episode 18. A NEW ERA

who do we follow? thelawdsway

So, I turn 25 years old in 2 days and here starts the latter half of my 20s. I can’t believe the countdown has started till when I reach my 30s. I wonder what’s in store?! I hope it’ll be an amazing decade full of growth, laughter, love and peace.

I remember when I started to write this blog all the way back to when I was 22 as wealthbooks. I’ve a come long way since then. I wanted to share today the snippets from my thoughts back from when I was turning 23 then 24 and will end with my thoughts as I turn 25.

The Year 2023

I was entering my 3^rd year as an adult as I turned 23 and let me tell you, it had been and still is a rollercoaster of a ride! I can tell you for free- adulthood is not the same as they depict it in the movies and it can be completely different than what you had imagined it to be, for yourself, when you were younger.

I've had my ups and downs- the same goes for any age for that matter but, to me, it's a different process having to navigate through it all when you're an adult in your 20s. This is especially when you turn a new age and you're still going through a 'down' that you thought would have been resolved by now, just as quickly as friendships are mended on a school playground. That's why I sometimes find birthdays to be bittersweet. Sweet in that I've added another year onto my life but bitter that it's now another year to plan out and make sure it's fulfilling. Though, I try my hardest not to focus on the bitter side and when I do, rather I turn that sense of bitterness into hope with the view that it's another year to plan out my goals and work to see them through.

I remember waking up that morning, reflected on life and planned out day 1 of being 23. In the midst of doing so, I had hopped onto TikTok and came across a video talking about the Bible verse from Isaiah 57:1. I read from the Christian Standard Bible and in this version, it says:

"The righteous person perishes, and no one takes it to heart; the faithful are taken away, with no one realising that the righteous person is taken away because of evil."

However, I wanted to share the New Living Translation version too as shown in the TikTok video. It says:

"Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come."

The first time seeing the video, I just watched it all and scrolled away. Then I went back, sat up on my bed, re-watched the video and took in its words from what I initially took it to mean: good people die first.

Why?

Surely someone that is good, lives good and does good unto others should be granted the gift of long life and prosperity simply because they possess the trait of pure and genuine goodness, a trait that may be seen to be scarce nowadays. Surely that should be the case.

20 minutes had gone by, and I found myself still pondering on that verse. I started praying to God to help me to do, live, speak, act, and think better as a person so that I can continue to live good and do good unto others. I couldn't help to lack focus in praying such prayer because in the back of my mind, I started to wonder, was I praying for a shortened life span in doing so? After all, at face value, that's what I took the verse from Isaiah to mean. So, I had sunk back down to lie down in bed and decided to sit in quiet for another 20 minutes, pondering on the verse, the meaning of goodness, what it meant to be good and just life as a whole. 20 minutes turned into an hour and my final thought came to this:

I can't keep seeking for things which the character traits that I possess right now are not worthy of experiencing such things.

I can't keep seeking for things which the character traits that I possess right now are not worthy of experiencing such things. Those who are worthy of experiencing the things I seek have earned their way into Heaven and so in dying earlier than their time, it's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be viewed as something they have righteously deserved because they embodied the character traits within God's image and in doing so, they have proved to be a child of The Most High, earning God's salvation, redemption, mercy, and grace; granting them eternal protection and healing from the evil of the world- both the current and unknown of what is to come.

Right?

It's a weird pill to swallow for me, so to speak, in writing this but it does make sense. I often dwelled in confusion and sorrow when hearing of someone I knew or knew of that passed away. Knowing that person to be highly favoured amongst all because of their goodness, why did they have to pass. Why did the good ones have to go. Why are they no longer living on this earth- living life. Maybe because the time had come for them to be rescued from the evil of the world and be restored in God's healing powers and protection. Then this got me thinking, what about the rest of us? Those who live, do, think, act, and speak good to themselves and unto others in whole and full of purity and genuineness when doing so. We're part of the good ones, so why haven't we been saved from the evil to come.

It's not yet our time?

Again, another weird pill to swallow and question whether the concept of goodness is measured subjectively or objectively, and if subjectively, how could that be correct given that we all do not have the same experiences and opportunities in life to exert the goodness we wish to provide unto ourselves and others. In effect, how can my time be measured against another's equally when the lives we live are not equal by any means.

I don't yet know the full meaning behind this verse and what it is to mean for this life that I am, and we are all living. However, I do know that my view in that I can't keep seeking for things which the character traits that I possess right now are not worthy of experiencing such things remains the same. It remains the same for the matter of me having to understand that the goals I seek to make an actuality in my life, I need to progress and develop further in my personal growth so that I am ready to experience and take in all to which that goal can and will provide. As I do so, I need to maintain a foundation of goodness in all that I do, not only as a measurement for when the time comes for me to be protected from the evil around us but as a lifestyle so I can dwell in the wholeness doing and living good provides. I shouldn't seek to embody such trait for something in return, it needs to be earned and worked for.

