Discover your Purpose

Why it matters to discover your purpose

by with 2 Comments Christian adviceFaithLifestylePersonal growth

Written by Kellen Kenlyn Nakaye

Does my life really count? You might ask. Yes, it does. Ephesians 2:10 reads “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The purpose of your life supersedes accomplishing a specific goal. Rather, it is intended to be your ongoing impact on the world, big or small throughout your existence.

Right from the beginning God created us to be in his image and to have dominion over the earth he created and he blessed us to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 1:26-27). As Steven J Cole writes in his article “Why God Created People”, God’s purpose is to have people on earth reflecting His image and having dominion over the earth under His sovereignty. 

Caring to discover your purpose as an individual is then very important because of the reasons I am going to expound on below;

  • It will cause you to discover your gifts/talents (1 Corinthians 7:7).

Knowing that you have a role to serve that involves others motivates you to develop and excellently use your gifts and talents hence setting yourself up even for greater rewards, for a man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men (Proverbs 18:16). For example, Alexander Graham bell used his gift to invent the telephone for which he is still remembered today.

  • With purpose at heart, you can set a vision for your life

According to Habakkuku 2:2, it is having a vision that motivates one to put in the work necessary towards accomplishing a series of goals and hence serving a purpose. Also, a personal vision enables you to strive through the hardest of times which non of us is immune to in this world. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl elaborated on the horrible suffering he faced in the Nazi camps and how the will to meaning helped him hold onto life even when taking one’s life as a means to escape the painful torture from the camp masters was justifiable.

  • You can form quality relationships.

With Purpose at heart, you will be more concerned with surrounding yourself with people who can hold you accountable to fulfilling your call.

  • It enables us to develop and stick to good habits.

Personally, it is after I gained a sense of purpose that I could stick with habits like exercising. I realized I would need a strong, fit, and firm body to carry out my purpose (honestly I sometimes get inconsistent but at least I have a strong reason to give it a try every now and then). Also, being purpose-driven calls for service so I learnt to set goals for the things I knew I had to accomplish and to properly manage my time so I could meet the deadlines. Someone is always waiting on the other side of your obedience so you can not afford to waste time not doing what you must do.

Overall, a purpose-driven approach to life is what will bring you the most joy and fulfillment so, find out today what you ought to stand for so that you can stop falling for everything that is placed in front of you.

  • You become a confident person

Knowing your purpose puts your worth and capability on your finger tips and that alone can enable you to become a determined and resilient individual. You become less controlled by your circumstances and more empowered by your aspirations! Because you become aware of the value you can offer, expressing yourself becomes easier.

In case you are wondering about what you need to do to discover your life’s purpose, simply start by Praying to God about what you can do with your life. That is what I did and from then I went from just chasing everything I was told I would earn a lot of money from to desiring and doing work that utilises my gifts and talents and makes a positive impact in the world.

Becoming aware of the greatness you carry is one thing, living it out is another. To further help you to get started on living a life of greatness, I designed an amazing course, DESTINED FOR GREATNESS through which you will be assisted to discover who God made you to be and to do the work to make your vision come alive.

Sign up for it here.

May you glorify God by fulfilling down to the last detail of what he has called you to do (John 17:4).

Peace.

 

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Amazing places to visit in Dubai

by with No Comment LifestyleTravel

So in October, 2023, I too joined the adventure craze of visiting Dubai! Once I got on board Emirates Airways I couldn’t be more thrilled about the magical city that was awaiting me on the other side. The flight took a whole five hours and once we touched down at Dubai international airport, the breath taking views began. The airport alone is a wonder, very serene, well organized with obvious directing sign posts and very helpful staff.

Once I got out of the airport at around 10pm to take my transfer taxi to the hotel, I was welcomed with the heat wave of course but thankfully in the car there was air-conditioning and while I was so skeptical of how I’d handle the heat, I found that air-conditioning is fitted in every building and hotel. Also I did travel in the month close to their winter season so the heat was manageable.

Amazing tourist sites to visit in Dubai

City scene

The Dhow cruise in Deira Creek

Here you will have a fun cool evening relaxing on a ride along Deira/Creek waterways, feasting on delicious foods, and watch a guy dancing with a big skirt:)

Dubai/Creek Dhow cruise
Dinner Dhow Cruise

Museum of the Future

It is a beautiful wonder, inside and out. You just need to go see it.

Outside the museum

Dubai mall and Mall of the Emirates

From the dancing fountain to the ski park, you will be enthralled by the modern day adventure of Dubai City.

I could go on and on but instead let me give you a guide sheet on how to visit Dubai on a budget so you too can plan an affordable and memorable visit because it’s a good thing to see the rest of the world.

