BACK TO BASE

Isn’t it rather funny that I actually don’t know the best way to start this post after a long time of being away?🥺😁 I guess I should play it safe and go for “Hello to you, Dearest Tribe Member!” Right, I think that went well. It’s been a really long time, hasn’t it? I probably should dust off cobwebs and get some sanitation done because of how long I’ve been away.☺️ Jokes apart though, I am so excited to be back. And I’m much happier that we (both myself and the blog post) are meeting you well.☺️

Did I miss you? My goodness, you have no idea how much I did! And out of many things that I am grateful for as I write this post, a particular one is the gift of men, people who are committed to seeing this vision prosper. You already know who I’m talking about, right? It’s YOU! Thank you so much for checking in to find out if all was well, to encourage me, to pray for me, and everything you did during my absence. I’m more than grateful to have you here as my family member. 

Today’s post contains my AWOL story; why I was away or what led me to being absent, what I was up to, the lessons I learnt courtesy of that journey, and why I am back. And to throw a very important piece of information into the mix, today is my birthday, and I am grateful this post is actually seeing the light of day today.

To be honest, I’m a bit nervous because I have a lot to put out, and I don’t know how long this post is going to be. But when have I actually not felt nervous before writing, especially when it dawns on me that this blank page has to, and is going to be filled up by the time I’m done? However, this also always leads me to the point of gratitude and trust, whenever I remember that the One Who gave me the assignment always has a message to put out through me, and He is giving me the right words till the end of the document, letter by letter.

And guess what? Not once has He failed! I’m such a big fan of how He makes every word come together so beautifully, it leaves me in awe every time! So, I trust Him again on this one. Moving forward in the post, if I check how the length is going, I might divide it into parts 1 and 2, giving you 1 today and 2 another day, or just release it all at a go. It depends, though I feel it’s better put out at once.

Beginning with the first question, WHY WAS I AWOL (ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE)?📌

Hmmmm! Initially, I couldn’t exactly place a diagnosis on it because every reason I had seemed legitimate and genuine, until I discovered they really weren’t, or should I say they stopped being legitimate. My absence started with a buildup of busy schedules, accumulating into work fatigue, burnout, and stress. Looking back now, I actually did start the year just feeling very tired, but I couldn’t trace why. Later on, when I began to recover from the burnout, I discovered that lack of consistency also did a thing on me, and before I knew it, I had graduated into full-blown laziness. This is based on my assessment of everything.

Where this gets even more interesting is that I was actively writing in some other capacities where I am privileged to serve. However, this space, which I could consider my PPA (Place of Primary Assignment) was left unattended. Could it be because I was serving in other capacities? CERTAINLY NOT! I just didn’t have the right structures in place as I should have, structures to help me keep my PPA in sight.

So, you see, I was quite diligent in other things. Taking another look, I seemed more bound by duty, responsibility, and accountability to those other spaces than here. Should it have been so? NO, NOT AT ALL! That was very wrong of me. This would be the second reason I’m highlighting.

Here’s another interesting fact; I had reached out to my Graphics Designer to create flyers on about 3 occasions or more in the past months, and the flyers were made available. I had a burning message in my heart, but there was no drive to put them into writing until the zeal to get those messages out waned. At this point, you can give it a diagnosis as well; could it be just pure laziness, or was there something else at play, lukewarmness maybe? I’d leave you to be the judge of that.

Meanwhile, a convenient excuse at that time would have been “Oh, I’ve been busy, there’s been work stress”, among others. However, I didn’t fail to eat when I should or have time for other leisure activities. Someone seems to be saying “Victoria, chill, it’s your birthday, no dey yab yourself”. Well, I actually do deserve the yab, and since this is how the note is coming, it’s all for good. Just please sit with me, learn from my mistakes, and make corrections as applicable in your own life, space, and assignments. To also mention, I really believe that this is how this is meant to be put out, and I can see God’s hands all through this post because I’m not struggling with the flow and thoughts. They just keep coming.

Here’s another reason: I am a steward of God’s gift and abilities, which in this case is writing to this community. He gave me this competence for a reason, one of which is to serve here. So, I must use it optimally, remembering that I would give an account of how I used it. This is a territory given to me to man and mark, and I must do it with all sense of duty.

Another reason I would attribute my absence to is that I hadn’t exactly built a system that would help me ensure not to miss a blog day, or to show up even on the tired days. This could be planning or writing ahead, or getting my notes and everything else ready early enough, such that when I do feel exhausted, all I need to do is press “publish”, and maybe the publishing had even been pre-scheduled, so the post could go up on its own. This might not be your own case. So, be kind to yourself and give yourself grace, carefully read between the lines, and pick out what applies to you. I wrote out all these based on what I could diagnose on different occasions.

