The phone’s alarm rings. Quickly, my hand goes searching for it to put it off. Time on the screen, 6am in Lilongwe, 4am in Accra. Nice! I have done at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. One can never cheat nature. After almost 24 hours of travelling across three timezones, through three airports, spending 10 hours on two planes, a layover, my body had become tired. Though not as tired as the time, it spent close to 20 hours on a plane.
I try to shut my eyes to go back to sleep, but it looks like my body has had enough rest. I pick up my phone to go to the Bible App, then I remember, oh shooooot! I didn’t practice Duolingo, and I didn’t freeze my streak. There goes my 105-day steak! I think about it for a minute…ermmm… doesn’t matter….I can start again, but it still hurts! Aaaaanndd, I didn’t text my sister. I was really exhausted then! I go to WhatsApp and see that while I slept, my people were texting. I text my sister, reply to others, and make a mental note to reply to the group chats. Hopefully, I remember.
Wait! Where was I? Ah, the Bible before I got distracted. Off to the Bible App I go, and the Word for the day? Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT. Suddenly, the 2nd part of the sentence hits me. I have read this scripture text close to the number of years Methuselah lived, but today, it hits differently. Every course of my life is determined by my heart! Wow!
I lay in bed, meditating on this scripture. The more I meditate, the more the word sinks deeper, and the more I keep saying, “Wow! How true!” Without a guard, we leave our wicked/naive hearts to direct our lives. This gets me to remember the words of my mum, which she spoke to me when I was a child; “learn to have a balance between your head and your heart. Do not use only one. ” I guess that was her way of quoting Prov 4: 23. It also gets me to remember this prayer I sometimes say when my heart starts to misbehave whether in love or anger; “Dear Lord, you said the heart of man is desperately wicked, so no one should trust it. Therefore, please give me the wisdom and help me to see what I am missing before I take this decision. ” Hmmm, I believe this is a reminder to apply more of my mum’s advice and to say more of this prayer if I want my now and future to be better.
I pause, open my notes app, and begin to journal…
Ah! I forgot to take a picture of my first morning in Lilongwe. I get out of bed, draw the curtains….hmmm, … I wish those buildings weren’t blocking the sunrise, but hey, there are trees to compensate for that. Portrait or landscape? Landscape won. Great! I can add it to this morning’s journal.
Now, back to the note app to complete this journal. Strangely, I just keep writing. Hmm….anytime I write in the moment, it is easier. It’s time to do more of that, then
Now, to go to the gym this morning or evening? Evening! And I make a mental note to honour it…