Get your free guide sheet

friendship red flags

Friendship red flags

by with One Comment Christian adviceLifestyleRelationships

Written by Kellen Nakaye

We all vote for friendships that are enjoyable, full of emotional support through life’s challenges, and in which we are held accountable to becoming the best versions of ourselves.

Nevertheless, there are types of people who if you made friends with, it is to your own detriment. Spending time with them leaves you drained and your association with these kinds of people over a period of time hinders your personal development.

Let us explore the characteristics of friends who are not a great fit for you to entangle with so that you do not get a lot of your time wasted in non-rewarding associations;

The User

He/she only sticks around when things are going well for you but will disappears in times of despair. Even before your misery shows up, they tend to call only when they need something. For all the help, and listening ear you give them, they tend to show that they are bothered when you want the same from them. God says in his word that a friend loves all the time; that means they love you when you are up and stand with you when you are struggling. These are the kind of people who if you share your own struggles with them, are quick to tell you something worse in their lives so that they counter your submission and all the empathy still goes only to them. This kind of friend invalidates your feelings.

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

The Gossiper

For this one, every time you meet up, they can’t help but bring up someone else’s business! Sometimes it is confidential information that another person entrusted to them but they can’t help but dish it out, not for trying to seek a solution but just to talk about it. Trust me, friend, that kind of person also goes back and talks about you.

Such people are fond of character assassination because for them it is a habit to seek approval by putting others down in a way to portray themselves as a much more desirable person. In general, these kinds of people always discuss problems but not solutions or visions. 

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs 16:28 (NIV)

Now there is when someone uses another person’s story to maybe edify you or drive across a point. In this case, because the intention is positive, it is done respectfully, even by concealing names but when it is gossip, it comes off as putting the subject of the story down.

The ones who like belittling you

They don’t want to see you doing better than you are right now. So, they will frown at or dismiss any bigger plans you share. They always respond to you like you are incapable of doing any better than you are right now. They enjoy getting you to support their endeavors but they can’t do the same for you. I mean there is always some reason why they can’t buy your products or come to your event! They’ll make belittling statements about you and then claim they were joking if you confront them about it. They say anything at any time about you to put you down and (possibly) embarrass you in front of other people. 

A true friend will care to sharpen and build you up.

As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. ~ Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)

The one who acts like they are doing you a favor

It’s like they need you to reward them for every effort they put into the friendship as if your company and the great advice you share don’t bring value to them. This person acts like if they extend such gestures they have to be paid off. Sounds like ‘am too important to be your friend but if I am then you have to pay!’ So they don’t even reach out to you until they need something. Do you really need a one-sided friendship?

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

They pressure you into things

You know you have a mind of your own and sometimes you can decide on what you will and will not do. A good friend knows how to respect and understand your boundaries. A controlling friend wants to insist that you go where you said you didn’t want to go even after you’ve explained your reasons to them. They are more about exercising control and who wants a controlling friend?

Here is a fictional story that depicts the effects of bad friendships;

A man took a glass of water and placed it on the table. Due to some urgent work, he went out of the room. Next to the glass of water, was a bottle of poison. Looking at the water, poison smiled and said, “Your life will end soon because that man will drink you.”

Those words terrified the water and it asked the poison to suggest a way to escape from this problem. Poison replied, “I will give a drop from me to you and that will change your colour. When the man sees your colour change, he will not drink you.” The water felt happy and found a saviour in poison.

Water requested poison to mix a drop of itself into the water so that the man won’t drink it. Poison mixed a drop into the water and the colour of the water changed. The man returned and took the glass of water to drink. When he saw the colour change, he left the room without drinking the water.

His action thrilled the water and said, “My friend poison saved me”. Water then told Poison, “Now you can change me to the original condition and colour.”

With a simple smile, poison replied, “friend, I can only mix with the water, but I cannot take back from the water. Now you are poison and not pure water.”

Final thoughts

Beloved, with those few remarks, take time to revise your friendships. Are you growing in them, are you being given a shoulder to cry on when you need one?

It’s ok to have a few quality friends than a multitude of people that don’t help you to become a better person or hinder you from being who God has called you to be.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. ~ Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV)

So, be bold and let go of those who exhibit such toxic traits.   Above all, work on being a great friend yourself;

Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. Proverb 27:10

Christmas gifts ideas

The Best Christmas Gift to Give Anyone

by with 3 Comments Christian adviceFaithLifestyle

Christmas is widely characterized by gift-gifting! This practice is justified by Christians with reference to the Three Wise Men, the Magi, who gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. (Mathew 2:11)

Christmas being a celebration of Jesus’ birth into the world and he is not physically here to receive gifts from us, families, small prayer groups and even colleagues choose to instead exchange gifts amongst themselves to delight each other in celebration of His birth.

