“I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency” (Philippians 4:13, AMP).
Hyyyy, happy first Tuesday in 2025! Really, how did I know we crossed over to the other side together? You’re the living proof and the testimony! You are alive and well, and you’re reading my first post to you this year. In case you read the last line and you just said you can’t relate to being well, I have good news for you! I think, no, scratch that, I can assure you that you just found your healing! You are made well! With that, let me say a big “Happy New Year” to you! You are in for a chain of positive results and pleasant surprises!
I don’t think I can go further without first recounting my blessings, a significant one of which is having you here and as a part of the TMAR tribe. Thank you for all the support and encouragement you gave in the past year, the reposts, feedback, likes, comments, and every contribution you made have not gone unnoticed. We are committed to evolving for the better in serving you through this platform, and we are positive that you will keep the support coming. Thank you, once again!
Likewise, I appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work on restoring the in-post pictures that come with each post. Thank you for reading “New Year, New Me” despite the absence of the pictures, and I’m glad you learnt a thing or two. I also appreciate the comments received so far. In case you missed it, please check out the post. You will find it to be a useful guide for your year. And no, I haven’t forgotten my promise to post the updated version with the pictures! It will be up once this technical issue is fixed.
I remember writing to you last in 2024, and we made some new resolutions together. How is keeping up with the resolutions going? Smiles, I know you have a lot to say already, though it’s just the 7th day of the year. You have something to share about how you’ve been ticking the boxes each day while being proud of yourself, and you might also want to talk about how you might have missed a day or two and hit your forehead thrice. It is fine, we will be assessing ourselves as we build on the foundation we laid last week.
Sometimes towards the end of last year, a friend of mine posted something on her WhatsApp status about wishing she had a big sister she could speak to about certain things, especially concerning navigating adulthood. But there she is, she is the big sister that her siblings get to consult and also look up to! I have found myself in those shoes as well, and I am sure we all have at one time or the other.
In your case, you might not be the oldest sibling, but you might just be the go-to person who everyone consults in a lot of instances, or you might be in a position where you are responsible for other people as a leader. At times, it gets so overwhelming and it feels like you have nobody to turn to or speak to despite the many expectations laid on you as the head or the role model.
Yours might not even be any of the pictures painted above, it could be about the goals you have set for yourself this year. You have checked out that list over and over, and you are so caught up in your feelings, wondering how you are ever going to get those big things done or where you got the nerve to pen down such huge ideas in the first place. By the time you place yourself in one or all of these categories, you will realize that we are all in need of a solution.
I would like to bring your attention to one or two people I have read about who have once been in your shoes or even weightier ones, people who had huge responsibilities hanging on their shoulders, and we will also see how they navigated their journey so that we can apply the lessons in our lives.
Can you imagine being in a position where you get to settle disputes or single-handedly oversee the affairs of thousands of people in a day? You literally sit all day, from morning till night, trying to ensure that the right call is made and every issue brought before you is resolved. Did I hear you exclaim “Wow, that’s more than a lot of work for just one person!”? I absolutely agree with you, but guess who was in those shoes? Moses was!
This man has been functioning in this capacity since God knows when, trying to make sure his crowd is not divided because of unsettled issues. I’ll say it had become a constant to-do for him, more like a goal (Exodus 18:13-27, NLT). Luckily for him, his father-in-law comes visiting one day and witnesses the show that goes down in the process. Let’s not even talk about the set of ‘wonderful’ people he was placed over, that’s a story for another day. That visit was a turning point in Moses’ administration, but not until he took some steps which you will also read about in this post.
Another example I’d like you to check out is King Solomon, yes, the man we address as the wisest person that has ever lived! At the beginning of his administration, he had to make a special request from God at the realization of how much of an assignment he had been saddled with (1 Kings 3:6-9). My favourite part of his story is that his request or expectation was met and even exceeded with enormous extras.
Now, how do these two scenarios relate to you? What mindset should you have about your position, responsibilities, or great goals going forward? Let’s sit and draw out the points!
