My boys, aged 5 and 3, are constantly giving me compliments. “You look terrific Mum”! “I love your hair Mum!” “Ooh… You look so pretty Mum!” They sure know how to make a woman smile 
lol.. Their compliments are always so heartwarming, they seem so heartfelt and my heart always melts when I look at them excitedly showering me with praises. lol. Or should I say almost always heartwarming – once in a while, their compliments come suspiciously close to a request for something so I’m thinking hmm… thanks but hmm…. lol! Anyway, I digress .
I usually wear the same set of earrings every day. Sometimes when I am in the mood for something different or if it’s a special occasion, I will switch my earrings to a different set – to match what I am wearing. And at the end of the day, I will go back to my regular pair, the pair that goes with practically everything I wear 
.
That morning, I was wearing a sky blue and white top with one of my favorite pair of pants. Hubby had already left for work. The boys were all ready, waiting in the living room. I was in the bedroom finishing up, and I decided to put on a new set of earrings.
All done! As soon as I stepped out to meet the boys in the living room, the first thing they said was “I love your earrings Mummy!” “Thanks Guys!” I replied, laughing at how quickly they had noticed.
As we headed downstairs to the car, I thought about what had just happened. The boys giving me a compliment really didn’t come as a surprise – like I said earlier, it’s something they do regularly . They spend a lot of time with me, so it really wasn’t a surprise that they quickly noticed that I had changed my earrings that morning either. Just like they are quick to notice if my emotion changes in any way – Even when I don’t say anything, They often know when I am excited about something, When I am especially happy about something, When I am sad, When I am upset, When I have something on my mind, and yes, they know when I am wearing a new pair of earrings- even if it’s just a tiny little pair that no one else (other than hubby:)) will give a second look! They know me that well – and the reason is very simple – we spend a lot of quality time together, they pay attention to me, they communicate with me, and we share a lot with each other every day.
A lot of times we will pray – “Lord, I want to know you more.”… “I want to hear your voice”, “I want to do your will” etc. We sincerely desire to constantly get closer to God and to hear him speak to us. To have such a personal relationship with him that we know when he is speaking, and we know what he is saying. That we know when something changes. We know when we are going where we’re not supposed to go. We want to be sensitive to God; we want to keep growing, to keep getting closer to him.
I am certainly no expert (in fact, far from it!), but I can share my own “God experience” with you… Yes, I still have questions – including questions about certain things I discovered very recently. There are some things I still don’t understand – And I will not pretend that I do. But I am getting to know God more and more every day, and I can honestly tell you that the more time I have spent with God, the more I have sought him, the more I have honestly bore myself out to him… the closer I have grown to him. The more sensitive I have become to him. It has amazed me. It is almost kinda scary sometimes (not in a bad way though ).
Like I said a little while ago, one thing I know for sure is that God is real and His love for us is greater than what we can even fathom. There are things in life that seem to throw me in a loop sometimes. Questions I have. Some things don’t seem to make any sense. But one thing I know for sure – God is real, and His love is real. I can testify.
How do I get closer to God? How do I become more sensitive to him? I am not talking about spending hours every day praying and reading your Bible. I am talking about the simple things, for starters making out a little quality time to spend with God alone every day. Mentally and practically putting God first in all that you do. Talking to God honestly throughout your day. Your mindset will start to change and you will start to see results. I believe God longs to have an ever growing relationship with every single one of us, not just with certain people.
Here’s the Verse/Thought of The Day:
Jeremiah 31:3b “…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (NIV)
James 4:8a “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (AKJV)
Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (NASB)
And a few more verses I thought I should share:
Psalm 139:13 -14, 17 -18 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” (NIV)
Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
See More Bible Verses & Quotes On A Variety Of Topics
Have a wonderful day everyone – Remember – You are absolutely and definitely on God’s mind ! Are you smiling? Yes!:)! – I love your smile!:)!
Much Love & Blessings,
Bomi
Wow, isnt that just the truth. Without spending time with God, how will you get to know him.
