Get Hi5 Falling Hearts Sunday 7th August 2022
Appreciate What You Have ... Before It's Too Late
Hello, I hope you guys have been well.
I am so sorry for the inactivity.
My last post on this page might have been in May but my last post generally was July 15th. Today's topic would have been to not put anyone on a pedestal (think that they're perfect), but something else came across my mind.
It's a topic I've already talked about before, not on here but somewhere else, and I'd like to expand on it.
I'll be honest with you guys, whilst I have been busy, I've also been backsliding. A part of me has deliberately avoided posting on here but at the same time, it's been unintentional.
If you know, yesterday on my WhatsApp status, I said that I'm in the process of writing a Christian book, and I am.
But I'm not revealing the Title to anybody. I've had a passion for writing for a very long time now and it wasn't until recently that I realised I could do something with it, further than beyond this website.
I was even encouraged to. I was waiting until I was older but apparently I could start now. Some current authors even wished they started when they were younger.
Long story short, don't ever let your age stop you from pursuing your dreams. You could be 17 and you've achieved more than a 50 year old ever has, in their entire lifetime. Age does not define maturity.
♫ You can do it, put your back into it! ♫
Some people say that they're going to do something huge but then they don't, with all due respect. I'm serious about this book. I haven't finished it, nor am I even halfway but I've written 21 chapters. Only 8 have been properly edited though. I'll do an excerpt from Chapter 7 on WhatsApp.
It might be the only excerpt I'll do for now but we'll see. Maybe once a month I'd post something from it.
I would do it here but that's kind of being lazy, but yeah. I don't know when I will finish it or when it's going to be published, hence why I want to show a snippet of what I've been working on. It'll be from Chapter 7, towards the end.
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I was supposed to update this website yesterday, at least that was what I said to the Lord. One thing led to another and I didn't, but I think that was because I had work the same day and I work 6AM to 4PM. You can only imagine the time I have to wake up.
Unfortunately, I haven't been to church since July 10th, the day after my birthday. Sometimes I have to work on Sundays, which I've been doing so for the past 3 weeks.
I went to church in person today for the first time in 3 weeks. It was the least I could do really, plus it was Thanksgiving, which happens every first Sunday of the Month. There was something important I learnt that I'd like to share with you guys.
Delayed obedience to God is disobedience. If God tells you to do something, you must do it immediately.
That's one of the things that you have to act quickly on. Then my pastor talked about what you must act slowly on, as not everything in life requires you going quickly. Occasionally, God might want you to wait for him.
You can find this in James 5:7-8
and if you rush ahead, you will miss your goal.
1 There is a time for everything.
There’s a time for everything that is done on earth.
2 There is a time to be born.
And there’s a time to die.
There is a time to plant.
And there’s a time to pull up what is planted.
3 There is a time to kill.
And there’s a time to heal.
There is a time to tear down.
And there’s a time to build up.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Hebrews 13:5
This topic is also something I have been dealing with recently, not in terms of me not appreciating things but in terms of me not feeling appreciated. God has removed some people from my life lately and I had to leave one of them because it was just the right thing for me to do.
You should never chase someone to be in your life. If someone wants you in their life, they will put you there. You shouldn't have to fight for a spot.They used to but not anymore. Unfortunately I kind of forced them to appreciate me but obviously realised this was wrong so recently cut of all contact. You should never force someone to appreciate you.
Likewise, if someone truly wanted to be in your life, they’d make an effort to try. You wouldn’t have to try hard if they wanted you in their life, as they'd put in the same amount of effort as you. I had to learn that the hard way.
It’s been hard but sometimes people change not because you did anything wrong but because God is removing them from your life. You also need to learn to appreciate others before it’s too late. This can be linked to that Ecclesiastes verse I mentioned earlier on.Please ignore this bar thing; I'm not sure how it got there or how to get rid of it.
If you have someone in your life that’s down for you and loyal, even if it’s just one person, never leave them. I had to remind the person who didn’t appreciate me of that before I left them, so that they had something to think about in my absence.
If someone doesn’t appreciate your presence, make them appreciate your absence. This is because some people don’t notice the things you do until you stop doing them, for example initiating conversation or caring about them when no one else really does.
