Pardon me, it’s a little sleepy PLEASE JOIN ME AT MY ~ MY NEW HOME!!

http://www.jennrene.com

There are some things in life that are simply sacred. I took this picture at a  retreat center I visited in May, on Memorial Day. I was in a chapel and every time I view it, I breathe deeply. I had just finished saying a quiet prayer…I looked up with my camera in hand, and I snapped this picture.

What’s sacred to you? Is it tangible or intangible?
Does involve use of your five senses? Can you touch, taste, smell, see or hear something that soothes your soul. Too often we don’t make space for recreation and enjoyment. It’s time we learned how to cultivate this part of our lives and make it a sanctuary. It is truly  something we can pass on to our children as rituals and leave as a legacy of peace, love and harmonious living.

Here are a few of my sacred spaces:

My Social Engagement Sensations:
– Playing Pool
– Friendships that make me smile.
– Playing dominoes
– Playing Scrabble or any letter games
– Talks w/ friends I havent seen in months or  years or friends that make me laugh.

My Sight: Sensations:
-Sunrises on the beach.
-Sunsets on the beach
– Taking my Nikon camera on a pensive morning walk.
– Picture books
-Painted glass windows
-Any large open window I can daydream out of.
– Any body of water: creeks, rivers , lakes, oceans

My Touch Sensations:
– Hubby’s infamous foot rubs.
– Big soft comfy cotton-feel blankets
– Being in my husband’s arms.
– Colored gel pencils
– Scrapbooking
– Playing toesies
-Kisses on my neck

Smell Sensations:
– Chai tea w/ cinnammon
– Potpurri or scented candles
– Cinnammon boiling on the stove
– Baked bread
– The smell of bookstores

Taste Sensations:
-Chai tea
-Mom’s greens and cornbread
-Anything peach ( peach soda, peaches, homemade peach ice cream, peach cobbler…)
– Iced tea (in the summer)…just takes me some place

Listening Sensations:
– I’m crazy about Quiet. ( Yes, I can get a ‘quiet high’!)
– Libraries.
– A Baby cooing.
– Spring sounds.
– Waterfalls….no matter the size.
– Writing …( I struggled with this idea of writing as a category... but I think I really enjoy hearing myself think deeply. It’s  a creative process.)
-Contemplative piano or guitar music.

Okay…your turn!   JUST PICK A CATEGORY, and share below!

Here are more pics from that lovely day in  Sarita, TX on  Memorial Day. Click here.

I know…why write an article about intensity, right?

Well…because I am a pretty intense person. I used to not be so intense,  but all that changed once I met Tim Owens. I realize now  that having a husband who is just as intense as you are helps to move your purpose along. Meeting Tim was  like, amazing because when we met, we realized we had so many common dreams! We both were interested in teaching and training  we both wanted to own our own business one day; we both wanted to travel the world, we both wanted to help people in amazing ways  and use our faith to do it.

I decided to tell our story, because it’s pretty unusual. I was just ‘barely’ surviving in life when I met him.  I mean barely hanging on…   I was not working, in a sad place, trying to figure out what to do with my life, and he came in like a fresh wind, and  became my friend.  I was so unmotivated in my life at the time. Having a lack of intensity is very similar to  having a lack of motivation or drive.  I used to find motivation so hard to find. I  also was quite depressed  in this season of my life, because I had just relocated to a new state ( I think I was running from my Red Sea Situation) and was in a new place and trying to find a something new in life and looking for a new job. I had not been very lucky with my search, until Tim came in to my life and prayed with me. Weeks after knowing him and  within weeks of praying with him, I was employed with one of the best jobs I had ever had in my life. I was certain he has something to do with it.

It’s funny, because the word “intensity” has quite a few words in it: anxiety, severity, depth, emotion,  vigor, fierceness, forcefulness, passion, keenness,  magnitude and might.  And  the word energy is also  in its meaning! I find this hilarious, because this is what the atmosphere was like- it was very charged with electricity around us, the weekend we met… and beyond. Not only were we on a natural high at the conference and surrounded by really cool friends, we were in a very neat environment where there was an ambiance between us, that was undeniably exciting fun, and hope-filled.

