lead by example

How to make a positive impact in the world

How to make a positive impact in the world

“Thank you for being the sent one to do and show us how possible it really is to execute an idea- a God-given idea… This is so deeply encouraging, Nina, honestly…”

This was a message that I received from my good sis, Rebekah, shortly after coming back from hosting Media Magic…

(the luxury retreat that I held in Tulum, Mexico in July teaching business women how to get PR for themselves)

…and updating her on how well it went

A theme that I was surprised to see come up in many other conversations that I would go on to have with loved ones afterwards

Aside from being beautiful words (that still have me emotional even now), there are a few key take-aways:

Lessons from Samson's Mother on How to lead authentically

Lessons from Samson's Mother on How to lead authentically

In my most recent post, I talked about How to be a trailblazer

You can read it here if you missed it, sis

Of the 5 things that I mentioned, one of them was the fact that being a trailblazer often means going first or being the first

which may mean discrimination, isolation, discomfort; people questioning your validity and/or the validity of your vision until God vindicates you- just like Zipporah suffered.

Going first or being the first also means leading by example, which is something that we see through Samson’s mum

To summarise a previous post about her:

Lessons from Zipporah on how to be a trailblazer

Lessons from Zipporah on how to be a trailblazer

One of the many things that fascinates me about Zipporah, as told in Numbers 12, is that she was a foreshadow of what was to come

How?

Although she was not Hebrew by birth, her marriage to Moses grafted her in to their society and heritage (the blessing of Abraham) in the same way that Jesus’ death, resurrection and our faith in it has done for us

(just as Romans 11 explains in more detail).

In other words, Zipporah was a trailblazer

which is “a person who is a pioneer in any field or endeavour”

Because she blazed the trail that we, as modern women, would need to have fellowship with God.

Zipporah’s pioneer status also teaches us a valuable lesson about what it takes to be the change you want to see in the world and take a stand, as we’ve been talking about in the last few weeks i.e.

Lessons from Zipporah on how to be the change you want to see

Lessons from Zipporah on how to be the change you want to see

In my most recent blog post I talked about the importance of taking a stand with your messaging, even if it’s polarising

You can read that here if you missed it, sis

The truth is, though, that sometimes your presence can be polarising not just because of what you say- but who you are

Don’t believe me?

Just look at Zipporah

Number’s 12:1 is very explicit about the fact that “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married…”. In other words-

They disliked her, not because of the content of her character, but because she was a minority

The worst part?

Lessons from Miriam on why you need a platform to succeed

Lessons from Miriam on why you need a platform to succeed

One of my favourite experts on the topic of leadership is John Maxwell

Never heard of him, sis? You can access a lot of his teachings for free on YouTube, by just searching his name, as a starting as point.

Although one of his guiding principles is “leadership begins with self-leadership,” he also makes it clear that “If you think you’re leading, but no one is following…you are only taking a long walk”

In other words, sis, you need a platform to succeed as a (thought) leader and influencer, which is something that we see very clearly demonstrated through Miriam. For example…

Lessons from Jesus' Donkey on How to Overcome Insecurity and Get Visible

Lessons from Jesus' Donkey on How to Overcome Insecurity and Get Visible

If you’re looking for some quarantine viewing, sis, I would really recommend “20 Feet from Stardom” on Netflix

On the surface, it seems like a documentary on the music industry from the vantage point of (legendary) background singers. But, on a deeper level, it’s a really inspiring ensemble piece on grit, purpose and overcoming adversity.

One of my favourite quotes in the programme came from Dr. Mable John (former background singer to Ray Charles as part of The Raelettes):

“We as women need to know our worth. We need to know as women we’re important and I think the breakdown is when a woman doesn’t know who she is, and she settles for less. Check out your worth because you’re worth more than that”

A prime example of how we can carry out this awesome advice in our own lives is demonstrated really clearly in Matthew 21, which tells the story of the origins of Palm Sunday (today)

For example…

Lessons from Ruth on How to Find a Mentor

Lessons from Ruth on How to Find a Mentor

One of the things that I have mentioned quite a bit, in these last few weeks of studying Ruth, is that Ruth went from working in Boaz’ fields to owning them with him as his wife

She accomplished this feat through many different means and methods such as:

But, if you study the story properly, it becomes very apparent that the thing that really helped Ruth succeed was the mentoring that she received

Namely from Naomi (her mother-in-law)

This shows us, as modern women, how important it is that we seek mentorship too

Not sure how, sis?

We can take a leaf out of Ruth’s book in the following ways:

Lessons from Mary on How to level Up

Lessons from Mary on How to level Up

My word for 2019 was Luke 1:45

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Here’s a bit of context around that verse:

Earlier in that chapter (Luke 1), the angel Gabriel had appeared to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist- who just so happened to be Jesus’ cousin (Luke 1: 5-23).

By the time Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her about Jesus, Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother) was already 6 months pregnant; so Mary went to stay with her (Luke 1:26-38).

This one move on Mary’s part shows us, as modern women, how a God-given vision requires us to level up