Into The Unknown

By Dilshaad Bux. By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.        By Dilshaad Bux

When last did you try a new hairstyle? Cook with a different herb or spice? Wear a colour that you've never worn before? 

We feel comfortable with the familiar, we feel safe when we follow what others say is good for us. But by sticking with the masses, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to experience so much more. 

We were born for curiosity, to push our boundaries and discover the new. Our limits are dictated by our fears. They hold us back from experiencing a world that was created to be discovered. 

When we make an effort to take little steps out of our comfort zone everyday, we are stepping out of our self-limiting state of mind and taking leaps and bounds towards the greatest version of ourselves. 

Nothing great ever comes from living a life of sheer comfort. When we become too familiar with a life of safety and luxury, our fear of the unknown becomes stronger than our admiration of it, and we start to believe that it is somehow stronger and more powerful than us. 

This is not so. We are beings of rationality, intellect, and instinct - the best of creation. We have been given everything we need to survive. 

We are born to thrive. 

Use all your blessings and all your material luxuries to step out of your comfort zone and into a space that pushes you to conquer your fears and discover your true self. Only then will you unlock the door within yourself to all the greater immaterial treasures you have been blessed with. 

These treasures cannot be bought. They are already yours, and only yours. They are unlike any other, and to be worthy of them you have to prove that you are unlike any other. 

There is something greater in you that has always been protecting you and guiding you to this point of reflection and self-discovery. You owe it to yourself to pursue this feeling. 

Start today - try something new, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. Try it in goodness and with sincerity. Try it with the intention of discovering something new and greater within yourself.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like Christ

By Jadene B.

By Jadene B.            

After watching the movie ‘Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man’ a few years ago, I examined the principles these females thought were necessary to apply to their relationships in hopes of keeping the men who pursued them. Not only did I marvel at the naivety of the amount of women who were keen on attempting the “90 day rule” or whatever other advice that was being offered, but I found it odd that most of the ladies actually believed that following a list of rules would get a man to be committed to them.The Word of God instructs that we shall "Let this mind be in (us) which is also in Christ" (Philippians 2:5).

I stopped to remind myself of the reality of this generation and the volumes of women who find themselves taking desperate measures to secure the man of their dreams.

A lot of young women have no idea what “acting like a lady” means. Society tells them that being a “Barbie” is the new beauty and being a bad b**** is the new woman’s international anthem.

However, society neglects to tell these “Barbies” that boys soon grow into men and they stop playing with toys. Clearly we can see throughout this generation that how we define what being a woman is will always be shaped by some kind of outside influence. 

Unfortunately, I can’t blame most of the young girls who idolize Nicki Minaj and Beyonce and see them as the standard of what a woman is. Frankly, we just do not have enough Christian women role models who are equipped totrain up this generation of young women like Titus 2:3-5 tells us to.

Thinking like Christ sounds boring compared to thinking like a man. I really can’t blame young women for this perception either because how can you think like anyone that you do not know. It is far easier to assume you know what guys want and how they think, rather than committing yourself to a life style of learning about Christ.

Let’s begin with an examination question. Where do you stand with your relationship with Christ? More than likely there are only two ways to answer this question. Either: 

1) You have a relationship with God; or

2) You do not have a relationship with God

Some of you reading this article may ask… “Well what about those in between?” I love God….BUT I just can’t give up my secret sin!  I’ll answer and say to you that it is impossible to be sitting on the fence. Scriptures tell us in Matthew 6:24 that “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

What Steve Harvey forgot to mention in his delightfulmovie is that most men can read your fears, insecurities, and life aspirations before you even open your mouth. 

How you carry yourself as woman. How you dress andhow you do your hair says a lot, including what you idolize. Are you consumed with getting attention from men? Are you hiding behind your career? Do you think you are unattractive? Do you think that you are very attractive and every man wants you? Or do you cherish God? Do you care about your brothers in Christ? Do you have a heart to serve others?

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of the world but let God transform you and renew your mind so that you will know His will for you which is perfect, good and sufficientfor you!

In every situation, good or bad, always act like a lady first!By asking God to renew your mind so that you can BE like Him, THINK like Him and walk in His likeness and allowing Him to teach you His standards.
You are what you idolize so draw close to Christ daily sothat you can be all that HE is instead of constantly trying to adjusting to a superfluous image society entices you to become.

