STEPPING OUT OF YOUR TERRITORY

A Territory is an area that one person, group, animal etc considers as their own and defends against others who try to enter it. A territory can be likened to your home, a town, country and immediate environment.

            Stepping out of your territory is leaving your immediate environment, your home or country to another different location/ place entirely. Many times, stepping out of one’s territory could mean danger for the person in question. Before you can step out of your territory, you must be fully guarded or prepared to face the challenges outside your territory.

            Our territory is always the safest place to explore all our characteristics. As a young lady who grew up in a disciplined home, you see other young ladies in your school and you ask yourself “why am I different, why can’t I be like them”. Your parents do not allow you visit friends, you are not allowed to expose your body, you are restricted from watching certain TV stations and you keep asking yourself “why am I being treated like a stranger in my home”. Your brothers’ question every guy they see around you, you are to always observe your quiet time, your phone is always checked and you are always being monitored. You feel you need some space.

            Guess this was exactly the way Dinah, the daughter of Jacob in the Bible felt and then she went out to see the daughters of the land and she got raped by the son of Hamar (shechem). I am very sure, she liked what the other daughters of the land were doing and she wanted to make friends with them, she left her territory (father’s house) and got raped in the process.

            Many young ladies out there have fallen victim of so many unheard situations because they left their territory. For instance, a lady who left her territory to visit a 2go friend and was ganged rape by five men.

            Stepping out of your territory is very dangerous. There is time for everything. A lady should only step out when she is ready and fully guarded. When men are going to war (stepping out of their territory) they guard themselves with Armour and shield so they won’t get wounded in the process of fighting. How guarded are you? Even within your territory, you need to guard yourself….

            You can guard yourself by setting some rules and not going against it, do not get carried away easily, know the kind of company you keep, do not trust every one completely because they might be a threat. Do not step out of your territory unless you have been fully guarded. Do not visit unknown men because you want to make friends, if at all you have to go, go with someone reliable, do not choose the wrong company of friends because you don’t want to be intimidated, build your self esteem.

            Finally, I urge you my fellow ladies and sisters do not step out of your territory until you are fully guarded. I LOVE YOU ALL