When He Scripts Your Life Story..

When you take hold of a pen to jot down something, you are in control. Whatever you write, is up to you. However your handwriting appears, is entirely up to how your hand will write. You are in charge.

This week has been so good for me..For sure, not in terms of what I have been through but because I've finally assimilated very clearly, the concept of letting God take charge over my life. Everything! From my family, to my finances, to my alliances and relationships, to my worries and hurt.. Everything.
My Mum and I were talking over cooking chapatis some time this week.. and I was a little in distress regarding my musical journey because it has been slightly stagnating lately (and I must admit I over-thought the situation and ended up stressed). All she told me was, "take it to Jesus". It wasn't what I wanted to hear.. but it was what I needed to hear and understand.

I don't know..
I feel it so heavily in my heart that someone really needs this message..
I'm hoping I have the right words to pass it.

God loves you my dear. He really does.
Sometimes you may wonder why you face certain situations.. It's like wondering why God made water wet.
He made water wet because He willed so.
Sometimes he allows storms to come over our lives for some time so that we may learn a thing or two.. or so that, through us, others may witness His power and honour Him.
Sometimes the devil brings along your path various obstacles. Recall, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It shall be formed......... (can I repeat that?) It shall be formed... But it shall not prosper!

When you let God script your story.. You will not have to worry about where money to pay school fees will come from..
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to cry for days about your families woes.. About your broken family.. About your differently structured family.. About your drunkard parent........
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to struggle for approval, for opportunities.. He will open doors for you. And the doors He doesn't open will remain closed because that is not His will for you.
When you let God script your story.. You will not struggle with past pains of defilement and brutality, bullying and being downcast..
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to worry about whether you will ever be in a good relationship.. Or whether you will ever find the 'right one'.. He will script your love story as well:)

Friend, will you let Him?

I know, sometimes He doesn't take away all our troubles as we would want Him to. But we just need to trust Him. :|

When you let God script your story..

Every letter, every word, every coma.. He will have control over it. Even when the pen blots.. Hehe.. He knows what He is doing. Let him orchestrate your life story...
There is a song I love which says, "Father let your will be done. For I am just a piece of clay and you are the Potter."
Like Mary, just say, "Be it unto me, according to your word.."
Jesus acknowledged this as well.. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Just get on your knees and say, "Fit it Jesus"

“Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).

I love you friend.
And God loves you more.

Love,
Laura.

Stand Guard

When you put a little puppy and a great roaring lion together within a cage, which is likely to prowl over the other?
Foolish question, eh?

However, you could change the outcome of that fight.All you would need to do is stop feeding the lion and start feeding the puppy. If you were patient and continually fed that puppy week after week, he would become strong and healthy and the lion on the other hand, would become too weak to even lift his paw.

When you become a Christian, your inner nature is like that little puppy. It must be fed, taught and trained. Your outer, fleshly nature, like the lion, must be starved until it has no strength.

People who do not live in the abundance of God continually feed the lion. Very little of their time is spent in Bible Study, prayer and the likes. They will sit in front of the computer or the television, feeding their carnal (fleshly) nature by the hour. The old lion roars, louder and stronger, and they wonder why they do not achieve victory.

Two scriptural references:
Romans 8:5 tells us that people who live in accordance to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires and people who live in accordance to the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires.It continues to say that the mind of sinful man is death but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life."

Dear, choose life:)

The devil is looking for someone to devour. And that's why he will use your frustration against you and take you back to your past bad habits in the name of consolation. He will lock you in doctrinal chains and hide the great truths about God from you.

STAND GUARD at the door of your heart dear one.. at the door of your mind.. at the door of your spirit. Read good books, read good blogs, watch good movies, listen to good music, surround yourself with people who have chosen life, study your Bible, pray........ In all this, the Lord shall guide you.If you ask him for wisdom, He will give you immeasurably and without finding fault. (James 1:5).You choose what shall come in.
Choose life:)
Choose peace:)

Love,
Laura.

Let's Talk Forgiveness.

I love how Jesus, in His teachings, got down to the nitty-gritty of life, that He even spoke about brothers disagreeing amongst themselves.
Matthew 18:15-20
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.''

This concept really bugged Peter, one of the realest Sanguines in the Bible. And he couldn't help but ask, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?"
So human of him.Because really, this forgiveness thing is easier said than lived out.
As many as seven times?” He continued to ask. 7 times was already enough, in fact more, in his thinking.
Then Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven."

In other words, forgiveness is an attitude, a way of life. It's something you do everyday, even when your human nature pushes you to dwell in anger or seek revenge.

Jesus continued in His sermon, explaining the importance of forgiveness in Matthew 18:23-35,
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[a ] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[ b ] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
a. Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.
b. Matthew 18:28 Greek a hundred denarii ; a denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.

