Women of Reverence welcomes Katlego Nakedi as a guest blogger.
Katlego Nakedi is a 22-year-old content creator, born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. I studied for 3 years and currently have a degree in fashion media from Lisof. I have a blog and youtube channel where I post weekly on all things fashion, beauty and life. I love to create, I love God and I love to find the light and funny things in this crazy thing we have called life. Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbEvOUxJS7LzqJmt8kr_kGw Blog link: https://keepcalmandlegobyk.wixsite.com/mysite
How true the words “The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change” by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus.
Sometimes we’re still in our pajamas when change comes knocking on our door, bringing with it the potential for new life and opportunity if we welcome it in. In my experience, these are three Stumbling Stones to Change:
Caught in a Comfort Zone?
There was once poor old lady who lived in London. She lived outside, and slept on a park bench begging for pennies, scolding anyone stingy towards her. Surprisingly, after she passed away, the church hosting her memorial was full. There weren’t enough seats to accommodate everyone.
You see, that little old lady was actually an heiress who had inherited a home in Notting Hill, filled with original paintings to the value of over one million pounds a piece! She was so accustomed to begging and sleeping on park benches that she never got to live the life she was meant to. She never got to enjoy her mansion!
Sometimes we are a bit like that old lady! We get so caught up in our own thoughts and by the things of the world that we think we are ‘not good enough’. We don’t understand our inheritance, our bloodline or our value, in Christ. We think we have to sleep on a park bench when there is a mansion for us.
Change is unavoidable. It’s an inevitable part of life. We just need to be ready, and we don’t have to do it alone! Talk to God, He will help you, and send others to help and guide you along the way. But it is up to us to take that step and make the change. To be the person we were created to be, not the person the world wants us to be!
This is probably the number one reason people don’t like change! We adapt and grow accustomed to a certain lifestyle and the idea of change is frightening. We’re in a comfort zone!
Unforgiveness
This is a tough one. As Christian women we know it’s important to forgive. Easier said than done right? I struggle with this. It’s a constant battle but the victory is peace! As females, we’re often taught not to let our emotions get the best of us, (especially if we want to be taken seriously). But suppressing our emotions as a result of what others have done to us, or what we did to others, can cause a lot more pain than dealing with them, as well as anxiety, depression, and stress.
About two years ago, while having breakfast with my lovingly direct mom, she told me she had a message from God for me; I needed to forgive the boys who had hurt and disappointed me. (All the while I thought I was fine, but I wasn’t).
I had never been in a relationship, but there were boys that I liked and had my hopes on, but who left me deeply disappointed. Hurt was the result, but I never processed the pain, which caused me to feel disgusted every time I thought of a relationship. After praying about it, God told me to hand-write letters to them, keep them, read them out loud and let them go. So I did! (There’s a lot more intimacy in writing letters then typing them) I felt everything I wrote, and I slowly began to let go. My final step was to burn them and honestly… as I watched the pages turn to ash, I felt the hand gripping my heart…release!
Today, I’m in a good place. I’m open to the idea of a relationship whether it happens today or two years from now. My heart is ready to allow someone to love me.
Fear of the Unknown
Fear of the unknown! That unknown feeling of the unknown is fear. Paradoxically, this kind of fear can be a good thing! It’s not the kind of fear that alerts us to danger… (Like going skydiving every day). This good kind of fear can drive and lead you somewhere you never expected. Soon I will embark on a new season in my life where I will be living alone in another country. Having never flown and the thought of living half way across the world terrifies me. But I will have stories to tell, memories to share, and will have grown form lessons learnt!
Fear is the tension of God telling me to take that step in order to grow and impact me in a way that will prepare me for His kingdom. Fear is Him simply saying, “Baby girl, I have amazing plans for you, for the woman you are going to be. Just trust Me”.
For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future – (Jeremiah 29:11)
Love
Kat