LOOKING BACK AT 2010 JUST ONE MORE TIME

New year resolutions are made on every new year. Actually I think some people should be prevented from making any new resolutions because they still have unattained resolutions.

What can you say are the high and lows of your personal life during the year 2010? In Ghana, 2010 began with church services throughout the country and so did 2011. Every 31 of December is a very busy time for most people in Ghana. At the beginning of the year, many resolutions are made. I still believe some of us have resolutions that were set since somewhere 2006 and we have never achieved them till date. We all made or set targets at the beginning of the year. The questions I want us to ask ourselves now are;
1.With regards to your personal life, how have you fared in the year 2010?

2.Were there improvements as compared to 2009 or the previous years?

3.What additional values have you added to your life in 2010?

4. Your plans, targets, resolutions and projections that you made for the year 2010, how many have you achieved?

5. Your family. Have you been there for them always? Dad, were you there for mommy and the kids? Did you scream at them when they called you or wanted to play with you?

6. How has your relationship with God been in 2010? The promises you made to Him and all the vows you made. Do you think you could have done better?

7. We the children also need to review our year. It is very necessary. If we are still in school, let us look at our past results at the end of the academic year or after our exams. Is your school result what mom and dad would be proud of after all the investments they are doing concerning your education? The fees they are paying, the accommodation, books, travel etc.

You can add your own questions but as I sat in the office to write this post during break time, I felt the year 2010 rather came to an end too soon. Am finding it difficult to understand how it came to an end all of a sudden. That is life. No one knows when. There is no need to rush in life. I know we must face life one step at a time as some people do say but sit down and think about all that happened in 2010. First sit alone and do a personal review. Identify your mistakes and look out for where you need improvement. After searching through yourself, if you are married I suggest you sit down with your partner. Review your marriage, how best you could have loved each other, prevented those little quarrels that came by during the year 2010 and how best you could have given the kids the happy home they have always admired or dream about. Sit with the children too and talk to them. Remember the children are the reason behind all those investments and suffering you are going through. Involve them in reviewing the past 2010 year and they will tell you what they were expecting you to do as a father or mother some time past but you never did because you never gave them the listening ear.
Its nice to make resolutions but I think we just don't have to make them just because everyone is doing so every new year. Let us learn to set goals or aims that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound - SMART. Don't just dream because people are dreaming or because you hear people say you dream when you sleep. Don't just make new year resolutions. I agree to the "dream big" concept where we are to dream without limits and encouraged to think big but its one thing dreaming or making new resolutions and its one thing achieving them. If we are to pay for all our unattained goals or resolutions, some of us would have been bankrupt by now. A friend once said if resolutions were sold in the market, man would have bought only the little that he can achieve so as not to waste his money.

We only thank God because it is free and we are simply encouraged to ask. We also have the faith that when God makes a promise to us or when we ask God for something, it can only delay but surely we will get it. He gives it to us at the right time. Maybe this is just one of the reasons for your resolution way back 2005 not coming to pass till date but before you make that excuse make sure you have done what you are supposed to do. If someone owed you money or took a loan from you and asked for one year grace period to pay back the loan, you may have seen it as "insane" or never a possibility but just look at how the year 2010 passed by. Its never too late. Just give a try once more and trust God. Put your faith in Him and He will never let you down. I said God because for me He is the one I worship and have all my hope in. If you read and you have a different deity from my God, you should trust or have faith in that your deity but I will be happy if you will just permit me to recommend mine to you. He is God and has never failed me.

I wish you all the best in the year 2011. Work hard toward the achievement of your various resolutions so as not to not to carry them into 2012 should the grace take you there. Repeat not the mistakes of life in 2011 and remember to keep a smile always.
Regards

AS WE GET CLOSE TO CHRISTMAS,.....................

[Matt 6:33,34] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

I took my self back memory lane when I was a kid. During those days, when christmas gets near we have in mind the usual time that our christmas goodies come from our parents so we usually make our request early before the deadline and when they don't come, the disturbing starts. We disturb our parents and sometimes cry especially when we see our neighbours displaying their christmas presents. Hahaha, that was then.

With about two weeks to christmas, there are troubles in homes now. Some parents are thinking very hard where to get solutions to making the family happy especially the kids. Ask any child what he or she needs for Christmas as the list he or she will provide is more than even what the elderly needs. When I grew up,I began to understand what our parents go through. The questions they have to ask themselves as in the bible verse above. As the festive season approaches, parents are asking similar questions. I don't know what actually happens in the developed countries but in the developing countries, you will understand.

Looking at the word we have as our introduction brings us hope but this can only be achieved by faith. It is time we stop worrying about what we will eat, drink, wear and even where to get funds to paint the house. Times are difficult as the world sees it but there is a Father who understands our needs. Parents, keep the faith in God. Stop worrying your self with these. They are added benefits. Remember the Bible said we should seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto us. God knows we need shelter, food, drinks and clothing etc. Stop worrying and trust God to provide.
Children or my fellow brothers and sisters, let us stop putting pressure on our parents as the time approaches. They already have you in mind. They are thinking about your needs as well. Pray for them instead and when the gift or presents doesn't come at the time expected, understand them. As far as you are alive, Christmas will always and forever come and meet you. Thinking everyday will only make you see your problems bigger than the God you serve.

