Letters To Matipa: Gather A Tribe

Wadiwa Mati

We underestimate the power of a support structure. A really solid support structure. If there’s anything I have learned in the years that I have been on this earth, is that we, as humans, need to belong. We are social beings whether we like it or not which is why some people get some type of way when they have no community around them and why it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole when you have no people supporting us. In all the years that I have lived I have learned that we all need support in one form or another, even when we say we don’t, we do need it.

Understanding this about ourselves makes it easier for us to find the people that we need to find. That being said, find people who are equally invested you as you are in them, people who believe in the things that you believe in, people who understand what you stand for and support you as you do it. Find people who have time for you not people who will take from you, people who will mold you and those you would do the same for.

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I think we take something as simple as a how are you? for granted. Let it not always be about you when you are around your people. Be conscious of how you are with them because that will also inform how they respond to you. Do you have time to ask what is going on in the life of others? Do you have time to ask, how they are, where they are because you want them to do the same for you. If you want them to make time for you, you have to make time for them as well.

Another important thing, actually the most important thing when finding your tribe is to pray about it. Don’t just let random people into your space. Everything about life is spiritual, including the people around you.

I’m not saying people might be the devil but energies, people’s spirits can disturb your spirit and to safeguard yourself, my darling. Pray about it. Talk to God. Let Him lead you where He needs to lead you and also let Him show you who you need to let go of which leads me to my next point.

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Some people are not forever. Some people are for seasons, and that’s okay. And as much as we want a strong support system, we need to understand that not everyone is going be there for our whole life journey. A lot of them are going to come and go and when they do you need to make peace and understand that they were only meant to be there for a season and when that happens, be able to get up and carry on.

Finding our tribe can happen when we’re young, sometimes it happens when we’re older, but ultimately it happens when it needs to. And that’s still okay too. There’s no rush. Finding the right people is not easy. It’s a journey and when you let it play out, it’ll pay off in the way it’s supposed to.

Vanokuda Mai Mati

Chasing After The Heart Of God

The Word of God says, “For who knows a person’s thought except their own spirit within them? And in the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2, 11 12

My understanding of this verse is that for one to be able to uncover the secret and hidden things of God, they need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit because it is only through His empowerment and revelation that discernment and understanding of the kingdom truth is possible. We cannot do anything we are called to do by God if we do not have the Holy Spirit leading us, guiding us, and giving us strength.

Because He, the Holy Spirit, is the only one who knows the true nature of God and has a true understanding of God, we have to be tethered to Him for us to tap into the mind of God. We need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit if we want the deep things of God uncovered to us.

Tethering to the Holy Spirit goes beyond having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. It goes beyond us saying, “YES, I receive Christ.” It is the acknowledgment and actioning of the need for continuously cultivating and searching for the Holy Spirit. The continuous searching for the knowledge of God and searching for understanding and also inviting the Holy Spirit constantly, like going over and above to truly, truly chase Him.

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Chasing After God’s Heart

“But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” – 1 Samuel 13 vs 14

Chasing after God is wanting to know his heart, having yourself postured and your intentions postured in such a way that God can see that you are intentionally making steps to want more of him, to learn more, to understand more and do more. But also once you have that knowledge you live it out more. That then brings me to the question, how can we be empowered by the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit empowers us by increasing our resolve in the face of resistance. Our flesh resists what is good for our Spirit, sometimes you’ll say I’m too tired to pray or I’m too tired to understand the Word, but what I’ve found out is that even in these times there are still many ways to commune with God. And sometimes, you know for a fact if I sit and read my Bible right now, I’m not going to get anything out of it, but like I said there are other ways.

Alternative Ways To Commune With God

I want to start by saying these things do not replace time spent in the Word, learning and meditating on it. However, to boost your spirit you can listen to a Christian podcast or sermon (this is a great way to consume the word and find revelation). You could also write down your prayers (when I struggle to pray verbally I write my prayers down and writing it down sometimes is another way of praying to God). So there’s always another way to do certain things that can bring you closer to God although it might not seem convictional, but if you want you will find a way to spend time with God.

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We need to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit so that he can open our eyes to the truth and empower us and guide us into spaces and things that we could and cannot step into on our own only through God’s guidance.

What resonated most with you from today’s post? Remember, reframe your thinking and watch yourself become remarkable!

Breathe, Mommy, Breathe!

We all know how stressful life can be from juggling work, meeting deadlines and everything else in between.

With the rush of life, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and forget to take a few moments for ourselves. But remember, taking just a few minutes to breathe deeply can ground you, do wonders for your stress levels and overall well being. It helps clear your head, calm your nerves, and boost your energy levels leaving you bright, better and more positive. This is great because it is something you can do anytime, anywhere to ground yourself. No matter where you are taking a few slow, deep breaths can make a world of difference.

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Grounding Exercises

1. Take a few minutes to think about, somewhere nice that you might want to be, and stay in that moment, let it help you release any frustrations that you might have or the tensions that are in your body.
2. Another great way to ground yourself when you have time is take a walk, or take an extra moment in your car before you go into the house or, sit a little longer in the bathroom before you come out. That is if your child/ren doesn’t follow you there, like mine used to do when she was younger. The important thing is to be intentional about taking the time to make a little extra time for yourself.

As a reminder, I just want you to know that you are doing an amazing job. Do not let the chaos get you down. Embrace the mess, and the noise, and the laughter, and the love. You are strong, you are capable, and loved by God beyond measure.

What resonated most with you from today’s post? Remember, reframe your thinking and watch yourself become remarkable!

You Do Not Need To Be A Super Mom!

As a mom the feeling of being overwhelmed by the mess, the noise and the constant demands can be a lot.

