
So this story is about me.
I was maybe about ten years old, living in a not-too-significant part of a popular urban city. That day was just like any other day. The weather was like the day before, nothing was different. We didn’t have any water supply or electricity again, so I willingly volunteered to get some water from the big house opposite mine.
I went into the bathroom to collect a plastic bucket, and then I made my way outside the gate of my apartment complex towards the huge house on the opposite side of the street. Of course, I heard my father’s voice in the background telling me that I needed to look left and right multiple times before I crossed the road, and I did. Suddenly, I was on the other side of the street. But I was not getting a bucket of water. I was in a place where I did not want to be. I had fallen inside a dirty gutter. The gutter was dirty because it was filled halfway with stagnant water, green molds, spits, the remains of water used to wash dirty clothes, and possibly eggs that had been laid by malaria-spreading mosquitoes. It took two men to lift me out. My task was never completed. Instead, I ran back into the gate of my apartment complex. I could not go into my house because of the stench. I had to take off my clothes outside the house and throw them away, and I had to request that my sister bring me a change of clothes. I don’t know why I remember this day. I have had some other bad days, but this one most likely supercedes the rest.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yes, it certainly happened to me...lol (just in case you're wondering). It is amazing how much we can trace back to events and memoirs of our lives. Some of you can probably remember the day your first tooth fell off, and how you ran around your house seven times and threw it on top of the roof, so that it would wait for the kind tooth fairy to pick it up and grant your wish. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that never happened :)
Today, after this writing exercise whose prompt I picked up from a book called, "The Making of a Story," by Alice LaPlante, I thought about how much we remember of God. How much do we remember of the One who created us? They say life dishes out goodies to those who live on earth, but it really isn't true. It is God who wields the earth into orbit and plans what would happen on a daily basis. He's the One who allows certain things, good and evil, to happen because He has already seen the end from the beginning. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
So, maybe you're going about your daily activities and muttering to yourself, "same ole day,' same ole day," or maybe you are on your way to the gym or the grocery store...again! Or you could be on your way to the movie theatre or a romantic get-away...or maybe even the beach in an ever sunny city like Florida. But my mission today is to give you a soft nudge on your side and ask you not to forget God. Don't forget how He saved you from yourself the other day, or how He has kept you up till this very second. Don't forget how He lifted you our of the miry clay and even out of the fowler's net. Don't forget...because God has not forgotten you. The truth is, He will never ever forget you...no matter how far you stray away.
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46 comments:
i have never been first on your blog ever and thats weird considering.. but alas, here i am. wohooo!!!
Very nice devotional
Mista Jaycee
Lol @ Reverence...it's true o, he he...how come u're on blogger @ work? Hope work is going well munchkin! I'm at home...
@ Mista Jay...thank God. How r u?
Reverence...can u imagine my gutter story? I bet u never saw that coming...lol. Eueeewww...
hmmm
My people have forgotten me days without number!
God have mercy
I won't forget all that He does for me.
Just the other day, i too was remebering some of the things that happened to me when i was younger and I had to thank God for a lot....I had to thank him for lifting me from the 'miry clay'!
Thanx for this post, how are you?
WOW.. Another word Jaycee....Guess its a sobering thot that the One who keeps the planets spinning is interested enough in the detailsof our lives to be concerned that we forget him....
this story of yours has cleared the dust from the stories of when I was younger...
...so easy to remember the past but not the past that has God's amazing loving in it...
...Always, love the way your post grabs my attention.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.. she's back... lol..
Just had to claim my top 10 spot.. one day, just one day I will make first agaiiiiiiin!
hope you are doing good and your busy schedule is not too overwhelming. The good Lord that gave u the opportunity to do whatever it is you are doing, will provide you strength in your body and spirit to rise above it all!
Now, let me go digest the post and put up a proper comment.. lol..
Much love x
Its intriguing the way He has personal relationships with each of the several billion people He put on Earth. Another inspiring piece Jaycee.
Umm...is Mista Jaycee like...your hubby? lol
Thanks for this write up as it brought back some memories both dark and bright. God rules OVERALL!!!
lol...thanks for this jaycee
forgetting God is like trying to forget to inhale...he is my sustenance...without him i cannot exist...
hm. same ole, same ole - dont we sometimes take some days of our lives for granted? word!
when u started the gutter story and i asked myself is this Jaycee or just one of her many characters
hmmmm
thanks for the reminder ooooooo
who is Mista Jaycee is he paying royalties for using ur name
lol
i am doing a background check as i type
okay so this Jaycee character is legit and isn't using ur name for profit
still listening to ur playlist i love the Hillsong song never heard it before and then Tye Tribett singing one of my fave songs
but yeah
goodnight
May I never forget how God has dealt with me and the kindness he meted out to me.