If there is someone in your life that cares about you, ensure that you appreciate them. But at the same time, don’t wait for someone to appreciate your presence. It’s not worth it. If someone doesn’t care about your presence, then unfortunately your absence might not mean much either .
You should never wait for someone because the person you are waiting for, God might not necessarily want them to come back in your life again. You have to realise that not everybody deserves access to you. Some people deserve to be in your life however they do not deserve to stay.
Just because you miss someone doesn't mean you need them back in your life. Certain people are supposed to be missed, more so if they were good to you. Someone being good to you doesn't necessarily mean that they're good for you. There's a difference.
1 John 4:1 - Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Some good people are bad people in disguise. People pretend well, however real situations expose fake people, so you need to watch out and be careful at all times.
Never take anyone for granted as everybody has their limits, even the nicest people. The worst thing is for a nice person to become intimidating and scary to you because you’ve pushed them away too much.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
You can even pray for the people that have left your life, after all not everybody you lose is a loss. Never regret being good to people (Galatians 6:9) because we need more kind and genuine people in this imperfect world. If someone that didn't really care about you is no longer in your life, then that's not much of a loss.
How often have we appreciated something too late? Oftentimes we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone, but occasionally you know what you’ve got, you just didn’t think you’d ever lose it.
You should never assume that someone is always going to stay in your life. They can put up with your terrible behaviour for some time, and maybe give you more chances than you deserve - but when they are done, they are done. I know this from experience; I do this to quite a few people.
Don’t get too comfortable with anyone or anything , and don’t let anyone be too comfortable with you either. Additionally, don’t always be available for people as they can lose respect for you. I’m naturally a caring person and didn’t realise that this could’ve been a drawback sometimes.
The less you have of something, the more you appreciate it. I used to hate getting paid monthly but now it’s not that bad as I appreciate the money more than if I got paid weekly. Like I’m used to. I'm also getting paid on Friday and I can't wait.
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Money doesn't buy happiness (1 Timothy 6:10), but that doesn't mean that looking forward to pay day is wrong.
We often compare ourselves to others because we don’t appreciate what we have or we’re looking at someone else’s own life instead of our own.
I was even doing research on this today and how the grass isn't always greener on the other side. If you water your own grass, I'm sure it'll be just as beautiful.
Everyone has something that they’re dealing with, which was something I learnt when a friend spoke to me the other day on the phone. You don’t have to be the best at everything, but if you appreciate everything, you can get the best.
Likewise, appreciating things isn't just about money, it links to everything and everything. If you never appreciate what you have, you'll never have enough.
The last thing you want is to be in a fight with someone and you can’t even resolve it because something bad happens. I don’t wish that on anyone.
That's actually some people's biggest regret - their last conversation with someone was a fight which they couldn't resolve as the other person tragically passed away moments later.
Don't let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26) - it isn't worth it.
Please show gratitude for the people in your life. If you have someone that still checks up on you even if you’ve been ignoring them then you truly have a real person in your life and hold them close. The world is so filled with fake people, and it takes losing a real person for you to realise that.
Some people manipulate someone that has hurt them on social media. They deliberately post pictures of them having a good time, only for the sole purpose of trying to make the person who hurt them jealous, or regret hurting them. I would never do this to anyone. It's not worth it. Plus it says more about you than the other person, trust me.
They might even realise what you're doing and dislike you even more. If someone has hurt you, even just once, please leave them - like I said before, the more chances you give someone, the less respect they'll have for you.
From time to time, we’re so busy wanting things and other people that we don’t realise what we have right in front of us. There’s a quote I know that says:
Some people trade something good for something “better”, only to realise that good was good enough and better never even came close.
Don’t have grass is greener syndrome. This is where you start looking elsewhere because you think you can do better than what you already have. This is mainly for relationships but it can happen anywhere, with friendships for example.
Most of the time, you can’t do better and when you notice that, it’s too late. And even if you could, it might not be the same. I’m telling you this so you don’t make the same mistakes I did.
