Remind Me

Happy Sunday!

Can I tell you a secret?  I love a good Nollywood Movie.  Don't know what that is?  That's a reference to Nigerian movies.  I recently watched, "New Money" on Netflix.  The movie was good, but the best thing about watching the movie was a song I heard in the movie.  The artists' name is Simi(Simisola).  The song is called, "Remind Me".  I think you will like it too. 

The Lyrics are...

I forgot how to be
The kind of person that you asked me to be
I forgot how to see
Love in everything,
I forgot totally
My brother say e love me, I love am too
My man call me honey and I call am boo
But my neighbor no like me, I hate am too
A man call me stupid, I call am fool

(Chorus)

I forgot how to give
Those who are in need, so selfish of me
Even when it got too hard
Too hard for me to care,
I forgot how to try
My baby said she hungry, I give am food
I tell am I will do anything for you
But a stranger said please sir, I nor get shoe
I look am like this say who are you?

It hit me.  It hit me hard.  I've been crying on the train and listening to the song on repeat.  I've been forgetting how to love the way Jesus asked me to love.  Life can be hard.  We each have our own trials and tribulations. It's so easy to focus inward and forget about the other people Jesus gave his life to save.  During hard times, I remember my mother saying she hated people. She was a people person. How could she hate people?  I didn't fully understand then, but I can see now how it can be possible to hate.  People without God's Real Love are harsh, cruel, deceptive, conniving, vindictive, selfish, inconsiderate...and the list could go on and on. Sometimes even the people who profess to know Jesus are amazingly despicable.  BUT God didn't command us to love the lovable, he commanded us to love them all just like he did. 

Jesus said it best, in Matthew 5:44-48, "But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly.  If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong.  If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that.  And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends.
What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."(Easy-to-Read Version).

Then Dr. Matthew L. Stevenson III topped it all off with his sermon this morning.   He encouraged us to examine ourselves and the condition of our hearts.  Our hearts can become harden because of things that have happened to us.  Yes, stuff happens, but don't let that stuff change you!  Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life."(Voice).

Remembering. 

Love and prayers, Cynthia