Tim changed  my life.   he was a refreshment during  a dark and dreary place in my life. I came into the realization during one weekend I had to get to know this man much better than these four days offered me. I thought after meeting him, he was just a bit odd; because he talked so much (and he is)…but so am I. (Smile)

So, recently  Tim and I  were with a  friend who visited our home and we were telling this story about how we met each other. We were so blessed by our friend’s visit, as we told our story because be continually informed us of how unusual and how HOPEFUL it was.

He said we should write a story about our lives and how we met. I agree. From beginning to end, to how we met and where we were in life was pretty intense. I didn’t intend nor even desire to be in a relationship  and he  intensively pursued me from the moment he saw me that weekend. The reason he was able to charm me that weekend, is because  he was so intentional about meeting me and  getting to know me. It was my birthday weekend and I was so excited about being with my “Leadership Family.”  Tim and I were  both leaders at the retreat, and the  conference would start the next day. We both were assigned the wonderful task of  setting up the “ambiance”, for the setting. I was drawn  immediately to his intensity. His way of communicating and  his smile and laughter, his sense of joy and carefree living, and  his intense inquisitiveness.

Normally, I didn’t like  such intense people to ask me so many questions, nor did I like too much attention, but his kind of attention was really  intriguing, warm, yet gentle and  humorous.  Also, it seemed like every time he asked a question, I  would reach a little deeper inside of myself, and  find something surprising come to the surface!  I was really in  a hard place at the time, suffering from some depression… and not very happy, he made me smile.  I thought I would fare well by sharing and  laughing with him in this not so happy place.  He ended up connecting with me on another level, serenading me,  and giving me a memory for my birthday that was unforgettable , in song. As it turns out, I realized he was a healing balm, for me and I didn’t really realize it, until he was on the plane, and headed back to Texas.  He was gone.  Just like that, and I was depressed, again and alone. and I pondered over who this man really was for the next few days, and wondered why he had such an impression on me. I thought:” It seems like I have known him all my life…” but I had only known him for four –  entirely exciting days.

But we stayed in touch, and six months after I met him, I was moving from Maryland to  Texas. Just like that. I had never done anything so radical in my life,  but it was exciting and all those words above! It was pretty intense! But  I was in such a desperate place in my life newness just called my name, and I knew I had nothing to lose and  Tim was in my corner, just cheering me on.  I even thought, so what,.. if it doesn’t work out, it’s  quite alright, because I will be ok. It’s a new venture … and I deserve something new in my life, right now. And I was so happy with the move. Texas was  exciting and new, and HOT.  But the people there and the experiences changed my life, forever and most of all,  I was happy.

When I look back on this period of my life, I stand in awe of what I did, and how I left everything behind. I was so in need of CHANGE,  and  Tim was an excellent reason to  move forward and  change my life and take an awesome risk towards purpose. We had so much in common, it was surreal.

Red Sea courage?? For sure… I am sure I parted a few waves as I walked forward in amazing courage and leaped into an amazing future!… and I haven’t looked back yet!

Self-evaluation and values can help save your life. They helped save mine. I read this recently in an exercise I completed to consider my values:

“We need to know what we are good at, and spend time doing it.”

Consider the list of values and make a list of your to twelve values you believe you influence others with from day to day.

1. Awareness

2. Agility

3. Calmness

4. Clear mindedness

5. Courage

6. Creativity

7. Conviction

8. Continuity

9. Faith

10. Honor

11. Modesty

12. Maturity

13. Understanding

I couldn’t live without one of them. So although twelve makes a good foundation, I couldn’t bare not adding each one of these.

The above are the kinds of attitudes and actions I am pretty good at practicing. Just recently, for example, I was not too aware of the type of presence I carry in the presence of others, until someone who was going through a really hard time one day asked me to be present with them to speak to someone after they experienced being very angry at the person to whom they had to speak. She said: “You have a calm presence and I would just like you to be present while I speak to him.” I really never believed I had such calm that could help someone else to be so calm. I thought when others said to me: “ you are very peaceful person” – I would think, “oh thanks” and simple give a weak smile, and then let it go. Hardly ever do you consider or determine what the peace is to be USED for. So lately I have been asking God to show me what the calmness is all about. As I did, I noticed there were several place in my life that required a certain level of calm.