A Body Of Love

By Dilshaad Bux. By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.       By Dilshaad Bux

Your body is a temple, a sacred monument that houses your soul. 

Your body is your knight in shining armor, protecting its queen from all harm. 

Your body is a vehicle, carrying your spiritual self through a material world. 

How does a priest treat his temple? 

A queen, her knight? 

Or a car collector, his beauty on four wheels? 

How do you treat your body? 

Do you fill it with junk, attack it with criticism, pinch it and pull at it? 

Or do you fill it with love, treat it with kindness, honour it for its strength and nourish it with goodness?

What we put into our body is not what we get out, because even when we neglect our body, criticize it, and deprive it of all things good, it still does not let us down.

Our body is built for survival. 

We have been blessed with reflexes and protective instincts that we aren't even aware of. Every second of every day our body is fighting off germs and toxins that we can't avoid, and poison and junk that we can avoid, but don't. 

Do we vandalise our places of worship, or do we keep them pure and clean, and filled with love and light? 

Do we hurt those who protect us, or do we praise them and honour them?

Could we live without our daily modes of transport that take us to work, carry our grocery bags, and bring us home safely?

Our body will keep working hard for us, but we shouldn't wait for it to fall before we realise its value. We need to love our body, nourish it, and do our best to stay away from everything unhealthy. We have to make a conscious effort to take care of the body we have been given.

Your body is strong, it is beautiful, and it is yours.

Honour it, respect it, and love it the way you love the One who has blessed you with it.

Trial by Fire

By Jadene B. By Getty Images

By Jadene B.          By Getty Images

Most of us have been through the trials of life. From heartbreaks to disappointments, neglect, financial hardships, worry, fear, abuse and even death. Sometimes the age old question is asked... “God, why me?”.

Why would a loving God allow us to go through these things? After all, doesn’t loving us mean he wants our lives to be easyand comfortable? 

The answer to that is simply no. Easy and comfortable does not enable growth in your life. God allows trials to befall us because quite honestly, we need them and most often than not, they hurt, but the tribulations He allows in our lives eventually find their purpose and may work in your favour. For a believer, all trials and tribulations have a divine purpose. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).

With that said,  I think the more fitting question is “Why not you?”

Would you be who you are today if you had not endured the trials? Would you be as wise, as strong, as driven?

Trials and tribulations also come with a reward. They strengthen and refine us, develop godly character and, as in all things, God’s ultimate purpose for us is for us to grow more and more into the image of His Son. Trials are designed for us to reach that goal. At some point in our lives we reach the point where we realize wholeheartedly that we are unable to fully heal from our painful past experiences unless we place the pieces of our broken hearts into the hands of the One who created It. 

For some of us that may be the place where we’ve stopped trying to control the reigns of our lives ourselves and hand them over to Him.

This will never be in vain. In Malachi 3:3, Scripture tells us that “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver”.

The process of purifying silver involves the silversmith sitting in front of the furnace with his eyes steadily fixed on the fire, because if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be ruined. A refiner’s fire refines. It purifies. It melts the bar of silver, separates out the impurities that ruin its value and leaves the silver intact. God’s fire is a refiner’s fire.

God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace and His eyes are steadily fixed on the work of purifying, His wisdom and love both present.

The only way the Silversmith will know when process of purifying and refining is complete is when He sees His own image reflected in the silver.

The Proverbs 31 Woman

By Jadene B. By Getty Images

By Jadene B.             By Getty Images

And God said: It was not good for man to be alone so He created YOU!

Women today no longer walk in the confidence of Ultimate Artistic Design but search for confidence in the clothes she wears, the job she has or in the guy she’s dating. Standards formed by society compelling her to use media and magazines as her bible. 

But you are not her. And she is not you.

We know our differences are not a reason to be jealous, but we’re all God’s fingerprint. We are content with not looking like anybody else.

We are women of a difference status, Proverbs 31 to be exact.

Being a Proverbs 31 woman is not about being perfect, it’s about living with purpose, diligence, integrity and forgiveness. Proverbs 31 gives hope and a challenge to any modern daywoman. 

