And yet, even there, God speaks

Have you been in Church for any length of time? If so, chances are you’ve heard a message based on 1 Kings 19 about how God speaks to us in a still small voice. But what if He also speaks to us from the whirlwind?!

In 1 Kings, we read how Elijah felt completely overwhelmed having experienced God’s mighty power at work, as He showed Himself to be the one true God. Jeremiah is threatened by Jezebel, and so Elijah runs away and hides. It’s here, in his brokenness, when He feels overwhelmed, God meets him:

Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.”

A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

1 Kings 19:11-12 – The Message

Sometimes, we do need God’s still small voice to whisper His love, His direction, His forgiveness, or His hope into our hearts. But, I think there are other times when we need God when things aren’t so still and quiet.

Which is why I love Job. He too encounters God, and He too knows what it is to feel overwhelmed with life. He literally lost everything he had.

Job describes how he feels like he has been flung around, like being like a storm, a tempest…
a whirlwind:

He batters me with a whirlwind
and multiplies my wounds without cause.

Job 9:17 – CSB

Have you ever felt like that? Where your life is being turned upside down by the sudden arrival of a whirlwind? This isn’t to say God causes us to be battered on a whirlwind… a reading of the earlier chapters of Job’s story shows us what happened. But I want to focus on the whirlwind.

A whirlwind is something which occurs suddenly, and very quickly, often without warning. It’s unstable, it’s destructive, it’s unpredictable. It’s noisy, it’s strong, it’s chaotic. It doesn’t just refer to a weather phenomenon. Maybe you’ve been in a situation which suddenly and without warning disrupted your life, and everything you thought was secure, changing the direction you move forward in? Or maybe met someone who you’d describe as being like a whirlwind, where they come into the office – for example – stir everything up, dump a load of stuff down, create all this chaos for the brief time they’re in, and then leave? I know I have… on both counts.

So, it intrigues me to know how God speaks to Job. It’s very different to Elijah, even though Job was feeling just as overwhelmed with life – he talks about wishing he’d never been born in chapter 3.

In Chapter 38:1 and 40:6 we see:

“Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.” (CSB)

“God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm.” (The message)

Job 38:1

So, very different! Imagine the sound of the rushing wind; the feeling of it as you try to hold on and not be blown over. How incredibly scary it must have been for Job to be in the middle of a whirlwind, and yet… even there, God speaks.

How fearful life can feel for us at times, and yet even there, God speaks.

How do we hear Him with all that chaos, all that noise and all that fear? We fall silent and let Him speak. We learn how to “be still” in spite of it all, and “know He is God.” (Psalm 46:10) God only started to answer Job, once he and his friends had finished their conversation.

But it isn’t easy when we feel overwhelmed at life’s sudden whirlwind moments. So, in those times, maybe, like Job we have to learn how to:

“lay my hand on my mouth…”

Job 40:4

Do we need to choose joy over happiness?

When I first started to explore life as a writer, I remember writing an editorial about the difference between joy versus happiness. I naively tried to say we should pursue joy, and not be so determined to focus merely on happiness. Oh what a sweet, young, fresh-out-of-uni, thing I was!

There is a difference between joy & happiness. And I think the pandemic has shown us the value of both, for bringing peace of mind, in each given day. Or maybe in another 20+ years I’ll write a different blog about how naive I am in this post!

Many people define joy as being on a par, or as being a synonym of happiness. Identifying it as an emotion, and something which is derived from our actions, our successes, or our situation. But, to an extent, I think I disagree. I don’t think the word “joy” is a synonym for “happiness”. I believe they are two distinct entities. They can work together; but being joyful is not dependent on us being happy.

Joy is something which I believe is within us. It is something we have, rather than something we attain. It is not dependent on how we feel – it is not a feeling. It is an attitude, an aptitude, a resolution we make, to dig deep and not allow the external pressures negatively impact.

As a Christian, I also know joy is one part of the fruit of the Spirit. It is a gift from God which grows within us, when we allow it to, from our seed of faith. How do we allow joy to grow? We water the seed by asking the Holy Spirit to be present in our day, so He can allow joy to be recognised in every situation. We water the seed by asking God to change the way we think about a situation, and to show us the joyful element, rather than focusing on the doom and disaster element we naturally think on. We water the seed by making the choice for joy to be our focus in the moment. We water the seed by centring ourselves – not on ourselves, but on God.

