People often judge what they don't understand
To pass judgement is cheap but it could be highly expensive to the one receiving it
Before you write anyone off, try putting their shoes on
Your words are like a fresh egg, once you drop it, it breaks and you can never take it back intact
Don't give out what you don't want to receive
Not saying to condone that which is not right, but if the correction is not done in love and said in love, it's not done right.
Instead of dishing out judgement, dish out grace — generously.

It's good to forgive and forget
But you forget the situation, not the lesson learned
Forgiveness doesn't mean you keep your gate open to the one that did you *****
Because trust is not to be given freely, it is to be earned
Forgiveness means you don't hold their wrongs against them
But you're right to protect yourself against future occurrences
Forgiveness is how you help yourself heal
Learning from it, is how you prevent a repeat.

What is transparency?
Is it revealing what you want them to see
Or baring your soul for someone to see
But how could you share what you're dealing with within, when you know they'll end up using it against you or call you weak
So, you leave it trapped in, even though it's eating you deep
You wish to throw the lid away and let it bubble out, but who can you trust it with
Especially since you tried before and it came back to bite you
So, you resort to wearing a big bright smile as mask.

I see us all as pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle
With each piece having a role to play in the bigger picture
Imagine if every piece looks exactly the same as others
Then we no longer have a picture but a solid color or a grid
Hence the reason for our beautiful differences
However, I think the whole piece is a little out of order
And to fix that, we have to be willing to trade places
Having a rigid standpoint is bad for the greater good
We all need one another, directly or indirectly
When I play my part and you play yours,
we'll both be contributing to create a better world — good for one and good for all.

Maybe God made the prints on our fingers unique
As a reminder that we have a unique mark to make on the world
While some would impact the world at large, like those who invented the internet or even the World Wide Web
Some would transform the world of a single person into something glorious, which can then create a ripple effect on others.
Regardless of the scale, ensure your hands do good
Touch as many as you can with kindness
Bless the world with the gifts that you were blessed with.

When the feeling of not being enough kicks in
The one thing you can't afford to do is quitting
When those voices start yelling or whispering... you were not built for this
Respond with... that might be true for now but I'm being built in the process and I will not end it prematurely
You say to you — I'm a winner, not a quitter
Against all odds, both internally and externally, I'll see to it that I see this through and I'll come out on the winning side.

Isn't it weird that the ones we call
our loved ones, are the ones we give
the least amount of our time to,
we show them the least amount of love and care.
Our excuse being "they understand".
It's high time we re-evaluated our priorities.

It's established that, to err is human
to ask for forgiveness is humility
to forgive is divinity in humanity.

When you err and you say sorry
You ought to mean it, because
the true value of what you say, is
your intention
Saying what you don't mean can
also be called deception
To say it and to mean it, is to try
to not want to repeat it (the error).

Women are very strong and powerful
No one can convince or confuse me
to think otherwise

I think Nature is not very nice to her
When she chooses to not fertilize her eggs,
she goes through pain every month
When she fertilizes her eggs, she has
to deal with changes in her body for
nine months. And then, childbirth pain.

Even the society is not very nice to her
If she's qualified for the job,
give her an equal chance
And pay her what she truly deserves
Also recognize her for her hardwork
But we know that's not how it goes

Against all odds, she still stands strong
Lots of accomplishments in this world wouldn't have been possible without her
Without her, the entire society will fall to the ground

Let's give her the respect and
credit she deserves.

Sometimes, the little acts of kindness
(with little or no monetary value)
speaks the most to others.
We can all create a lovely and
positive aura around us,
it begins with me.

I was once a mess, a broken piece
But I was made into a Masterpiece
by the Prince Of Peace —
who also gave me hope and peace
Now, I am unmoved by the things
around me, that I hear or see
Instead, I'm moved by the One —
who lives on the inside of me
It's not by my own power or might
But by the One who's called me into His light
And, surely by His grace, I will run my race
and finish it with ace,
to the glory of His Holy Name.

With faith, you can speak the things you hope for into existence
But speaking without following it with works renders the faith breathless
And even after doing the needful, oftentimes it's necessary to apply patience
Meanwhile your spirit remains doubtless
And soon enough, your victory becomes evident to all.

The word "balance" seems so underrated
We need it in almost every aspect of our lives.
There has to be a balance between the time we commit to our jobs and our family.
Between work and play.
Between spending, saving and investing.
Balance is also important in our diet, hence "balanced diet".
Balance is crucial to live a quality life.

Admittedly, to forgive is not always easy
But it is, without a doubt, very liberating
Not forgiving only increases the pain, hurt and stress
But forgiveness begins the healing process
Forgiveness is an act of self-love,
because you do it for you and not them.

Majority of us are pregnant with
gifts and ideas (that's twins)
Most times, the first step needed to be taken
to birth them, is the step of faith.
Some people's excuse is "oh, now it's too late"
But Colonel Sanders was 65 years
when he birthed KFC
Like childbirth, birthing ideas and gifts
often needs labor
But you'll receive favor if you're walking in purpose
There's something in you waiting to be
birthed — give yourself to it.

When we focus only on the action
(what was done) and ignore the intention (unrevealed goal), we lose a lot of information.

There's more going on in the heart
than what is played out
The heart is deep, it's hard to fully know
what's going on inside it.

Good intentions sometimes lead to
destructive outputs
And evil plans sometimes end up blessing
the targeted.

If life was meant to be viewed only in
black and white
God wouldn't have created all the colorful
things He made
God clearly loves diversity and that's why
He's made each of us (humans) unique in
our own way (pleasing to Him I believe).