First, see the position you are in as a privilege and a blessing, not a burden. When I say ‘position’, I am not just referring to the administrative role or seat you occupy, I am referring to the current state or phase you are in and for which you are being concerned. Are you the oldest sibling, the go-to person, or the leader figure? I must tell you that you have a huge blessing on your hands, and it calls for gratitude.
Rather than complain about the role or the ideas, have you set out time to acknowledge the One who has committed such into your hands? When the thought of the task crosses your mind, does it come with sighs stemming from exhaustion and hisses, or do you let out words of gratitude despite the fatigue? Think about it today, and make the necessary adjustments.
Have you started seeing the role in a positive light? That’s great, but you can take it a step further by trusting that He who has committed the assignment into your hands can help you navigate it successfully. If you were made for that position, then you should also know that you have been endowed with what it takes to excel at what you have been called to do. Even when the demands become more serious, you can rely on Him for the strength and wisdom you need to make progress.
If there’s another thing to lift your spirits, it will be coming to the consciousness that you are never left without help. Like Moses, God sends us help in the form of wise counsel and sound advice from the people in our lives. I can only imagine what would have happened had Moses not listened to his father-in-law, how much longer would he have been able to survive having a crowd line up in front of him every now and then?
If you will make significant progress in this journey, you must also learn to build solid relationships and take corrections. These words of wisdom can come even from the people you’re in charge of, and they might even be so simple but might not have crossed your mind. Don’t just trash it in the bin or throw it in their faces. If anything, it shows how good a leader you are! Never allow ego to rob you of the growth or significant change that lies ahead.
Still on the issue of getting help, have you learnt to delegate tasks? If you haven’t, it’s high time you started considering that. Don’t be so determined to be a one-man army! When you share the responsibilities with other people, you are working towards getting the job done faster, and it will be an easy path for everyone on the Team. And by the time the job is done, you will have built up a number of admirable qualities in yourself and others, one of which is Teamwork.
Getting help would also be seen in making yourself accountable to people who can assist you in your goal-getting process. When your accountability partners come calling, be happy to respond. On those days it feels like your energy level isn’t at its peak, be truthful to yourself and allow them to ride with you.
As the go-to person, you will be doing yourself a great disservice if you hold on to the mindset that you are the sacrificial lamb or you always have to make mistakes before getting it right in your endeavours. Let go of negative mindsets that continuously set you on the path of errors, don’t build a stronghold of fear. Your very first move can be the right one!
Even though you might not have a multitude of counselors in person, you can still build your knowledge base and be equipped by giving yourself to diligent study. The Word of God is one timeless resource that answers multitudes of questions. Then, get other books, articles, commentaries, podcasts, and shows that can expand your view in the right direction.
No matter how knowledgeable you are, there is always room for growth. Keep stretching and exercising your learning muscles, they can only get better. As you learn, you are also preparing yourself for a better output at what you do. Your mindset is renewed, you see things from a better point of view, and your ability grows as well.
Here’s the last point for today; don’t be so busy that you do not pay attention to the call from within to take rests and also have meditations. When you are so occupied with activities and you fail to watch it, you are not helping your body or your mind. I know you have many grounds to cover, but don’t feel guilty about getting some rest after moments of due diligence. You will only discover that you have been refueled and are ready for the next phase.
Yes, you made it to the end of the post! I appreciate your patience and how given you are to seeing through the letters till the end. Kindly remember to drop a comment or questions on your mind as I’ll always be glad to receive them, click the icons displayed at the top right-hand corner of the page to follow us on our social media platforms, and click the subscribe button below to also receive my goodwill messages from time to time.
Smiles, I must have sounded like a YouTuber from the above paragraph😁. I’ll just add this to make the closing remarks complete; kindly share the link to the post or the site itself with someone, you never know who you might be helping. You can do all that you have set your heart and mind to do, and I look forward to seeing and reading about your growth. I’ll write you again next week, keep winning!
