E-BOOK BY PRINCESS K
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Part 1
Every day we get up, get dressed and live our lives, whether at home, school or at work. Throughout the day things happen, sometimes it is something nice that makes us happy and other times it is simply a bad day full of challenges and unpleasant experiences. When the latter occurs, you just want to get home, go to bed, forget about what happened and wake up with a fresh start.
This is life, and it reminds me of Ecclesiastes1:14 where the writer says: “I have seen all things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” We are born, go to school, if privileged enough we go to college/university, get a job, marry, have kids, grow old and when our time is up, we leave this earth. I know, it sounds like routine and for some a chase after the wind. But, what about what happens in between, those things that happen in our 20/40/60/80 years of life?
I remember sitting at my dad and aunt’s feet, listening to the stories they told of when they were kids. I loved listening to how they grew up and what they did as children. Every story had a punch line, a memorable experience and a lesson learnt. I never left without being touched by their life experiences and even now as an adult, I am reminded of what I have learnt through them sharing their life journeys.
I recall my dad telling me that they too, as children, sat around candlelight, listening to the stories told by their parents. He said that they were a big family and they learned to appreciate everything, especially each other, since they had to rely on one another to survive. I want to share some of these stories with you, of which the first will be in this article, Part 1 of 3.
My dad and his siblings would come from school and having nothing much to eat, lunch would be a spoon full of corn. That was it! No extras! I was so humbled by this as there are many emotions around this one story, which again formed other stories to be told, as experienced differently by each sibling. Let us unpack this first story:
There was grandma, who knew her kids were hungry and probably would have wanted more to eat. However, she gave what she had. For a mother, this must have hurt and made her feel like she could not properly provide for her kids. She obviously could not show weakness, hence she must have kept the feeding session brief and ordered them to carry on with their chores.
Then there were the kids, who probably did not understand why they could not have more to eat. As children, it is normal to compare and even experience some form of jealously towards those who had more. I assume the older ones, like my dad and aunt, understood better. However, not making it easier.
Off course then there was granddad, who tried his best to farm. During the day he was alone and only got help from the older boys, once school was out. Let us just be reminded, that in those days, families in general were bigger, since birth control was not exercised like today. So, granddad knew he had to work hard to provide for his wife and feed many mouths. Most men in general do not talk about their emotions and feelings like women do, but I am sure that he must have talked to God many times, not knowing what else to do. That must have also been another story to tell.
How humbled I am to learn from my dad’s experiences. This is but one story, but there were many others told. When we take time to listen when people speak, we will hear their life stories, journeys, challenges, joys, fears, and cries for help.
The sad thing is, is that many people are focussed only on themselves that they miss life around them completely. When we put in an effort to listen and hear what others have to say, we can learn from them. Yes, not all you hear is good, but listen anyway. You can ditch the bad and keep the good and then use it to improve, empower, and make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
Part 2
I recall another story told by my dad, of how he as a 13/14-year-old boy had to leave school to go and work, away from home, with the goal to help support his family. He left home without proper shoes and a jersey. How hard it must have been for my grandma to see her eldest, just as boy, leave the house to go and work.
How difficult it must have been for my dad to go away and live with other people, so he could work on the railway, earn money and send it home to help feed his siblings and put them through school. Although hard for him, it also made a man out of him and he shared how happy it made him to see his siblings complete school and even the joy of sending them Christmas gifts, a first for the family.
Would you just send your 13-year-old off to go and work in another place? Well, in those days there was no choice, and it was the norm for many families. What stood out for me was, how alone my dad must have felt and how my grandma must have lied in her bed, thinking about him. You know what my dad said? He was never alone. He invited Christ into His life at a young age, and He had God with him all the time.
Through the stories of life, history is formed. From history we learn and can use it to plan the future to improve and better our lives. From history we also learn how good and bad decisions can make or break relationships, finances and ultimately result in either prosperity or a downfall in family life, marriages, economies, and countries.
We all read and watch the news. Not a day goes by without people being killed, things being stolen, and our beautiful planet being destroyed by ourselves making wrong decisions. It is a constant chase after more, better and bigger.
I always ask myself, why? You see, that is the devil’s story. His mission according to John 10:10 is to steal, kill and destroy. However, in the same verse, Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Yes, bad things happen in life, but God promises in Romans 8:28 that He will take the bad and turn it for the good of those who love Him. You might not feel like that now and might even say that there is no God of love for if He did exist, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? In my 50 years life journey thus far, I have many stories to tell and although many did not have good endings, each of them was seen by God.
