Monday, January 31, 2011
Words to live by....
It's not about dos and don'ts, nor is it about rules and roles..... It's all about love..... From “Thou shall not, to Thou shall”, from “How can I, to I can do”…. Walking the path of grace through the one who gave his all, so that so that I may have all of his…
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What-ever.... Just do it!
“What-ever”! We have used and heard this word used in slang so many times over the past few years, that it probably should be on the Lake Superior State University Banished Words List (If you don’t know what that is, feel free to Google it… BTW ‘Google it’ was on that list in 2010). It is a phrase lingo that is used to indicate disdain, indifference or scorn for something. This word in a more noetic world however means: Of any number or kind; all of; the whole of…or in plain English, anything and everything.
Another phrase “Just do it” - Nike’s brilliant marketing slogan has also been bandied around as a way of spurring on the less than enthusiastic….. or less charitably, the ‘no’ as opposed to ‘slowpokes’
If we put these two together, we have the phrase: 'What-ever.... Just do it!' which in modern day lingo probably means - 'I don't care what you do, just do it' Ouch! Very uncaring huh? But a recent discussion with a friend shed a different light on these words for me.
I had quoted a verse of scripture that states: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might – Ecc 9:10a, and it suddenly it occurred to me that though the emphasis regarding the meaning of this verse has always to my understanding been the degree to which the action is executed, i.e. with all your might, getting to the point of actually getting the ‘whatever’ done, could be a tad intimidating and or challenging or worse still crippling, leading to one being suspended in the never-land of inertia. Just at this point I had a ‘light bulb’ moment (‘aha’ is also on the banned words list) that maybe if I ‘Just do it’, all these things like say…. might as stated in that verse, shall be added unto me so in looking at this verse again later, I read it thus:
WHATEVER (anything and everything) your hand finds to do, DO IT with all your might ….. The ‘might’ which according to scriptures is the supply of the Holy Spirit: according to Ephesians 3:16:
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man
So we may infer that to every action or undertaking in life, there is an ‘us’ part and there is a God part – God’s part is the supply of might in the inner man, and our part is:
What-ever….. Just do it!
And if we just step out like Peter did, we just might find ourselves walking on water……
Shalom!
OluP Mettabel
Thursday, January 20, 2011
That’s just the way it is…. Things may not always be the way they seem….
Ben ….. What can I say? He was the most beautiful guy my 21 yr old eyes had ever seen…… tallish, mocha skin and a killer smile…. I was an intern at Lagos University teaching hospital. The first time I saw him he was flirting with the nursing students and it seemed that every time I saw him he was always walking aimlessly around the medical ward, chatting up girls and generally clowning around. I really didn’t know why he was always around, but he just always was…. A few months passed by and I occasionally would see Ben and would always make a pithy statement about him…. I just didn’t like him…. For no apparently clear reason…. He seemed so cocky and so full of himself !
On the first day of my Internal Medicine rotation, we were assigned patients and life went on as usual….. One day a new patient appeared on my list His name was Ben Winter (note I had seen Ben around, but did not yet know his name) and I was at first surprised because I had never seen him in a hospital gown. To prepare myself for rounds and familiarize myself with the ‘case’ I picked up his chart, and got the biggest shock of my life…… This golden boy, this Adonis, was dying! He was in the final stages of Acute leukemia and his bone marrow (the part of the bone that produces blood) had burnt out, and his only hope of staying alive were the transfusions that he had to have every 3-4 weeks, hoping against hope for a miracle…. I was devastated! And I felt horrible for misjudging this man so badly…. He was only trying to make the best of a very bad situation!….. You see he was an only child, and his dad was not in the picture so his mom was the only constant support he had, but he didn’t let that get him down….. He was always trying to make other people laugh and always had a smile on his face….. I cried that day…. But had to dry my tears because I had a job to do….
I was on my medicine rotation for three months. Some of the time Ben was my patient and at others I just took care of him while I was on call…. Needless to say, we became quite close and developed a deep friendship…. I was privileged enough to be a part of the process that led to him accepting Jesus into his heart…. I would sometimes go just to visit Ben and we would spend hours just talking, about our faith, about life…. Sadly Ben didn’t get better despite all the treatments and prayers… After a while he just stayed admitted because his need for transfusions were getting more frequent.
One day I got called to the floor that a patient was not doing well …. It was Ben…. he had developed complications and was not expected to live much longer…… There was not much I could do, but we talked until he could no longer speak…. I just held his hand and I don’t know whether it was a few hours or a lot of hours, but Ben died that night…. He didn’t look too pretty, but his face was so beautiful because he died with a smile on his face…. I know I will see Ben again someday ….. But as I remember him today I remember a courageous, generous, and beautiful child of God and I remind myself that not all that seems to be, is…. The real miracle was the beauty of Ben’s life and all the people he touched with his laughter and with love….
So Ben Winter I remember you with love today, and I celebrate all 22 yrs of your life…. You touched my life for all time….. Salut my friend I WILL see you again….
