I Am a Daughter on a Journey - Kgomotso King

With all the planning involved in running a home, it’s easy to fall into a self-effort mindset without even noticing. It happens to me especially when doing things that I have done before - the repetitive tasks of everyday life. I think it is because I know what to expect, so I go on autopilot, but I always seem to end up going my own way. But let me tell you something, the danger of going my own way became very real when my carefully calculated birth plan brought me to a place where both my baby and I needed to be rescued. I had every detail and day planned out - and I awaited the arrival of my little baby.

While my husband was away, at 2.00am my little one was born a week early, it was not what I had hoped for. It was not what I expected. Much to my annoyance at the time, God stepped in. He ruined ‘my’ plan and I am grateful to say that we are both alive. Hallelujah!!

"Your own plan will kill you."

Once we were back home safe, those were the words I heard from Holy Spirit as I reflected on the birth of my child. The thought sent shivers down my spine, and turned into a trail that made me realise that it wasn’t just physical death, but a non-fulfillment of the promises God had put in me. My own plan leads to a misalignment with God and His Grace.

There are moments and days where I find myself drifting off and wanting to do things my way. Those are the moments where joy seems to be far. I am sure you can relate... So, I would love to share three words that have become my tools to align myself back to where I belong, back to being joyful and full of strength. I hope they can do the same for you.

Daughter. Journey. Grace.

Daughter

When I was a little girl, I would stand on my dad's feet and hold on tightly, while he walked around the house. Sometimes he would walk to where I didn't want to go, like to my room at bedtime, but him getting me there made the idea of sleep more attractive than usual. Growing up, that sense of safety and trust eroded and independence kicked into full gear.

I was labelled “naive” when I thought I was walking without worry or anxiety. I fought against this label in pursuit of respect and maturity, but here’s the thing - maturity in the world is total independence, while maturity in God is total dependence. Total dependence on the one true God. Who else would be better to rely on than the one in whose image you were created in? It takes knowing Him to know yourself. You are because He is.

Being a daughter is a by-product of the Father, from the Father comes the daughter, you can't separate the two. A Father gives life, purpose, direction and clarity to a daughter. I believe a Father provides true identity and destiny. In discovering that, I learnt that I didn't have to try so hard anymore. I just had to be.

What does ‘being’ look like? Getting up onto His feet, (going where I see Him go, doing what I seen Him do, saying what I hear Him say) and holding tightly onto Him (intentionally keeping Him first) while He walks me through His plans for my life. This way, we get to emulate Jesus the Son. After all, as Christ is, so am I in this world.

Journey

Some years back, while I was living in Johannesburg, there was a house in the area I lived in that would always play loud music. We called it the noisy house. One night, I heard the young girl living there screaming as though she was getting beaten. I listened to her cries and did nothing. But I cried out to God, “I can't just sit here Lord." I heard him say, “Become the woman I created you to be. Rise up and take your place, because from that place comes the rescuing of many more women.” And so, the journey began.

This is not a special word just for me, but a call for every daughter. Your life is not your own, there are moments waiting for you to blossom and bear fruit. Fruit that will impact, feed, strengthen, equip and bring the Kingdom of God to the lives of others.

Blossoming is a pursuit of becoming more and more like Christ - an everyday yes will take you from strength to strength and glory to glory.

It’s a journey that cannot be summed up in one bad day or a bad judgement call. It's not about getting everything right, or being perfect. I encourage you to not be afraid of making mistakes (Psalms 139:1-6) because God will work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).

This is an ongoing journey. Remember why you are staying on this journey and take it one step at a time. Not by your own efforts, abilities or talents, but by His love and Grace.

Grace

Grace, so simple in its concept. Maybe that is why we tend to overthink it and can sometimes miss the true meaning of it. I am learning that it is in fact a beautiful gift that allows us to dance with God and enter into His joy, His melody and His tempo.

I remember as a child it was easy and natural to follow but as an adult, I find myself asking, ‘when did the dance become so complicated’?

I then realised that grace is always on offer, we just get blocked and life becomes complicated by misplaced trust. Trust in ourselves, systems, money, other people etc. We only get disappointed if we are operating in our own strength and limitations.

“Those who trust in the Lord are never disappointed”. Romans 10:11 (NASB)

It is coming back to that childlike trust that once again gives us access to the life He promised, I understand now why God said to come to Him like little children.

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

Grace to me is a picture of breathing. Filling our lungs with clean air, a silent life force that powers our being. Grace is God's enablement in everything. As daughters, God calls us to be strong in the grace that is in Christ (2 Timothy 2:1 NIV) and not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in everything we do. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Dear friend, next time you find yourself a little out of alignment, when joy is far and when things seem to become complicated - take a deep breath and remember, you are a daughter on a journey and you are taken care of by His grace. Now exhale and grab your joy, strength and new life!

Written by Kgomotso King

Kgomotso is the wife to Sean and the mother to Josiah, Jordan and Judah. Kgomotso likes cooking, dabbling in all things creative and day dreaming with God. She is on team at Kingdomcity Zambia.