Not just my job, but my husband’s life, my friendships, my role as a leader of the people I tend to serve, and the nuances in my life that help me to relax and spend time rejuvenating.

What a pattern, to notice!

How ironic, because I know the truth about myself in my past. This this has not always been the case. I have been known to be called a “very mean person” in the past. But I believe the person who said it was quite angry themselves, and not only that, the person was pretty confused themselves and could not see nor appreciate my beauty. Yet I had to be careful to not allow one’s first perception of me as an individual be the sole indicator of how I really lived my life.

So what are your life values? I am attaching a sheet of values to help you to determine what twelve values best describe YOU. See if you can reach for your self-ideal and determine if there is a certain thread that calls you to reach for who you authentically are.

I . Notice the pattern and affirm with these sentences as I did, below.

a) My highest value is…

b) I require…

c) I love that it…

d) It offers me…

e) If I didn’t have (blank) I would be …

f) If I didn’t have….

g) I would be…

h) I would not be….

i) These values collectively, help me to…

My Value Affirmation Exercise: (Here’s mine!)

“My highest value is calmness. I love the sense of self-control it brings. It offers me power. The reason I have these values is because I require : “a certain ebb and flow that keeps me peaceful, in life. If I didn’t have calmness, I would be out of control, perceived as a heartless person and I would NOT be content. These values collectively, help me to BE HAPPY, and maintain joy.”

II. Now let’s take it to another step of self-awareness:

These values affect three major areas in my life.

My behavior: If I remain calm… I am at peace with myself and others.

My attitude: If I keep a calm attitude, then I am honored.

My actions: If I keep calm, I am mature, courageous and I have great conviction.

What I found to be really interesting, was the fact that once I recognized the impact of the values on my behavior, attitude and actions, it appeared a few of the other values showed up in my character , as well.

12.03.08

 So as I   continue on this journey to find my voice, I find myself  asking myself this question:

Jennifer, Who is the special person in your life who helped developed your voice?

Where did you find it, or have you found it?

Well,  I must say finding my voice  has been through the experience of negatively experiencing and learning life’s lessons. Life Lesson is a phenomena   that I welcome. I have learned that embracing life helps us to RECEIVE life into our  paradigm in a much more open-minded fashion.

Being more open-minded has involved me being open to listening to those God sent into my life  as “my teachers”. Now, I will tell you, my teachers have not always been good teachers. Some taught me how to  endure in life  and be stronger, more resilient, but not necessarily in a positive manner.

I have had things like  my father’s alcoholism teach me how to undo negative patterns of finding relaitonships that caused me hurt and pain and I used my profession of social work, to help teach me how to learn more about myself and be stronger in my identity.

The coolest  and most important message I have learned has been that facing my fears brought me more COURAGE.  The more I took risks, the more  brave I  became .

As a little girl, finding my voice was practiced int front of the mirror, daily.  I would pretend I was certain people, and one of them was my Aunt Dawn. I reminded myself I wanted to be like her when I grew up, because I love how she carried herself. Now, She had a nice voice, but it wasn’t always her voice i listened to. When I searched for the meaning in the word voice, I found that voice not only meant language, but expression. how she wold express herself was with an occasional smile, a gentle touch or hug of comfort, a nice  smile and she acted as if she always had a little secret to tell.

Do you know what gratefulness is? It’s praise at it’s best.

I have considered all the times  I was so down and out and depressed while during my Red Sea Situation and the only thing that made me breathe again was  remembering the wonderful things God did for my soul and brought me out  of the depression. I write this because it’s a praiseworthy statement, not because  I have a point to prove, but long ago, I was really severely depressed. I was in the worst and darkest places of my life. I had peace, but didn’t know it, and I asked God to show me how blessed I was, because I didn’t see it and a few seconds later, it felt like He moved his hand from me, and I experienced  my first EVER panic attack. I began hyperventilating uncontrollably. I really didn’t know I was in such an  anxious state until this incident occurred. In fact, when it did, I  began to be very afraid because I was alone and by myself.  But as a soon as it came, it was only seconds later it stopped and the peace began to flow into my heart again.

I thought to myself… why did that just happen?

I truly wondered if God was trying to speak to my heart. I believe he was. He believe God was speaking to my heart showing me even though I was in a lonely, desperate and  dark place, His hand was still upon my life.