Don’t we?

Happiness is defined as the state of being happy. It is something we can achieve by actively pursuing acts which bring us a feeling of happiness. And there are so many books, podcasts, and programmes about how to be happy, to show it is a goal we all strive for. It’s a feeling. We feel happy when we know we’ve helped someone. We feel happy when we know we’ve done some good. We feel happy when we know we’ve produced a good piece of work, or made a customer smile, or receive praise from others. It’s a warm glow we have when it feels like all is right with the world.

To some extent, we can actively engage in activities which help us to feel happy – whether for a moment, or for a day. I know, because I’ve been participating in the Action for Happiness 10 day happiness challenge. It involves things like being out in nature, doing a random act of kindness, or taking a moment to step away from the computer when we feel stressed, to re-focus through mindfulness.

But, what if there was a perfect balance between joy and happiness. What if we can combine watering the fruit of the Spirit in our lives to produce more joy, with the sense of happiness we can achieve when we pursue those things which make us happy. What kind of impact would this have on our lives, as well as on the lives of those around us?

Is it possible to combine the two? Internal joy with external happiness? I believe so! I don’t think, as I naively did after finishing uni, it is a case of choosing joy over happiness. Instead, I believe it is a matter of allowing joy and happiness to bring a sense of balance to our daily lives. A life centred around God, being led by His Spirit, as we seek to carry out those activities which takes us beyond a challenging or stressful situation.

Or at least… I’m aiming to see if it is possible, in the way I live in 2021!

Are you too busy for God?

As the UK emerges from lockdown, I believe there is a clear message for many of us, around not becoming too busy for God, as we had been before March 23rd. It’s a simple message to hear, but potentially challenging one to implement. And it’s this:

YOU NEED TO MAKE ROOM

If you read my previous post, you’ll understand why I believe God is telling us we need to make room, based on the possibility He decreed this year to be a Shabbat Year. Because, if we’re honest, in making ourselves so busy, we ended up pushing Him out of our daily lives.

So, I believe there are three clear messages for three types of people who are in a relationship with Jesus. Where you fit, if you fit, is in your own personal reflection:

1. 1. To those who found other ways to handle your lockdown, and it didn’t include God, He says, “I created the space for you, but you filled it with other stuff. YOU NEED TO MAKE ROOM – clear out the junk. I can’t move in your life because you’ve crammed it with all this other stuff, and it’s in My way.
   2. There are others to whom God is saying, “I was hoping we could have used this time to reconnect. But you found other means to connect with the people you preferred to connect with. YOU NEED TO MAKE ROOM for me in your heart, as well as your day.”
   3. To those who are afraid and uncertain, God says, “I can see you have a lot going on, and you’re trying to handle it all… without Me. I want to help you. I want to guide you and give you the reassurance you seek, but, YOU NEED TO MAKE ROOM for me in your mind, as well as in your heart and in your day.”

 

The Shabbat Year

On Sunday 12th July, I was invited to speak at my Church’s online service  To hear the fill message, please visit the page here. Otherwise, please read and reflect on this overview. 

If you were asked to describe your lockdown experience, what kind of words would you use?

For me, it was a lockdown of two parts:

• PART ONE: Tears & tantrums, but I don’t need to elaborate!
• PART TWO: Recognising SHMITA

Literally, before lockdown had even started, I was already anxious about how I thought I would cope, living on my own! But, at some point in those early stages, my perspective changed. Instead of fighting against what was happening, I chose to see this as a God-given opportunity.

We already know God is not flustered by 2020. He knew about covid, and the global lockdown before the word pandemic was even thought up. He knew and wasn’t fazed, though we were thrown by what was happening. We already know God is more than able to calm the storm and still the chaos, and we know God has a plan and a purpose for our lives…. So, what if God ordained 2020 as your SHABBAT YEAR?

Shabbat is a Hebrew word which literally means:
A time to rest; to pause; to catch our breath and wait on God.

