"When you pray, move your feet"

"When you pray, move your feet " -African Proverb 

We often think that by simply praying all our problems will go away or things will go our way. Many people regard prayer as the solution to war, disease, famine, natural disaster etc,. Whenever there is a global crisis or even a minor domestic crisis prayer becomes the resort. When we notice that there is little progress in our lives we pray for grace and blessings.

As people, we are meant to have some sort of a belief system. It does not matter what you choose to believe in but you need to believe. Some believe in religion, some believe in science while others believe in the power of the universe.

Prayer is the act of speaking things into existence. Throughout the different ‘factions’ there is a common principle, “what you reap is what you sow”; for every input there is an output; and for every action there is a reaction. This system should always be balanced i.e. you cannot yield more than what you’ve put in.

It is important to have a vision of what the future could possibly become. As people we are required to set out a clear vision of what we would like to achieve. It is a fundamental part of life to progress and outgrow certain achievements, character traits and lifestyles. By painting a clear picture of where we would like to go next, it becomes easier to determine whether we are growing or not and it makes it easier to manifest our goals into existence.

In order to achieve the vision, we are required to speak it into existence and then work towards the goal. Matthew 17:20 says that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move a mountain. Paulo Coelho says when you want something, all the universe will conspire in helping you achieve it. It is equally important to have faith in our prayer or manifestation as is the hard work.

The African proverb above tells us that we cannot simply pray and fold our arms. ‘Move your feet’ means be an active participant in solving the problem or changing your life. You cannot expect to reap without sowing the seed. You cannot expect an outcome without putting in the input. You can never get a reaction without some sort of action. If you want to be informed, pray for wisdom and read and do more research. If you wish to change certain habits, pray for strength and work towards breaking the habit. If you wish for good health, ask for it and eat your greens and do your exercise.

Keep praying and don’t stop making those boss moves!

We Are All Artists

If I had a super power it would be the ability to read minds. The thought process behind a lot of things fascinates me. I wonder about what a person was thinking or feeling when they were creating a certain art piece (music, sketch etc.) or invention. I wonder about the thoughts that lead to the combination of words that the author pens to the paper. 

A lot of things in my perspective are ‘complex’. In my eyes Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso were in the same line of genius as Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Galileo Galilei. So I use the word complex because I am marvelled by how one can come up with such brilliance. There is a certain originality behind such complexities. In the modern era things like art, music and poetry are seldom considered as complex. However when you think about it, it is the simplicity behind them, the originality and authenticity that make them appear to be genius. 

I think that we are all capable of being artists if we only stick to being ourselves, without trying to imitate what the next person is doing. Infidelity towards our true crafts is what makes us lose our artistry. Remember that art is not limited to painting, drawing or writing, it could be science, mathematics or archaeology. If we keep it real, we are able to devise only the purest ideas. That for me is art, the purity and uniqueness of an idea. We all possess that Van Gogh artistic genius. 

"Remember, no season lasts forever"

I was inspired to write this by things at a large scale. The earth is able to tilt itself in such a way that we experience the intensity of the sun at different rates. The northern and southern hemispheres experience the difference in intensity which then creates the seasons. The sun and earth are able to position themselves so that when the northern hemisphere has their winter, the southern hemisphere is having their summer.

Winter is terrible. It is extremely cold and uncomfortable. It is a norm for many to catch a taxi or bus to work or school during the early hours of morning. In winter this becomes quite a harsh reality for many having to walk to the nearest intersection in the misty cold.

Spring comes around and surprises us with the pink and white blooms of peach trees early in September. I would be lying if I said there isn’t a build up of excitement in me during this time. Spring becomes the stepping stone towards the good times that lie ahead. And just when you think it can’t get any better, summer comes along and sweeps you off your feet. Watermelon and berries, the beach and the braai’s. Surely nothing is better than summer.

Now to get to the point; similarly as the sun and the earth conspire to create summer and winter, so do good times and bad times in our lives. When we experience the dark and cold winter we still need to go and catch that lift to school or work. It is those spring flowers that serve as a reminder that summer is just a few months away and good times are imminent. When you go through trials and dark times in your life you need to soldier on and keep going because better days are coming. Tough times will soon be over. 

Remember that spring is nature’s way of telling us to be hopeful, spring symbolises a time when things change for the better. No season lasts forever. If the sun and the earth can work together so perfectly to create the seasons without turning millions of people (and plants and animals) into toast, then surely something of the same magnitude can happen in your life.