I love Jesus.
And it hurts my heart when I think about those who don't. But not as much...ugh, not as much as it hurts Jesus. And to think that they don't love Him only because they don't really know Him. That's why I didn't resist too much when Jesus nudged me in the direction of this blog. You see... it is very important to me that I show people just how cool Jesus is. Actually, cool doesn't quite cut it... Today, I am not going to give you the usual spiel of "He died for you," or "He was born so that you could live." Even though these are all true and are pretty dope. Instead, I am going to tell you the story of a girl who seemingly had everything. Rich-enough parents, great grades, beauty, and of course...boys' attention. As most stories go, there was but. Her but? She couldn't control her bladder when she slept. Like a mythical werewolf or Princess Fiona from Shrek, she dreaded the night. In a house that wasn't hers, she would stay up sometimes, fighting sleep so as not to soil a bed that wasn't hers. She tried everything. She prayed because she was told it worked. She drank yam soup because she was told it helped. She was the laughingstock of all who knew and needed a reason to laugh at her. To mock her: The golden girl of the grade, a bedwetter! But she met Jesus. Actually, Jesus found her and took this reproach from her life. And the mouths of her mockers were shut. This girl had done nothing that was worth a personal visit from the King of Kings Himself. But He did it, anyway. He found her, the lost sheep, and brought her back home to Him. Just like He found Zacchaeus and the woman who bled for 12 years and the mad man at Gerasenes. Need I say more? So, I love Jesus. Because He found me in the worst of places yet never makes me feel unworthy or unloved. I could go on and on, but I think you get the gist. Jesus is the coolest thing since before sliced bread, and I want you to know. ************************ Some helpful verses: 1 Peter 2:15, Luke 19:10, Luke 8:43-48, Mark 5:1-13, Luke 15:1-7
12/20/2017
Day 26 - UnnervedI hear it all the time.
Heck, I say it all the time. How amazing grace is, and I hear it all the time. Heck, I say it all the time. How amazing grace is, and how much we don't deserve it.* I know this; it's imprinted on my heart and mind. Yet today, I was unnerved by grace. I did nothing, but I got everything I wanted. "I didn't work for this, Lord." I wailed. "You didn't work for salvation either." the Lord reminded me. As much as I wanted to argue that there was a difference, I couldn't. Because there isn't. If our lot in life and beyond were determined by what we deserved, there would not be a lot to determine. Today was great. Exceptionally great. Unnervingly so. And I had nothing to do with it. I still don't know how to handle it. But I hear the Lord telling me: "Just because Ronke is not in control does not mean that God isn't." Don't be like me. The next time something exceptional happens to you, don't hesitate to give glory to God, to Whom glory is due. *See what Jesus did there...😉. Can't take credit for this one. It was all Jesus.
12/19/2017
Day 25 - Dear JesusI don't know...the Lord's pretty awesome.
Like leave-His-gold-paved-streets-to-die-for-me awesome. Like literally-always-there-for-me awesome. And I love Him. Like a lot. Like smile-too-big-for-my-face a lot. Like heart-racing, can't-contain-it a lot. Tonight, my words are not doing a good job of speaking my heart. So naturally, I'm running to my Love. His Words, without fail, speak to my heart. Dear Jesus, "You are the fountain of life, the light [in my eye] by which I see." Psalm 36:9 I love You. ❤️
12/18/2017
Day 24 - Sometimes I Get AngryLet's skip past the part where I explain that I am not claiming to be perfect by saying I get angry sometimes.