Before March 23rd, if your diary was anything like mine, it was busy. Packed with places to be, people to see, things to do, deadlines to meet. Time to pack for this conference, or that event… it wasn’t unheard of for me to have a couple of hours at home to unpack one suitcase, and repack for a different event. Or to come home from one trip, and go straight into another meeting.

• What was your normal?
• Do you look back and realise it was too much?
• Had you become a slave to your schedule, diary and other expectations, to the point you didn’t seem to have time to do the things you really wanted to do?
• Enslaved, in your own personal Egypt?

As lockdown lifts… are you planning to return to Egypt? Or has this caused you to reflect on what is actually important, and see there is a different way to live? If this is God’s ordained SHABBAT YEAR, will you go back to filling your time with everything except God, or His plans and purposes for your life?

Because there are some people reading this, who had dreams of things you wanted to do, the person you wanted to be, as you walked with God. But as you became busy with life, those dreams were packed away and put on a shelf, ready for “one day”.

There are others, and you know you’ve drifted from God. You’re not where you thought you would be. You started off the year, like every year, promising to pray more, read the Bible more, be braver as you followed what you believe God was leading you to do…. But then, life.

So, God, in His infinite grace, mercy, and love hit the pause button.

• You asked Him for more time to be with Him
• You asked Him for more time to do the things you think He has called you to do
• You asked him for the space to be able to find peace in Him

He heard. He responded. He hit the pause button and said, “OK. Let’s do this together. Come to Me, I can see you are weary, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 4:1 says, “While the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

Isaiah 40:31 says, “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…”

Hebrews 4:9 says, “So then, there remains a SHABBAT REST for the people of God. For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from His works as God did from His.”

Which is a reference to Genesis 2:1-3, “And on the seventh day, God finished His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…”

I heard a message earlier in the week, I think it was by Lisa Harper, and she described God resting like this: For six days, God had spoken. He had created the world, and everything in it, having spoken it into being. When you speak, you breath out. A lot. So, on the 7^th day, when God rested, He caught His breath. He literally took a deep breath in.

Sabbath is not a request. It’s a command. It’s one of the ten commandments, to be precise. What if you were to count all the weeks where you didn’t really take a Shabbat. Where you didn’t actually stop from your work, but kept going. How many days would you be in debt? So far, the lockdown is like just over two years in owed Shabbat.

When we see it like that, lockdown is no longer about the Government restrictions, or covid-19. It’s about being in obedience to God.

1 Samuel 15: 22 says, “…to obey is better than sacrifice…”

By disobeying God’s command to take a Sabbath rest, is to place ourselves above God. He made the Sabbath for us, not us for the Sabbath. Meaning, there is a benefit to resting from work, and catching our breath, just as God did.

Just as Jesus often did. He often withdrew away from the crowd by Himself. To pray, to spend time with the Father, hearing where He should go, or what He should do next. In those times, He was renewed, refreshed, strengthened and empowered.

The Bible also describes laws around the Sabbath Year, a Shmita (literally, seventh), when the land was supposed to rest. For the Jewish people, Shmita wasn’t about sitting around doing nothing. Whilst it is an agricultural requirement, people use the time they would normally spend working, doing those activities they don’t have time to do:

• To connect with God
• To spend time with their family – extended, not just immediate – and friends.
• To study – not just the Scriptures, but for personal development too
• To develop their skills/talents/giftings
• To do those things around the house which never seem to get done.

So, part two of my lockdown, became my Shmita. I focused on developing my skills as a writer, both professionally, by completing my CPD points, and personally, by entering competitions. I built a sofa out of pallets for the garden, and tackled other areas to make it an outdoor room. I updated my bedroom; and started to enjoy being at home.

• WHAT IF God has a new skill He wants to develop in you?
• WHAT IF He wants to stir up a new gifting?
• WHAT IF He wants to give you a deeper revelation of Himself, through the study of His Word?

As we walk into a new season. A season of freedom, after restrictions are lifted, or going back to normal, however you want to see it, let me leave you with these questions:

• How will the rest of your Shabbat Year look?
• Will you return to a life enslaved to business?
• or will you start to enjoy Shabbat Rest with God?