I’ve been unappreciated and unappreciative many times. I’ve never acted on Grass is greener syndrome as far as I’m concerned. I've had it, several times, even today, but I would never act on it. Know your worth and don’t let anyone take advantage of you.
Don’t wait until things are gone for you to appreciate them. Do so now, and if someone isn’t appreciating you, give them a taste of your absence.
Not straight away. Give them a few chances to get their act together (as they might be unaware or it’s not their fault; maybe they have to attend to something and they seem more distant than usual).
If they still don’t appreciate you then you can leave, with or without telling them. That’s what I did. I told them, indirectly. I usually give people more chances than they deserve. Being with someone that has hurt you many times makes you someone people can't respect.
Perhaps when you're gone, they'd realise how patient you were as well as how many chances you gave them but just never settle for less than what you deserve.
Also don’t wait on anyone. You deserve better than someone who doesn’t appreciate you.
Be sceptical if someone comes back into your life after you’ve given them absence. If someone had to lose you to realise your worth, they’re not always worth it.
Sometimes they are, and sometimes God might actually want that person back in your life. You appreciate things more if you work for it. Just pray about it.
Know your boundaries and appreciate everyone / thing as much as you can and before it’s too late! The things or people you appreciate the least might actually be the people or things worth the most gratitude. They could also be what someone else is praying for.
Remember this as well:
People should know your worth when they have you, not when they lose you. But losing you isn’t always a bad thing. It depends on what God says.
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So that's everything I wrote when I was originally talking about this topic. That doesn't mean I'm done though. I wanted to talk about the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32.
The word prodigal means spending money or using resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant (expensive). I'm mentioning the definition as I never really knew what it meant myself.
Here is the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32
11 Jesus continued, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger son spoke to his father. He said, ‘Father, give me my share of the family property.’ So the father divided his property between his two sons.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living. 14 He spent everything he had. Then the whole country ran low on food. So the son didn’t have what he needed.15 He went to work for someone who lived in that country. That person sent the son to the fields to feed the pigs. 16 The son wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
17 “Then he began to think clearly again. He said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you.19 I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’20 So he got up and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.23 Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “The older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come home,’ the servant replied. ‘Your father has killed the fattest calf. He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry. He refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him.29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I have always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.30 But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home. And for him you kill the fattest calf!’
31 “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me. Everything I have is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.’ ”So in this passage, from the way I look at it, the prodigal son had grass is greener syndrome, thinking that he could have done better than what he already had at home. Therefore he decided to leave his father and his brother, frivolously living and spending everything he had. He didn't appreciate what he had, otherwise he wouldn't have left in the first place.The other brother didn't feel appreciated by his father when his brother had come back. Whilst he knew why his father was celebrating him, he finally returned home, he also believed it wasn't right for him to be celebrated. The prodigal son technically spent all his money, quicker than he had earned it, it had seemed.His father didn't seem to mind, overlooking everything. He had appreciated his son even more when he had returned home, which is a good example to show that sometimes losing someone makes you take them for granted less and appreciate them more.So yes, please appreciate everything you have because God might take them away from you. Romans 11:29 says:God does not take back his gifts. He does not change his mind about those he has chosen.God doesn't take back his gifts, but he can deal with the person who had it, for example if they are idolising it. God takes away your idols for he is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14) so he doesn't like sharing his glory with anyone. That was something else I learnt at church today.Understand that God doesn't want to be your top God, he wants to be your only God. I've said that quite a few times on here, I know ... but it's really significant. God being your top God means that he is at the top of your priority list, however God being your only God means that you have nothing else competing to be first place, which is the way things should be. I think that's something you should keep in mind for next time.So that's everything for today unfortunately. My next post, like I said earlier, will be about not putting people on pedestals. Doing so can cause God to remove them from your life to teach you a lesson.I hope you've learnt something today and once again, sorry for my inactivity. This would have been posted earlier today but the videos at the top weren't working so I had to sort them out.Till next time! xxx
Matthew 7:1-2
1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged."
2 "For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”
Today’s verses will be on how you shouldn’t judge others. I remember talking about this recently but I know I didn’t go in depth about it.