Let us reflect a little on why Jesus was born into the world.

In the beginning God created us human beings to worship Him and created for us earth as our beautiful habitation where we would serve His purpose for our lives. (Genesis 1:27-31)

The plan was that we would live forever! God placed man in the Garden of Eden and commanded him to eat of every tree but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because it would cause him to die. (Genesis 2:15-17)

Then Satan who God had cast out of Heaven because he disobeyed Him, came and tempted Adam the first man and his wife Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and that act brought death upon all mankind. (Romans 5:12)

Jesus then was born into the world to redeem mankind of this death by dying on the cross and shading His blood as the perfect sacrifice so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will inherit everlasting Life. (Romans 5:19)

See, the real gift of Christmas we all have is Jesus Christ and so the perfect gift you can give anyone this Christmas is to ask if they have Secured the Gift of Eternal Life through believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

To ask If someone has secured the gift of eternal life is the thought that swept my mind when I was on my way to bury my cousin this past week. When I got the news of her passing, I immediately wondered about the destination of her soul but thankfully, when we were at her funeral, her former pastor let the mourners know that a few days before her passing, she had asked him to pray with her to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour again.

The real gift of Christmas is Salvation, make sure you and those you encounter don’t miss it.

Here is a prayer to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour;

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for  giving me life by dying on the cross in my place. Forgive me for all my sins and those of my forefathers. Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior today. In Jesus’ Mighty name I pray, Amen.

Now if you have prayed the above prayer, ask God to lead you to a Church where you will be discipled and grow in knowledge of Him as well as enjoy community with other believers.

God richly bless you and share this blog in your circles so that others can experience the perfect gift,


with love, Kellen Kenlyn Nakaye (Kay)

 

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4 powerful benefits of de-cluttering your home

by with No Comment HomeLifestyle

Written by Kellen 

De-cluttering your home means that you simply decide on the items you want to keep in it, get proper storage spaces for those items and then chose what to do with the items you do not want to keep which can be either to trash, sell or give away. It also involves making sure you have a proper system of handling rubbish around the house.

Organizing your home always comes with its own benefits such as;

Being able to pray in your home

I did not always take into consideration how much a well-organized home can have a positive impact on its occupants until I experienced the negative impact that came with living my bedroom in our family house untidy. One of the things I always wanted to do in there was to have personal prayer time with God yet the mess in the room always hindered me. Once I intentionally got it in order by storing neatly the things I chose to keep in that room and making sure the floor was not littered, then I even managed to create a special corner in the room that was designated for prayer! I think what used to stop me was the anxiety about how long it would take me to get rid of the untidiness in the room before could invite God in. I don’t always feel comfortable praying in a super disorganized place. Do you?

Time management

Since tidying up allows you to have a storage space for everything, you do not have to waste a lot of time looking for lost things in your house.

Saves you money

Getting your home organized lets you know of its capacity so you don’t have to impulse buy things you don’t even need at the moment because you already will know they do not have a space to be kept in. Also you do not end up buying new stuff just to replace stuff you already have but you just can’t find because they are lost in the mess.

You can be creative

In a well-organized space, it is easy to think up new ideas and see them through because you would not have visual reminders of clutter that drain your cognitive resources and reduce your ability to focus. In 2011, neuroscience researchers using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and other physiological measurements found clearing clutter from the home and work environment resulted in a better ability to focus and process information, as well as increased productivity.

Organizing and especially staying organized can be challenging but it is possible to get started and maintain it. You can do this through planning and scheduling your de-cluttering routine with the use of a Home organization planner such as the one I made. Get it here

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How to feel confident and look elegant in your clothes

by with 2 Comments Lifestyle
Written by Kellen Kenlyn Nakaye

Clothes tend to affect your mood and how you come off to others. In that case, you want to pick clothes that make you feel confident as a person and unforgettable to others. Here are a few tips on achieving just that with your outfits;

Make sure your clothes fit

On this, I have nothing much to say other than endeavour to buy from stores that allow you to fit in before you purchase your clothes so you can take home clothes that cover you properly, especially the sensual parts of your body. Modesty is key to looking elegant.

Dress for your shape

Trends change fast, and the truth is not every fashion trend looks good on everybody’s body. It’s important in that case that learn your body shape and chose outfits that complement it.

Personally, I am an Inverted triangle shape, so I look more chic and elegant in A-line dresses or skirts than I would in body-hugging dresses or pencil skirts.

Take time to study body shape types to get an ultimate guide on choosing clothes for your shape.

