DAY 4.

DAY IV: IT TAKES TWO

I am constantly comforted by a certain trend that I’ve discovered. I hope you will find consolation in it too. God does not choose the most likely to succeed. With all the public blunders I’ve made, why on earth would God choose me to help lead other women to a place of victory and fulfillment? Because I need Him. We all need Him. And every time we accomplish something great, occupy a space we have no business being in, or win when the odds were pointing towards an epic fail, we are reminded that if it were solely dependent on raw talent, many of the world’s most successful people that we quote and read books about would still be living in obscurity.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

God has placed raw, unfinished, imperfect potential in you, and every day it is being perfected, nurtured to maturity. As we encounter hard brushes with life’s rough places, they are smoothing out our own rough patches, if we let them. 

Do you know that a large percentage of people who occupy high profile jobs had no idea what they were doing when they started? I’m not implying that half of the workforce is illiterate, but what they have over you in this moment is the understanding that you don’t have to be a success to be a success. He who began a good work in you will perfect it. 

Today’s Prayer Challenge 

Dear God, I surrender to you in this moment. I am so grateful for the opportunity to walk in partnership with you. You are the source of my ingenuity, every brilliant idea, and my ultimate success. Help me over every hurdle of insecurity, so I will see myself through your eyes, daily. Amen. 

A Thought to Ponder 

God is responsible for completing what He has started. When He involves me, it is an invitation to partnership and an affirmation that I am the one for the job. 

Journal Prompt

With god’s help I will accomplish...

#Boltopcares

Day 3

DAY III: NO

Our value systems as a society have become an insatiable medley of targets, profit margins, and a splash of what’s in it for me. And the outcome? A generation that has the highest reported cases of depression, isolation, and anxiety we have ever seen. Employee assistance programs are in overload, sick leaves are unmanageable, and turnover rates in viable positions are at their highest. 

My diagnosis is that we are making milestone movements in technology and the economy, but placing tombstones on our true capital, human beings. In essence, guard cannot be replaced. If you desire at all to build a sustainable life and leave a legacy of generational wealth and wellness, add to your vocabulary the word that most infants learn right after mastering “Dada,” and that word is “No.” 

Have you ever been a part of a discussion where the entire crowd is revved up about an idea that is headed in the wrong direction? Have you ever been seated around a table while someone’s character is being unjustly ripped to shreds? Have you ever stood in earshot of oppressive, racist, and discriminatory decision making? Have you ever missed an opportunity to say, “I don’t agree,” when the quorum was asked, “So is everyone okay with that?” The lonely road of upright opposition is seeking new travellers. I absolutely love the story of Esther. She was a simple woman who gained a very influential and coveted position. A decision was made by the higher-ups that would have a devastating impact on her community. She could’ve chosen to remain silent on the issue and enjoy the perks of her new role. However, she put her prominent position in jeopardy and, in her famous words, made the declaration, “If I perish, I perish, but I must see the king” (Esther 4:7). It was literally life or death. The king didn’t have an open-door policy. Going in to see the king uninvited was a suicide mission. Esther mobilized a team of like-minded women to pray and fast with her. Consequently, Esther’s upright opposition saved a nation. 

Saying no may sound like, “I’d like to challenge that decision,” or “I’m not comfortable with this conversation,” or “I can’t support this in good conscience.” No is not ignorant resistance. You may not be called to lead the next civil rights movement, but a woman of distinction has the courage to say no when it is unpopular, unconventional, inconvenient, and preserves people over profit. 

Today’s Prayer Challenge 

Dear God, I recognize that at work, or at home, you are counting on me to take an upright stand to preserve what is valuable and to leave a worthy legacy. Please grant me the courage and boldness to speak when it is unfavourable and to make choices that are driven with people as the priority. Amen. 

A Thought to Ponder 

Doing what is popular will bring you fans. Doing what is right will bring you favour. Could it be that, like Esther, you are in the position you are in “for such a time as this”? (Esther 4:14) 

Journal Prompt

I sense god leading me to stand up for...

#Boltopcares

Day 2

DAY II: I NEED TO GIVE THIS SOME THOUGHT

Remember the childhood adage, “Speak only when you’re spoken to”? I’d like to reframe it in a less silencing way. Your voice is valuable and should not be taken lightly. Whether in the workplace, in your marriage, or in your home, you will continually have to navigate when to speak and when to remain silent. Both are equally viable postures to take, and both will require you to be sensitive to the voice of God as He gently nudges you into action, or inaction in many instances. 

So speak when you’re spoken to. In other words, speak when you sense God’s divine timing and inspiration. You don’t always have to have something to say. This will take some practice. You cannot afford to be hotheaded-hiding behind passion, drive, and emotions as excuses for flying off the handle. Words are way too costly. 