The Year 2024

Year 3 of being an adult pushed me to continue to live, do and be good in all that I am at a greater level than what it was in year 2. In turn, the rewards from doing so became effortlessly apparent in my life as I turned 24 and entered year 4 of being an adult. My 23rd year of living was a JOURNEY. God really showed up and showed out for me to get me to where I am now. God truly saw me through. God loved me when I couldn't love myself. God forgave me when I couldn't forgive myself. God redeemed me when I couldn't redeem myself. God gave me the confidence when I lacked. God instilled in me courage when I feared. God saved me when I couldn't save myself.

He really did save me.

I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for God.

I mean this literally, figuratively, metaphorically, spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, occupationally, financially. All of the "ly's" out there. The bottom line is I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for God.

God is my constant. I have been bettering myself, for the most part in my relationship with God in my daily journey. I am nowhere near perfect, I'm still learning but it's getting better, moving bigger and growing further.

Back when I was posting as wealthbooks, I followed a brown paged theme across all of my posts. Well, I used Canva to make my posts and when saving a new post I had recently made, I remember seeing a quote from Maya Angelou which said:

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.

Simply putting, success is the ability to know how to love yourself.

Love yourself

Two words that are easy to say but the actions behind it may take years for someone to craft. I'll put my hand up to say that I'm still learning self-love. It was a prayer point for the year 2024 and will continue to be a prayer point.

Self-love isn't always easy to have but it is important to gain. It is the epitome of success. To be able to truly, and I mean truly love yourself, flaws and all, is such a beautiful thing. It's the most important thing to do. If you haven't learnt how to love yourself, how do you expect others to learn to love you properly?

Now the learning place is important. Where you are learning to love yourself and what is teaching you the general importance of love is crucial.

I get my teaching from God.

God teaches me how to love. His meaning of love isn't the mainstream ideology, it's unconditional and pure something that can never be exchanged, undervalued and taken for granted.

This is why my love for God is so great, words will never be able to truly explain how much I love Him. He teaches me how to love myself and love as an action both towards myself and others.

I didn't find God's love in a moment of success, wins and accomplishments. I found God's love in moments of pain and overcoming challenges. I found God's love during the struggle. How He loved me in moments like this taught me how I needed to love myself. He was there for me, through it ALL. He still is. I need to learn how to be there for myself through it ALL, no matter how the situation may turn.

I need to love myself just as God loves me and that’s what I did throughout my 4^th year of adulthood, founded on 1 John 4:8 CSB "The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Each year I have a word from God to see me through said year. 2023 was ‘I BELIEVE GOD’ governed by Ephesians 3:20 CSB, 2024 was ‘LET GO AND LET GOD AND IT WAS SO’ governed by a song I’ve made called ‘So Shall It Be’ and Genesis Chapter 1 CSB.

The Year 2025

For 2025 it is ‘LEAD ME GOD IN THE EVERLASTING WAY’ founded on Psalms 139:24 CSB.

God has led me in His everlasting way each and every day so far for the year 2025. He’s been so good to me. Even when I feel that I didn’t deserve it, God still showed up and showed out for me, He remained actively working on my destiny and crafting the tools to help me to fulfil my purpose.

To be led in the everlasting way is not an easy task. Everlasting can only from God and being a Child of God isn’t always easy. It does come with trials but there are tribulations, it does come with pain but there is healing, it does come with sorrow but He gives us joy.

He gives me joy.

Turning 25 years old is a bigger blessing than words could ever explain and my voice could ever express. I mean this both figuratively and literally. I don’t know what to expect from my 5^th year as an adult but in all honesty, I’ve got to a stage in life where so long as I am a Child of God, I continue to live fruitfully and in full discipline in following God’s way – following thelawdsway – and I remain in access to my life’s anchor- The Holy Bible: I know that I will be good.

It's a fact not an opinion.

I have life prospects, I have things that I am aspiring and working towards but the matter remains that so long as I have Jesus, I am happy with whatever path God leads me on to whatever journey He has in store for me.

I don’t know if it will be weird to say but I cry big tears every time I think back to the times from when I had grown distant from God. How selfish of my flesh to allow my spirit to be treated this way. I just thank God that He was and is and will forever be my constant. God is always present. He never departs; He never leaves and it’s because of this gift from Him I have gained the ability to get back on track and stay glued down on said track to devote my life to living for and serving Him.

So, that’s my plan for 25 – just to keep living for and serving God in all that I do. Know that just like me, we have all been remarkably and wondrously made- everything God has in store for us will come to pass and we will all become all that we have been created to be.

If you’re an august baby- happy birthday to ya, happy birthday to ya, happy birthday! For everyone, may this month continue to be a month of growth, laughter, love and peace.

Remember, Trust in the Lord, Love like the Lord and Walk with the Lord. TLW

who do we follow? thelawdsway