The sum of me is not defined by the furniture I own, the car I drive, the clothes I wear or the money in my bank account.
No.
The sum of me is defined by what comes out of my heart.
Paul tells us "Your beauty should not come from your outward adornment, such as the wearing of fine clothes, gold jewellery and braided hair, instead it should come from your inner self, the unfading beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit which is of great worth in God's sight.' 1 Pe 3:3-5
It is very simple.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind...
Ask yourself - when I look at my friend who does not fit the typical ideal of beauty.. what do I see?
Do I see what she sees? - Her fat rolls? Her scars? He big nose? Her ears? Her crooked teeth? Her weird toes?
No. When we look at the people we love, we see the whole picture, the sum of them. The only things we would pick out, are the things that come out of their hearts.. When they open their mouth.
This is a lesson for us. To stop wishing we were something or someone else, and come to terms with the fact it is what we put into our hearts and minds that make up our beauty. Perhaps we should concentrate more on our thinking then on our appearance.
Food for thought.
Let's walk together in this valley and encourage each other along the way. In my blog, I share a few of my own thoughts and experiences as I navigate this life's journey. I am not a professional writer and I certainly do not promote anything other than my own life lessons, If they can benefit you, great! If not please pass by peacefully.
Thursday 15 May 2014
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Is It The Thought That Really Counts??
If it is truly the thought that counts, then who does it make feel good?
Obviously not the recipient, as they never knew you were thinking of them.
Therefore it must be the person thinking the thought - it satisfies them that they spent a little time thinking about another person, which in fact makes the thought counts for nothing except a self-focused good feeling..
Have I lost you yet?
Proverbs 31:27 "She watches over the affairs of her household, she doesn't eat the bread of idleness".
The Bread of Idleness is mostly interpreted as she is not lazy.
When we took a closer look at this as a group, we found another challenging thought.
Bread is a substance that when eaten it satisfies us, fills us up and makes us tired from the carb intake.
Idleness as an action is like a car being perpetually warmed up but never actually going anywhere. And in turn wearing out the engine and using up all the energy.
Put the two together and we have a person who is satisfied with the thought of doing something, but never actually getting around to doing it, because the thought of it has already worn her out.
When applying practical examples, we looked at:
- making a meal for someone, starts with a thought and a good feeling but often stops there.
- Saying we will pray for someone, walk away and the thought is gone.
- Hearing that someone is struggling and thinking we will go and spend time with them - we just never get around to it.
- Fulfilling a need for someone, but never actually getting the 'thing' to them when they need it.
The list goes on of course.. It is the simple act of putting other people before yourself.
I know a lady who thinks of other people all the time, she would just turn up on the doorstep with something she just saw and thought of me, so she bought it for me. Mary did this for every woman in the Church, never a day went by when you didn't hear of someone else being blessed by her.
She never ate the bread of idleness. That is the sort of woman I want to be - an excellent woman. I do not want to be self-absorbed like so many women... it is all about them. My focus is on what I can give, or do for others... Like the Mary I know, I want to be constantly mindful of how I can build another up and spur them on to love and good works, setting myself at naught.
This study was very challenging and i hope you enjoyed me sharing it with you.. now what your ears have heard and your eyes have seen... put this to practice and go love another.
May your cup be full to overflowing..
Obviously not the recipient, as they never knew you were thinking of them.
Therefore it must be the person thinking the thought - it satisfies them that they spent a little time thinking about another person, which in fact makes the thought counts for nothing except a self-focused good feeling..
Have I lost you yet?
Proverbs 31:27 "She watches over the affairs of her household, she doesn't eat the bread of idleness".
The Bread of Idleness is mostly interpreted as she is not lazy.
When we took a closer look at this as a group, we found another challenging thought.
Bread is a substance that when eaten it satisfies us, fills us up and makes us tired from the carb intake.
Idleness as an action is like a car being perpetually warmed up but never actually going anywhere. And in turn wearing out the engine and using up all the energy.
Put the two together and we have a person who is satisfied with the thought of doing something, but never actually getting around to doing it, because the thought of it has already worn her out.
When applying practical examples, we looked at:
- making a meal for someone, starts with a thought and a good feeling but often stops there.
- Saying we will pray for someone, walk away and the thought is gone.
