Lessons from Madam Beatrice
I am constantly inspired and motivated by the great attributes I see in the lives of my loved ones. I am surrounded by phenomenal women and men that have done and are still doing great things. When one sees a good thing it is only right to celebrate that and try to emulate it as well. It is so important to value those that have gone ahead of you and to consider some of the insightful lessons they might have inspired. I am dedicating this post to all the great people God has surrounded me with and who have knowingly and unknowingly impacted me in some way. I might not outwardly say it but I appreciate you all. Seeing my loved ones ‘living their best life‘ and walking in their God – given purpose motivates me to keep on striving to do the best in my own life.
Grandma’s Lessons
One of the people that I admire is my grandmother. When I think of some of her attributes that I am influenced by, the things that come to mind are; her loving nature, her servant attitude and how she lived and fearlessly walked in her purpose (professionally she was a nurse and she was also involved in choir ministry). She lived her life of love and selflessness that causes me to ponder on the kind of legacy I want to leave for future generations. Here, I share some of the great lessons I have learned and hope to better incorporate into how I live my life.
1. Learn to make gratitude the soundtrack to your life.
We may say ‘ in all thing give thanks’ but how truly do we live out this statement. I have learnt over the years that a heart of gratitude is so important in everything. This doesn’t mean that you are not worried or fearful about your current situation, but you are aware that God is greater and bigger than whatever problems you might currently be facing. For me, this is where music and dancing becomes paramount. One of the greatest gifts I believe God gave to mankind is the ability to create music and celebrate the goodness of God through words in musical form. It is such a potent tool in living a life of gratitude. Yes we are NOT to live by our emotions, but sometimes the fluidity of our emotions can work in our favor. By being able to manipulate our emotions, we can transition from whatever lowly state we might be in to a higher state of gratitude. When we live a life of gratitude and allow that to be the soundtrack to our life, the songs of fear, worry, frustration, failure and disappointment are silenced. I mean look at the life of king David, it’s not like things were always rosy for him but yet he was a man after God’s heart. I can only imagine how many times he had to remind himself to intentionally praise God through the pain.
#DanceYourSorrowsAway.
~ Ron Kenoly – Mourning into Dancing ~ William Murphy – Praise Is What I Do ~
2. Try as best as you can to live a life of love.
What does this mean exactly? #PositiveVibes. Allowing the flow of love to run through you. God pours out his love on us right? So, we must be willing and open to receiving the love of God and to share that with others. Be humble enough to accept grace of God over your life and know that you are not in this race of life alone. God is there with you and he has set a path of great helpers for you, do not be afraid to utilize the great people and experiences God has planned for you. Do not selfishly rebuke the love of God but humble go before him and ask for his help and direction. Also, be willing to share that love with others. It can be difficult because we tend to want to keep our light to ourselves because of fear of how others might treat us or manipulate the ‘love’ we are showing. But that’s not for us to worry about. Remember we are just vessels, do not esteem yourself higher than you ought to. Humility is to place others before oneself.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2 : 3 (NIV)
3. Learn to give as much as you can
Man! If there is one thing I can say I have learnt from my grandmother it would be the spirit of generosity. This refers to generosity with your money, your time, your talents and your space. Are you willing to share with others? King David this time highlights the idea that all we have freely flows from God:
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
1 Chronicles 29 : 14 (NIV)
Understanding that all God has blessed us with is not our own possession but must be used to bring the glory back to Him, helps us to freely give what we do have.
“Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.”
1 Chronicles 29 : 12 (NIV)
Are you able to inconvenience yourself so that your neighbor might have some comfort? Can you freely give as you so freely receive from God?
The gag is… when we give to others we are able to receive even more. Although, we must be careful to check the intent of our hearts remembering that if we give to receive praise either from men, then best believe that is all we are getting! Sometimes I wonder also, when we bless others because we want to receive from God, how impactful that is on the quality of the blessing we receive? God is faithful to his word and he will bless us in return (Luke 6:38). But, surely there is a greater blessing that we should pursue; that is our hearts being transformed into the image of Christ, so we start to have a heart to help others without necessarily thinking ‘ What’s in this for me? ‘.
Madam Beatrice (2017)
Loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister.
Served God. Loved God and people. Hard worker. Giver.Humble.
Child of God.
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4 : 6- 8 (NIV)
“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”
Psalm 145 : 4 (NIV)
#KeepOnKeepingOn
Mo 🙂
A young woman on a mission to discovering purpose, to inspire growth and contribute to the Kingdom mandate. On the blog we are all about learning and growing and this is done through writing on topics from Faith, Education, Music, Food, Travel and so much more… (Romans 12:2)
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