Nanoreflections

It is the holiday season again, and with it (never depending on which side of the coin of life you are), comes a whole bunch of possibilities.

Yeah, of course, most of us will say that it is time to relax, party and have a good time. We are right. We should all have a good time in a season like this. It is appropriate as long us our engaging in bliss is neither harmful to ourselves, God nor to those around us. It is acceptable.

But for me, unlike any other Christmas season I've spent, I have decided to take time this season and "nanoreflect"; meaning, piling up pieces of endless thoughts on how life was this year, and how I'll need to be "armed" for 2014.

And that does not mean that I'm not going out or "spoiling myself". Nah. It actually means that as I plunder bliss, my mind will not be left idle and wanting. I'll be thinking of all the places my life can possibly be, all the places I've already been to in 2013 (and years behind it too) and all the places I would want those around me to be in the coming year.

I've chosen to grow up just a little bit more: 2014 is going to take me further into the world of a saved young adult, and I'll need to place everything (and everyone) in my life right where they belong.

Mostly, I've realized that I've been childish as far as relationships are concerned (both with God and with mankind), so part of my reflections are hovering around how to deal with THAT boy in me that won't just grow up. (Yes, every man has THAT boy in him that needs to have boundaries and a legitimate MoU to operate by; unless we all want to hate the ACTUAL man that he really is).

One resolution I already made concerning this is: I'm not going to be in a relationship (read, engage in anything serious or even slightly serious with any female species) with the aim of making them my fianceè and/or wife-to-be. I am going to cool down (just as I have done for a while) and focus on myself.
Literally, I'm handing over all my "relationship keys" to God. They'll be safe in His hands... :-)

Another thing I'm pondering about (or asking myself) is, as a leader, what have I done that has changed where I am? Have I been influential enough as a leader? Have I, in the slightest sense of the word, changed a life or helped change a life?
I am thinking that if I've not done so, then my leadership in the year 2013 has been fruitless, and I'll therefore need to go back to the drawing board and ask God to help me do something about it. Yes, I'll need to do that.

Leadership may not be easy (but it's actually never that hard - it all depends on how you do it and the source of your motivation and strength), and in the course of leading, there are lessons you learn that have a relevance that is unmatched.
People have helped me understand [other] people. That's leadership. Issues have helped me deal with [other] issues. That's leadership too. I have learned to attack situations, pull some, leave some alone, ignore many, delegate duties... That is leadership.

With leadership comes an understanding that you always have to believe in people and in the vision and goals you create as a team. Everyone becomes a friend - even your enemies constitute to the mutual success of your team and prescribed goals...

Then along that chain of thoughts, I am realizing that most of us who are conscious about the "to's and fro's of life" are going to be preoccupied with some or most of the following thoughts (even as the partying and gathering continues). We are going to think of;

1. The many times this year that we have given out our heart(s) and effort(s) only to be betrayed and downtrodden by the other party(ies). We are going to imagine the hopelessness we felt during that time, but now that we are stronger by the strength of God, we will hold our heads up high and probably sing Never Would Have Made It (Marvin Sapp) or Imela (Thank You) by Nathaniel Bassey.

2. The regrets that fill our hearts for making all the wrong decisions this year. Wrong decisions are always a thorn in the flesh - a reminder of your once-stupid-self... And maybe we now are going to blame a few people (and/or even God) for these decisions - our own wrong decisions. SMH. How we're going to deal with such thoughts will determine whether 2014 will begin on some sort of quagmire or on solid ground. Yeah.

3. The many expectations that were fulfilled in the course of this year or several more that never even tried to germinate. Probably we never started that project we had promised ourselves to begin this year. What about our service to God? Perhaps, we had promised to serve Him more earnestly this year, but, yes, but, the year has just "disappeared" and we're still not that much of "faithful servants". What of our businesses that failed to pick up? Or the unfulfilled promise(s) to our spouses/fiance/fianceé? What of the other promise(s) we made to our mom(s)/dad(s) last December? They're still waiting for us to fulfill it/them...
All these are going to either cloud our excitement for 2014 or altogether wipe it away.

4. "Maybe a start-over in relationships?" we may be found thinking. Or going to the gym to trim that fat that has accumulated over time due to increased consumption of junk food? What about our friendships? Who needs to be cut away, and who else should now be fully "adopted" to ease our match into the next season of our lives? What of going back to school to improve our skills and enhance our relevance at our places of work and in our careers? Push it to next year, maybe?

And the more I think of all we are likely to be "nanoreflecting" about this season, the more I want to lean on this chair and just say, "Lord, because life is such a mystery to me and that only You are already wherever I am headed to, please lemme just play the background (of course as inspired by Lecrae in "Background") as You lead my way... I don't want to pretend to be wiser than You are in all matters of my petty life... You are allknowing, I am retarded in my knowledge of things... Have Your way..." Then I'll sit down and keep going - His way...

More and more, I think that this is a season of pulling out detentes towards all our "enemies" (probably created in the course of this year) in some sort of "getting our plates clean", and practicing forgiveness.
Guys, we need to start 2014 on a clean page. No baggage. No debts (mostly debts of love). No hypocrisy. No pretence. No grudges. No double standards. No unfulfilled promises. No false promises either.
All we need for this season is gratefulness for our past; and about this coming year (2014), all we need is just me/you, Jesus and that new year.
Yes, just that.
(Methinks.)

Bonface Morris. 

Posted via Blogaway