Not only is judging others against the Bible, it defines you more than the person you are judging.
It’s like spreading a rumour about someone or talking badly about someone.
Here is an excerpt from WebMD about spreading rumours, which I referenced below.
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From Rumours vs Gossip v Fake News
But until proven otherwise, they are just that -- rumours.
Gossip is when you take rumours -- those unconfirmed pieces of information -- and pass them along, spreading what may be “fake news.”
On their own, rumours and gossip seem harmless; almost a fun pastime. But there's a point where they can become harmful to your health.
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Whether the rumour is true or not, avoid spreading or being a part of it. The Bible is explicit about this in Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Spreading a rumour doesn’t reveal the other person’s character.
It reveals yours.
I know it may not always seem like it reveals your character, especially if you are around your friends.
If you do talk badly about someone, how many people do you know that would tell you:
"Hey, you shouldn't talk badly about so so and so. It doesn't reveal them, it reveals you."
Whilst this is true, most people would likely talk about said person with you, assuming they know them, or they know of them.
But you need to be that person. Be that person that tells others that talking badly about others is wrong. Even if they don't agree with you, that's their problem.
If you do something good but the person you do something good towards doesn't appreciate it, or they take advantage your kindness - don't worry. God will handle them.
It's like giving money to someone homeless, only for them to spend it on drugs because they've deceived you without you even realising it. Some people are master manipulators and deceivers.
God will deal with the so called homeless person, not you. You didn't do anything wrong.
I would do a story about not judging others but writing them takes time - also I did one the last time I was here, in my Underrated Bible Scriptures - Part 7 page. You don't have to scroll for for this, it is literally the first post.
I will do another one in mid June. I've agreed to write stories every one and a half months.
People normally appreciate things and people less the less they have them. Not always, but I'm sure you've heard of the phrase familiarity breeds contempt.
Google defined the term familiarity breeds contempt as:
Don't take the people you love or any of your friends for granted. Like I said earlier, you only have today. You don't know when God will take them away from you forever.
Going back to not judging others, I’m definitely not exempt from talking badly about others. I’ve never started a rumour in my life but sometimes I do talk badly about people - more so people I don’t like.
But not all the time.
This is mainly if people are already talking about someone I don’t like and I join in. This is wrong though , you don’t know what people are going through or what they have been through.
The aforementioned website I referenced earlier (the gossip vs rumours vs fake news one) talked about how rumours can oftentimes be detrimental to one's life.
I have good examples of this. Jesus is, but before I mention him, let me mention the other two. Best till last.
So I kind of recently finished a Nigerian themed book called Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
This has to be my new favourite book. It's about an anonymous texter called Aces who is out to get the only two black people in a fictional school called Niveus.
Faridah strategically called it that because Niveus means white in Latin. The people Aces target are called Devon and Chiamaka.
It's in first person so you get to see things unfold through both of their eyes.
Long story short, their darkest secrets come out and they work together to stop it. They don't exactly get along though, even though you'd expect them to. I guess that's what makes the story more interesting.
I would recommend it but it's not always appropriate. There's some profanity too (but not too much), but it is amazing. You barely have to be Nigerian to understand it.
No, I don't read books or watch things with profanity. I never watch things rated 18+, for example.
I did once but that was for school - I wouldn't voluntarily do so.
Or if I do, it's very minimal.
Ace of Spades was an exception because I've never read a book where the author is from my country before so I was intrigued.
Another example of rumours ruining people's lives, a more appropriate example is Pretty Little Liars. This is a series on Netflix that I started watching recently.
I'm almost done with Season 1, but my word, this show has to have one of the best first seasons I have ever watched. It's also different to what I thought it would be.
It's similar to Ace of Spades as the show is based off a book with the same name.
But it was out about a decade before it. It's also about an anonymous texter trying to ruin the lives of 4 girls, the middle girl in the GIF disappears.
Jesus is the third and final example of someone who was affected by rumours.
I had to research why Jesus died. I know it was for our sins, but I also discovered it was because people were accusing him for saying he was the King of the Jews.
The accusing probably turned into rumours - as in Jesus was lying about being the King of the Jews.