It finally dawned on me couple of years ago that i can recognize Oprah’s voice without even looking at the TV. Yet we don’t know God’s voice when he talks to us.
A lot of grief and pain can be avoided if we spend time with God, learning to understand His ways and how He communicates with us.
God still talks to His children and we have to make time for Him.
It is a walk with God not a marathon with God. Any relation will take time to develop, give it some time and you will see and hear stuff that will blow your mind.
Every day I learn from the precious little angels God has blessed me with. They are here to teach us much more.
Bomi, well done. You are awesome.
I really enjoyed reading this. A blessing as always! Thanks Bomi for writing
Yeah… you’re very much on point.
We cannot get to know God if we do not spend quality time with him. Meanwhile, quality time does not mean hours. Most of those dead time we spend waiting in line, in the bus, on the sidewalk -they seem like ‘scrap time’ but they count for so much if spent meditating & talking to God. God is not asking us to resign our jobs to get close to him!
If we wanna know him, let’s dare to get close enough.
…And if we’ve been close in the past & have now drifted, let’s cast our heart back to the first love; there’s definitely something we’re missing!
God bless you, Bomi. You’ve written another life-changing piece.
@Buky – Exactly…and I love the Oprah analogy you used, I’m sure several people can relate to that lol!!! I also firmly believe that God still talks to us today. It’s not just stuff we read about that happened years ago…”Hearing God” is still very relevant today. Thank you for taking the time to share Buky, Thank you for your encouraging words too:). I know we will all keep learning, growing, hearing, acting on what we hear and learn… by his grace. Thank you:)!
@Titi – Thank you so very much Titi! Stay blessed:)!
@Olufemi – Love love love how you summarized it – Exactly!!! Quality time does not necessarily mean hours. & Indeed, God is not asking us to quit our jobs to get close to him…Thanks for reinforcing what we are saying here Olufemi! Thank you…and God bless you too:)!
you know Bomi : boys know how to give compliments1 they are so warm at that age and they always notice new hairdos and dresses too
Guess the lesson is to always appreciate the little things in life ….lots of love !!
Wow Bomi you really put things in perspective with this post, there are simply no short cuts to building a better relationship with God, we have to invest the time, in order to build a relationship period!
It is just like any human relationship we have on earth, were time spent is required. This brings to mind, how we are formed in God’s image, so our relationship with him is a reflection of how our human relationship should be. I like that verse from Jer 29 you posted. Thanks a lot babe.
I am just too impressed with your boys!!! wow….now i really have to book them for my niece oh!
Yet another amazing piece…it’s good to see that inspirations from God come from different angles…your children are great inspiration to you writings too. May the Lord bless them greatly in His wisdom. Well done!
@Tope – lol, I know what you mean!! They notice everything and are so sweet. I pray they remain that way as they get older – I pray that remembering to be nice and compliment others will never go out of fashion for them! Amen:)! lol!! And yes, always appreciating the little things in life – we can’t be reminded enough! Thank you much Tope:)! Lots of love to you and your family too:)!
@Grace – Absolutely! Love the way you put it – there are no short cuts, we simply have to invest the time, in this and in any other relationship we care about. It’s the simple truth. Lol!! Yes, please we are patiently waiting for that time to come – don’t forget lol! your niece is the sweetest ever:)! Thank you very much Grace=)!
@Oludayo – Thanks so much for the kind and encouraging words and prayers – Amen and Amen! Thanks for sharing, I’m very pleased to know it was good for you! Thanks a lot , Enjoy your evening!
Thanks, Bomi! I enjoyed this piece thoroughly, as it is one of the things I’ve been working on lately. I’m on the quest to hear God continually, but, more than anything, I would love to know his heart…what he is thinking. I keep praying to have the type of relationship Moses had with God, and God keeps reminding me that it is all about relationships – and he used this piece to remind me, yet again. Wouldn’t it be neat to know when God’s mood or countenance changes!
Interesting read. Well done. I love the Bomi smile 2!!!
So true! Remembering that we are made in His image and likeness and for His pleasure, should drive us to seek to know Him more daily.