Yeah? Cool. Okay! Sometimes I get angry at God. I don't like it, and it hurts me to write it, but it's true. And I know. I mean, we all know... That God does everything right, and there is literally no justifiable reason in the world to get mad at Him.* But I do. Because it doesn't always feel that way. And those pesky little things called feelings have a way of overshadowing everything else including faith, if you let them. But I don't want to let them, at least not the negative ones that make me doubt and mistrust the One I love. Love is a feeling, too. It's really more than just a feeling - but a feeling, nonetheless. And that's what I want to feel. That's what I want to choose to feel. Always. Love. Love. Love. When I get in trouble for forgetting and I wonder why the Lord didn't remind me...I want to choose love. When I hear of wildfires, hurricanes and earthquake events, even though I don't fully understand why the Lord does not stop them...I want to choose love. When I am too depressed to breathe, I want to choose love. Because it overcomes fear. It overcomes doubt. It does not get mad. It understands. It cares. It trusts. Because It is Who God is. And I really, really, really like Who God is. Teach me to choose love, Lord. *See Romans 3:4, Jeremiah 29:11
12/17/2017
Day 22 & 23 - I Have A ConfessionGosh...I'm so sorry I missed a day of the challenge!
I was tired and had a headache, but it's still inexcusable. (The headache and tiredness was caused by an almost all-night movie binge the night before. That's my confession.) Sorry, guys n' gals. Sorry, Dad. ********** I don't talk about politics and stuff, because I don't know politics and stuff. I don't talk about religion, because I don't do religion. I talk about Jesus and me because I know Jesus and me. And I know Jesus and me because I talk about Jesus and me. So why I am being unnecessarily cryptic? No reason, it's just fun to write. 😀 But the above sentences, cryptic as they might be, have a purpose for today's post. In the U.S where I live, politics and religion are two of the many polarizing issues. And you know Americans... They don't have any qualms telling you exactly what they think and why you should think that way, too. Oh wait, my bad... Did I say Americans? I meant humans. 😀 Anyway, I don't talk about these issues, not because I avoid them, but because of the aforementioned reasons. But since we are already talking about them, let me just say: It is easy - so easy - to have opinions from the outside looking in. All these "senior news correspondents" and something-something analyst on cable news are full of opinions! All the "queen24178" commenters on your Instagram post are full of opinions, too! As recipients of these opinions, cruel as many of them are, we understand just how much they hurt. Therefore, when we find ourselves on the other side of the screen, we need to be considerate, humble and gentle.* As people (dare I say, cuties) for Jesus, it's who we are supposed to be.** *Ephesians 4:2 **1 John 3:10
12/15/2017
Day 21 - Play on WordsYou know.... I think the Lord enjoys blowing my mind.
...watching my eyes grow wide with wonder and my mouth pop open in amazement... Haha. It's cool. I enjoy having my mind blown, too. 😀 The Lord's ability to create meaning and purpose in the most "meaningless" of things never ceases to amaze me. But then He goes and pulls yet another meaning from this seemingly meaningless thing or from that obviously purposeless situation and I am rendered speechless. Clorox is then needed to wipe off my exploded brain from the walls and floor. 🤣 It's been a hell of a fight. The face-value meaning of the above sentence is simply that the fight was tough. It implies that the struggle was overwhelming, but there was victory at the end. This morning, the Lord gave me another outlook: It was a hell of a fight for Jesus to save us. Literally. He literally had to be born as a human so He could die, go to hell, and destroy the power of sin and death. This was done so that we could know God, and be rightfully blown away by His magnitude. 💓 Thanks for fighting for me, Jesus.
12/14/2017
Day 20 - Face ZitRonke: "Um...Lord, are You sure?"
So...I have a zit on my face. How human of me! Since puberty struck, my experience with pimples has been atypical. Early on, they avoided me like I was the problem. And when they finally decided to grace my face with their presence, they did so sporadically and sometimes in the most inconvenient and conspicuous of places. Ronke: "Lord, I don't think these people want to hear about my pimples." I have always thought pimples looked good on people. When strategically placed, you know? Hence, you can imagine the dismay of a thirteen-year old me when everyone else was sporting at least one pimple. Well, now I have them. Still not overbearingly, but enough to be noticed. Ironically, I find myself almost wishing for a clearer, less-pimpled face. I say almost because while I think that a strategically placed pimple can increase a face's attractiveness, I do not have the forbearance to get rid of the ones that appear in not-so-strategic areas (like the tip of my nose!). Ronke: "Dad, um...so what is the lesson here? Where is the big "Hmm..." moment?" And so the story goes. We want it all, don't we? And when we can't have it, we want it even more. Then we get it and we don't want it anymore. See...we think we know what we want, what we need. And how dare God, or anyone else, tell us what is best for us? But our wants, what we want, will just about kill us. Because we'll never be satisfied with filling the God-shaped hole in our hearts with everything else. Jesus: You tell me.