- Hearing that someone is struggling and thinking we will go and spend time with them - we just never get around to it.
- Fulfilling a need for someone, but never actually getting the 'thing' to them when they need it.
The list goes on of course.. It is the simple act of putting other people before yourself.
I know a lady who thinks of other people all the time, she would just turn up on the doorstep with something she just saw and thought of me, so she bought it for me. Mary did this for every woman in the Church, never a day went by when you didn't hear of someone else being blessed by her.
She never ate the bread of idleness. That is the sort of woman I want to be - an excellent woman. I do not want to be self-absorbed like so many women... it is all about them. My focus is on what I can give, or do for others... Like the Mary I know, I want to be constantly mindful of how I can build another up and spur them on to love and good works, setting myself at naught.
This study was very challenging and i hope you enjoyed me sharing it with you.. now what your ears have heard and your eyes have seen... put this to practice and go love another.
May your cup be full to overflowing..
Thursday 6 February 2014
What's in a story...
Walking through a Nursing Home, I am confronted with the degradation of mankind when they near the end of their life's journey.
A reality that hits me when I see humans lying in an empty state of mind, lonely and unattended to - I find myself at times not wanting to engage with them either by eye contact or vocally because I don't have enough time to just sit and listen - this makes me feel sad and guilty.
What are they thinking?
How do they feel about it all?
Do they have people who have forgotten them, are their people too busy?
Perhaps they can't face the reality of the futility of life. The thought that this will be me someday certainly leaves me dismayed.
Though I must say.. as I sit here in my lounge room tonight with my parents, and my Father talks of all the things he has in his shed, it occurs to me that everything we own has a story and this story is a part of us. To give it all up and be thrown into a nursing home with nothing to remind of others, this must be heart breaking and scary for the elderly.
I consider all the things in my home and realise that if you would walk with me for a little bit and allow me to share, then I could tell you a story behind every single item in my house.
I am not a hoarder by any means, I am a minimalist, however I do have some extremely beautiful friends & family who have given me gifts over the years, each gift comes with a story which reminds me of how much I am loved.
Have you ever studied the 5 Love Language books? I always thought my love language was 'acts of service', but as I am getting older I am thinking that it may be 'gift giving'; I seem to display the gifts given to me in a way where I can stop and admire them whilst remembering the person who gave it to me and how special they made me feel by loving me this way.
It dawned on me that everything tells a story... every photo I have up, everything from the little angel on my piano to the chandelier hanging in my dining room that my Mother gave me... there is a story there.
How sad it is that we are too busy to listen or be interested in others... This has definitely been a lesson for me, to not place MY value on another persons story, but to try to learn to place their value on it. After all, that is compassion isn't it?
Jesus listened.....
Be challenged and be blessed.
A reality that hits me when I see humans lying in an empty state of mind, lonely and unattended to - I find myself at times not wanting to engage with them either by eye contact or vocally because I don't have enough time to just sit and listen - this makes me feel sad and guilty.
What are they thinking?
How do they feel about it all?
Do they have people who have forgotten them, are their people too busy?
Perhaps they can't face the reality of the futility of life. The thought that this will be me someday certainly leaves me dismayed.
Though I must say.. as I sit here in my lounge room tonight with my parents, and my Father talks of all the things he has in his shed, it occurs to me that everything we own has a story and this story is a part of us. To give it all up and be thrown into a nursing home with nothing to remind of others, this must be heart breaking and scary for the elderly.
I consider all the things in my home and realise that if you would walk with me for a little bit and allow me to share, then I could tell you a story behind every single item in my house.
I am not a hoarder by any means, I am a minimalist, however I do have some extremely beautiful friends & family who have given me gifts over the years, each gift comes with a story which reminds me of how much I am loved.
Have you ever studied the 5 Love Language books? I always thought my love language was 'acts of service', but as I am getting older I am thinking that it may be 'gift giving'; I seem to display the gifts given to me in a way where I can stop and admire them whilst remembering the person who gave it to me and how special they made me feel by loving me this way.
It dawned on me that everything tells a story... every photo I have up, everything from the little angel on my piano to the chandelier hanging in my dining room that my Mother gave me... there is a story there.