It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of life and feel like you’re losing control. But here’s the thing, chaos is a natural part of motherhood. You cannot run away from it. It’s a sign that you’re living a full life, that your household is buzzing, especially if your children are still young. Embracing the unexpected twists and turns that come along with it is just one part of it.

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When it happens, do not fight it. I think we are quick to fight against chaos and think everything needs to be orderly and it needs to be a certain way. But by doing that, you’re only over- exerting yourself. And making it hard. So today, instead of fighting against the chaos, I encourage you to learn to embrace it. And below are a few ways we can do that.

You Are Not Super Woman

You can start by lowering expectations. So, nobody has a clean house. I know going into it, I thought I could but once you have children, obviously, when the child is still young, you’re healing from birth and that hinders the perfect house. And as the children grow older, they’re more energetic, they’re moving things, jumping on things. And you, as a person, your instinct is to keep everything neat and tidy.It’s not going to be like that when you have kids in the house.

Focus On The Positive

Number two, I would say focus on the positive, so enjoy your child’s energy instead of trying to keep them boxed and in a corner, enjoy their hugs, enjoy the love that surrounds you in this full place, full household, rather doing the opposite.

Embrace The Unexpected

Number three, I’d say embrace the unexpected as well. Don’t get too attached to a schedule. Yes, have one because it helps, but when things don’t go according to that, or when you tick off less things than what has actually been done, it’s still okay.

Do Not Pour From An Empty Cup

And lastly, take care of yourself. Oh my gosh, this I think is one of the most important things you can do as a mother. You cannot pour from an empty cup. And I’m sure you’ve heard this time and time again. You need to take care of yourself so that you can be present in your family from a place of love, not a place of frustration or negative energy.

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As a reminder, I just want you to remember that you are doing an amazing job. Do not let the chaos get you down. Embrace the mess, and the noise, and the laughter, and the love. You are strong, you are capable, and loved by God beyond measure.

What resonated most with you from today’s post? Remember, reframe your thinking and watch yourself become remarkable!

About Meditating In The Word

For the longest time I have seen and heard about meditating in the Word of God. Firstly, as someone who struggles with reading the bible and concentrating when I do this was already a daunting thing to take on for me. Secondly, meditating in itself confuses me and making sense of it is also a struggle so you can imagine why this is something I did not take to easily. ( I am still learning and still have loads to learn where this is concerned)

At the beginning of September a friend and I decided to do a month long bible plan on a specific topic. The task of finding the reading plan fell on me. It was first time looking for a study and I went looking for something I could palate and learn from at the same time. I had to figure out the differences between a reading plan, a devotional and a bible study. (I will do posts on each of these in the future).

I finally settled on a reading plan that gives us a verse a day for 31 days. In conjunction with the reading plan we would use the SOAP method as a way to study each of these verses. It was only after we started did I realise that I had stumbled upon a great way to spend time with the word of God that was easy enough for me, good enough to palate for a person who is still a beginner at studying the word and in essence learn what the word says about a particular topic.

The SOAP method

This is an easy and straight forward way of studying the bible which is great for beginners.

The “S” stands for scripture. For this part of the study you write down the scripture that you will be studying.

The “O” stands for observation. For this part of the study you write down what you observe in the scripture that you just wrote down. Your take-aways and whichever scriptures you are reminded of when you read the scriptures you just wrote. ( You can also read commentaries and other bible versions to get a better understanding of the scripture)

The “A” stands for application. For this part of the study you write down how you can put into practise what you have observed. What changes will you make to you lifestyle to align it to what you have read and observed in the word of God.

The “P” stands for prayer. At the end of each session you write down a prayer and ask God to help you make the necessary changes as well as carry this scripture with you as you go through your day to day life.

As I was studying the word using this method. I realised that this was the beginning of me spending time in the word, learning more about God and what he expects of me as well as keep his word on my mind a lot more. I was meditating in the word!

I hope you find this as helpful as I did.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

About Grocery Shopping On A Budget

Grocery shopping is one of the biggest events on my monthly calendar. Food inflation has been at its worst these past couple of months and sadly more things have been dropping off my grocery list than have been added.

In a bid to save as much as I can I started stockpiling. I am not a massive stockpiler like some ladies I know but this has been a great help to me.

What Is Stockpiling?

Stockpiling is the accumulation of goods or resources, especially in anticipation of a shortage. In our case it is an anticipation of a price hike.

How To Stockpile?

1. Identify the items that you use regularly. Make a list of the foods and household items that you and your family use on a daily or weekly basis. This will help you to prioritize your purchases and avoid buying unnecessary items.
2. Set a budget. Decide how much money you can afford to spend on stockpiling each month. Keep in mind that prices may go up over time, so it is important to be realistic with your budget. Please note in the beginning, a stockpile budget should be separate to your normal grocery budget.
3. Shop around for the best deals. Compare prices at different stores and online to find the best deals on the items that you need. Depending on where you can also use coupons and loyalty programs to save money.
4. Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk can save you money, but it is important to only buy items that you will use before they expire and goods that have a long shelf life.
5. Store your groceries properly. Store your groceries in a cool, dry place and freeze what you can to prevent them from spoiling.

What Are The Best Items to Stockpile?

1. Food: Non-perishable foods, such as canned goods, dried goods, and pasta, are good items to stockpile. You may also want to stockpile frozen foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat.
2. Household items: Toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, and other household items are also good items to stockpile. You may also want to stockpile batteries, candles, and other items that you may need in an emergency.

Tips For Every Stockpiler

• Rotate your stock. Make a habit of using the oldest items in your stockpile first. This will help to prevent food from spoiling.
• Check expiration dates regularly. Make sure to check the expiration dates on your food and household items regularly. Discard any items that have expired.
• Store your food in a safe place. Keep your food stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. You may also want to consider storing your food in airtight containers to keep it fresh.