There is no need to worry, there is no need to think. We are bearing a needless pain all because we do not carry everything to God in prayers as the song writer said.Your heavenly father already knows that you need them and He has made provisions for them. He will provide and make a way. Only trust in Him.

Stay blessed as we enter into the festive mood. Also look out for the coming weeks as we read some series of articles reviewing the year 2010. God bless you.

MY PRAYER

A new year,

A new begining,

Great expectations with great aspirations,

Change in attitudes filled with love and patience towards fellow man

MY PRAYER.........................

Dear God, thank you for putting a seal on me and my friends to stay alive to see this year.

We are grateful for all you did for us in the previous year and we say we appreciate them a lot.

We pray commiting this new year into your care. We are human and therefore we seek for understanding from above and strenght to walk through this new year.

We pray for your presence in all that we do or say. Please season our lips so that words that comes out will be of blessing to others and encouragement to the discouraged.

In the previous year, you loved us oh Lord even when we were full of hate for you,

You were faithful unto us even when we were still unfaithful towards you,

Your love never departed from us.

Please God, see us through this new year and beyond.

My friends are in your care. Continue to bind us together and make us faithful to each other.

Bless us oh Lord and never let thy words depart from us as you thought us to pray and say;

Our father

Which art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done on earth

As it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom

The power and the Glory

Forever and ever

AMEN.............

A 31st DECEMBER IN GHANA.

With a note book in hand, one is expected to utilise all pages when one pays a visit to Ghana during the christmas period through to the new year. Ghana is a country in West Africa with lots of history. A country characterised by the giving of gifts where one is not expected to reject any gift given to hm or her, people share gifts ranging from live goats through to a plate of rice with one wing of a fowl.

Brisk business begins in my country Ghana especially from the 24th of December through to the 1st January of the new year. A country where citizens are known for their warm hospitality, a new year is welcomed like welcoming a new born baby with prayers and fun.

It is also a time for most media houses to harvest all that eluded them during the year besause advertising shall be on the increase with companies selling chicken and even churches advertising for what I call "floating christians". Listen to a radio station, watch a television station or walk through a busy street in Ghana and you will either hear churches saying the things you should expect in the coming year when one worships with them on the new year eve.

This is the time the " big english" lovers come to town. Banners fly with insciptions such as " 2010 my year of blessings, Enter your blessings in 2010, Crossover 2010, etc.

On the 31st of December, popularly reffered to as "31st watch night service' one is expected to attend church service. Service start from 7:30 pm and is expected to come to an end on the 1st of January the following day around 2:00am at dawn. Unlike other countries where people stand on the street to watch fire works ect to welcome the new year, Ghanaians are well noted for attending church service on this day. Prayers are said with all seriousness and I think even though God sees what we do everyday, this is the time He gets a second chance to listen to all the sins one commited during the year.

When you visit Ghana and you found yourself at a church service, just moniter the following especially during prayers. Prayers are said aloud when the prayer topic is pray for your country, your work, friend etc. Immediately the prayer topic changes to pray and ask for forgiveness of sins or pray and bring your needs before the Lord, the room dies out quietly. People pray at a low tone now and make sure one standing or sitting by does not hear the list of sins as that are being rolled out.

Back to the 31st wacth night service, ghanaians attach a lot of seriousness to this service. As for new year resolutions, only God can tell. People who did not attend church service through-out the passing year found themselves at church praying to God. Thank God He is ever welcoming or else............. Like a guy making promises to his newly found girlfriend, ghanaians make a lot of promises to God especially regarding their sins. Smokers promise to stop smoking, armed robbers promises to lay down their working tools, as for those who rape innocent victims, one cant find any other source of happiness when they declare a new attitute to have their pants on at all times. As for politicians, we leave that to God because..................

Pastors and Ministers of God are always busy on such important nights. Those who find themselves in churches expect men of God or leaders of the service to pour prophecies upon prophecies on them. People expect to hear things such as " on the coming year, you will buy a car, build a house, get a promotion at work, get money and when I say money, I mean money and the last but not the least, if you are a ghanaian having a relative abroad but do not hear from him or her, if the man of God prophesy that your relative will come and take you away with him or her or you will travel overseeas in the coming year, you are the king of the service even when the country is Togo that can be entered into from Ghana even on foot.

Life in the morning of the 1st of January every year is interesting. People meet each other on the street and great " Afehyia pa" meaning happy new year and the response is usually "Afe nko mbra mb) to yen" meaning the year should go and come back meeting us alive.

Do you want to know what happens a month or two after all those brisk prayers are said in Ghana and after all those promises of good behaviour are made to God, meet me in my next blog.