Maybe you don’t have emotions this severe, but my hope is you won’t have to, in order to experience gratefulness. There is something to  find when you dig deep down inside and look for –  in terms of being grateful.

That day, after my panic attack, I  realized I had so many things to be thankful for and I counted each one of them:

– my home

– my  life

– breath to breathe freely and easily

– peace, in the midst of a storm

– loved ones

– a bed to sleep in

– children surrounding me I loved

…and the list goes on….

I have decided I won’t stop writing about it, because as 2012 comes in and departs, One of my greatest objectives has been to be as  intentional as possible  about being GRATEFUL.

Here are  a few highlights I have posted on my Facebook page in 2012 :

Gratefulness Highlights : February 1, 2012
I am grateful for Tim, my husband.
I am grateful for sisters who blog like this! Marriages are important and must be nurtured http://herfightoffaith.com/day-156-how-to-be-ready-for-your-man/

I love how Tim goes to great lengths to take care of me and make sure I am well.
I love how he likes to have fun.
I love that he likes to sing.

I love that he asks to rub my feet – ( and you believe I say no, sometimes! ) 

I like Tim’s  ( my husband’s) smile. I love how his face lights up when he laughs.
I love his sense of hope. It’s his greatest asset.
I love his humor.

Three things I am grateful for: February 17, 2012
1. DIRECTION. God so gives it when I am lost. I grateful to have a hearing ear. Too many are lost in this world and God helps me find rest in stopping to HEAR and LISTEN to Him and make my rest a priority.
2. I am grateful I have a VOICE. And I do’t have to wait to use it. (What I mean is, when I am troubled, I can find voice, and use it. Either with God or man. And I can find solution and remedy in God , whether man is available or ready or not. I can find peace with God in my soul. And my, is that important. If I can’t talk it over with man, God at least is willing to hear me. Amen.
3. Grateful the diary I WRITE IN ON GRATEFULNESS I left on the plane and traveled to Austin last Saturday was found  and came back to me in the mail today. Hmm.. I am beginning to wonder if this gratefulness thing is BIGGER than me. The Powers that be , allowed it to return to me. One day at a time, people. Take one day at a time. That’s all we can do, when we get overwhelmed. Just take one day and be grateful. Count your blessings.~ J.O.

MY Latest Gratefulness Ponderings: February 26, 2012

1.Grateful I can bravely feel my feelings & I often feel elated.
2.Grateful my parents are alive & well.
3. Grateful I can find something to be grateful about when things aren’t ‘pie in the sky’ pretty. ;0)
4.Grateful I am an intercessor.

Grateful highlights – March 11, 2012 :
1.Grateful God was true to His word! He said to write the book and He’d send what I needed.
2. Grateful for friendships & for a chance to meet some of the most awesome people IV ever known & wouldn’t know had I not lived in Md.,TX & Okla.
3. Grateful for the little things: heat, air water…a warm bed. God is good.

Grateful highlights – March 16, 2012 

1.Grateful for this feeling of invigoration! Something about pictures and passion makes me want to SCREAM with excitement!
2. Grateful for stories. I love how  they impact. change lives. read and transform perspectives. dictate. inform. instruct. help. teach. add growth.
3.Grateful for DEEP rest. It’s rejuvenating!
4. Grateful to have a healthy fear of success. It’s new…yet refreshing!
5. Grateful for little people.The make me smile. Every single time.
6. Grateful someone asked me what my dream was today and i could articulate it.
7.Grateful the world stops between 1a.m. and 5 a.m. and  I can LISTEN.

BE grateful today.

I suppose I have to start where my name begins: JENNIFER – means “White Wave.” When I think of a White Wave, I think of a tide. Tides are consistent, unrelenting, they never give up. They build, they rise, they reclaim. They have height, depth, they are all encompassing. They also have a mind of their own – yet are always guided by God’s hand. I felt this way when I  traveled to  South African and  reclaimed my identity.

I believe names emphasize and  encourages us to be successful – but it also makes  us think about our worth and value. I believe everyone has a name on earth, and  also one in heaven.