Sorry o...I think I would have soaked myself in Izal!!! Father, enable me never to forget your importance in my life. Thanks Jaycee for the reminder. How u doing?
Beautiful post!....I had to take sometime today to refelect on God's goodness in my life. We must never forget Him just as He never forgets us.
I love reading ur posts...
Darkelcee...yes, God's people forget about Him...painfully so...
Telekinesys...Amen. I realize though that people do NOT plan to forget. In the first few moments of getting to know God they stand in awe in the pews, praising and worshiping...and sometimes crying. But then when God begins to bless them, that's when the things they used to do, their intimacy and conversations with God, start to reduce to nothing.
ThePoetsVoice...so you were travelling down memory lane too...lol. I'm doing great, thank you. I trust that you are too...*wink*
Danny Bagucci...I just loved the way you said that phrase. It's really sobering o...
Miss Iyabo...you're right on that one. Thank God there was something here that grabbed your attention too *smiles*
Remi...aaaaahhhh...my very own person! Ehen, so my busy schedule right now actually gets overwhelming sometimes...but you know where I run to when that happens...the rock! He he...it could be scary...
Doug...It's amazing right? Ah, no Doug...mista Jaycee pls go and change your name o...see what you're causing! Lol.
Adebanji...Yes, God does rule overall. Mennn...I visited one of ur blogs yesterday and was smothered by inspiration left, side, and center. Think I left a comment! :)
Shubby Doo...I like that! "Forgetting to inhale..." God is more than oxygen...but most of us hold the oxygen that He created even more dearly...wow. How r u Shubby? :)
Omo Oba...yes we do o...but thank God that His mercies are new every morning, or else where would we all be?
Kafo...LOLLL @ the background check. Nah, I think mista Jaycee is cool! You like that Tye Tribett's song? I LOVE IT...LOL...I don't even feel like deleting it at all...it's been there for a while now...lol. He's everything to me...life and breath...
30+...Amen. Me too :)
Believer....LOLLLL @ soaking yourself in IZAL...he he. I tried to do that to my clothes, but it didn't work so I threw them away. Yeah, I had a bath right after that and I put Dettol in the bath water...not Izal...lol.
Beulah...you know, sometimes our minds can play games on us that God has forgotten us...but it's just not the case. Aww, thanks. *Hugs*
A de main guys!!!
"Can a bride 4get her attire?"
I dont think so.
I cant imagine how u felt falling into the gutter.
Jaycee,
I visit your blog and I leave very elated.
It's devotional to the fullest.Thank you so much.
God is a master planner. He has never failed and can not fail.
If he wanted us not to go through challenges, he would have created each and every one of us as men and women without having to create us as babies. Why did we all have to crawl? Why learn how to speak and walk and read and write?
God is real guys! If you choose to worry today, it does not affect tomorrow's arrival. It will surely come whether you choose to experience it or not with worries.
Nice one Jaycee and GODBLESSU.
taKia now!
Even when we do sometimes 'forget' God, He doesn't Ever forget us. Sometimes I wonder, "How huge can God's heart really be?"
He truly is gracious. May we never forget Him.
Thanks dear for this post.
you stired up some hope in me
we forget him always but He never does.
Thanks for this, we get carried away by our cares that it's so easy to forget the one who orders our steps...
the key to not forgetting him is to be in constant conversation with him, regardless of what we are doing. I find that helpful
I think my mind was on a similar train as yours today...thank you for this. I must work on remembering God always, not just when scary circumstances occur.
Have a great weekend!
Thank you for blessing me with this reminder...
Wow that is so true I have had so many memories of my childhood they have overpowered what God had done for me.