How sad it is that we are too busy to listen or be interested in others... This has definitely been a lesson for me, to not place MY value on another persons story, but to try to learn to place their value on it. After all, that is compassion isn't it?
Jesus listened.....
Be challenged and be blessed.
Friday 10 January 2014
With Each Pen Stroke..
The Author & Perfecter
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
So Jesus is the Author & Perfecter.. do you believe that?
If in fact He is the Author, let us consider for a moment what an author does.
They ponder, search, create, invent, dictate, formulate.. then when they have the full picture (including the ending) in their own head and heart, that's when they put pen to paper and follow the creative flow... always feeling what they write, looking at every angle and penning something from nothing to formulate a story which will be intriguing, fulfilling, awe inspiring and at times climatic and breath taking.
As the Perfecter He rubs out the mistakes, and re-writes it in a new interesting way, bringing life to the story until it is finished.
Our life is our story; our Lord holds the pen that forges the next chapter, the next defining pen stroke of what is 'me'.
Each time I put my foot out in front of me, or open my mouth, or turn my head and lift my eyes.. it was written.
When I was created, my author gave me free will to write my own story, but it kept failing to meet even my own standard of excellence! It gave me temporary pleasures and though it touched the lives of others, it always ended in depression and disappointment for myself.
Through taking my eyes off myself, out of my own head space and away from my 'all-consuming' heart thoughts, and lifting my eyes up with an acknowledgement that my creator can do it better - I find the story gets deeper, richer and far more effective in it's purpose.
I choose to fix my eyes on Him and allow the pages of my life to be re-written.
The moral of the story - our story - is in the fixing of our eyes......
All too often we drop our eyes for a moment to see where we are placing our feet, forgetting that when we do so, we surely stumble until we are fixated on Him yet again.
Then, without thinking, we do it again... and again...and again. It is almost like our spirit has alzheimer's disease.
How to fix our eyes on Jesus...
It is not as hard as we make it out to be - read His word in the Holy Scriptures, take time to pray and be in His presence alone, and don't forget to fellowship with like minded people. We were never created to be alone, in fact God said it is not good for man to be alone.. so fellowship, share your heart with others and share in their lives.
Walking out your journey with the Lord Jesus is the body of a perfect story line, the resolution or ending is the best part of all.
I hope your cup is full to overflowing - if not then get back in His Word...
Thursday 2 January 2014
A New Hobby
Life as we know it is short! It comes - it goes. Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest..
Can you honestly say that you are enjoying your life? Filling it with new experiences that come along the journey? Doing everything at 110% - Being excellent in all that you do?
I don't want to waste this life. I realise I am half way through it and give a lot of my time to my children and other people.. sometimes in fact, I get to a point when I realise I have lost myself for a bit and then I work at getting me back by spending time doing something I love - like painting or sewing and craft.
One morning I got up early and took some photos.. they turned out beautiful! It was something I had never really done before. I love to be challenged and put out of my comfort zone, it helps me to trust in the Lord so much more.
Looking through the lens of my camera, I can see the hand of my Lord and Saviour so much more!
I just thought I would share it with you as it has given me so much joy.. These are all my photos.
May your cup overflow in 2014! Visualise this - as you outpour your heart into another, the Lord refills your cup until it overflows helping you to pour out easier.. a beautiful cycle.
http://www.pinterest.com/beckyjane73/my-photos/
Can you honestly say that you are enjoying your life? Filling it with new experiences that come along the journey? Doing everything at 110% - Being excellent in all that you do?
I don't want to waste this life. I realise I am half way through it and give a lot of my time to my children and other people.. sometimes in fact, I get to a point when I realise I have lost myself for a bit and then I work at getting me back by spending time doing something I love - like painting or sewing and craft.
One morning I got up early and took some photos.. they turned out beautiful! It was something I had never really done before. I love to be challenged and put out of my comfort zone, it helps me to trust in the Lord so much more.
Looking through the lens of my camera, I can see the hand of my Lord and Saviour so much more!
I just thought I would share it with you as it has given me so much joy.. These are all my photos.
May your cup overflow in 2014! Visualise this - as you outpour your heart into another, the Lord refills your cup until it overflows helping you to pour out easier.. a beautiful cycle.
http://www.pinterest.com/beckyjane73/my-photos/
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