Three things:
*God looks at our failure to forgive others as wickedness. He has forgiven our sins of the past, and He continues to do so, without placing conditions, unhesitantly. How much then, should we forgive others?
*If we are going to live a life that is pleasing to God, then we must forgive others.When we fail to forgive, we provoke the anger of God.
*God will deal with us the same way we deal with others if we fail to forgive.He will deliver us to the tormentors. Now, this does not mean hell, because hell is forever. Jesus paid the debt for us and we do not have to go to hell:)It means, UNTIL we forgive.

FORGIVENESS=HEALING
Many times, people who are seeking healing, really need to walk in forgiveness.
It may be physical healing, emotional healing or spiritual healing. All in all it's healing. And when you are healed, you are set Free!
As you forgive, you will reign in life as a king over circumstances, disappointments and sorrow!

Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Anything means everything, big and small.. Even that which doesn't seem forgivable.
Anyone means everyone, including the thugs and muggers who get away with robbing us and we do not have the slightest idea who they are.
Bitterness has a root. Get to the bottom of it. Get to the root of it.
You see, unforgiveness blocks the pathway between our prayers and God's answers. It's one of the reasons why sometimes we feel as though God is not there.

FORGIVE ONESELF
We may dwell so much on forgiving others and forget to forgive ourselves..There are times we make mistakes, we could have avoided, or fail to do something that was required of us. Then it eats us up.
I had this problem for about one year in high school, I made really silly mistakes, was demoted from the school's leadership and I lost so many opportunities (or so I thought). I really thought that everyone was disappointed in me. My parents, my teachers and maybe even my fellow students. True to the fact, for a moment they were, but shortly after, they forgave me, forgot about it and life went on for them..I battled for an entire year, feeling so shy to express myself, often times opting to hide. I buried my head in my books just to try and shed off the terrible feeling. I'm no bookworm, that didn't work out. The more I 'studied', the more my grades went down because I wasn't at peace with myself, and that created more disappointment within me.
I cried a lot. In the privacy of my bed, at night, when the lights were off in the dormitory. I journaled about how much of a let-down I was. I really wasn't helping myself.
During my final year, I realised that I had battled long enough and that I actually needed to let go of so much pain and bitterness that I bore in my heart (including a bad childhood experience which I'm still not bold enough to share)
I thank God for a few good friends and teachers, who held my hand, walked with me, encouraged me and prayed with me. I was back on my feet:)
It's like somebody had pressed the play button of my life, and I could finally live again.

Forgive yourself dear. You'll finally get to unlock the chains.. And your life can move on.

YOU'VE GOT THE POWER..!
TO FORGIVE!
I know sometimes it feels like a really hard thing to do. You may say, "I was defiled as a child.. My mother abandoned me..my best friend betrayed me.. I can't forgive!" Yes you can.
You can forgive because God provided forgiveness at the cross for you. You are forgiven, not, because you deserve it but by grace. By the grace provided at the cross, you have the power necessary to forgive others.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Only on the basis of the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross can we receive forgiveness from God.
Only on the basis of the grace of God offered to us by His death can we offer forgiveness to others.
Forgiveness is a decision.
As you stand on that decision, God in you will choose to love the person who has hurt/wronged you.

To be forgiven by God, is also as decision. If you choose to believe in His truth, then the blood of Jesus which was shed on the cross, will come through for you. You do not deserve it, but He loves you. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus(Romans 8:1)

Psalms 51 is a wonderful prayer for forgiveness.

Psalms 139
23
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts.
24
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Sometimes we go about our daily lives thinking we are alright.We feel we do not harbour any bitterness or and grievous sin. This is a good prayer, to allow the Holy Spirit to make us aware of our misdeeds or burdens we may be bearing unwaringly.

I hope this has blessed you as much as it has blessed me.

From my heart,
Laura.

Random #1

Kambua (left) and Makena, amazing Kenyan-based gospel artistes .

Hello there:)
I titled this 'Random #1' :
i) because it is random😛
ii) because there are many more to come
iii) because randomness is like my seventh name.. Hehe..

Allow me to briefly tell you how this whole idea of starting to blog came about..
Writing turns out to be one of those several aptitudes that God gifted me with. From my primary school days at ACK Thika Memorial School, I used to write very good compositions.
And it went on to high school.
I found writing to be one of the best ways through which I could express myself and so I kept many journals- A prayer journal, a song book, a schedule  diary(for assignments and all), a study plan book, and the biggest one in which I'd write (and still do), anything that came to my mind.
I LOVE to tell stories!
Especially when I know that whatever I'm saying will positively impact another's life, I'll tell it.

Yvonne Makena once mentioned about Kambua Manundu's blog. At that time, it went in passing but it later came to be rekindled in my mind (after I finished high school-2014) and I decided to check it out.
I was wow-ed! 👇
kambuam.blogspot.com
You'll love👌
Immediately, it occurred to me that there was really something I could do with my writing. A blog, being something that can last as long as the Internet exists, seemed like a good way to go.
And so I created it..

'The Laurel Wreath' is a crown of honour.. Uhm, let me just leave it at that for now because the rest of the story is quite long..

