ONLY BY HIS GRACE

So it just sank in me that today, 26th June, 2018, I Chikondi will meet her Majesty the Queen of England to receive my award. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to ensure I am awake and I am not just hallucinating the things that are happening around me. There is only one word that makes things clear for me “GRACE”. Growing up in a Christian home and of course making a personal choice to give my life in christ made me believe there is a God who does things on my behalf since i was young; I pray to him, I trust him but I never thought he could saw it fit for me to be one of the Queen’s Young Leaders. I always tell say I am a dreamer. I have weird dreams which to some might sound crazy and unrealistic but meeting the Queen was even not one of those unrealistic dreams. I could talk on and on about how undeserving I feel about this award but one thing is certain in my heart; I have a great God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ever ask for or imagine. For those people who know my life story or my childhood would agree with me that a lot of surprising things have happened in a short space of time. From growing into a confident woman, to being a person worth recognition. Yes, those who know me from my journey at Kambwiri F.P School in Salima have a lot to testify. Who would have thought that the poor little girl would one day travel even to the nearest country? Today, I was reminded of God’s promises and how they have always worked upon my life. Just to mention some, 1 Samuel 2:8 “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.” The verse is again repeated in psalms 113:7-8 which says “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump to seat them with nobles, with the princes of His people. The repetition itself shows emphasis on how serious God is about changing one’s seasons overnight. I feel like a Joseph for once in a lifetime who grew up as an ordinary young boy and later on emerged to be a great person. Yesterday I had a chance to talk to the secretary general for the commonwealth, Madamme Patricia Scotland, and I was amazed with what she had to share as words of encouragement to us. She talked about how she managed to rise as a Carribean woman in Europe. Her secret sounded so simple yet powerful. “God” as. She stressed on how she makes sure she always acknowledges “God’s grace” in each and every one of her successes. I tried to reflect on my life and realised that often times I forget to acknowledge him in little things which I feel like I can do easily. I realised it is even more hard to seek and acknowledge God when things are going right than when I am in tough situations. So I today I shout out loud to say I couldn’t have made it this far alone. “By the grace of God I am receiving an award and by this same grace, I am getting more blessings with full confidence that he who began the good work in me will bring it unto completion!!