Help my unbelief

On Sunday 10th May, 2020, I had the honour of sharing a message through my church’s online service. I have since received many messages from people saying it was exactly what they needed to hear. As well as requests for me to put something in writing. So, here is a condensed blog based on what I said. If you want to have a listen, click here.

Mark 9: 21:24
So Jesus asked [the father], “How long has this been happening to [your son]?” And he said, “From childhood. And often [the spirit] has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

I love the simplicity of this prayer, in verse 24: With tears in his eyes, the man said to Jesus, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!”

A prayer for Christians, in the middle of all this craziness
For me, last week was a tough week. Bad news hit, one day after another, for three days in a row. Two people I’d worked with, and someone I was in the middle of writing about, had died. And in between, we heard a friend of mine had a stroke. This all following the deaths of two others I knew in the preceding weeks. These things hit me, like tidal waves. One after another. And, I was left reeling.

But in the middle of it all… This verse:

“Lord I believe;
help my unbelief!”

So, I see this being the prayer of a believer. The first part says as much – “Lord, I believe.” For those of us who are Christians, our problem is not that we don’t have faith in God.

But often we can become overwhelmed by our situation.

We present them to God: God, look at this mess! Look at what is happening right now! Look at what I am facing! God, please, just take a look. Have compassion on us. Have mercy on us. What is happening right now? I don’t understand!

We know He is God.
We know He can fix it.
We know He is in control.
We know He is still on the throne.

But, all we can see is a huge mess.

So, yes… Lord… Although I believe in YOU.
Have you seen what is happening right now?

I believe YOU ARE GOD
I believe there is NOTHING You cannot do!
I believe the storm can be stilled
I believe You are the God who heals
I believe you bring peace I don’t understand, in spite of what is happening
I believe the battle is Yours, and You will fight for me, and my family

But Lord…. Help my unbelief.
Because what I can see, doesn’t match what I believe, right now.

Step one: Stop looking around!
Although we can’t see how this can change, we believe God can do it. Because this is what faith is! Believing something be true – the evidence of what we can’t see, yet (Hebrews 11:1).

Romans 8:24-25: …hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

And then we remember the past

Because we are human, we also tend to look backward, at our past failings and disappointments, presenting these to God, along with the current mess.

Lord, remember when this person prayed for my situation, and nothing changed.
Lord, remember when someone gave me that word from You, but nothing happened.
Lord, remember when I cried in the middle of the night because my life had gone so wrong.
Remember when I lost that job, remember when I didn’t get that promotion, remember when I had that accident, remember when I wanted a child, remember when I became ill. Remember, Lord? Remember???

Lord… I do believe.
In You.

You who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it
You who saw me before I even took my first breath
Your who breathed Your very breath into my lungs
You, who with one touch, can heal.
You, who with one word, can turn any situation around.
You, who by the Power of Your Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead
Who by the same power gives us life. In abundance.
You, who knows what I need before I even ask you

But right now, I need You to help my unbelief.
Because I am weak.
I have been weakened by my past disappointments.
I’ve been weakened by people who said they spoke for You.
I’ve been weakened by unanswered prayer from my past.

Step two: Stop looking backward!
We know who God is, and we know He has worked in our lives in the past. Instead of focusing on the times when we didn’t see an answer to prayer, it’s time to focus on all those times He did.

Lord, remember when you blessed me last week.
Remember when you answered that prayer.
Remember when you showed how much You care through the kindness of friends and strangers.
Remember when you healed me.
Remember when you healed my friend.
Remember when You rescued me that time
Remember when You turned my life around.
Remember then, Lord?

And then we doubt we’re good enough for God to help us

Just like the father in this passage, we hesitantly ask Jesus, “if you can do anything…” And then we might soften it a little, unsure of whether we can directly ask for what we really want: “…have compassion on us and help us.” (V22)

Jesus I believe… in You… But do I always believe you are willing to help me?
In this, Lord, help my unbelief.

This is when Jesus asks of us, just as He did of the child’s father: If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

There is a difference between faithlessness and when we have allowed our faith to become limited – for whatever reason.