Choose quality

The key to dressing elegantly is to choose quality over quantity. Yes, here in Uganda we have second-hand cloth markets where you can get pieces for as low as UGX5000. But those clothes quickly lose colour when you wash them, often have damage/ holes in them, and easily tear.

Next time you buy something, think about it in terms of cost per wear. If you buy a UGX5000 top and only wear it 5 times, it costs UGX1000 per wear. But if you buy a UGX40000 top and wear it 50 times, it only costs UGX800 per wear. That shows that quality clothes even though expensive in the short run, are much cheaper and you get a lot of wear out of them.

Be kin on Colour matching

An outfit of one colour like bold black is safe but we all want to play with some colours every now and then so here are a few tips to make great colour combo outfits;

1. The same colour in two different shades; 

           

2. One primary colour with its secondary colour.
Below, Yellow and green, yellow being the primary and green (mixture of yellow and blue) is the secondary or Red and Purple, red being the primary and purple (mixture of red and blue) the secondary;
          

3. If you want to push the envelope a bit and go for three colours in one outfit: 

Stick to the combination of either:

a) Two primary colours and one secondary;

or b) use a primary colour, tertiary colour, and maybe a secondary colour or a different shade of a primary colour.

Now if to this end you have been confused about the whole colour naming, refer to the chat below;
working from home

Productivity hacks to beat procrastination when working from home

by with No Comment Lifestyle

For most of us, home has always been a place to rest and replenish but the world has changed so much and now it is a common thing to have an office incorporated in one’s house. I personally have been working from home for three years now and yes, it can be easy to fall back, get caught up in house chores or watch a lot of TV and procrastinate on the work that gets you paid. Nevertheless, there are few things you can do to get productive.

First, de-clutter your home. Simply get rid of clutter by keeping everything you desire to keep in it’s designated area in your house and either give or throw away whatever remains unplaced. When you do this, you create a peaceful environment in which you can creatively work. Remember it is peace that passes on all understanding (Philippians 4:7). The thing about being in cluttered places is that you will have your attention divided between what you are trying to do and the mess that surrounds you hence constraining your productivity. Mike Murdock emphasized that “The only reason men fail is because of broken focus.”

Secondly, listen to faith building messages. When you believe that you can achieve what you’ve set your heart to, action is inspired. Since faith comes by hearing, endeavor to listen to information that propels you to act on your goals. Listen to information that will help you develop the right habits to become the person you need to become to get your work done. You become what you repetitively hear.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he….. – Proverbs 23:7

Another technique to consider is working in time frames. Set the timer on your phone for a given length of time and focus on a single task within that time period. This is a great way to stay focused and not have your time wasted while being distracted by things like checking your phone for social media updates. Once your focus is unbroken, you accomplish what was seemingly impossible

Lastly, set/review your day’s program the night before. This is you simply  planning for your day, writing down the necessary steps to take in order to get out of the day with some progress towards your most important goals. It is what we do day by day that enables us to accomplish great things.

 

Remember God loves you and values you.

Love, Kay

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What to do when your Joy is drained

by with No Comment Christian adviceLifestyle
 
To wake up to the sunlight, with peace of mind, a body full of strength, the company of amazing people, the freedom to go where ever you want to go and the money to buy whatever you want to buy would be the ideal perfect day/ kind of life for the majority of us. We take on such days with enthusiasm and vigor. Nevertheless, there comes a day you don’t even want to get out of bed, can’t get yourself started on doing anything, and are hit so hard with discouragement. What just happened? where did my strength and enthusiasm go? you might ask. 
Well, you have an enemy named satan who will stop at nothing to rob your joy which is your strength.
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
When the Psalmist insists that in God’s presence is fullness of joy, it means that your absence in God’s presence will definitely leave you drained of Joy.
 
 
 

Have you been praying regularly lately? Have you been responding to moments of sadness, weariness, or loneliness by rushing to the word of God to get yourself reminded of his promises or you’ve instead been choosing to distract yourself with movies and the company of friends who do not even point you back to God’s goodness? 

As a way to maintain your joy, Matt Chandler a writer on the blog Desiring God emphasizes that “fill your life with things that stir your affection for Jesus and pay attention to keeping away from your heart the things that rob you of those affections, even if those things are morally neutral”

Personally, I have noticed in my own life that when am not regularly spending time with God in prayer and in his word, I start having anxiety, depression, and discouragement. I have also noticed that when you are distancing yourself from God, it is easy for you to fall for Satan’s lies which are usually ideas intended to push you in harm’s way and ultimately destroy you because he is a killer and a destroyer.

So, anytime you’re unhappy, push yourself to God. If you feel like you don’t have the words to say to Him in prayer, ask him to speak to you; He always has something to say to us his children and He said we can hear his voice.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

God loves you dearly,

Yours truly,
Kellen