Spending time with us, our children become more like us by the day. It is not different in our relationship as children of God (BTW your sons’ warm compliments are a pointer to the good job you are doing raising them, Bomi, thumbs up!)
So how do I know who I am, all He’s planned for me to be and become all He says I am, if I don’t know Him?
With a conscious effort we can develop a habit of talking to Him and seeking to hear Him about the tiniest details of our everyday activities.
Thanks for being a blessing Bomi!
@Ife – Thanks so much Ife:)! Very glad to know this was a helpful reminder for you…. it’s all about relationship… no short cuts, one step at a time:)! Thank you once again Ife! I hope you are having a great summer!
@Cee Won – Thank you!!! You should see me right now, I have a huge smile on my face haha!!! Many thanks, Enjoy the rest of your week=)!!
@Folashade – aww!:)! Thanks for the compliments haha!:)! And yes yes yes, thanks for that important reminder – the more time we spend with God, the more we become like him…it’s a natural occurrence. “So how do I know who I am, all He’s planned for me to be and become all He says I am, if I don’t know Him? ” – May we all always remember that, thanks so much for sharing that, as well as for reinforcing some simple ways of staying “in tune” with Our Father:)! Thank you very much:)!
Thank you Bomi.
Hello Bomi,
This was very refreshing for me as I am reminded about the importance of constantly working at my relationship with God. I loved your analogy with the boys as you illustrated the importance of being in God’s presence and spending quality time with Him. Thank you,
Love to your husband and the boys.
Jumoke Aderugbo.
Bomi,
As i read your post, it struck me that it is in the seemingly small moments that God uses to teach big lessons, as shown by your boys’ compliments and the lessons you were able to deduce from that.
If one is working for a boss for instance, one needs to understand how he works, what he likes, and how he wants the job done. Like wise, we need to study God to understand Him, and even realise it when He is leading us in a way that we are not used to.
I was truly inspired by your post and forced to re-think/re-examine my ‘relationship methodology’ with the Lord. The Lord bless you for sharing this, and bless all yours.
@Aggie – Thank you very much too….!:)!
@Sis Jumoke – Thanks so much for taking the time to read and also to share – really happy to hear you found this illustration practical and useful. Thank you very much. Much love to the entire family!
@Unyime-Ivy – Thanks so much for those very important reminders. Thanks for taking the time to break it down, may we keep growing, keep understanding, keep moving, even when “He is leading us in a way that we are not used to. “ Thanks so much Unyime! Much love & blessings to you and yours:)!
That was some word!!! thanks Bomi and cant wait to take my relationship with Him to another level!!!
mORE wisdom and pls keep it up
U are a blessing as always.lovely note Bomi
Bomi! Bomi! Bomi! how many times did I call you? lol! not for anything naughty dear but because this is so ON-POINT! as in APT!!!
Thank you dear for allowing God to use you. This spoke to me just right! as in you touched the right spot and scratched the right itch!
My heart is blessing the Lord for your right now!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
@Funmilayo – Amen to that, for all of us!! Thanks so much Funmilayo!:)!
@ Bunmi – Many many thanks, Very happy to hear this was good for you! Enjoy the rest of your week, God bless!
@Toyin – LOL!!! lol…. @ “touched the right spot and scratched the right itch”!!! That is tooo funny … I love it:)! aww but seriously – Thank God & THANK YOU:)!!!
As always, you’ve been a blessing. I pray God continues to inspire you and take you to greater heights.
The fact is the strength of any relationship depends on the quality of time we put in it. Our lives would be much better as you have pointed out if we actually spend that much time with our maker.
Thanks Bomi, for constantly simplifying all these seemingly unattainable status with our Lord.
Thanks Bomi for another of your incentive analysis, once more your word has struck a cord in my heart. If only I can spend all that time I spent in front of the TV watching things that do not add value to my life with Him.
Well May God help me!!!
@Yetunde – Amen, amen I pray the same for you and indeed for us all! I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment “the strength of any relationship depends on the quality of time we put in it. “ – Precisely. May we always remember to apply this truth in our lives, with God and also with others – family, friends etc. Thank you very much Yetunde!