He hears and sees everything and therefore I don’t blame Him for anything in my life. I realise that He gave me life and a special gift, called choice. You received it as well, we all did. We have a responsibility to make the right choices in life and need to remember that we will harvest according to what we sow.
Yes, the devil is real and is known as a destroyer, murderer and deceiver, who wants to sow hatred, anger, destruction, unforgiveness, lust, greed and so the list goes on. Remember his mission is to kill, steal and destroy and therefore he will use and abuse people to accomplish his mission. When people fall into his trap of false hope and promises, they get pulled into his devious plans and schemes, and that is when they make wrong choices which leads to hurting others. God does not hurt people. People hurt people.
The Bible is full of stories of how people chose wrong, which ended in curses, destruction and death. We also read of how others made the right choices which for them it resulted in abundant blessings. Every story from Genesis all through to Revelation is truth, God’s truth and therefore His heart. He shared it with us so that we can learn from history and be empowered and prepared for the future. Remember, if we don’t read it, we will never understand His heart and His plan for our lives. To understand life, we need Godly wisdom and knowledge which Proverbs 1:7 tells us: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
Part 3
I now want to tell you one last story. Please read it, hear it and take it in:
Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a princess who did not realise that she was royalty. She was trapped in a lie and was deceived by the devil who appeared to be her friend. He did not come as a dragon or monster, but as a lie. Lie brought with him another friend, called fear. The more the princess believed the lie, the more fear took over and she ended up locking herself away from the rest of the world, avoiding the possibility of getting hurt. One day she heard a voice. It was not audible, but soft and in her heart.
The voice that called her, had a name, and His name was Truth. Truth came and brought with Him a friend, called Love. The princess was confused for all she had ever known was lie and fear of Truth. Once the princess opened her spirit heart and received Truth and Love, then along came Hope and Joy. The One who entered her spirit heart was Jesus for He is Truth, Love, Hope and Joy. Light entered and covered every bit of darkness and drove out fear, who, to this day, never returned.
Dear reader, that princess is me and as the song by Corey Voss says: “Since then I walked in forgiveness, al of my guilt was erased. The chains of the past were broken at last, I got saved. I’m undone by the mercy of Jesus.”
The greatest story ever told is the love story of Jesus Christ, who came as man and died for you and me to set us free. He overcame death, was resurrected, and went to heaven and is at God’s right hand – with angels, authorities, and powers in submission to Him (1 Peter 3:22).
1 John 4:18 says that there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Your life might have left you in fear but listen to the following truth as written by Joseph Prince on 4 March 2022:
“Fear is a destructive bondage. Fear paralyzes you and prevents you from fulfilling the amazing destiny that God has for you. Fear makes you feel inadequate and insecure and comes with unhealthy side effects ranging from panic attacks to sleep disorders. Fear is irrational. Fear is a spiritual condition, which is why you can’t reason fear away. You can’t simply tell someone who is struggling with fear and is gripped by panic attacks to just stop being fearful.
A spiritual condition cannot be remedied naturally. Fear can be eradicated only by a personal encounter with the person of Jesus. Beloved, if what I just described about fear is all too familiar to you, I want you to know that it is not your heavenly Father’s heart for you to live tormented by fear. There is no fear in God’s love. His perfect love drives out all fears.
I don’t know if you have ever experienced God’s love, but my desire is that TODAY you will catch a revelation of His love for you in a deep and personal way. And as His love floods your heart, I pray that every fear that has you bound will forever be cast out of your life. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.” Oh, how clearly this verse proclaims that God SO loves you. And if you only knew how much He esteems and treasures His beloved Son, you would catch a glimpse of how much He loves you, because He gave up His Son for you.
That is why I preach and write about the gospel of grace. The gospel of grace is all about unveiling God’s perfect love—a love whose length and depth and height were demonstrated at the cross. A love that gave up the Son of God as a sacrifice.
A love that bore your sins and mine so that we can receive His everlasting life and live free of any bondage. My friend, the more you immerse and anchor your heart on God’s perfect and unconditional love for you, the more fear will lose its hold on your life!”
Dear reader, life is tough, but God is stronger. The devil is real, but God is on the throne. The devil has no future and therefore all his stories will relate to the past. However, remember that part of that story is that Jesus overcame him by giving His own life on the cross, hence giving you and me a future. You must choose how your story will end and what legacy you will leave. What will the stories be that you will be remembered by?
Love in Christ
Princess K