A few years ago, a friend of mine bought me a necklace with a tiny mustard seed in it. It is a beautiful reminder for me, that I don’t always need to have big faith. And when my faith isn’t as big as it could be, that’s OK. But, I am also grateful God’s stepping into my situation, or the problem, is not dependent on how much faith I have. He just says, “If you CAN believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Step three: Stop looking inward!
When we know who we are, and who God is, we don’t need to be shy about asking God for help. We have a boldness to approach Him about anything, knowing He will hear us and He will help us. Kids don’t hesitate in asking for things. So, if we are truly children of God, why do we hold back, thinking we are unworthy of His help, or attention?

Hebrews 4:16 “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

In conclusion…

So, instead of looking around, backward, or inward, we need to look up. Away from the problem, away from other people, and away from our flaws or what we think needs to happen. Looking, instead, to the One who gives life.

Our belief in God Himself may be unwavering. This is the one thing we are sure of in all this craziness. That we have a God, who loves us, who saved us, who forgives us and has an eternal future awaiting us.

And so, because we really do know the character and nature of God, this is why we can say, with true conviction, sometimes with tears in our eyes, 

“Yes! Lord I do believe;
this week, I ask, please help my unbelief! Amen!”

 

Wait? I’m not sure if I do believe!

If you can’t yet say, “Lord, I believe”…  Here is an invitation for you:

In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says:
“This commandment that I’m commanding you today isn’t too much for you, it’s not out of your reach. It’s not on a high mountain… And it’s not across the ocean… No. The word is right here and now… I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life… And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself…”

If this is where you are at, here is a prayer for you:

Lord I want to believe;
but help me in my unbelief! Amen!”

 

 

Is it possible to laugh without fear of the future?

The image above, is of a picture I have hanging in my stairway. I pass it everyday. I have the same phrase in a framed word art in the hallway. I see it every time I walk through the front door. “She laughs without fear of the future.”

I don’t know about you, but in life, I’ve experienced times when it feels like my laugh has been silenced. And I’ve feared what the future holds, because the future is uncertain. I guess that’s why so many people get sucked into fortune tellers and horoscopes.

It’s hard when you can’t see what is happening, or going to happen. When you can’t work out how something will transpire, because it feels like everything is against your deepest desires. Or when you’re in the middle of a storm, and your future feels like it’s just going to be more of the same. How can you even think about laughing, let alone not be afraid?!

The two actions, are not mutually exclusive. I don’t think. I have experienced an intensely dark fear of the future, which stole the laugh within me. There have been times when I am unsure, though not afraid, of how the future can be better than the present, and am able to laugh in the face of it. And there are times I am afraid of what the future holds, yet still can laugh.

Not because it doesn’t bother me. Or it doesn’t bother you. I think that’s the mistake people make: if someone is laughing, then everything must be ok. Right? But actually, they might be hurting, crying or desperate inside. How can someone be afraid, and be laughing at the same time? It goes against normal human behaviour.

It comes down to one thing, for me anyway. While my future clearly isn’t going to be what I imagined it to be ten, twenty years ago; neither will it end up how I had resigned it would be, five years ago. And whilst I can’t see how it can possibly change, as I look through my flawed vision; when I look back retrospectively, I couldn’t have envisioned how life has turned out, compared to a year ago. It’s down to the One who has my future worked out.

This is what causes someone like me to laugh without fear of the future. Uncertainty, I have. Doubt, I have. Fear….. I have. And yet through it all, I won’t allow my laughter to be stolen from me.

Who is God…

Who is God?

To some people, He is nobody.
To others, He is this elusive Being Who is judgemental, controlling, angry and oppressive.
To some He is distant, and not really bothered about what happens to you.
To others He is the One who holds life in His hands…both the good and the bad.
To others He is this floaty, cloudy, Santa Claus who will make everything perfect…if only we had enough faith.
To some, He is there for others but not for them because they’re not good enough.
To others, He is a killjoy who doesn’t want you to enjoy life, at all.
I can go on….

How people form their understanding of God, is based less on Who He really is, and more on the perceptions formed of Him, according to the actions and behaviour of those who allegedly represent Him.