@ Sis Seyi – Thank you for the encouraging words – I am glad. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful day!
@Titi – The great thing is we don’t even have to spend hours a day with God to get started getting much closer to him… just getting into the habit of setting aside a little time for instance in the morning when we wake up, and also getting into the habit of communicating with God throughout our days… YES God is there to help us!! Thanks a lot Titi!
Thanks Bomi, you are blessed..this is a word for now for me….this something that has been so heavy on me and in my thought for a while nw and trying to find a way round it putting in mind various wifey and motherhood factors(lol)…bt now u ve given insights that will really help..you are God sent…God bless you and increase you.lots of love.
one more thing…the link to d bible verses and quotes are just so wonderful..aint u a darling.more grease!!!
Thanx Bomi,
Your article is such a blessing! Here i am feeling guilty that i dont have enough time for God because of my tasking job. And you come up with this beautiful analogy using your precious boys. I am especially touched by the fact that we can relate to God on such a personal basis as to read His mood and all! Imagine.He isnt just some guy up there,He is so real and wants to be involved in every thing that concerns us.No matter how silly or trivial we think it is. Wow!
keeping close with God is necessary in our daily lives – not until when we r faced with the challenges of life. We need 2 keep close 2 God, Jesus Christ n the Holy spirit in all our steps..walk wit him 2 lead u thru, build a relationship wit him bcs we cn’t do it all alone.It reminds of a song….walk wit d Lord..he bids u journey wit him…..if u wnt 2 entr evrlastin glory jst walk walk ..walk wit d Lord.
Bomi u r blessed
@Nike – Trust me, I completely understand… I do. And I am very pleased to hear this has given you some insights into how to grow your relationship with God while doing all the important things you need to do:). Thanks a lot Nike!! My love to the family!
@Sofiya – Absolutely – I couldn’t agree more! He’s not just some guy up there – he wants us to come to him in everything and to be in communion with him…Thanks so much Sofiya!! I know we will all keep growing -in leaps and bounds:) – in our relationship with our Father!! Amen. Have a blessed day!
@Nikky – Thanks a lot for reminding us that we shouldn’t wait until we have great challenges before developing our relationships with God. And thanks for sharing the words of the song, Let’s keep walking with Him:)! Blessings to you and yours! Thanks!
Hey Bomi, the notion that children are the best teachers rings true again and again! We know more and become more like the person/people we spend time with. Many times, we are inclined to think we need some specially designed space and time to commune and have fellowship with God, but I have come to know that, in the middle of insane traffic on 3rd Mainland Bridge, as I back out of the house in the morning, as I receive phone calls about a struggling friend or her family or even read a news post on the internet, those are usually the best times to touch the Father’s heart, to open up to him and have Him love us back.
Abundant blessings on you Bomi and your household. Keep up the good work.
Hey dear
I havent been able to read ur stories for a while but today I did read some.
I think this is a great idea and a God given inspiration you always find a way to relate our everyday life to our personal relationship with God and I agree.Once a pastor told me to see my marriage as a rehearsal for our final destination which will be with God and once we succeed in it by his grace we would be a candidate for God. He said once your marriage isn’t going right you are doing something wrong never mind your partner’s excuses but yours.We all know how easy it is to blame issues on our partners and how difficult it is to keep a home except by his grace.
Love rom
sista miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, this is awesome . Freom the simple earrings compliments to our walk with God , you couldn’t have done it better. God bless you.
You know most times when i complain to God about issues in my life , how I really need Him to take steps and how am so backward when compared to my friends, He patiently keeps telling me this’ Draw near to me ,and I will draw near to you’. and most times i wonder.
But God is always true, if i spend more time with Him , I will know Him so well that even He is not talking , I can always rest assure that He’s at work and working everything out for my good.
Bomi, you are blessed and i keep praying to God that you will be stronger in Him.