Anyway, let me get to the main point of this blog post.
Being an ardent reader, I come across quite a number of beautiful pieces, from books and other blogs which I'd love to share.
For this reason, I'll be attaching links in a couple posts so that you may also get to widen your reading scope and we enjoy and learn together..
I wouldn't want to copy-paste other people's material so I find this the best way to go.

So..
For today, I'll share with you something that resonates well with ladies more than it does with guys but I'm sure it'll be a lovely read for all anyway.

 This One:)  

Stay blessed.
Love,
Laura.

One On Friendships.

Friendship involves recognition or familiarity with another's personality. It's said that true friends are hard to find and I couldn't agree more in such an isolatory and self-centered world.
I believe though, that everybody needs a good friend in their life. We are not made to be alone.

❄TIME: Building a good friendship takes time. To know each other, to build and share memories and to invest in each other's growth. In short, friendships grow.
❄ACTIONS: They express our love for our friends. Actions complement words, because words alone can't do the trick. A gift, once in a while, going over to spend time and the likes. It's also genuine enough when we do all this without expecting anything in return. Of course you have to weigh the situation so that you don't end up being the only one 'giving' in the friendship. At times it's easier said than done, but it's not impossible. In good friendships, you will not fear judgement or criticism.
❄TRUST: Everyone needs someone with whom they can share thoughts, ideas and feelings. It's important to keep to self whatever is told to you by a friend who trusts you. Loyalty; Faithfulness! Next to love, trust is a strong pillar to great friendship.
❄DEPENDABILITY: A good friend doesn't always have to have the solutions to all problems but simply being there means a lot.
❄SACRIFICE: Jesus, our ultimate friend, loved us so much, that He lay down his life for us. That's the best definition of sacrifice -  when it's more about the other and less about you.

There's more I could point out, but this one sums it up:
💖❄LOVE: Unconditional love. When we have love in our hearts,  then the rest of the qualities won't be as difficult to practise. Friends are God's way of taking care of us. And God is love:)

Genuine friendships bear a great sense of caring and concern for one another, a desire to see one another grow and develop and a hope for each other to succeed in all aspects of life. It'd be so wonderful if we'd all be as enthusiastic about the success of others as we are about our own. It'd be great if we always spoke health and prosperity into each other's lives.

A dear friend once shared this with me..
☀Keep older friends for wisdom.
They are wiser because they have more experience hence they are best placed to mentor you in different aspects of life.
☀Keep friends of your age for measure.
When friends of your level are slightly above you,  it should challenge you to work as efficiently as they did to get to where they are and beyond. In the same vein, if your friends seem to be left behind a little, it's your chance to hold their hand and pull them up along with you.
Just a wisdom nugget about success:
It's like a ladder. And in the ladder of success, it's good to climb along with others, so that in case you slip, those below you will hold you up. Otherwise if you climb by yourself, you may slip and end up falling completely, because they'll be nobody to hold you up or to help you pick yourself up.
☀Keep younger friends for relevance.
Just as you look up to others, you may not know but there are also those who look up to you. Are you a good example they can emulate?

Forgiveness. None of us is unerrant. Friends are likely to wrong each other but it is important to apologize and/or forgive each other to sustain the friendship. It's not always, that we will have the patience to deal with certain circumstances whereby friendships seem to be rather rocky. But we can pray about it We can pray about anything! God gives guidance..

A good example of great friendship in the Bible would be that of David and Jonathan (see 1st Samuel 20)
I hope this has encouraged you, to pull up your socks where you have failed before as well as to keep doing what you have been doing right so as to maintain healthy friendships as Christ would love it.

Be a blessing to your friends. Pray also, and God is gracious enough to bring good friends your way.

Love,
Laura.

Colour On..

We are all a little broken..
Some, a little more than others.. For different reasons, in different ways..

This thought takes me back to my days in nursery school.. When drawing and colouring was the order of the day, alongside counting and naming the letters of the alphabet..
I loved colouring:)
With crayons, especially..
Several times, I used broken crayons.. But they still coloured the same..😃
I coloured on and on until they were just but a little piece..

I wanna be like a crayon..Though broken, I can still do what I was made to do..
What strong will!
I may break because I've been pressed too hard, or because I've been mishandled.. I may break on several edges, all for different reasons, like falling to the ground..
But I want to still colour on..
So that by the time I'm all but gone, I'll have given my all to do what I was made to do..

Friends, COLOUR ON...
You may feel like you have reached the edge.. NO, please get up.. And colour on..
You may feel completely pressed down,  useless, too shattered..
PLEASE, get up and colour on..

Stressed? Confused? Lost for options?
These are things of the world.. and the Lord of all comfort can and will give you unending peace because He is far above all these things of the world. (John 16:33)He has overcome all these things..
Take heart friend..
The Lord is our refuge and strength,  our ever-present help in times of trouble. he has not given us a spirit of timidity,  and He will come through for us whenever we call unto him..

So again I say.. COLOUR ON..
Better than you ever did before.. Even far beyond the edges!
Because you are His. :)
And you were made for a good place. :)

Love,
Laura.