I doubt that only one person could have condemned Jesus to death. It was definitely a joint effort. I hope you understand why spreading rumours isn't a good thing.
Whether true or not, you're hurting the person that the rumour is about. Not everybody wants their secrets to be revealed to the world - but just know that everyone has skeletons in their closet.
Naturally some people treat others either well or not well based on the way they look.
I’m not saying this is all the time but it happens from time to time. You should never judge someone based on the way they look as that’s something they can’t control.
Even if people could control the way they look, you shouldn’t judge them either way. On anything, controllable or not.
For example someone with a black eye could be living in an abusive family, which I don’t wish on anyone. Some people might think they were irresponsible and got themselves into a fight.
You really don’t know what it’s like to be someone else aside from yourself*.
Even your family, you may live with them but even then you might not know everything that they struggle with. People could tell you about their past or day however they are likely to leave some things out. Maybe the personal and/or not so good bits.
*This is another reason why you shouldn’t compare yourself with others. You don’t always know what the other person is going through.
Plus this is something else the Bible is against.
2 Corinthians 10:12 goes in more depth about this:
I read somewhere that if everyone puts their problems in a pile and sees everyone else’s, they would grab theirs back. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Maybe the person you wish to be secretly has more problems than you. I inevitably don't wish problems on anyone, but you never really know what someone is dealing with unless they tell you - like I said earlier.
Maybe their weaknesses are your strengths. You aren’t made to be a carbon copy of anyone else. God made no mistake creating you nor should you wish you are a mistake either.
Psalms 139:14 says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. All of us, not just one person. Take that into consideration.
This was something else I talked about in the last Posts of Encouragement, let me reference it below again.
I mentioned how you should be yourself and not anyone else - because I know we live in a society that occasionally wants you to be someone else.
Being inspired by others is wonderful, the danger lies when you try to copy them so much that you’re not yourself anymore and you’re turning into them. People could be inspired by you, whether you think you’re an inspiring person or not.
You’d be surprised at the amount of people that you inspire or wish to be you if you could trade positions with anyone.
Hardly anyone knows what I struggle with , and that’s fine. I want it to stay that way. Not everyone is comfortable sharing but just know that everyone has something about their past that they're not happy with and might not be willing to share with anybody.
That’s why you should treat others the way you want to be treated. Someone could have had a bad day or a dark past, and you doing a good deed to them, even something simple like asking them if they’re okay, could make their entire day.
Never get tired of doing good to others.
I felt that way recently, because it seemed as though doing good didn’t mean anything. I meant in terms of initiating most conversations when I text people in real life. But it can link to anything.
You might be tired of doing good but someone else could secretly appreciate it even if they don’t tell you. Galatians 6:9 says that you should never get tired of doing good because you’ll reap a harvest if you don’t give up.
If you have to choose anything in this world, choose kindness.
Let me quickly mention some reasons as to why you shouldn't judge others, and the next time I am here, I will mention how you can stop doing so. I will mention 5 reasons.
The first 2 I already talked about, so I guess it's just a summary. Therefore, I won't go in depth about it, but the last three I will go more in depth about.
1. Because the Bible is against it
2. Because it defines you more than them
3. Because you're supposed to treat people the way you want to be treated
Matthew 7:12 ESV
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Luke 6:35 ESV
4. Because you don't know what they've been through or what it's like to be them
This is something else I've talked about. While I'm at it though, please let me add a cross reference to the main scripture for today: Matthew 7:1
2 We know that when God judges those who do evil things, he judges fairly.
Romans 2:1-2
5. Because God knows what you're thinking, and thinking bad things is a sin
Psalms 139:2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
God knows that we're about to judge others before we do so, but we should know ourselves that what we are doing is wrong.
God doesn't need to tell us, although he can remind us.
If you think bad things towards someone, pray for forgiveness and avoid doing the same thing. Unfortunately, I am out of time however I will definitely complete this next time.
That’s all I have to say today & I hope you were blessed.
And I don't normally mention names but today is the prophet's birthday!
Have a good day or night xxx
And I'll hopefully see y'all next time on Supernatural Superstar.
