DEAR PAPA

This lesson cost me… literally! So… I had to go to the cold store in my neighbourhood and my budget was GH¢200. As I got dressed, I made a mental note of what I was going to get and what I’d buy in the market with the change. As I prepared to leave, I put my money in my back pocket and some tissue in my front pocket. I heard ever so faintly: “Put the money in your front pocket and put the tissue in the back pocket”. I felt that wasn’t really necessary. After all, I was going on a walk that was less than 500m away from my house. I got to the cold store, placed my order, and I confidently reached into my back pocket for my money as I was told the total price of my purchase. “That can’t be right”, I said to myself in disbelief as I searched frantically for the 200 cedi note I had put there. All I felt was an empty pocket and guess what? There was a small hole in the pocket! Oh no!! I didn’t want to believe that I had lost my money. After a few seconds of trying to convince myself that I...

Crash After crash After crash Like the waves of the sea live in a world of their own, Your love crashes over me and overwhelms me No limits, no boundaries,  Never ending, unstoppable,  You’d do everything, To make sure that I find my way back home I could never earn it, and deserving it is a far stretch Who am I that You love me so much? Why do you keep pursuing me? I run and hide   And You, the All-Knowing King,  Wait for me to return to Your loving arms Where can I hide from Your presence? You want a love that is pure and true A love that isn’t forced or volatile  Soft, yet firm Bold, yet tender You make me whole I come alive when I'm with You Love lives here.

Walking down Memory Lane I see Your faithfulness Through all the unbearable pain You never loved me less Holding my hand You made me understand That problems cannot be wished away with a wand So here I am With all my baggage and pieces Before the great I Am I know I can find peace in Your arms And I’m never letting go Because I know That this journey is worth it all And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  

Dear Papa, At this point of the journey, it feels like a wilderness. Communion... that's what You desire, I know, but it gets so hard sometimes. Life keeps throwing stuff at me and I know staying on my knees is my best bet, but where do my words fly to? Why don’t I connect with You the way I desire to? I make plans in my head (wake up early, hide somewhere quiet, connect with Papa…) but these plans stay where they are… in my head! Connection… that is so important to You and I sometimes ruin this by making rules and being hard on myself. I tell myself, “If it’s not done this way, it can’t be done!”. Who am I to come to these conclusions? Why lose sight of the One I need to connect to? Yes, I miss those moments when I would wake up in the wee hours of the morning and have sweet fellowship with You but that shouldn't stop me from reaching for You. I often forget that You are everywhere! The place, time, etc, are not set in stone. You are not a hard taskmaster and all  that...

Dear Papa, Let go… forget all about it… I guess it’s easier said than done. Sometimes I'm tempted to spiral down this drain of unforgiveness. Why do I have to be at the receiving end of offensive words spoken out of turn?  Forgiveness… this looks like a bitter pill to swallow. Why should I let go? Because Jesus did!! He forgave when He could have unleashed the wrath of heaven on humanity. Such a display of grace and strength! He suffered wayyy more than I can ever go through. Yet, in His dying moments His heart ached for the very ones who hurt Him; pleading for the people who mocked, beat, and nailed Him to the cross. He would have been tagged a weakling today; someone who couldn’t stand up for himself. I can imagine how perplexed the devil was, when this ‘weak man’ destroyed the gates of hell and made a public spectacle of him and his agents. Father, it can be so hard to forgive and I really need You to show me how. When thoughts of past hurts flood my mind, may I remem...