Whether it’s shoes, home décor or men, the Proverbs 31 woman chooses to surround herself with quality. She chooses a man respected and favored in his community. He is the type of man that will cherish her, value her and love her the way Godintended for her to be loved. The proverb begins by stating that an excellent wife is hard to find, but when she is found she is far more precious than jewels – all the money in the world can’t buy loyalty. She spends her days doing good unto others, starting with her husband. She is a woman of character who can be trusted (unrelated to the imagery that exists in society today characterizing females as dishonest and disloyal).

Far from the modern day caricature that modern feminism paints, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, she’s a friend of the economy & keeps a tight schedule. She invests wisely and is far from spend-thrift. She’s a strong woman who “opens her mouth with wisdom (v26)” and kindness; everything she does is governed by kindness, constantly putting others first. Her husband and children praise her.

Many women spend their days trying to preserve their beauty which only fades, however, Proverbs 31 concludes by pointing to this woman’s source of beauty – she feared God. She honoured Him and rejoiced in Him – He is her source of strength.

The Proverbs 31 woman strives for excellence in her Creator and does not accept mediocrity in her relationship with God.

Women, it’s time we set a new standard of beauty. GODfidence.

The Power Of Words

By Dilshaad Bux. By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.        By Dilshaad Bux

Modern research tells us that the structure of water changeswhen exposed to different words and forms of sound. Aggressive words and sounds give water a swollen, distorted appearance, similar to that of polluted water. Kind words, and sounds such as classical music and prayer, transform water into what can be mistaken for diamonds and snowflakes, resembling that of fresh water in natural springs and mountain streams.

That's the power of words and sound, just on water. Our bodies are made up of at least 60% of water.

Think about this for a moment. 

What does this say about the effect of our words and tone of voice on ourselves and others?

Are we harming or healing ourselves and others?

Negative words hurt us, and positive words make us feel better. Now we know that our feelings are not just feelings. Instead, they form part of something very real and physical happening in our body. So, there will never be a good enough reason to subject ourselves to negativity. 

Every time a person exposes you to the damage of their hurtful words, they do not deserve your company, and you need to walk away. If you are the one speaking to yourself with hurtful words, then you have to acknowledge the harm you are doing to yourself. 

You have to embrace your power and make the decision to heal yourself. 

When we speak with sincere love, patience and kindness, we are lighting up every little part of ourselves and others - we are creating little streams of diamonds, flowing from the top of our heads to the tips of our toes, and back up again.

You are the words that you say to yourself, about yourself.

You are the words that you allow yourself to hear from others.

You are what you say. This is your power. Let it do great things for you and those around you.

Maintaining Perspective

By Dilshaad Bux. By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.        By Dilshaad Bux

Whichever way you think of your life, that is the way it is. 

Whichever way you think of your Creator, that is the way He is. 

Whichever way you think of yourself, that is the way you are. 

Our perspective on life governs our actions. It's the reason why one person may see an impossible obstacle, while another may see an exciting opportunity - when both are in the same hot mess. 

Perspective is how we choose to see our life and our Creator. Most of all, it is how we choose to see our self. 

Our perspective will define the result of any hot mess in our life. If we believe that we will be brought down by a bad situation, then this will be true. But if we believe that we can grow from the same situation, then this too will be true.

Your perspective is your reality. 

It is normal to be knocked down every so often by our troubles. We are human. However, being human also means that we are built to survive. We are built to overcome. We are built to succeed. 

Perspective is our secret weapon. 

So, when we're down, we need to find the good in everything and focus on it with all the strength we have left. Soon enough, the good is all we'll see, and our mind and energy will be in tune with nothing but good vibes. 

We need to maintain this attitude and focus on the positive in every situation, so that the next time we're knocked down, we'll be able to lift ourselves back up before we even hit the ground.

And if you ever thought that you're not worthy of a good life, then you've never been more wrong. You were created as a treasure, out of love, by your Maker. 

You are His masterpiece. 

When you love, respect, and take care of yourself, you are loving, respecting and taking care of His creation - so you will be loved, respected and taken care of by Him, in return. 

This is yours, but only if you want it. 

It all depends on how you choose to think of this beautiful soul called you.