I received my name change early; before I made it to heaven. Six years ago, I was in Johannesburg South Africa. I was renamed. I remember exactly where I was – and what I was doing. My pride in who I was and what I had achieved –especially in  that unique moment –(with God’s help of course) was at its peak. I had ‘graduated’ in a sense, because I had been with my South African family for one week or so, and they lovingly informed me that after staying with them a few days, I would be ‘named’ by them as a family and they would give me an African name. Of course, I was ecstatic, wondering what they’d see in me!

One night, I was trying on South African garb that my friend “Bubbly” had made, and she and her daughters, Rose and Ama watched as I paraded around the room with South African pride in what I wore. Suddenly, one of the beautiful daughters – Ama– whose name means love– called out: Nthabiseng!!!

I looked at her, with inquisitiveness, and smiled, and everyone nodded in agreement and smiled. I asked what she had said, and she said:” Your name: it’s  Nthabiseng: Make Me Happy!” This was a very special moment for me, because just that same day, Ama and I had a very special moment and we prayed together. She was struggling with her school work, and needed to be validated that she was capable, I saw that need and prayed with her to have breakthrough. When she said my name –  I laughed… and  cried inside to be honest, because I was literally at the threshold of one of the greatest challenges of my life. It would involve me making major decisions to move into  a greater place of securing my happiness. From this point on I never made a decision again that didn’t make me happy. I believe I am where I am today, because happiness has been something I pursued from that moment forward. This literal name change – pushed me into one of the greatest and most significant moves of my life. Catapulted me into a courageous place, and secured my destiny, forever.

I know the name my parents gave me is blessed ~and Awesome. (I am not confused by that. ) In fact,  I had already created a name for my self that gave me power.  Jennifer means “white wave” ~ I had always envisioned a HUGE tidal wave coming on the shower with power to enrapture and capture anything in its path.  I was even further encouraged when I was renamed – because my name now meant: “One who has amazing power to Make People Happy!” When I went to Africa, I told the young people there when I spoke to them, that I admired their ability to change their names and give them “flavor” if they were not pleased with their meaning. Their names were powerfully perfect! They made me smile just hearing them. In hearing their names, I began to encourage them with the power of their names. ( I will post my poem I wrote for them, as inspiration… soon.)

Naming is such a sacred, ceremonial act. Here’s how God used ( some humor) and definitely His power~ to make his people more significant by the changing of their names.

Jacob ’s name was  changed from ‘Supplanter‘ to Israel – (One who takes authority of another illegally, to  One who Rules with God.)

Abraham’s name was  changed from: (Exalted Father – (Abram)  to Father of Many Nations.) Powerful.

Sarah’s name was  changed from : Princess to “ Lady of high rank & refinement.” ~ (Sarai)

Isaac: Means laughter ~ (‘Laughter’ being the expression of what His mother ~said when God said she’d have a baby at ninety years old!)

All of their name changes – ( like my own) – pushed them into another realm of being and doing. God wants to make your name greater than it’s ever been before. He wants to grace you with a purpose during your struggle.  For many of them, their names supposed that God could do exceedingly and abundantly above whatever we think and imagine… (Eph 3:20).  This is because your name in heaven has much more significance and power than you will ever know. Its what God calls you when he knows your potential. Take advantage of this season, and ask your Daddy~ your heavenly Father ~ So…What’s my name??

Be blessed … to all the Nthabi’s out there in the world waiting to be borne!  Yes!!

Selah.

In Him, JenRene.

“One word expresses the pathway to greatness: VOICE.

Those on this path find their voice and inspire others to find theirs. The rest never do.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

The power to discover your voice lies in the potential that was bequeathed you at birth. Latent and undeveloped, the seeds of greatness were planted. You were given magnificent “birth-gifts”-talents, capacities, privileges, intelligences, opportunities-that would remain largely unopened except through your own decision and effort. Open these gifts. Learn what taps your talents and fuels your passion-that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet-therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul’s code.

Q: How do you define “voice”?

A: Voice is the overlapping of the four parts of our nature: our body, our mind, our heart, and our spirit. These also represent the four intelligences: our IQ for the mind, our EQ for the heart, our SQ for the spirit, and our PQ for the body.

To help you find this, answer these 4 question.

