by Cynthia Banda.

It is already almost a year since we talked about having a virtuous 2009. Time has truly flown. Here we are again, evaluating our year. Have we loved others and stayed true to ourselves and to our God? Are we still carrying the issues we purposed to get rid of at the end of the year? It’s time to evaluate 2009. Let’s jog our memory and see what we have learnt in the past year.

Get the order right (Grace Kageni).

“I was taught one thing. Not everyone likes it, but it works. Master, Mission, Mate. You have to know your Master. Who’s He in your life? You have to know the Creator. Why is He important? Have a walk with Him – it has to be steady. Learn what He likes and doesn’t like. Connect with Him. Get your mission. We all have a purpose in life. Basically everyone was given one mission in life; to worship Him in everything that we do. But He has given each and every person a [nother] mission. Each and every person depends on the other – so you have to get your mission. And the last one is mate. He’ll bring the right person to you. Someone who’s mission correlates with you. Since God is going to give you your mate – He knows what is in you. He’ll give you the person who’s just right for you.”

Redefine beauty (Enid Moraa).

“I would generally describe beauty as a property that makes the subject in question irresistibleIn the years that I got to know and interact with  [Mercy Kigame], even on her very bad days I knew without a doubt I wanted to be just like her in every way. If other people can be encouraged to be better people just watching you live your life – that’s beauty, baby! Looks do not make the woman. What lies within eventually comes to the surface and it’s in your best interest if it is something nice like kindness. The African woman is beautiful in every way. God has given us beautiful skin that isn’t prone to disease, curves that are the envy of many… we need not worry and focus too much on the outside, it’s there already. Why not spend that time doing the important stuff like being better Christians, better employees, wives, sisters, friends, and mothers?”

Connect with God and believe Him for what seems impossible (Nkatha Gatuma).

“He is not this Batman in space. This is somebody that I walk with the whole day. He can talk to me; I can talk back to Him. The times that I have really connected with God are during my times of difficulty. The Bible says that when you go through the fire, I will be with you. At that time, when you have a difficulty, God manifests Himself in your life. These are times when Romans 8:28 becomes clear. When you are going through that, you know and believe that this thing, you can’t even figure it out, you don’t know how it came, you don’t know even how it will go out of here, but all you know is that it will work out for your good. When we pray, most times, we’re in the position of asking. Most times people do not move from the position of asking to the position of receiving. God is not somebody that we’re playing with. He is the Almighty God. He is not deaf that He cannot hear. When you ask, ask once – that is my policy as Nkatha. I go on my knees and ask once, with faith, and I believe. From there, I say ‘thank You, I receive in Jesus Name.’ The Bible says that whatsoever things you have asked in prayer, believe and you will receive the things you have asked for.

I know a testimony of a sister who was asking God for a husband. She was praying, ‘God, send the man, send the man.’ One day, the revelation of asking once came to her. After she prayed, she said, ‘This is the last time I’m asking for a husband.’ God told her: ‘Now that you’ve asked, believe you have received.’ She said, ‘I believe I have received.’ From that day, she changed her life into a life of receiving her miracle. She went to her closet, moved her clothes, arranged her dresses and everything, and left a section for her husband in her closet. Every time she had her food, she did not sit all over the table. She sat on one side like her husband was next to her. This sister started parking her car on one side [of her garage] and left the other side for her husband. Every day she thanked God for her husband. One day, she came to New York for a meeting. This handsomest man walked in to the room and they had eye contact. The guy sat next to her and gave her his card, saying she must give him a call. He asked her out for a date. Remember, she had always believed her husband would be next to her. She lived like he was next to her. Well, this lady did a wonderful and glorious wedding with her husband – next to her.”

Be you (Imat Akelo-Opio).

I would like every man, woman and child to know that no matter what you are going through, God is right there and that, that same pain, that rain is showering you to prepare you for un?imaginable growth because you are precious and on your own journey with him. Forget what the world says, seek the truth, value who you are and don’t be afraid to walk away even if you are left with nothing. Have faith and keep trusting him, He will return more to you than you could ever dream of, just hold onto his living word and seek his guidance and wisdom. I know I am living proof and testament to this advice that I give you.

Understand your role and stand on the shoulders of others to implement it (Jackie Mugane).

“Womanhood today has been taken on a very material note. A woman is defined by the clothes she wears, the makeup she has on and the designer perfume she is wearing. But what does God say about women? How does God give woman their identity – is it based on their careers and their material well being? I don’t think so. God’s identity of the woman is a helper to the man. Helper meaning that she gives life to the vision that God has given the man, she encourages the man until the vision is brought forth and birth in to reality, she uses her influential power to birth his dream on her knees. God gave the woman a womb for a very good reason. In as much as she carries a baby for 9 months, in the spirit she is the one who should carry the vision that the man has been given in her spirit until it brings forth the kind of fruit God intends for it.

That is why I think a woman should not marry just anybody who has no vision of sense of purpose in life. She will be frustrated because she has the power to bring forth a vision but the man she is married to has no seed of vision to impart in her spirit. It is a high standard, I agree, but when we trust God for the very best, he will bring us a man of purpose and vision. Young women who are models in their societies have a huge role to play in imparting their wisdom on other young women, That is why I believe in mentoring so much, because my journey with the Lord in term of self identity is something that i impart to many who are struggling with the same issue and others that are bound in the cycle of materialism as their identity definers.

I believe mentorship is very important because it allows us to stand on the shoulders of others who have walked the journey and can most definitely help us, especially when it comes to the place in ones life when you need to be understood and to disclose certain things about oneself without the fear of been judged or betrayed. I always tell people to ask the Lord to lead them to people who can mentor them, and not assume that a certain person is good to mentor them. It wise to allow God to lead you to such a person. It may be someone you do not expect.”

Whether virtue has been possible in your life depends on your willingness to exercise the principles of the Proverbs 31 woman. One thing all five women above agree on is that it is indeed possible by God’s grace.

Have a wonderful Christmas season!

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