"WISDOM FOR MY DAUGHTER" PART 1

Hello!
This is my mum, Steveria. She is outgoing, loving, strong, smart, funny, beautiful, a phenomenal writer, Christian and all around superwoman. She's a terrific friend, manager, sister and leader. Here she is serving face:

For as long as I can remember, my mum has always treated my birthday as a magnificent occasion. Even if we don't spend it together, she always tries to send me presents or give me money to spend. My favorite so far was for my 21st. My birthday fell on the Sunday and from Monday she spent the entire week giving me cards and gifts. I was so overwhelmed and happy because she outdid herself each day. There was a driving lesson voucher, a photo shoot and a Bible, among other things. 
Out of all these gifts over the years, the most precious to me are her letters. Whether it's an email, text or physical, the loving words and wisdom she writes are so profound that they stay with me and I go back to them when I need motivation or encouragement. We are each other's favorite writer but she has a way with words incomparable to mine. 

I found one of these letters in my computer recently, and I want to share them with you. There's a physical notebook that she made that had all this in it along with pictures of memories we have shared over the years. She called it Wisdom for My Daughter. There are 12 areas and principles she wrote about and this post will cover half. I hope these words inspire and amuse you as they have for me over the years.

1. 

GOD

He is the Creator of all things. He knew you before you were formed in my womb and you are my precious gift from Him. Read Psalm 139 today and meditate about how intricately He made you, how intimately He cares for you and how valuable you are to Him. His opinion of who you are as stated in scripture is what matters. All of us, including me, can say things that put you down and make you doubt your worth, but never doubt your worth to the one who formed and made you. Always purpose to spend time with Him by reading His word and spending time in prayer–keeping that connection with Him alive will always remind you of Your value and worth even when things aren’t going the way you envisaged!

Remember, you are deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted and absolutely complete in Christ.

Scripture: Psalm 139 the whole chapter

2. 

PURPOSE

You were created for a purpose. It is no accident that you are here. You may have been born when I was sixteen, but that doesn’t make your birth any less significant or you any less purposeful than anyone else’s. God has a plan for your life. You are intended to glorify God and bring excellence in whatever you do. You were created to worship God even in your vocation and you should seek to find out how that translates in how you do what you do, whether it is being a student, making art, writing poetry, teaching Sunday school to kids or modeling. The Holy Spirit is a constant companion that guides and directs you to be the best that you can be. Only when you are connected to Him can you find your purpose.

Scripture: Colossians 1:16

3. 

INTERNET

Be wise! What you put online is there forever. It can define you in future whether positively or negatively and may offer good opportunities or limit some opportunities. You always need to be careful about privacy, revealing too much information–or too much skin- and about some connections you make. In this day of people revenge posting private things to embarrass people they have fallen out with, you also need to be careful what you send to inboxes, because you cannot take it back, and things like Facebook can only be deactivated and never be wiped out. You are a very beautiful girl and therefore will therefore always draw different kinds of people. Never let yourself be exploited, exposed or experimented on through online media. Never find yourself in the scandal sheets, you will never live it down, it will follow you like a shadow and hurt your brand, ministry and public image. Like with everything else, wisdom is needed in your interaction with social media and internet. Don’t put on the internet anything you don’t want your future employer or your children to see.

Scripture: James 1:5, Proverbs 8:12

4.

FRIENDSHIPS

Mourn with those who mourn. Celebrate with those who are celebrating. Be there. Encourage. And if your friend is wrong, gently rebuke them. That is being a good friend. Seek the path of reconciliation always even after you have fought. Always seek to grow your friendships. You are also allowed to critically evaluate whether the friendship is edifying or destructive. If a friend constantly makes you do things that are out of character, that is not a good friend and it is no loss to let go of that friend and spend less time with them. Seek for friends that support your desire to fulfill your purpose, to grow spiritually and who challenge you. Seek friends that influence you positively. Find a mentor, someone mature who can help your growth. Find a Barnabas, someone to walk alongside you. Find a Timothy, someone you can pull up and mentor and help. And don’t ever gloat at someone’s misfortune, no matter how much they hate you or how badly they have treated you, for life always has a way of paying you back for that!

Scriptures: Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 25:23

5. 

QUESTIONS AND CURIOSITY

Ask questions. Be curious. WANT to learn.

Read! (and not just text books or literature review either)(and not just because I am an editor)

Learn from the best people you know, ask them about their field.

Learn from successful people you know, ask them how they have made it.

Learn from people you admire, read up on their lives and their journeys.

Learn from scripture, study the people you are curious about who were great servants of God, and also study the ones who failed.

What were the key success or failure points and what can you learn from that?

In a new place, a new school or a new area, ask, ask ask!

No one has ever lost part of themselves, not even chikhadabo by asking questions, but everyone who has asked has grown for it, learnt the truth, and learnt something new. Be curious, always!

My favorite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity. I think if you are curious, you create opportunities, and then if you open the doors, you create possibilities. - Mario Testino

6. 

ROOTS AND CONNECTEDNESS

Any tree without its roots dies, for there is nothing from which it is feeding. Jesus Christ talks about a vine and its branches in the book of John. There is significance in where you lay your mizu because it defines who you are and the path you take. You should not forget the foundational principles–integrity, honesty, humility, God-fearing, family, excellence, focus, faithfulness, loyalty….there are so many other words that I can use which if you see things through those lens and act with those principles in mind, you will go far in life. I am honored to see so many of those characteristics in you, build upon them and make them part of the fabric of your life! And seek for more of these, more of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians

Scripture John 15:1-8

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See what I mean? She wrote this in 2012 and I love how practical and relevant it all is. I will share the rest of her wisdom next week.

Do you have any wise words from your mama that have stuck with you? Let me know in the comments below. 

Have a great weekend!