I wonder why we still find it hard to accept
each other as God's Masterpieces
We were made with so much love deposited
in our hearts
Yet, we are allowing hatred to rule our world!

I look forward to the day when we will all see
the beauty in our differences and embrace
each other as ONE (as it was designed to be).

What an amazing Masterpiece you are
But, a Masterpiece cannot be valued by all
If allowed, some would even rip it into pieces
See, it's easier to admire (like) something
than to cherish (care for) that same thing

Plus, some people are not ready to make sacrifices
So, protect your heart, knowing how valuable it is
Don't place it into any hand that doesn't know its worth
Remember, you are God's cherished Masterpiece.

God made me and He gave me a heart of gold
See, my black skin is as pure as my soul
So, judge not my vessel by its outer coat
Look inside this vessel and see what it holds

Royalty runs through my arteries and veins
Efforts to put us under is efforts in vain
Because — Still, We Rise! like Maya said
I'm black excellence, a voice that cannot be silenced.

I've seen the known swiftest person lose in a race
The strongest fought in a battle and came out defeated
The unqualified applied and emerged the chosen one
Meeting/exceeding the requirements is NOT always what it takes to win
Sometimes, grace and favor make all the difference.

Taking a stroll down memory lane
Remembering beautiful souls who death has slain
****** — there's too many to count
There're those I thought left before their time
but who am I to determine the appropriate time

But this I know — it's a privilege to be alive
My deeds alone cannot keep my breath intact
To still be living is by God's grace in fact
So, while I'm here, it's a must I play my part
Because how we live each day really counts
Plus, to nobody is tomorrow guaranteed.

Teach my heart to praise You, not only when I want something in return
But just to thank You for the marvelous things You've done

I don't want to make Your presence just an asking place
Instead, I want to seek your face multiple times daily, more than I open my social media pages

I know you are always there to talk
I know you care about me so much
Teach me to love you in return, unconditionally
Because with You, I want to live eternally.

Maybe someday, we'll realize that
we are all trees from the same garden
And our physical differences are the
acts of the Great Farmer
Because diversity adds an extra layer
of beauty to His creation.

We all ought to bask in the sun (Son)
of the Almighty
And bear fruits to the glory of the Father.
Though some of us might be out of character
or purpose, His love towards us remains
unaltered.

Half-empty or half-full, the only difference is your point of view
Problems or opportunities, the difference (often times) is how you choose to see it
Impossible or I'm possible, it's about what you believe and what you hold true.

Being happy doesn't imply being problem-free
To be joyful doesn't mean you have no needs
A person could be on the Forbes list (seen as successful) and still want to cease to exist

A boat begins to sink when the water around it begins to flow inside it
Read the above line again and let it sink.

It's funny how these smartphones
have only made us more phony
I wonder how many hide behind their screens and dish out lies
Causing some others to undervalue their own lives
No wonder depression is on the rise
It seems the stronger the internet connection, the weaker the physical interaction
I just hope that realness won't become obsolete someday.

Wearing of masks is not new after all
What is somewhat new is the wearing
of masks made from fabrics
People have always worn masks made of
smiles or vocal masks like "I'm fine", "I'm okay"

I look forward to the days when all
forms of masks will be dropped
When we can bare our souls even
when we don't feel whole and
we wouldn't be judged but met with
kindness and empathy.

Misinformation is a tool used
by the media to ***** those
who would not dig to the root,
to find the truth.

What's the use of a huge load of
information if it ain't true—it's no good

Bold captions aren't always true depiction
of the actual situation
Don't be played by corporations
and institutions that want to keep
us in subjection.

Beware of their manipulations
Stay woke!

In these last days, people will step
on the altar, to alter the truth
misleading adults and youths—
who wouldn't look into Luke
plus the rest of the Scriptures
for/by themselves because they
have turned lukewarm themselves.

It's high time we perused the Word
so as not to misconstrue the truth
and to not be used by the world.
Every "bright" light is not the Sun
Don't follow man and miss the Son
You have to pick the side that you're on
It's a battle, you need your full armor
But the truth will prevail in the end.

Honestly—people can do a lot of good
things to/for you
But there are certain things nobody
can do for you
Top on the latter list are:
salvation and self-love.
1. Salvation is personal, they say (and it's true).
2. Nobody can love you for you —
you have to do it by yourself for yourself.

The end of the world will not be the same for everybody
This morning marked the end for thousands already—
they are dead and gone.

The question then becomes—
what would your impact be while you're still here,
knowing that—to nobody is tomorrow guaranteed.

What kind of trail do you want to leave
If others follow it, where would it lead—
a place of fulfilment or desolation?

What would your legacy be
Do you think about these things
The life of the Earth isn't short
but the life of human is.

Start paying heed to what your impact should be.

They say love is blind. I say that's a lie.
I see your flaws and I know you see mine.
We are only humans —
we have our individual differences but that shouldn't blow us apart like a mine.
Hand in hand, we grow together
Make sacrifices for one another,
that's how we build stronger ties.
There are many things that can divide us
But all of them put together aren't
as powerful as genuine love.

Sometimes, shedding needs to occur
before gaining can take place.
Shedding of negative thoughts, toxic relationships, limiting attitudes —
Letting these go, creates room for our blessings to reside.

Why is it easier to spread the message of
fear and get the people terrified, petrified
Than it is to propagate the message of
love and get the people inspired, unified.

Is fear truly more powerful than love?
Does fear have a stronger grip than love?
Are we more receptive to fear than love?
Are we more fed with fear than love?
Is love the answer or is love overrated?

Or maybe I should just ask—
what really is Love?