“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” (Proverbs 17:28) 

There is nothing wrong with deferring a conversation or decision to give it the time, prayer, and reflection it needs. In fact, there is no dishonour in saying, “I don’t have the answer right now,” or “I need to give this some thought.” As a leading lady, stand your ground and do not allow yourself to be bullied into snap decisions that you have not reached a sound resolve on. “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 29:20). I recognize we are not always afforded the time we need, but what we cannot afford is the cost of not paying attention to God’s still, gentle voice. 

Today’s Prayer Challenge 

Dear God, help me to develop the discipline to weigh my words, the discernment to wait on your timing, and the wisdom to know when not to speak at all. I recognize I may be driven by the desire to appear right. Forgive me, and heal that hidden bit of insecurity so I can lead with integrity and not be driven by insecurity. Amen. 

A Thought to Ponder 

Listen liberally, and speak as though your words are food and there is an international famine.

Journal Prompt

I will wait on god’s direction for...

#Boltopcares

Day 2

DAY II: I NEED TO GIVE THIS SOME THOUGHT

Remember the childhood adage, “Speak only when you’re spoken to”? I’d like to reframe it in a less silencing way. Your voice is valuable and should not be taken lightly. Whether in the workplace, in your marriage, or in your home, you will continually have to navigate when to speak and when to remain silent. Both are equally viable postures to take, and both will require you to be sensitive to the voice of God as He gently nudges you into action, or inaction in many instances. 

So speak when you’re spoken to. In other words, speak when you sense God’s divine timing and inspiration. You don’t always have to have something to say. This will take some practice. You cannot afford to be hotheaded-hiding behind passion, drive, and emotions as excuses for flying off the handle. Words are way too costly. 

“Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” (Proverbs 17:28) 

There is nothing wrong with deferring a conversation or decision to give it the time, prayer, and reflection it needs. In fact, there is no dishonour in saying, “I don’t have the answer right now,” or “I need to give this some thought.” As a leading lady, stand your ground and do not allow yourself to be bullied into snap decisions that you have not reached a sound resolve on. “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 29:20). I recognize we are not always afforded the time we need, but what we cannot afford is the cost of not paying attention to God’s still, gentle voice. 

Today’s Prayer Challenge 

Dear God, help me to develop the discipline to weigh my words, the discernment to wait on your timing, and the wisdom to know when not to speak at all. I recognize I may be driven by the desire to appear right. Forgive me, and heal that hidden bit of insecurity so I can lead with integrity and not be driven by insecurity. Amen. 

A Thought to Ponder 

Listen liberally, and speak as though your words are food and there is an international famine.

Journal Prompt

I will wait on god’s direction for...

#Boltopcares

Days of our life.

DAY I: WOULD THE REAL ME PLEASE STAND UP!

“Eustace was a boy who was so awful and nasty that he turned into an ugly and evil dragon. Then he met Aslan, who represents Christ. And Aslan changed him from a dragon into a fine young man. At first Eustace tried to change himself by scratching and peeling off layers of his dragon skin. But for every layer that came off, another layer of wrinkled, scaly skin appeared underneath. Finally, Aslan stepped up to the job. With one painful swipe of his powerful claws, the lion cut to the heart of Eustace’s dragon flesh and peeled it away, and Eustace the boy stepped out…” (C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader). 

Do you ever feel like Eustace? I do. Quite often actually. Scripture instructs us to “set an example for the believers, in our speech and conduct” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV), and yet there exists an intense tug of war between who God says we are and the wicked, sinful version of ourselves that rears its ugly head a bit more frequently than we’d prefer. So would the real me please stand up? Am I that deflated creature who seems to be losing the battle most days? Or am I the victorious warrior who has the ability to rise to the challenge and do what makes me weak in the knees? And how on earth do I decipher between the two?

 “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12) 

 With one painful swipe of his powerful claws, the lion cut to the heart of Eustace‘s dragon flesh and peeled it away, and Eustace the boy stepped out. Today God wants to peel away the layers of fear, insecurity, and egocentric hang-ups so that the real and authentic you can step out. 

 A Thought to Ponder 

I am good enough. Today, right where I am, and until I become all the beautiful things I desire to see in my future, I can still change, shift, and impact from the platform I’ve been given. Even on broken, imperfect pieces.

Today’s Prayer Challenge 

Dear God, I know it’s a painful process, but I need your Word to cut to the heart of who I am. I am tired of trying to appear perfect, and I am asking you to take me through the process of being perfected. In the name of your Son, Jesus, I pray. Amen. 

Journal Prompt

I admit that I am insecure about...