. No, I refuse to allow short-term memory rob me of this revelation and testimony. I do not understand many things related to this loss we suffered as well as many things in my life but then again…. I am only human. Heck, I don’t know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow. What am I saying? Like my mother repeatedly said so eloquently “Humans are short-sighted”. We have a limited perspective but our God has the aerial view. Right now, God alone knows why it had to happen the way it did for me. God alone knows why it’s happening this way for you despite your many tears, prayers and full obedience. There’s something beautiful about a revelation in retrospect though, I choose to wait on this as I trust God to continue birthing beauty from what seemed ugly. I implore you to do the same.
I want to be clear – two things can be true at once. You can genuinely be upset, weary and disgruntled with your current pin 📍 in life. At the same time, you can remember and be grateful for how God has somehow carried you through EVEN THOUGH you’d rather not walk through the valley of the shadow of death in the first place. Just do not lose sight of How He has seen you through thus far. It’s easier said than done and must be practiced with a level of intentionality – REMEMBER.
“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” — Psalms 103:2
One more thing, do you remember the woman with the issue of blood in the gospels that Jesus healed? Yeah. If you recall, this occurred whilst Jesus was on the way to heal Jairus’s daughter, that is when He encountered this woman and healed her. In the process, during that time, the message got to Jesus that Jairus’s daughter had died. One’s mourning overlapped with another’s praise. Both of these people got a testimony that was equally powerful though not the same – one got a healing and the other got a resurrection. One was not less than the other. Both were relevant and both were life-changing but we were only able to see this after the culmination of both. What Jairus thought was the end wasn’t.
Let’s circle right back to where we started to conclude. Do you realize that the greatest testimony was born from the deepest pain? Yep, I’m talking about our saviour and Lord – Jesus dying for us. Remember, we call it Good Friday now because we know how the story ends. God knows how your story ends.
Be careful not to dilute the potency of your testimony by yielding to comparison and forgetfulness. Whether your testimony in this season is one of preservation or one of abundance, remember and be grateful. You can believe for more without dismissing what is right in front of you.
Be careful not to dilute the potency of your testimony by yielding to comparison and forgetfulness. Whether your testimony in this season is one of preservation or one of abundance, remember and be grateful.
Hold on to your testimony. Somebody needs it. 💕
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” — Rev 12:11
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