I might also have forgotten at that time that I was bound by a sense of duty and responsibility to you, my dear tribe member. I have been placed here to serve you, and I haven’t been so faithful. I am deeply sorry about that, and I hope I’m forgiven. 

Now, did I say all of the above to invalidate my feeling burnt out, the fatigue, work stress, or my real need for recalibration? I’ll answer that with a capital NO! I was at a point genuinely tired and stressed out, and one fact to remember is that you cannot pour out from an empty vessel. So, I really needed to recalibrate, both physically and spiritually. I needed a major rest at some point, and I got it. However, these were still lacking; COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

SO, WHY AM I BACK, AND WHAT LESSONS HAVE I LEARNT OVER THE MONTHS?📌

I’m back because I should, I must, and I want to🥺; and I know that you are happy to see me return.☺️ I have actually been wanting to come back for a while, way before now, as I mentioned earlier. But it seemed the push, zeal, and passion I needed were not there. Also, my sense of assignment and responsibility was missing.

This made me better appreciate my Church’s teaching series for this month; ON PURPOSE. On one of the Sundays, precisely 17th May, 2026, the topic we treated was ‘The Garden in Eden’. You know when you sit under a teaching, and you are being pricked in all the right places by the Word? That was how I felt that day! I knew that was God calling me back to my assignment, and that was all the conviction and confirmation I needed in strengthening my resolve to return to my duty post, hence the blog title ‘BACK TO BASE’.

Here are some of the key lessons I learnt while away, many of which I highlighted earlier while talking about why I was AWOL;

I got a renewed sense of responsibility for my assignment. While my Pastor was distinguishing between ‘Purpose’ and ‘Assignment’ during that sermon on 17/05/2026, he mentioned that while Purpose answers the question “Why do I exist?”, Assignment answers the question “What am I responsible for now?”. Here it is, THE MIRROR AND REFLECTIONS! This very blog is a major part of what I am responsible for, and I must give it my all, while always trusting God for strength.

So, I say to you, my dear reader, reorganize your priorities! I hope you are not keeping what should be at the top of your list at the rear, while majoring on those things that should be minor. I have to reiterate at this point that the other capacities where I serve were equally very important, and I won’t trade them for anything. But guess what I needed? A great sense of balance!

Another reason I am back is that I have people who have been waiting for me to return. I have people I am committed to. I have someone who looks forward to a word of encouragement from this space. I have YOU to serve under God, and I won’t fail at it.

Here’s another reason: I am a steward of God’s gift and abilities, which in this case is writing to this community. He gave me this competence for a reason, one of which is to serve here. So, I must use it optimally, remembering that I would give an account of how I used it. This is a territory given to me to man and mark, and I must do it with all sense of duty. 

I’m also back with a major lesson that putting systems and structures of accountability and consistency in place is very important. Part of my structure is friends and support systems, a call for support, pre-scheduling on the days of% battery, prompt preparations for blog days, among others. I have also had to learn consistency from watching my Apostle show up daily and early in the morning for Triumph 30 devotions and other long-stretch teaching commitments, which you might at one point or another come across on YouTube. That’s someone with a very busy itinerary, so I’m not sure what my excuse is.

I am also actively learning accountability by communication, particularly to you, my tribe member. Therefore, I promise that henceforth, I won’t just disappear on you anymore. If I have to take a break or delay a post for any reason, I will always do well to give you a notice and communicate ahead of time. So, my absence from now on, if any, will be with an early notice and an approved leave.☺️📌

I have also learnt that because I am human, there are bound to be stressed days here and there; days when my battery level is not on 100%, perhaps on 75%, 50%, or even 25%. However, I am learning to pay attention to my warning signals for stress, as well as when my warning alarm starts to go off. The same applies to you. Go for that rebooting when you need to, be it physical or spiritual. Take that break, apply for that leave. Please, don’t wait until your battery is down to 0% before you get that much-needed rest. 25% is becoming bad already, so please, let’s always quickly and put systems of rest in place as due.

So, here’s a summary of my life, actions, inactions, and decisions for the past few months. Now, I’m passing the phone to you, encouraging you to take action and make necessary and applicable adjustments. You are in that space for a reason, don’t leave your duty post! You have been away for rather too long, it’s time to ‘get back to base’! I pray this post touches you at the point where you need it the most, and you receive the strength to take action as you are being nudged in your inner man.

I guess my message did fit into one post after all, so I don’t have to break the post. Whooosh, I’m glad and relieved the page is filled up once again, thank you Lord for today and always!🥹 Please, feel free to drop me a birthday wish or a “welcome back’😁, say a word of prayer for me, and more importantly, highlight what stood out for you and what you will do differently henceforth. I’ll be waiting for you in the comments, and I’ll see you again in my next post.♥️