The Secret Life Of Bees

By Dilshaad Bux. By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.        By Dilshaad Bux

In Winter, the lifespan of a worker bee is between 4 and 9 months, and in Summer, only 6 weeks. She produces 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey during her lifetime. That means it takes 12 bees to produce one teaspoon of honey.

Yet, if it wasn't for each and every worker bee, pollination of most of our crops would not occur, our natural food supply would dwindle, and life as we know it would be very different, not to mention a lot less colorful. 

Thinking about this little bee's persistance changed my perspective about myself and my being here: 

No matter how small I may feel at times, my presence does make a difference. 

I am significant. 

I do have the capacity to contribute greatly in this world. 

This little bee also made me realize that when my efforts are combined with the efforts of those around me, we become a force to be reckoned with. So, not only does my existence matter, but so does the existence and the wellbeing of my brothers and sisters. 

We are all working hard, striving for better, and anticipating the day when we can look back and be proud of all that we have accomplished. Imagine how much richer this way of life becomes when we recognize the efforts of those around us, and how they contribute to us reachig our full potential. 

The length of our life is not nearly as important as what we do with it. We have to be responsible for what we choose to do with the time we are given. One breath taken in pursuit of greatness would be better than even a century of mediocre existence. 

Just like the precious worker bee, your presence in this world makes a difference, and you are significant always. Make no mistake, you are made for something great.

Over To You

By Dilshaad Bux By Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux         By Dilshaad Bux

Thanks to social media, we're witnessing everyone from supermodels to CEO's celebrating their imperfections, encouraging us to do the same. #nomakeup and #loveliveshere selfies reveal our natural beauty, making us smile and sometimes cringe, but all the while allowing us the chance to relate to each other through our beautifully flawed human-ness.

Our imperfections are ours, and we ought to celebrate them. 

So why don't we do the same for the imperfections that are present in our life?

Why are we so ready to blame the first person or event we can think of for everything that is wrong in our life? Why not accept our difficulties and circumstances as our own unique imperfections, and draw strength from this? 

Being able to celebrate our physical flaws as our natural beauty is a revolution, and it should not stop here. We should accept the bad choices and bad circumstances in our life as our own, embracing them as a form of beauty in themselves - a form of beauty that speaks of our sincerity, our fearlessness and, most of all, our willingness to evolve into the best version of ourselves. 

When we can accept all that is wrong in our life, we take back all the power we need to make it right. 

Our parents, our education, our friends, our enemies - nothing and no one can define the choices we make in our life. We always have the choice to make things right. 

Life is not easy a lot of the time, but you have the power to overcome difficulty all of the time. 

Stop the blame. Embrace all of your life's imperfections. Start the change. Now, it's over to you.

Understanding The Power Of Affirmation

By Dilshaad Bux. Dilshaad Bux

By Dilshaad Bux.           Dilshaad Bux

What if it were possible to have everything you've ever wanted? 

What if you could imagine something and it would materialize? 

What if I told you that these what if's are already a part of your reality? 

When we hold a particular belief about ourself, we begin to act in accordance with this belief. This impacts the way we are perceived and, more importantly, influences how others react to us. Their reaction reinforces our initial belief, reaffirming its truth. In psychology this is referred to as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you think that your neighbors hold a grudge for that time your dog destroyed their garden, you will almost always be cold towards them rather than cordial. As a result, they will not make an effort to befriend you. Now imagine if you believed that they are good people for not making a big deal about the unfortunate incident? The scenario plays out quite differently. 

Your thoughts have a real effect on your physical state and, ultimately, your surroundings.

This is the great power we yield in our lives. More importantly, this is the great responsibility we have toward ourselves. 

Our negative thoughts are like poison for our body, triggering stress and other health-related issues. You may think that one bad thought won't do you any harm, but if you're honest with yourself about the way it makes you feel and how it affects the decisions you make, then you'll admit that it is deeply damaging. 

We deserve to be completely and utterly fulfilled, and we can achieve this by recognizing our inherent power and accepting this responsibility as a testament to the magnificence of what it means to be human. 

When we choose to affirm positive thoughts, we choose to be the greatest version of ourselves. We choose to ignite this greatness in everyone around us. We build the life we seek, and we are prepared to do so against all odds. The power of affirmation is ours, and we owe it to ourselves to embrace this as we strive towards our wonderful purpose.