12/13/2017
Day 19 - You've set me freeI've done some pretty poopy things in my day.
I still do sometimes...just not intentionally. I would probably die* if some of those things became public knowledge. You know what is so crazy about the sentence I just wrote? I realized, as I typed it out, that I can't even remember most of those things. It's like: I know horrible stuff was done, but I am so removed now from who I was then that they don't even matter. They don't even matter because Jesus did it. Somehow, He found a way to save little ol' me. In the most ingenious way possible. Now because of that incredibly cute Baby that was born in a manger over 2000 years ago, I am finally alive. And free. So I guess I won't die after all**, if any of those things did go public. *Not literally **Pun definitely intended.
12/12/2017
Day 18 - What is LoveYou have that song stuck in your head now, don't you?
Let me help you out... Baby don't hurt me; don't hurt me. *insert evil laugh* It's the eighteenth day of this challenge; we have officially reached the halfway mark. Can I get a woot-woot? Come on, give yourself a woot-woot! Now, give the Lord the loudest WOOT-WOOT for bringing us this far!!!! 😀 God is love. I would be remiss if I didn't lead with that. Love is the very essence of Who God is. It's why He's so cool. It's why we have Christmas. It's why we have forever to look forward to. And it's why we have each other. I had my first crush when I was in primary school (American translation: elementary school). Also, Mum and Dad, if you are reading, this is the time to stop. 😉 I still know his full name. Nope. Not telling you. All I can remember feeling was that I wanted him to notice me: to think I was funny and cute. Didn't happen. I wasn't cool enough, I guess. Your loss, T. My ruler was the perfect orogun to make skirt amala. (Don't even bother figuring it out. He's the only one who'd probably guess it, if he remembers. Or reads this. Let's hope not.) Second crush was also in primary school. It's a wonder I graduated! This one lasted for a while. Like ...a while. Going away to an all-girls secondary school didn't help matters at all. If I'm being honest, I still sorta, kinda maybe still have a crush on him now. Put it this way: if he asked me out, I might not say no. Guess all you want. Only my brother/sister would probably figure it out and I would kill them if they said anything.* Then I transferred to a co-ed secondary school, and I was a kid in a candy store. Boys. Boys. Boys. Everywhere. I had a crush every term (American translation: semester). Till I found the one. Oh, I don't mean a boyfriend. I mean the one I had a crush on for almost two years...and nothing happened. The above, in short, is a synopsis of my love life. Besides the fact that it was fun to write, it also shows just how important it is not to find your purpose in who you are romantically involved with at the moment. Especially if it's not a love from God.** It's taken me a while to figure out that: Boys will come and go. God won't. And when He brings my husband, he won't either. What is love, you ask? Love is God. And I won't have it any other way. 😍 *I won't really kill them. This is a kid-friendly website. Sheesh... **How would you know if it's a love from God? Ask Jesus. orogun - a Nigerian cooking paddle but shaped more like a baseball bat amala - http://www.naijachef.com/recipe/amala/
12/11/2017
Day 17 - Slow the f downGot you, didn't I?
Haha. Read on... Over the past few days, I have not really had time to write. It was one thing after the other after the other over and over again. And that's how life is...if you let it. The do-it-now-or-never mentality of our world today might just be our undoing. It's funny. The more pressure I get to do-more-and-do-it-now, the more I just want to drop everything, take a breath and slow down. I know I'm not the only one. Well, here's what the Big Man has for us tonight: slow the f down f is for failure. Stop trying so hard. Let go. Let God slow the failures down. |
AuthorAll posts by Ronke (unless otherwise indicated) Archives
June 2023
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