Hi - drifted by because Google blogsearch reported an incoming link from yours to one of mine ... can't see the link and can't say as I share your belief that God's in control of the universe, but no worries: loving the soundtrack: finding it difficult to leave. Thank you.
i think you described it a little too well. i can smell the stench
Lately, I have let situations slack on my constant meditations of God. Apart from the silent nudges of the Holy Spirit, this has awoken me. Thanks Jaycee.
btw, we really need to talk
woah! that must've been horrible! i have days i wish i could forget as well, or at leats try not to remember BUT i can never forget God.
someone alreay mentioned that he's Oxygen. besides, living in a city like lagos makes one never forget Him ever!lol
Hmm...thanks once again for this.
I remember this same thing happened to me when I was about 7, it took alot of persuasion from people to get me outta the gutter, I was so ashamed, I just wanted to drown.
Looking back, I realise how stupid I was...and though I didn't think it was important at the time, it's standing up and tall after a fall that makes me understand that I'm living life.
mheen..i would have peeled my skin off o..
there's that yoruba proverb that says ..it the one that appreciates the goodness of yesterday ..that gets anoda one..i'm not sure that exactly fits in..but anyways.. i love the verse that caps it all up..
have a blessed week...
i need a break .....
Ok. Finally I leave a comment here. And it is one of war!
You've been served!
I love your blog:) Thanks for all the good reminders!!
today feels like friday
i just came to listen to your playlist
have a blessed week
What are the virgins ornaments? I'm curious, LOL.
Forgetting God is like forgetting to breathe, i cant, He's my life!!
Iyawo, how is planning going? *Wink wink*
Oh, something i think you'll enjoy http://thecitylight.org/radio.htm Straight talk on love and sex...
Have a lovely week, babes.
God is just too merciful...
We remember everything else but we surely forget all the good things he has done for us. As usual, your write-ups do save a soul each time it is read. I thank God for you...
Awww...that must have been a moment there, falling in the gutter!
God is my source, however can i forget Him!
How're you doing sweetie?
Oluwadee...lolll...you would know abi? I'm pretty sure you did not forget yours. Yeah, men that experience was awful! Lol.
Babajidesalu...it's an honor to know that you're a reader...wow. I like the way you write. "If [God] wanted us not to go through challenges, He would have created each and every one of us as men and women without having to create us as babies. Why did we all have to crawl? Why learn how to speak and walk and read and write?" I don't know any other way to have said this any better than you did here. Seriously. Our challenges only make us become the significant people God created us to be.
Enkay...how huge can God's heart really be? LOLLLL. I laugh because funny enough I was listening to an the Casting Crowns music band on the radio this morning, and the lead singer was singing, "Jesus, can you show me just how far the east is from the West?" Then he replied at the end of the chorus, "from one SCARRED HAND TO ANOTHER!" I think this same question can be answered that way, merely looking at the scarred hands of Jesus can give us a hint (not fully tell us though) of just how huge God's heart is. I love that question sef...
Robyn...glad some new hope is being stirred up in u. So how's your week going? :)
Debbie...constant conversation. I've been trying to learn more about that. I'm praying to be more constant in my own conversations with God...it really helps us to be at the center of God's will for our lives...seriously! Thanks for that one!
GNG...I know right? It's when there are difficult times that we remember God the most. All of us need to work on that one...
Rita...you're welcome *shines teeth*
Hadassah...are you serious? MaY God fill your thoughts with memories of His goodness instead...:)
Jinta...lol...are u sure you were not standing near a smelly gutter while you were reading this post? Muhaha!
Seye...my very own person! Ehen, so hope u're not stressing with what I asked. Send in any suggestion you have at your own time, don't stress! :)
Smaragd...lol abt Lagos being a constant reminder that God is our oxygen.
Parakeet...u're welcome. I hope ur week is going well...
Woomie O...r u serious???? Ha ha...so it happened to you to. I like the statement at the end of ur comment. Thanks.
Simeone...lol @ peeling ur skin off. I think the Yoruba proverb actually fits in.
Mystories...u know sometimes breaks are really needed. Pls do take a break. Hope u're good.
Fineboy Agbero...*just insert evil laughter here*
Scotch biscuits...aww, u're welcome!
Kafo...I love that you love music...lol.
Omosewa...Virgin ornaments? Lol...good question. I'm guessing the wedding dress and accessories. aww men! You're the best! Thanks!
Kemi Penelope...hmmm...I thank God o, I don't know how He does it on this blog...but I just thank Him. I myself am inspired!
Writefreak...yayyy, my own person! I'm doing great! How na?
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Loved the article! Very inspiring...i once fell into a gutter but it was a dry one...luckily.
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