• For someone who was abandoned by their father, trying to relate to a God Who is like a father, who cares like a parent, and all we imagine a parent to be, this doesn’t relate. So God becomes distant.
• For someone who feels rejected by parents, family, friends for whatever reason – whether real or perceived – God is just another person Who will potentially reject you, if you don’t live up to expectations.
• For someone who has been in any kind of abusive, controlling relationship, God becomes this controlling being who will torment you, play games with you and generally not mean what He says.
• For someone whose marriage wasn’t what they expected, for whatever reason, trying to relate to God as like the lover of the soul, the “husband” who will never leave or forsake you, becomes another distant fairytale.

You get the picture, right? We try to understand an incomprehensible God, based on the people we know, have come into contact with, or experienced. We try to understand God according the limitations of our humanity, and box Him in by what we think we know.

So who is God?

While it is true Christians are supposed to be “Ambassadors for Christ”, are supposedly “being transformed into the likeness of Jesus”, and are “made in His image”, more often than not, even we Christians are not good representations of Him. Sometimes, we get it wrong. Sometimes, we understand God wrong ourselves. Sometimes, we don’t even know Who He is and have our own agenda. Sometimes, we like the idea of the God who makes dreams come true, so we lie about life, in order to present Him in a “better” light. Sometimes, we don’t care if we really represent Him or not, as long as we make ourselves look good.

I’ve been in church for over 40 years. Been around “Christians” for over 40 years. I’ve met many who have inspired me to become an even better version of myself, because of the depth of the relationship they have with Jesus. But…I have also met wolves in sheep’s clothing. Those people who are in the church, but not of the church. Some with titles, some without titles. Some of whom have given me a “check in my spirit” immediately. Some for whom the “red warning flags” weren’t as visible – or maybe I just didn’t want to see them.

But…. Who is God?

He is not Who we sometimes portray Him to be.

His nature, His character, Who He is – this is all revealed in the Scriptures….. and yes, I do mean the Old Testament as well as the New. God isn’t some vengeful, angry controlling being in the first part of the story. Who He is becomes clear when we understand Him from His Word first, and from others second. Like Jesus said, “You have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

It is this which then allows the Holy Spirit to bring a “check in your spirit” when someone tries to present God in a particular way, and it doesn’t “sit right”….because it isn’t right if it goes against what you really know of Who He is according to the Scriptures. The Bible tells us to “test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

We’re living in the end times. Of this there is no doubt. So when people start saying, “God is here.” or, “God is there.” or, “We can only be in a certain place, if we expect God to show up.” remember this:

“If anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or, ‘There He is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs, and false prophets will rise up….so as to deceive….even God’s chosen ones.” (Matthew 24:23-24)

While I was reflecting on Who God is, this is what I was asked, and I will leave it with you, at the beginning of a New Year:
“Who is God? Who do YOU say that I AM?”

From Failure Comes Accomplishment

There’s nothing like feeling a failure for completing something which had been beyond you previously. Do you know what I mean? It gives you a little extra edge, a bit more fight, a bigger desire for success.

The beauty of it is… the failure doesn’t necessarily have to relate to the task.

Tonight I completed one of the “fitness” routines I do in the privacy of the front room…where no one can see me, and no one can laugh when I lose my balance or can’t kick as high as the people showing me what to do! For weeks I have huffed and puffed my way through it… oh the delight of being a writer and sitting all day! Without a dog to take for long walks… I’m sure that must be simpler! 

Tonight was also when I felt intense frustration at what “life” currently looks like, and somehow my sense of utter failure at “it” thus far, was the catalyst for finally completing the routine without needing to pause – for a drink of course!

The two are unrelated, and yet somehow, they came together in a moment of self-accomplishment. When we try to create boxes, or compartments for dealing with life, inevitably there’s spillage. And one area starts to impact on another. We see it with stress all the time. The impact of stress on the body, on the spirit and on the mind is often a spill-over from something which we have attempted to box away. For whatever reason.

• Maybe it’s too much to deal with?
• Maybe we can’t see a solution, so it’s better to hide from it?
• Maybe the answer seems way out of our reach?
• Or we compare it to others’ situations and think we are being too sensitive, too dramatic, too selfish?

The problem is, when we need to deal with stuff… it doesn’t stay neatly boxed away for a more convenient time. It spills out. Because the more you try to hide from it, the bigger it grows.