On the first day of my Internal Medicine rotation, we were assigned patients and life went on as usual….. One day a new patient appeared on my list His name was Ben Winter (note I had seen Ben around, but did not yet know his name) and I was at first surprised because I had never seen him in a hospital gown. To prepare myself for rounds and familiarize myself with the ‘case’ I picked up his chart, and got the biggest shock of my life…… This golden boy, this Adonis, was dying! He was in the final stages of Acute leukemia and his bone marrow (the part of the bone that produces blood) had burnt out, and his only hope of staying alive were the transfusions that he had to have every 3-4 weeks, hoping against hope for a miracle…. I was devastated! And I felt horrible for misjudging this man so badly…. He was only trying to make the best of a very bad situation!….. You see he was an only child, and his dad was not in the picture so his mom was the only constant support he had, but he didn’t let that get him down….. He was always trying to make other people laugh and always had a smile on his face….. I cried that day…. But had to dry my tears because I had a job to do….
I was on my medicine rotation for three months. Some of the time Ben was my patient and at others I just took care of him while I was on call…. Needless to say, we became quite close and developed a deep friendship…. I was privileged enough to be a part of the process that led to him accepting Jesus into his heart…. I would sometimes go just to visit Ben and we would spend hours just talking, about our faith, about life…. Sadly Ben didn’t get better despite all the treatments and prayers… After a while he just stayed admitted because his need for transfusions were getting more frequent.
One day I got called to the floor that a patient was not doing well …. It was Ben…. he had developed complications and was not expected to live much longer…… There was not much I could do, but we talked until he could no longer speak…. I just held his hand and I don’t know whether it was a few hours or a lot of hours, but Ben died that night…. He didn’t look too pretty, but his face was so beautiful because he died with a smile on his face…. I know I will see Ben again someday ….. But as I remember him today I remember a courageous, generous, and beautiful child of God and I remind myself that not all that seems to be, is…. The real miracle was the beauty of Ben’s life and all the people he touched with his laughter and with love….
So Ben Winter I remember you with love today, and I celebrate all 22 yrs of your life…. You touched my life for all time….. Salut my friend I WILL see you again….
Monday, January 17, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Keep tawking.....
What DO you do when things seem dry? When your dream seems to remain just that….. a dream, when you wait and wait but no ‘ding’ comes telling you your number has come up…. What do you do? Sure if I were to ask, I would get all sorts of answers i.e. Just hang in there…. You don’t know what tomorrow might bring….. It’s all good (my favorite ‘go to’ phrase)…… etc etc…. As we all know these platitudes are all well and good until you get to ‘that point’ where you just don’t want to hear it anymore… that point when you start to say NO! to religious verbosity, righteous rantings, and your local ‘christianese’ lingo ….. So you ask me again what does one do…. Well here’s my take on it…. Ready?
YA KEEP TAWKING AND DON’T LET ANYTHING OR ANYONE SHUT YOU UP!
That’s right! ya keep on tawking (Wendy Williams impersonation) so whaddaya say? …. THE WORD that’s what…. When you don’t 'see' the things you want in your life, don’t just roll over, play dead, and let the devil walk all over you NO! you stand up and BEGIN TO CALL THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE…..Keep tawking peeps… you get me? Keep tawking…. Keep the Word concerning what you want in front of you and keep tawking …..Because the Word says in Mark 11:23
For assuredly (that means for sure), I SAY to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he SAYS will be done, he will have whatever he SAYS.
So you gorrit now ? So wherever you may be, whatever you may be going through, however it may seem, keep tawking peeps and YOU WILL HAVE WHAT YOU SAY….. peace…
Mettabel
Sunday, January 9, 2011
If I were in love this is how I’d be:
I was at a meeting recently, the conversation very lively.... suddenly one of the ladies there blurted out quite out of the blue: I'm in love! I'm in love! That was the first but not the last we heard of it throughout the meeting. Her joy was infectious and we all caught the virus, laughing uproariously with every exuberant gush.... everyone left the meeting with a smile on their face because in some small way we had all shared part of her heart.
Later I began to think.... How would I be when I fall in love? I put my pen to paper and wrote this little ditty... I hope it will make you smile cause looooove is a beeautiful thing......
Enjoy.....
For my friend I sprinkle abroad a little of your joy.... may it be forever.... amen and amen!
If I were in love this is how I’d be:
I’m in love, I’m in love
Oh what a feeling
I’m in love
My heart skittles
My pulse scattles
My fingers waggle
My face all a wiggle
I’m in love, I’m in love
Sweetly I smile
For no reason clear
I giggle, I gaggle
I twitter, I twatter
I’m in love, Oh I’m in love
My words all a jumble
Boy I’m in a mumble
My feet won’t stumble
Though over my head I’ve tumbled
I’m in love, I’m in love,
Oh…. oh I’m in love
PS I truly hope this will make you laugh......
© OluP Mettabel, Jan 2011
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