Know that YOU are known

This message from my spiritual aunt Christine Caine could not have come at a better time. I have desperately wanted everyone to get on board with Warrior Women, the funds we have collected so far are alarmingly low yet the work we have to do is a lot. So here I was almost second guessing this vision, why aren't people excited about this as I am? why aren't my friends blasting up social media every second with the cause? (YET I have the most amazing, devoted, selfless friends in the universe) *get thee behind me lucifer*, and then this morning I was reminded whose applause matters.

I thought I would share with you this brilliant message from Coffee with Chris Caine.

It is so important that you know that you're known by God because if you do not know that you're known by God, you're going to be really trying to be known by humans.

Our insecurities stem from not knowing that we are His beloved, that we are known by Him. The desire to be known out there comes from not knowing that He knows you.

"The more known and beloved I feel by God, the less I need to get that from humans." We are all created by God with an inbuilt need to be known by God.

'Sometimes we tweet nice little sayings such as I only live for the appraisal of One, and I think sometimes God will make sure that He silences the applause and appraisal of everyone and He will ask something like, 'I AM still clapping, does it matter to you?'

God sometimes puts a divine silence on us and He asks, are you still going to be faithful to me even if you do not hear from humans? Will you continue to do it because I am giving you a Holy nod and I AM telling you that it's okay? See, if we lose the ability to hear His voice, then we are of no value to Him in the places He has called us to occupy. We have got to have the ability to say 'yes' to God even if it's 'no' to humans.

'There are seasons when God will have to take you away, where you are unapplauded, uninvited, unappreciated, unwanted, unrecognized because how you act when you don't have it all will determine whether you will continue to give Him praise when you do have it all.

A stranger a day keeps the boredom away...

So there is this thing where complete strangers come to talk to other strangers especially on the subway or as you wait for the train (OR also known as story of my life). No, they are NOT asking for directions. See...at first, it's almost complimentary, to be thought of approachable, really outgoing and sociable. 

Initially I was excited that my attention should be so highly demanded. After further review of all my encounters with these Well Meaning Talking Strangers(WMTS), I have come to realise that most of them are not quite 100%(and if you live in NYC, you'll agree with me that we do have quite the not so 100% bunch). 

Lately I have had a number of these WMTS walk up to me and ask me out to dinner or to death (thanks to the paranoia purely created by movies and DAILY news). Also we now know the kind I attract heh! (This is meant to be funny) 

Moving on...today, on my way from Brooklyn, (I really shouldn't be surprised anymore by what happens on the BK to and fro train), on a really crowded Q train, I stood in front of a young gentleman. 

I would like to believe that he did see my HEAVY handbag weighing me down, and although it's not his fault that I carry heavy handbags, I thought that by some chance he would hear the whispers of some chivalry gods to stand up and offer me his seat. (Yes yes, I am all for gender equality but when am tired and carrying a heavy bag I wouldn't mind being offered a seat so that I can think about women empowerment!)

Anywho, as the train approached his stop, he pretended to wake up from the nap he wasn't having, and decided to hold a conversation with me. I do consider myself very polite so I wasn't going to ignore this whispering stranger despite his borderline alarming behavior (I had a heavy bag, allow me to milk this).

So after reading my non USA Vibe (how? I don't know either), he leaned in and whispered to me, 'You look young, how old are you?'This question was followed by the usual, 'where are you from?' question. 

With the comfort that politeness brings, he went on to tell me how much he absolutely dislikes his life in NYC, how he is only here to study and how he desperately longs to go back to his island state. He tried to get me to hate on my favorite city but unfortunately for him, I did not share in his frustrations.  

After his frustrations were made known to me and a few other passengers, (now that he was quite audible), he followed by asking me out to dinner. 

I must say courage is a thing well mastered by this group of WMTS, rejection is something foreign to them like the geographical location of my country. 

I declined his invitation politely. Well...he took it with surprise like it was such a shock to be rejected especially given how chivalrous he wasn't and how he misused my African hospitality by holding a conversation that solely promoted his frustration with life. I bet he is agreeable on a normal day, although there's no such thing as a normal day in NYC.