1.   What are you good at? That’s your mind.

2.   What do you love doing? That’s your heart.

3.   What need can you serve? That’s the body.

4.   And finally, what is life asking of you? What gives your life meaning and purpose? What do you feel like you should be doing? In short, what is your conscience directing you to do? That is your spirit.

People are internally motivated by their own four needs: to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. When they overlap, you have voice-your calling, your soul’s code.

Q: Is finding your voice an evolving process, or can it happen all at once like a light bulb going on in your head?

A: I think that it can happen all at once, but more so, I think it is an evolving process. As people grow up, they are exposed to different fields of knowledge and different experiences. They don’t yet know what they’re good at or even what they will like doing. Once they have this exposure and education and they start getting involved, they start to find satisfaction, and that leads to success as it begins to give them a sense of their voice or what they really love doing that they do well. For some people, it does comes like a flash of light, but it is usually preceded by someone who really deeply believes in them-sees their strengths and affirms them when they don’t see their own potential themselves. This creates an opportunity for that voice to be developed and expressed. This happened with me.

Q: Is the process of finding your voice the same for an individual as it is for an organization that is trying to find its voice?

A: That’s a very interesting question and I think in a very real sense, it is the same. But because an organization is made up of many different individuals who have different voices and a different sense of what gives them meaning and their life purpose, it takes communication processes where people are genuine and authentic with each other in expressing what they really care about. However, people gradually get a sense of what the organization stands for, what it loves doing and does well, and what it feels like it should be doing. So, there is kind of a collective form of the four intelligences that overlaps and develops in an evolutionary way.

Q: How can we help someone find his or her voice?

A: I think if you care about people genuinely, you listen to them and observe them; because this is more than just hearing them speak, it is observing them-observing where their excitement is, where their enthusiasm is; observing where you sense they have potential. Sometimes it is very powerful just to say to them in sincerity, “I believe you have great potential in this area. I see real strengths in you that you may not see in yourself, and I would like to create an opportunity for you to use those strengths and to develop this potential. Would you be interested in that?” Most people are so flattered by someone who sincerely cares for them and affirms their work and potential that they are moved and inspired by that kind of input. It’s very powerful and it can make all of the difference, particularly with people who grow up with a confused lifestyle, bad modeling, and basic education. Often they have no clue as to what life is about or what they are about until someone becomes a teacher to them-a mentor, a confirmer, and a coach. This kind of mentoring is becoming increasingly important in education, in relationships, and in work environments. It can make all of the difference as to whether a person takes a higher road to his or her own voice or a lower road to where he or she is swallowed up by the priorities and voices of others.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to Steven Covey’s RSS feed!

This is my cousin Kimula Stenson Powell.

I introduce her as a sister, my friend and my cousin, because  indeed  she is such an inspirational sister to me who takes risks like none other. Once when my own (biological) sister and I were having some challenges, Kim took the time to work us through what I consider to be a Red Sea challenge.
A Red Sea Challenge is when we become stuck in our lives and cannot see the promises of God staring us in the face, because we are too close. The depth, or often the weight of our seas ( or life) become overwhelming and we begin to sink . We often face  loneliness or  discomfort and so we run from what we know to be truth; because it often  looks as though we shall drown. At the time, I simply could not imagine living at odds with my sister, but I knew I had to remedy the void I’d felt as a youngster , when I felt all alone.

Kim came to Darryl and I as we were attempting to bond as sisters in adulthood. You know, she was the big sister who was never home, and I was the youngest sister, ( with two boys in the middle) , who often got in our way. My sister was surprised to find me – with Kim’s assistance, during a very transparent conversation one night.

I was struggling with feelings of angst, because my sister Darryl, I felt had abandoned me. I was going through a rough time in my life and  quite frankly, I needed all of my sister. Although I felt as if my sister had always been  there for me, I  didn’t  as though feel  like she always HAD always fully been there for me. And so, I politely told her. With tears in my eyes. And Kim was there to not only dry them, but to  cry with us. There is something about being fully present in relationships and Kimula, just has it.

