I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE STOPPED GREETING ME UNTIL I ASKED YESTERDAY :

There was this lady I met in her mummy's shop one day. She greeted me with a full smile and was so happy to introduce me to her mum. She told her mum how I came to her school with my team members for sexual purity campaign and how she was so blessed with my teachings and all that.

For that day, anytime I pass that shop, this lady will greet me excitedly and even her mum too. It continued like that until about a month now. I have passed that place like 5 times now and this lady would not greet me. Only the mother greets me. Two weeks ago, I even said how are you? She just managed to say 'I am fine" reluctantly. This is a lady that, seeing me from afar, she will started smiling and she calls me 'daddy" .

I started wondering why this sudden change and attitude of disdain from her. Many thoughts were running through my heart that, is it because the lady is now in higher institution, that's why she's giving me attitude? Did I offend her in any way? What's the issue with this lady? At a time, I felt I will just greet the mother and not bother myself with her.

But yesterday, I stopped at her mum's shop. I saw her lying down on a long bench. The mother greeted me. I greeted and I said, why did your daughter suddenly changed to me. Why is she behaving as if I am a stranger here. I will greet, she won't answer. This is the same person that will be smiling at me from afar. Have I done anything wrong?

The mother started laughing. The lady was looking at me as if I was wrongly accusing her. It was later the mother said, "Haaa. This is not your daughter sir. This is her twin sister. They look so much alike. That one is busy at home, so, this one has been the one following me to shop since last month. The lady too said, sir, I am sorry, I don't know you, that was why I just greet you casually. I am sorry sir.

It was then I knew, I was just giving myself unnecessary headache. Thank God I clarified the issue. The mother even told me that the other lady do ask of me and will say to the mother, 'If you see my daddy passing, greet him for me oo" and here I was almost taking the girl as a proud lady and all that.

Friends, do you know many people are in similar situation like this? May be you are also guilty of this. Instead of you to clarify issues with people, you just picked everyone as your enemies. You know that person you are angry with might not be angry with you? You know that malice, bitterness, hatred and anger that is killing you and eating you up gradually might just be because of your wrong assumptions that someone hates you, someone does not appreciate you, someone does not greet you and it might be the ' twin sister" of that person you are wrongly accusing.

Liberate yourself. Stop assuming for people. They might not even know or think about you and here you are worked up and taking people as your imaginary enemies.

Why can't you find out what the issue is and it will amaze you that, nobody is angry with you. You are the one angry and fighting with yourself. Clarification will help you, not speculation.

*FINISHING STRONG: LESSONS FROM UZZIAH* 

 _We should beware of spiritual indifference._ 

Blindness to spiritual things doesn’t come first. Arrogance

and presumption don’t come first. There is something that

comes before these things; there is something that provides

the necessary soil for these poisonous plants to germinate and

grow. And that something is spiritual indifference. It’s an ever￾so-gradual cooling of your spiritual temperature. It’s an ever￾so-subtle fading of your love for the Lord Jesus. It’s as silent

and subtle as a slow moving shadow.

One minute you’re

sitting in the sun, reading your newspaper, and enjoying the

warmth and radiance. Then suddenly you feel cool, and you

look up and realize you’ve been sitting in the shade for some

time. The sun and warmth have long since passed by.

 _You’re not seeking Jesus Christ the way you once did._ 

 _You’re not hungrily diving into the Word the way you once

did._ 

 _You’re not enjoying the company of other believers the way

you once did._ 

 _You’re not delighting in quiet walks and talks with God the

way you once did._ 

You’re in the shadow, a long way from the Son, and you

don’t even know how you got there or how your heart became

so cold.

It’s not too late to move back into the sunlight! It’s not too

late to turn away from false standards of “success” and seek

the Lord with all your heart. How did Paul put it?

 _Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11, NIV)_ 

Uzziah started so well, lived up to so much of his potential,

but finished out of the race. Why? Because he got suckered by

pride. The greatest sin. As Lewis put it:

The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride.

Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are

mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the

devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice; it is

the complete anti-God state of mind.

Ask God to open your eyes and show you your pride. And

be prepared that He may use your wife, or your kids, or a friend

to point it out to you. And ask Him to give you the grace not to

be defensive when they tell you.

Ask God to give you the courage to face it.

And deal with it.

And crush it.

Every day.

_Excerpt from the book: FINISHING STRONG by Steve Farrar_