I remember when I was waiting for test results from a lump I’d found, my hair fell out in clumps. I also remember when I was in the middle of an abusive relationship, my stomach was permantatly knotted with anxiety and food was a forced necessity rather than enjoyable.

Instead of boxing, and hiding away that “stuff” you don’t know how to handle, find someone who will help you unpack it…either a good friend or a professional. Use one area of life you’re not sure about, to be a catalyst for success in another area.

I know it won’t happen overnight. Tonight is a one-off. And the feeling of failing in life hasn’t just dispersed because I succeeded with a routine. But I feel better than I did before, and know that just as with the small things, God will get me through the big things too. Some of the other boxes I’ve hidden away will need to be pulled out and sorted through – which, like a spare room in a new house, is a much longer project! But when the spare room is finally clear of boxes, the sense of achievement will be much greater.

Unwarranted Forgiveness

Forgiveness. An aspect of human nature which can be easily demanded, harder to be implemented. Especially when someone has done something, or said something and they don’t even realise the effect it’s had on you. 

A flippant comment,

A judgemental word,

A word that cuts deep into your heart,

A message which threatens to steal your peace,

A conversation which lacks understanding.

It is in these moments when forgiveness needs to be extended, way beyond our human comprehension of what forgiveness is, and touching the true forgiveness we receive through Jesus, “while we were yet still sinners”. Even before we knew we needed forgiveness to be given to us, Jesus gave it. 

So don’t hang on to something someone said to you flippantly. They have already discarded the conversation from their memory. Unless you challenged them there and then, they won’t even realise they have hurt you, caused you pain, or hit that place God is ministering to.

Some might argue, “That’s because God is working through them to minister in you.” Sure, sometimes that happens. But my God isn’t One Who intentially causes pain or hurt. He is a God Who heals. 

Having someone pressing on a bruise isn’t God’s way to bring healing. 

Having someone negatively remind you of what you’ve had to carry, isn’t God’s way to bring healing. 

Causing you to feel condemned or judged isn’t God’s way to bring healing. 

If you are needing to be challenged in an area of life you refuse to deal with or are clinging to, is different to living with something to which there seems no end. Faith rises way beyond the situation you are in. Hiding from your pain, and working through your pain are both reactions to your situation. But if you are hiding, expect God to walk through the garden of your life asking, “My child. Where are you?” Because He wants to restore, He wants to revive, He wants to heal. He doesn’t want you to hide away from the burden, the pain or the heartache. He wants you to feel the fear, or feel the pain, and trust Him anyway. Have faith in Him anyway. 

No one can understand the journey you’re on, but God.

No one has the healing you desire, but God.

No one can really say the right thing at the right time….except for God.

So if someone says something out of their ignorance of your pain, don’t hold unforgiveness against them. Forgive and let God do what He needs to do in the middle of it all. This is unwarranted forgiveness. This is the very nature of Who God is, in Whose image we are made.

Time To De-Clutter

I’m reading a lot at the moment about “de-cluttering” your life, and it’s not even by choice! Whether it’s through the challenge of a friend, in books I currently seem to be drawn to, and random articles in magazines…. do you ever feel like God is trying to tell you something?!

My dad, who I kinda take after to an extent, is a bit of a hoarder. By a bit – I mean a total! I’ve not reached the same level as him, and as competitive as I am – I will never try to! But last year, when I emptied all I had into boxes – things I wanted to keep and things I wanted to get rid of, it was quite a liberating experience. I realised some of what I was boxing up to throw, weren’t as important to me as I’d once thought.
I’ll be glad to get into my new place, and empty out the boxes I still have taped up from last year, while I lived in the TP. It begs the question though: If I’ve not brought it out of the box for over six months – do I really need it???

De-cluttering is not just about sorting through the physical stuff our lofts, spare rooms, and cupboards are filled with. De-cluttering is about getting rid of the stuff which is grabbing our attention, filling our mind-space, and holding our emotions to ransom. This is all part of the journey I am on. Working out what are real priorities. What really belongs in my future? What do I really need to give my time and attention to? 

Hopefully as I make steps to rebuilding my life, I’ll make strides towards de-cluttering in every sense of the phrase, and take back control of my life!