Kim helped lead us through this marvelous discussion about sisterhood and peace and bringing us into a bond of hope and peace, again. She absolutely led us into the future  that night as one who seemed to have such skill in guiding women down paths unknown. I loved the fact she took the time. We must have talked for several hours, because I cried, Darryl, cried, we laughed and Kim made us love each other more deeply. I found resentment in my heart because there were times during my father’s alcoholism where  Darryl and I remained at a distance, because she  chose to stay way from home and I felt abandoned, because she was often gone from the home  to avoid the  inevitable chaos. She didn’t realize her little sister needed her – and oh so desperately. I found my sister was also vulnerable during that time and she needed someone she could also confide in during that time. She  needed to find a refuge and during that time, she was doing the best she could to cope with our family’s Red Sea Situation. Time away from the home meant she could breathe. She would not be under  the stress and tension.

Truly, this brave soul of a woman named Kimula Powell  – had to value  something deep inside  about women bonding and relationships.  What  I  know for sure  is, Kim always looked up to her “big sis” Darryl, even though Darryl wasn’t “technically” her sister – although I beg to differ.   I believe God creates different kinds of sisterhoods and  being cousins is  simply another kind.  Kim had a chance to experience Darryl at a very needy  teenager time in her life and Darryl was there. Anyone that knows my sister Darryl, knows she carries the mantle of genuine friendliness and warmth. She reminds me so much of my great-grandmother, Mary Traylor and my other grandmothers,Wille Eva McCord and has the humor and sweet smile of my grandmother Leila Mae Stenson.

So I asked her if she remembered that night and if she did, what motivated her help us through this Red Sea?

And here were her answers:

Acquiesce. It means to yield without protest. A lot said in one small word, huh?  I know. I have struggled unknowingly with this concept for several years. I have been known to be a perfectionist  in my latter days. I am much better, now. Thank God. Perfectionists find it very hard to yield. Yielding… has become a way of life for the person who has learned to acquiesce.

Why yield,  you ask…? Well.. yielding allows you to make room for understanding. If you make room for a spirit of understanding, you make way for a heart that is open to being molded and guided in the direction of God’s plans. When tossed about and treated unfairly in the past and even now in the present, I don’t dwell on what’s being done wrong towards me. I ask God instead: Why does this person feel this way? Or.. why are they so confused about my actions?

I  have been in some places where yielding may have actually saved my life. Everything…and I do mean everything, used to be a protest. If I didn’t like it, I would say something. If I didn’t get it, I would tell someone why I thought I deserved it. It was haughtiness, for sure.  Some , may call it arrogance. I called it wanting what I wanted. When I didn’t get it, I would protest. To God, man , friends, family – whomever… and then, I’d have a pity party because I felt sorry for myself. But the Bible says in Proverbs 16:17-18 “…he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. Pride cometh before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.” I am committed to “keeping my way“. Even when I don’t know or trust where (my way) is going.

How about you? Another definition  of acquiesce means: to agree with reluctance. Reluctance to me, was a VERY big word.  What are we usually reluctant about? When things don’t go our way, when we feel slighted, when we feel we aren’t heard, validated or we are ignored. Interesting…yes.. although we hate to admit it, choosing to acquiesce may mean you make room for a humbled heart.

An acquiescent nature can be very accommodating, affirming, supportive or just plain grateful.  Throw in a bit of humility and graciousness to the picture and you will have a spirit of cooperation. Who wouldn’t want such skill added to our relationships? Sadly enough, we tend to see  less and less of these gestures in our everyday lives.

I look at these words (above) and I think about God’s mercy towards me. I really messed up this past week with something bad. But God is so loving with me, He simply desired I repent and once I was back in right standing with Him and addressed the issue at hand with humility, I was fine. Jehovah Tsidkenu is His name. The Lord our Righteousness. I even had my peace of mind back. Quickly. I am continually praying for God’s grace and mercy to follow me~ all the days of my life. Without it, I am not able to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s intervention when it’s needed. Having  the Holy Spirit’s involvement in your day to day affairs can mean the difference between relationships healed, mended, forgiven and renewed – or living life full of misery fear, and desperation.

Trust God, today- and in the spirit of being obligated towards God to think on pure things ( Phil. 4:8) , pledge to God today that you will be committed to His will, His ways and His word. Acquiesce.  Let God show you how submission can be a crown on your head and His peace –  a jewel on your crown. In His Light, you will begin to feel more efficient  and sufficient than you have ever known.

Job 29:14
“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.”