@Titilola – yes, yes… yes! Anywhere, anytime, there is never a time that He’s not available to communicate with us! We don’t have to wait until we feel like we have a ton of extra time otherwise we find that years have gone by and we are still singing the same tune. Thanks so much for the kind prayers Titilola, Amen… and I certainly pray the same for you and yours as well:)! Have a wonderful weekend!
@Moromoke – I know what you mean! It’s so easy to blame everything going wrong in a relationship (marriage or otherwise) on the other person. But a lot of times, we have stuff we can absolutely work on too… I love the reminder that what we’re doing here is kinda like a rehearsal… certainly helps put things in perspective doesn’t it? Thanks a lot for sharing Romoke:)! Much love!!!
@Tolu – Thanks so so much… Every day, we will all keep getting more mature and much stronger in Him. Amen. Thank you Tolu! God bless you too:)!
yea God is real’
1st time here, i likey
Sometimes I can get caught up in this “micro wave” culture and want everything fast/instant. But just as my relationships with my husband, sons, and friends won’t work that way, neither will my relationship with God. Relationships really do take a time investment.
Hmmm, word. Thanks for sharing
@LG – Truly! Thank you for stopping by, it’s great to “see” you here!! Glad to know this was good for you. Hope to see you around again:)!
@Tracy – I know I can sometimes get really caught up in that too – Relationships take a time investment, unless we want to remain in the hello/hi stage forever….! Thanks a lot Tracy!
@Hexy – Thanks for reading!:)! Stay blessed…
Bomi,u r such an inspiration!getting to know Him more is the singular most important pursuit in life cos it holds the key to all else…thanks for sharing. we love u!
as, i read thru, it dawned on mii, have i really become closer to GOD as i want, am i appreciative of his ever faithfullness and love. thanks again for these words it really made me smile.
touching bomi.
thanks for the word of wisdom.
God bless you and ur family. regards to the boys.
touching bomi.
thanks for the word of wisdom.
God bless you and ur family. regards to the boys.
@Ada – I certainly agree:)!! Love you too Ada!… Thank you much much:)!
@Amarachi – I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read it. Have a great weekend…!
@Kay – Thank you very much – God bless you and all yours too:)! Enjoy… Thanks:).
thank bomi jolly ,more grease to your elbow
I can testify! More time with God brings more of Him into our lives… God bless you Bomi
Hi Bomi,
This piece made me smile indeed, it brought up nice memories, u see the more time one spends with anyone not even as closely as one’s children alwys cause u to know and learn more abt dat person unlike someone u see or relate with occasionally. Kids complements a great and mine makes me feel greater especially, my daughter loves making my hair, she looks for opportunities to c it rough and then picks her combs and brush to” dress” it with compliments all thru. Its nice to relate it to knowing God, thanks for making me see the link and how God loves our compliments-our praise.Love to the boys and dad.
Cheers
@Bayo – Thank you very much!
@Tola – Couldn’t agree more=)! Thanks a lot Tola – God bless you too:)!
@Lola – Exactly…! Thanks for sharing the story about your daughter, it reminds me of when I was little lol!! And thanks for that important reminder of how much God loves our compliments – our praise!! So true. Thanks a lot Lola! Much love to your family too!
hello Bomi,
it’s my first time here and this is very good.
boys admiring mum and our relationship with God.
there’s really no short cut to knowing God than to get closer to him.
God bless you greatly Bomi.
Thanks alot for this wonderful article I love it and it came at the right time. May God continually Bless you and give you many more inspiration.
Nice one sis!! Thanks for the reminder to talk to God all the time. I used to do that a lot too. This piece is a nice refresher and reminder! God bless you real good, and enlarge your territory… xxx
@Nike – Thanks so much for stopping by, glad your first experience was a good one, hope to see you around again:)! May we all keep getting closer to, never farther away from God… amen… Thanks Nike!
@Xty – So glad to hear you found it useful… thank you very much…and many thanks for your thoughtful prayers, I certainly wish you the same. Thanks a lot Xty!
@Toju – Pleeeease, let’s not stop, dear sis!:)! & God bless you too Toju!xxx